Editorial

Diverticulitis

Posted on Mar 28, 2013 in Editorial, Illustration

This editorial illustration was created for a May 2013 cover of American Family Physician. The image summarizes Diverticulitis, a common digestive disease which involves the formation of pouches (diverticula) within the bowel wall. This process is known as diverticulosis, and typically occurs within the large intestine, or colon, although it can occasionally occur in the small intestine as well. Diverticulitis results when one of these diverticula becomes inflamed. Patients often present with the classic triad of left lower quadrant pain, fever, and leukocytosis (an elevation of the white...

“Hands Free” Femoral Retraction

Posted on Mar 28, 2013 in Editorial, Illustration, Surgical

The illustration posted in this example was created for the April 2013 issue of Orthopaedics feature and peer-reviewed article, Technical Trick: Simple, No-Hands Retraction for Lateral Approach to the Proximal Femur. A simple technique is described that allows the orthopaedic surgeon to perform no-hands retraction during the lateral approach to the proximal femur during fixation of an intertrochanteric fracture with a sliding hip screw. All instruments remain sterile and within 6 inches of the surgical wound. Use of this technique is particularly useful in the event that a surgeon is...

MenoDepression

Posted on Mar 28, 2013 in Anatomical, Editorial, Illustration

The illustration depicted was created for the April 2013 26(4) issue of JAAPA feature article, Treatment options for major depression during the menopausal (Bobbie Posmontier, PhD, CNM, PMHNP-BC). Compared to men, women experience 1.7 times the prevalence of depression, largely because of fluctuations in reproductive hormones. Even without a prior history of depression, vulnerability to depressive symptoms may be especially increased during the menopausal transition as a result of greater sensitivity to the extreme fluctuating levels of estrogen, other hormonal influences, and single...

The Philadelphia Chromosome

Posted on Mar 27, 2013 in Cellular, Editorial, Illustration, Molecular

This illustration was created for JAAPA, February 2013 • 26(2). The Philadelphia chromosome is formed when a piece of chromosome 9 exchanges places with a piece of chromosome 22, resulting in a balanced translocation t(9;22)(q34;q11) and the formation of an abnormal fusion gene BCR-ABL1. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm. The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2012, the number of newly diagnosed CML cases would be 5,430, with 610 deaths.1 The discovery of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) imatinib has revolutionized the treatment and prognosis of CML,...