Protecting the magazine brand: Brand manuals, their uses and implementation

This thesis discusses the need for a brand manual for a magazine after the creation of a first issue. A brand manual ensures each subsequent issue of the magazine has consistent design from issue to issue as well as keeps the tenets of the overall magazine brand intact. This thesis was project based and conclusions were met by means of a literature review of branding, interviews and experiential research. The foundational similarities between brands and magazines through the lens of magazine design was discussed and found to be one in the same: magazines are brands. Brands are only as good as understanding their consumers and giving them a useful product packaged in a way that appeals to their intuition. To understand brands in this way is to understand magazines

Acupuncture for migraine headaches

Acupuncture reduces the frequency of migraine headaches when used as an adjunct to, or in place of, medical management. (Strength of Recommendation: A, based on meta-analyses)

What is the best way to identify patients with white-coat hypertension?

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is currently the gold standard for detecting patients with white-coat hypertension. Women and all patients with lower office systolic blood pressures, stage I hypertension, and no target organ damage are more likely to have white-coat hypertension (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, based on prospective cohort studies). Self or home blood pressure monitoring has also been used to detect patients with white-coat hypertension. However, it has a low sensitivity (61%-68%) and low positive predictive value (PV+) (33%-48%) (SOR: B, short-term prospective cohort studies)

Does routine amniotomy have a role in normal labor?

Routine amniotomy doesn't significantly reduce the duration of first-stage labor in either primiparous or multiparous women (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, systematic review of several randomized, controlled trials [RCTs]); it slightly shortens second-stage labor in primiparous women only (SOR: A, systematic review of several RCTs). A trend toward increased rates of cesarean section has been noted in low-risk women who undergo routine amniotomy (SOR: A, systematic review of several RCTs). The procedure doesn't appear to affect neonatal outcomes (SOR: B, uncommon endpoint in several large RCTs)

Does furosemide decrease morbidity or mortality for patients with diastolic or systolic dysfunction?

No large-scale randomized, placebo-controlled trials evaluate furosemide's effect on mortality and long-term morbidity in diastolic or systolic dysfunction. In short-term studies, furosemide reduces edema, reduces hospitalizations, and improves exercise capacity in the setting of systolic dysfunction (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, based upon low-quality randomized controlled trials). Furosemide and other diuretics reduce symptomatic volume overload in diastolic and systolic dysfunction (SOR: C, based on expert opinion)

Risks and Benefits of Combination Contraceptives

The risks of using oral combination contraceptives include: a three- to sixfold increase in the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) apparent by the fourth month of use and highest between six and 12 months of use; a two- to sixfold increase in the risk of ischemic stroke among women with a history of migraine; and an increase in cervical cancer risk after five or more years of use. (Strength of Recommendation [SOR]: B

What lifestyle changes should we recommend for the patient with newly diagnosed hypertension?

Hypertensive patients should reduce sodium intake (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A). The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet (DASH diet)--with salt restriction and increased fruit, vegetable, calcium, and potassium intake--reduces blood pressure and should be recommended (SOR: A). Aerobic exercise is effective in the general, as well as elderly, populations for reducing blood pressure (SOR: A). Patients should be encouraged to reduce alcohol consumption (SOR: A). Evidence that weight loss is significantly associated with blood pressure reduction is inconclusive (SOR: C). Smoking cessation should be encouraged for all hypertensive patients for prevention of cardiovascular disease (SOR: A)

What are the relative risks and benefits of progestin-only contraceptives?

Little evidence describes the risks and benefits of progestin-only contraceptives therapy. No good-quality evidence exists to determine the risk of cancer associated with progestin-only contraceptives. Data are insufficient to discern their effect on milk quality and quantity during lactation, though no effect on infant growth or weight was identified (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, based on systematic Cochrane review)

Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy

There are no studies that have shown any antidepressant to be absolutely safe for use during any stage of pregnancy. The use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) during pregnancy does not increase the risk of congenital malformations or miscarriage. (Strength of Recommendation [SOR]: B, based on limited-quality, patient-oriented evidence.) The use of SSRIs or TCAs during pregnancy may increase the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, respiratory distress, and neonatal convulsions, without obvious subsequent adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. (SOR: B, based on limited-quality, patient-oriented evidence.

Do NSAIDs impede fracture healing?

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) don't appear to impair clinical fracture healing (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, inconsistent evidence from a randomized controlled trial [RCT] and retrospective studies). Even though animal studies show delayed healing and nonunion with NSAID use, evidence in humans doesn't merit avoiding NSAIDs in patients with fractures who need the drugs' analgesic and anti-inflammatory benefits