Diabetic Foot: Management

Veves A, Giurini JM, LoGerfo FW (eds)
THE DIABETIC FOOT:MEDICAL AND SURGICAL MANAGEMENT
Totowa, NJ, Humana Press, 2002, 489 pages,$145 hardcover

Foot ulcerations and infections are the leading cause of hospitalizationamong patients with diabetes; they occur in about15% of these patients. Given the rapidly increasing incidenceof diabetes, physicians can expect to see a growing numberof diabetic foot problems. Here, a group of experts, many ofwhom practice at the renowned Joslin-Beth Israel DeaconessFoot Center in Boston, offer guidance on all aspects of diabeticfoot care. The topics covered range from proven preventivestrategies to cutting-edge wound care techniques that drawon such new developments as growth factors and living skinequivalents. A detailed review of the pathophysiology of thediabetic foot is also included. The emphasis throughout is ona multidisciplinary approach that incorporates the servicesof diabetologists, podiatrists, orthopedic surgeons, orthotists,diabetic nurse educators, and others. Numerous black-and-whiteand color photographs, drawings, algorithms, and charts illustratethe text.

Buckley RM, Gluckman SJ (eds)
HIV INFECTION IN PRIMARY CARE
Philadelphia, WB Saunders Company, 2002, 303 pages,$49 hardcover

As new therapies have improved the outlook for patientswith HIV infection, they have shifted the locus of treatmentto the outpatient setting. This concise yet comprehensivevolume is tailored to meet the needs of primary care practitionerswho care for these patients. Part I provides usefulbackground information about HIV infection and guidanceon diagnosis and initial management. Part II covers thediagnosis and treatment of opportunistic infections and managementof the various symptoms of progressive HIV infection.Part III presents the differential diagnosis of common syndromesseen in full-blown AIDS, as well as special aspects of caring forpatients with HIV infection. Included are highlighted keypoints and periodic discussions of when to refer, as well asdiagnostic images, tables, charts, and algorithms.

Rotblatt M, Ziment I
EVIDENCE-BASED HERBAL MEDICINE
Philadelphia, Hanley & Belfus, 2001, 486 pages, $35 softcover

An increasing number of patients are interested in herbal therapies for theirailments. The dilemma for clinicians is where to find objective, authoritativeinformation about these remedies. This reference affords the clinician anevidence-based evaluation of 65 common herbal remedies. Each entry providesa history of the herb's use; an explanation of its pharmacology; an overviewof the clinical trial evidence with respect to efficacy, adverse effects, and interactions;and dosage information. Finally, each herb has been rated to facilitateclinical decision making. The book also contains useful chapters on qualityassurance and brand selection; understanding herbal dosage forms; the herbalmedicine traditions of Mexico, China, and India; and resources for furtherinformation on herbal medicine.