D’Arcy Little, MD, CCFP, FRCPC, Medical Director, JCCC and www.healthplexus.net
There have been some significant developments at Health Plexus, the publisher of this Journal. At the beginning of the year we launched our first “specialty” channel—the Dementia Educational Resource. Considering that the founding members of Health Plexus have deep historical roots in Geriatrics, it was only natural to build a dedicated team to address the tremendous interest of our readership in the area of Dementia. Dr. Michael Gordon has assumed responsibility of Editor-in-Chief for the Dementia Educational Resource. Please see Dr. Barry Goldlist’s interview with Dr. Michael Gordon in this issue and stay tuned for further announcements on similar launches of other specialty channels. I have a hint for you, the next has something to do with the skin...
The Journal of Current Clinical Care and www.healthplexus.net are innovative educational platforms and social forums for knowledge transfer and are a medium for sharing ideas. We encourage dialogue and are asking our readers to step in and participate in the development of content. We also welcome individuals or professional groups to lead the development of specialty channels where they would be able to share their expertise.
I have the pleasure of introducing the first issue of 2012 of the Journal of Current Clinical Care. This issue addresses a variety of interesting and clinically relevant topics.
Dr. Andrew Johnson et al., present the topic The Hidden Cost of Cognition: Examining the Link Between Dual-Task Interference and Falls. The article acknowledges that falls are a leading contributor to mortality and morbidity in older adults. Cognition is important factor in falls, as individuals who are unable to orient an appropriate amount of attention to the task of maintaining safe and stable balance are more likely to fall. They describe several strategies to address falls prevention in this context.
Dr. Yoav Keynan et al., present a case study of a Diffuse Rash in an HIV Infected Patient, reminding us that syphilis incidence is currently increasing in North America, and that HIV infection is present in 1/5 of individuals diagnosed with syphilis.
In his article, Helping Families Worried about Developing Dementia: Strategies to ease the Burden Stress, Fear and Guilt, Dr. Michael Gordon presents some of the challenges of and some practical strategies for caregivers of patients with dementia.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasingly common, and previously unrecognized complications are emerging, including cognitive impairment and dementia. The article, Vascular and Metabolic Contributions to Cognitive Decline and Dementia Risk in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes, by Liesel-Ann Meusel et al., emphasizes that proper management of metabolic and vascular complications of diabetes may minimize the adverse effects on cognitive function and quality of life.
I hope you enjoy this issue of the Journal. Feedback and discussion, as always, is welcomed.
