A lot of people are fibbing. And most of them aren't even politicians or entitled celebrities.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common clinically-significant arrhythmia. Lifetime risk of development of AF is on the order of 1 in 4 men and women over the age of 40 years.

While drug therapy remains a mainstay of treatment, many current agents are limited by their marginal efficacy and proarrhythmia. By potentially inhibiting certain ion channel effects, new medications are being developed that may be able to reverse the causative electrophysiological changes and restore order to the atria.

Please join leading cardiology researcher Mohan N. Viswanathan, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Cardiology/Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, as he updates you on the Pharmacological Therapy of Cardiac Arrhythmias: Atrial Fibrillation, Current Treatment and Novel Agents. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Tobey Macguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco. Like you they are fans of Araneae (spiders). But even Hollywood stars could suffer serious consequences – even death – if evenomated by certain members of the order.

Please join Thomas C. Arnold, M.D., Professor and Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine, and Mark L. Ryan, Pharm.D., Director of the Louisiana Poison Center, LSU Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA, as they discuss Clinically Important Spiders in the United States. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopausal women quickly went out of favor when the Women's Health Initiative and other large clinical trials released their findings several years ago.

But new research suggests that the relationship between HRT and clinical benefits is more complicated -- one size doesn't fit everyone, especially since there are so many different commercial hormone combinations and preparations. Is it possible that the earlier findings may have been a case of comparing apples and oranges?

Please join Roberta Diaz Brinton, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering and Neurology, School of Pharmacy, Viterbi USC School of Engineering and Keck USC School of Medicine, and Muye Zhu, B.S., School of Pharmacy and Keck USC School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, as they discuss their new research in Progestins and the Brain. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. You may or may not know that more than 10,000 different kinds of microbes live happily in our GI tract.

And this is a very good thing. These 10,000 are not mere freeloaders looking to take advantage of a congenial environment. Rather, they help maintain an elaborate homeostasis that insures health. Think of them as excellent dinner companions.

When this "microbiota" is disturbed, it now appears that many serious chronic diseases -- ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel, Crohn's -- may result. With this new understanding of GI disease, researchers are starting to identify effective therapies to help the bacteria cope with various insults.

Please join eminent researchers John Y. Kao, M. D., Assistant Professor and Nirmal Kaur, M.D., Fellow, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, and Vincent B. Young, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Division, and Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, as they take us on a tour of The Indigenous Gastrointestinal Microbiota in Health and Disease. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Did you know that the progressive decline in muscle mass and a disproportionate loss of fast-twitch muscle fibers among the elderly, especially women, means that they cannot walk fast enough to cross the average U.S. intersection before the light changes?

Physical inactivity among older persons is both a public health concern and an important clinical condition that can affect an individual's functional status, quality of life and the management of chronic disease.

Is there any way to slow the inevitable or, better, reverse the trend? Can the elderly build muscle? Can aerobic exercise benefit an aging physiology?

Please join Calvin H. Hirsch, M.D., Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Division of General Medicine, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, as he puts you through the paces of Exercise for the Older Patient. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Professional ethical codes, as well as laws, mandate that medical professionals safeguard patient information — or else. But there are important legal exceptions that you should know about. If, for example, your patient is a threat to themself or others, do you have a legal obligation to warn law enforcement authorities?

Please join Jessica Wilen Berg, J.D., M.P.H., Professor of Law and Bioethics, Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Law and at the Department of Bioethics, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, as she illuminates the current state of Medical Confidentiality and Exceptions. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. . The answer is "yes" and "Yes." So what's the question?

Lung cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the United States and worldwide. Tobacco smoking causes 90% of the cases, and the 5-year U.S. survival rate for lung cancer remains discouragingly low(16%).

1. Short of taxing cigarettes up the wazoo, is there anything we can do to prevent lung cancer?

2. Are there any emerging treatments and on-going trials?

Robert Keith, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado at Denver - School of Medicine, and Associate Chief of Staff - Research, Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System, Denver, CO, discusses the current state of treatment in Lung Cancer Chemoprevention. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. African-Americans and Chinese have high incidence rates of this disease, exceeding 50 per 100,000, while among Caucasians it is less frequent (<20 per 100,000).

And, most ominously, African-American, Hispanic and Chinese patients also have, compared to Caucasians, more severe renal disease.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a relatively rare autoimmune disease with devastating consequences. In contrast to what we currently know about other autoimmune diseases, the heritability of SLE is relatively high. With much new research currently directed to illuminating the specific genetic details, medical scientists are beginning to plot the therapeutic attack on SLE.

Please join Chandra Mohan, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Department of Internal Medicine (Rheumatology), University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas, as he discusses Lessons in SLE Genetics. This free activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM.

• Why is it nicknamed the "internist's tumor?"
• What is pharmacometabolomics?
• Who's at high-risk?
• Why is its incidence rising?
• What can be done about its dismal outcomes?

Please join Robert H. Weiss, M.D., Professor of Medicine, University of California, Davis, and Chief of Nephrology, Sacramento VA Medical Center, and Hiromi Inoue, D.V.M., University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, as they introduce you to their exciting research on pharmacogenomics and personalized therapies in Diagnosis and Treatment of Kidney Cancer. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Anna is a 5' 5", 135-pound, 37-year-old female endurance runner and tri-athlete. Her body composition: 23% body fat and 104 pounds fat free mass. She runs, swims or bikes for approximately 60 minutes four times per week at 6:00 AM and does a four- to five-hour training session on Saturdays combining running and biking starting at 8:00 AM.

If she were your patient, do you know how to advise her regarding her:

• - appropriate weight
• - the type of calories she should be eating --
  • how much carbohydrate
  • how much protein
• - how much fluid she should be taking in
• - what she should eat when she is recovering from injury
• - whether she needs vitamin/mineral supplements and what they might be?

Please join Lona Sandon, M.Ed., R.D., Assistant Professor, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, as she presents Sports Nutrition for an Adult Female Endurance Athlete. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. How many of the following abbreviations do you know: SCL, GP, CCC, MK, MGD, CLPC, GPC, MCE, ECF, CES, VLK, SPK, SPS, SICS, SEAL, SEI and CLARE?

Probably not too many. We only correctly identified 3 out of 17. Learn why all of these abbreviations may be important for your vision in Physiology of Contact Lens Systems.

Finding the right fit is a little more complicated than you think.

Please join Barry A Weissman, D.O., Ph.D., Professor of Ophthalmology and Chief, Contact Lens Service, Jules Stein Eye Institute, and Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and Adjunct Professor of Optometry, Southern California College of Optometry, Fullerton CA as he presents a comprehensive look at the physiology and pathophysiology of contact lenses. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. For people over 65 Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease in the U.S. and is rapidly increasing in developing countries.

But younger adults get PD too. Three to ten percent of PD cases have an age-at-onset of 40 or younger. They are characterized as Early-onset Parkinson's Disease (EOPD).

While there are many similarities between EOPD and late-onset PD, EOPD has its own unique features, yet the presentation can be quite variable and is easily confused with other diseases.

Please join Roy N. Alcalay, M.D., M.Sc., Assistant Professor of Neurology, and Karen Marder, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Neurology (in the Sergievsky Center, Taub Institute and Psychiatry), Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, as they present Early-onset Parkinson's Disease. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Six Sigma.

It sounds like the name of a Greek fraternity. Or a sequel to Star Trek.

Six Sigma is a statistical, problem-solving management philosophy that was used to expand Fortune 500 companies, most notably General Electric. Now one of its leading advocates, Don Berwick, M.D., who President Obama recently appointed to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, promises to bring the gospel to healthcare.

What is Six Sigma and how will you and your patients be affected?

Please join Wendy M. Novicoff, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Departments of Public Health Sciences and Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, and Khaled J. Saleh, M.D., M.Sc., M.H.C.M., Professor and Chair, Division of Orthopaedic & Rehabilitation Surgery, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL, as they present Six Sigma in Healthcare.This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Currently, more than 24 million Americans have COPD. As the population ages and a new generation of smokers matures, it is certain that this disease will impact patients and the medical establishment for years to come.

New research demonstrates that chronic exposure to cigarette smoke results in a marked increase in matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), zinc-dependent enzymes, within the lung. And it is the presence of these proteases which is a critical factor in the development of COPD.

Is there anything we can do to reduce the effects of MMPs?

Please join Robert Foronjy, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, and Jeanine D'Armiento, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Columbia University, Department of Medicine, Division of Molecular and Pulmonary Medicine, New York, as they discuss, The Role of Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) in COPD. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a challenging disease. And lupus nephritis (LN) is its dreaded complication, significantly affecting morbidity and mortality (M&M), especially if you're African American, Hispanic, male or less than 24 years old.

Until recently, there wasn't anything you could for your patients with LN. But now, the LUNAR study offers a glimmer of hope.

Please join Saakshi Khattri, M.D., Senior Fellow and Peter Barland , M.D., Professor of Medicine (emeritus), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, as they discuss the current and emerging treatment for Lupus Nephritis. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. It's the most common female genital tract neoplasm in the United States. In 2011, an estimated 46,470 women will be diagnosed with uterine cancer and 8,120 will die of this disease.

Who's most at risk?

What therapies are available?

Please join Yevgeniya Ioffe, M.D., Clinical Fellow, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, and Israel Zighelboim, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine and Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, as they review the therapeutic challenges of Endometrial Cancer. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. They can occur anywhere — in the corners of the mouth, between fingers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or over bony prominences. And they affect 3-15% of acute care hospitalized patients.

Because they can be confused with other causes of skin breakdown, healthcare personnel need to be able to distinguish pressure ulcers. Though tissue ischemia due to pressure is considered a major etiologic factor in their development, the standard practice of regularly turning the bedridden patient is not supported by evidence. Is there anything you can do to help your patients?

Please join Robert J. Pignolo, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, as he surveys the dermal terrain in Pressure Ulcers. This activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM.