Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the integration of the best research evidence with patients' values and clinical circumstances in clinical decision making. Teaching of EBP should be evaluated and guided by evidence of its own effectiveness.

Mentoring, as a partnership in personal and professional growth and development, is central to academic medicine, but it is challenged by increased clinical, administrative, research, and other educational demands on medical faculty. Therefore, evidence for the value of mentoring needs to be evaluated.

Core physician activities of lifelong learning, continuing medical education credit, relicensure, specialty recertification, and clinical competence are linked to the abilities of physicians to assess their own learning needs and choose educational activities that meet these needs.

Pressure ulcers are common in a variety of patient settings and are associated with adverse health outcomes and high treatment costs.

Guidelines for antiretroviral therapy are important for clinicians worldwide given the complexity of the field and the varied clinical situations in which these agents are used. The International AIDS Society-USA panel has updated its recommendations as warranted by new developments in the field.

Chemokine receptors are found on cell surfaces and promote cellular migration by chemotaxis. The CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) is used by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to infect cells. Strategies that target human CCR5 are therefore being developed to prevent and treat HIV infection. Antiviral strategies that target a host element necessary for viral replication may be predicted to interfere with the function of that element and may therefore adversely affect the host. We conducted a review of the literature between November 2005 and April 2006 with a focus on articles addressing the genetics and function of CCR5, the effects of CCR5 deletion in human and murine systems, and treatment strategies for HIV infection that target this coreceptor. English-language articles in the human and murine literature published between March 1996 and April 2006 were identified through a search of MEDLINE using CCR5 as the search term. Relevant articles as judged by their titles and abstracts were reviewed in detail. In addition, based on our knowledge of the field and with permission, unpublished work was also reviewed. In this article, we explore the effects that targeting CCR5 may have on host defenses in individuals with immunity already compromised by HIV infection.

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy is a powerful predictor of survival for individuals living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS. Concerns about incomplete adherence among patients living in poverty have been an important consideration in expanding the access to antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa.

There have been numerous reports of interventions designed to improve the care of patients with diabetes, but the effectiveness of such interventions is unclear.

Contrast-induced nephropathy is associated with significant economic and clinical consequences, including prolonged hospitalization, the requirement for dialysis, and an increased risk of death.

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is caused by spontaneous spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks and is known for causing orthostatic headaches. It is an important cause of new headaches in young and middle-aged individuals, but initial misdiagnosis is common.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) plays an important role in host defense and tumor growth control. Therefore, anti-TNF antibody therapies may increase the risk of serious infections and malignancies.

Concern regarding the adverse effects of estrogen and other hormones for treating menopausal symptoms has led to demand for other options; however, the efficacy and adverse effects of nonhormonal therapies are unclear.

The short-term effects of early treatment with statins in patients after the onset of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) for the outcomes of death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke are unclear.

Despite there being millions of pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) generator implants worldwide, little is known about device reliability.

Menstrual migraine affects approximately 50% to 60% of female migraineurs, but knowledge regarding the role of hormones, especially estrogen, appears incomplete.

Both short and long interpregnancy intervals have been associated with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. However, whether this possible association is confounded by maternal characteristics or socioeconomic status is uncertain.

With the increasing prevalence of diabetes, successful management of blood glucose control is increasingly important. Current approaches to assessing glycemia include the use of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).

Upper gastrointestinal symptoms occur in 40% of the population. An accurate diagnosis would help rationalize investigation and treatment.

Inconsistent data suggest that endogenous sex hormones may have a role in sex-dependent etiologies of type 2 diabetes, such that hyperandrogenism may increase risk in women while decreasing risk in men.