Since 2005, the chief residents of the University Outpatient Clinic of Lausanne have established a database of articles chosen from miscellaneous reviews and electronic journals and selected for their scientific value and practical usefulness. This first review is based on articles published in 2006 and covering five topics useful for the primary care physician: chronic daily headaches are frequent in women, isolated vertigo is only exceptionally a sign of stroke and a bipolar disorder must be investigated in case of depression. HIV testing in a medical setting is at present more satisfactory than rapid HIV testing at home and finally watchful waiting of inguinal hernia is possible in asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic men.