No screening test is ideal for detecting rheumatic diseases; diagnosis depends on appropriate history and thorough physical examination. Sometimes, laboratory investigations may be useful in confirming or ruling out rheumatic disease after a clinical diagnosis is considered. Once a rheumatic disease has been diagnosed, certain laboratory tests can help in assessing prognosis or determining the extent of the disease. Laboratory tests may also help the physician monitor certain rheumatic diseases, guide treatment or assess potential drug toxicity.
Ficus deltoidea Jack (Moraceae) has had a long history of use in traditional medicine among the Malays to alleviate and heal ailments such as sores, wounds, and rheumatism and as an after-birth tonic and an antidiabetic drug. Modern pharmacological studies demonstrated that this plant has a wide variety of beneficial attributes for human health. Despite its importance, a review of this species has not been published in the scientific literature to date. Here, we review and summarize the historic and current literature concerning the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological effects, and toxicity of this wonder plant. This summary could be beneficial for future research aiming to exploit the therapeutic potential of this useful, medicinal species.
The diagnosis of patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO) is often problematic because the range of possible differential diagnoses is broad. We report on a case in which a patient presented with FUO and was subsequently found to have both a collagen vascular disease and an intercurrent infection. Treatment for the collagen vascular disease with corticosteroids exacerbated the intercurrent infection. The problems in the diagnosis and management of such cases are discussed.