From top medical journals, articles based on published research: new treatments, medications, procedures and more... Cutaneous Warts...    Cutaneous warts are a common complaint in children and adolescents. Plantar or flat warts are skin manifestations of the human papillomavirus.     The treatment of warts is usually a challenge for physicians. No single therapy has been proven effective at achieving complete remission in every patient. As a result, many different approaches to wart therapy exist.     Different common treatments are considered in this article. The evidence supports the at-home use of topical salicylic acid and physician-administered cryotherapy [freezing] antibody injections into the lesions [immunotherapy] for non-genital cutaneous warts may be an option for large or recalcitrant warts.     Am Fam Physician 2005;72:647-52. Treatments for Gallstones...    Many patients with gallstones can be managed expectantly. Surgical intervention is warranted when abdominal pain lasts for four to six hours and also when acute inflammation of the gallbladder [cholecystitis] or pancreas [pancreatitis] is present.     In most cases pain from the biliary system is alleviated by surgical removal of the gallbladder [cholecystectomy]. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is considered the most cost-effective management strategy in the treatment of symptomatic gallstones. Medical management strategies are mostly palliative and are not widely supported.     Patients with longer-lasting biliary pain, in combination with abdominal tenderness, fever, and/or elevated blood white cells, require an ultrasound evaluation to help establish a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. Once a patient is diagnosed, having cholecystectomy early in the course of the disease can significantly reduce the hospital stay. Am Fam Physician 2005;72:637-42. Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain...    Is acupuncture effective in treating acute or chronic low back pain?... Acupuncture is an effective treatment for decreasing pain in patients with chronic low back pain. It doesn't seem to be a placebo effect; acupuncture produces a significantly greater effect on pain than sham acupuncture.     There is not enough research to allow a conclusion for the treatment of acute low back pain.     For patients with chronic low back pain, lasting at least three months, acupuncture was more effective than sham acupuncture, transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS), and no treatment for short-term pain relief. It was not significantly better or worse than massage, medication therapy, or actual TENS treatment, and was significantly less effective than spinal manipulation. It provided long-term pain relief as compared with sham TENS or no treatment but was not different from sham acupuncture or active TENS.    Copyright ©2005 Journal of Family Practice, August 1, 2005. PAP tests and HPV [Human PapillomaVirus]...    The natural history of HPV [human papillomavirus] is not yet completely understood, but over the past decade, there has been an explosion in knowledge about the virus and its relationship to precancerous and cancerous changes in the genital tract.     Recent research in the management of Pap testing, new technologies for Pap screening, and easy access to HPV tests have changed the treatment recommendations in patients with abnormal cytologic results. In this article, Dr Buechler [Harvard Medical School] explores these advances and explains how they affect the clinical management of patients with abnormal Pap test results.    Buechler EJ. Pap tests and HPV infection: advances in screening and interpretation. Postgraduate Medicine 2005;118(2):37-46 Home  ::  News  ::  Newsletter  ::  Site Map  ::  Exercise & Fitness  ::  Sports Medicine  ::  Nutrition  ::  Cancer Center Breast Cancer  ::  Medical Journals  ::  Mental Health  ::  Alternative Medicine  ::  From NIH  ::  Health Insurance  ::  Drugstore Publications  ::  Guestbook  ::  Download  ::  Shopping  ::  Corporate Services  ::  Digital Content  ::  Q & A  ::  Kids' Corner Women's Health  ::  Testimonials  ::  Bookstore  ::  Privacy  ::  Press Releases  ::  Tell a Friend  ::  Help  ::  About Us The information in our pages is published for educational purposes only and must not be taken as medical advice or medical treatment in any form. For health problems, visitors to our site are encouraged to seek help from licensed, competent physicians.