HYPONATREMIA is probably the most common of all electrolyte disorders seen in a general hospital population.^{1 2 3 4 5} Acute symptomatic hyponatremia has been reported in a wide variety of clinical circumstances, including that of the postoperative period.^...

RECENTLY, the treatment of hyponatremia has become controversial. Some investigators have linked rapid correction of hyponatremia with an often fatal neurologic disorder known as central pontine myelinolysis.^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9} Others have disputed this ...

VARICELLA during pregnancy has been associated with a congenital varicella syndrome (characterized by limb hypoplasia, cutaneous scars, microcephaly, cortical atrophy, chorioretinitis, cataracts, and other anomalies in the infant^{1 , 18}) and with herpes ...

THE demonstration of a favorable hemodynamic response to vasodilator drugs in patients with congestive heart failure has led to the wide use of these agents to supplement digitalis and diuretics in the treatment of symptomatic patients.^{1 2 3 4 5} Symptoms ...

THE cost of medical care at academic centers is reported to be 11 to 33 percent higher than at community medical centers, even when case mix is controlled for.^{1 , 2} This cost differential has been attributed to both fixed costs, such as those of ...

THERE are approximately 120 million guns in private hands in the United States.^{1 , 2} About half of all the homes in America contain one or more firearms.^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8} Although most persons who own guns keep them primarily for hunting or sport, three ...

THE incidence of genital herpes simplex infection is increasing in the United States.¹ Although there have been substantial advances in the diagnosis and treatment of this infection, several important aspects of its epidemiology remain unclear, including ...

Presentation of Case

An 80-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of anemia.

She was in good health until four months earlier, when she consulted a physician because of increasing fatigue and exertional dyspnea. The hematocrit was 22 percent, ...

Worsening weakness, lethargy, and nausea merge with progressive headache and obtundation to culminate in generalized seizures, coma, and ultimately death. This noxious sequence describes equally well the effects of worsening hyponatremia or hypernatremia ...

Advertising in medicine has become a reality. Although some medical observers may consider increased advertising an encouraging sign of competition, the marketing of health care cannot legitimately be equated with the marketing of other services. ...

No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.

No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.

To the Editor: Rhodococcus equi (Corynebacterium equi) has recently been added to the catalog of opportunistic pulmonary infections observed in patients with AIDS (Jan. 2 issue).¹ We wish to describe the pathologic features of infection with R. equi in a ...

To the Editor: In the absence of effective treatment for AIDS, efforts to contain the disease are focused on the control of transmission. Recommendations include a reduction in promiscuous behavior among homosexuals^{1 , 2} and heterosexuals³ alike. ...

No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.

No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.

To the Editor: Straus et al.,¹ by demonstrating that the DNA of virus isolated from a patient's varicella lesions and that of virus isolated from his later zoster lesions yielded identical restriction-endonuclease patterns, have provided the most direct ...

To the Editor: Constipation is a well-described side effect of the calcium-channel–blocking agent verapamil.¹ Although this side effect is bothersome, it rarely poses major problems in treatment of patients. We report an unusual complication encountered ...

To the Editor: The recent article by Rhodes et al. (Jan. 16 issue)¹ details a study that perpetuates some of the common fallacies about the present Medicare prospective payment system, but the authors do reach some interesting conclusions.

In the first ...

No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.

This Seminar was organized in 1983 to examine the provision of primary health care in Boston. Its report is a later outgrowth of the Seminar. The group was charged with clarifying the issue of access and providing a method for identifying and solving ...

This author's reputation precedes this book. He is deservedly well known for his work at the intersection of ethics, medicine, and public policy. Here one finds the clarity of expression, breadth of knowledge, and forcefulness of argument that will set ...

It was with some trepidation that I picked up this book. The cover shows a picture of an imperiled fetus/newborn between two threatening scientists — one a crazed astronomer; the other (with whom I more closely identified) a masked biotechnocrat creating ...

While ethical analysis must generally avoid the temptation merely to rationalize the status quo, Rachels avoids this trap altogether. Indeed, he suggests nothing less than a radical revision of prevailing moral and legal views of euthanasia. It was in ...

In 1983 a colleague invited me to join in teaching an elective course in literature and medicine offered to second-year medical students. One of my favorite sessions ever since has been a group of readings called "Self-Description of Disease." First-...

AMERICAN MEDICAL WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION

The interim meeting of the Association, entitled "The Feminization of Medicine," will be held in Denver, July 9–12.

Contact Lea Sciala, AMWA, 465 Grand St., New York, NY 10002; or call (212)533–5104.

OBSTETRICS

A ...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has long been conducting a program to monitor reported adverse drug reactions to approved drugs. The purpose of this paper is to review the rationale for monitoring adverse drug reactions, to describe the ...