INFECTION with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) causes chronic progressive immunologic dysfunction.^{1 , 2} Although the precise mechanisms of HIV-induced immune defects remain to be elucidated, the development of immunologic dysfunction as a result ...

CANCER of the larynx affects more than 12,000 people each year and results in an estimated 3700 deaths.¹ The conventional treatment of patients with advanced (Stage III or IV) squamous carcinoma of the larynx consists of total laryngectomy or a ...

THE appropriate use of hypnotic medications in the aging population is of considerable public health interest.^{1 2 3} A decade ago flurazepam (Dalmane) was the most widely prescribed hypnotic medication. Concern arose, however, about the potential adverse ...

RECENT studies of hepatitis B virus (HBV) have shown that this small DNA virus has four open reading frames: the S gene coding for an envelope protein (hepatitis B surface antigen, HBsAg), the core gene coding for a core protein (hepatitis B core antigen, ...

INFECTION with hepatitis B virus (HBV) leads to a wide spectrum of liver injury, including acute, self-limited infection, fulminant hepatitis, and chronic hepatitis with progression to cirrhosis and liver failure, as well as to an asymptomatic chronic ...

Jane F. Desforges, M.D., Editor

ABNORMAL genital bleeding occurs in girls and women of all ages. Included in the differential diagnosis are pregnancy, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, diseases of the genital tract, hemorrhagic diathesis, and systemic ...

John A. Oates, M.D., Editor Alastair J.J. Wood, M.D., Associate Editor

THE nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are very commonly prescribed. This fact reflects the high prevalence of rheumatic diseases; approximately 8 percent of people have a ...

Presentation of Case

A 16-year-old boy was admitted to the hospital because of orthostatic weakness and hematochezia.

The patient was in excellent health until three days earlier, when he was struck in the right inguinal region by the knee of a friend ...

One of the many mysteries about infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is why, in the face of an adequate stimulus (the virus itself) and a competent immune system (the status of most people upon initial infection), the infected person ...

INSOMNIA is a common malady, affecting about a third of adults during the course of a year.¹ Serious insomnia is reported by 17 percent of the general adult population and is particularly prevalent among women, the elderly, and people with psychic ...

Two elegant articles in this issue of the Journal ^{1 , 2} describe a fulminant and fatal course of hepatitis in some patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) in whose serum surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies to hepatitis B e antigen (anti-HBe) ...

To the Editor: I found that the article "Chemistry in the Kitchen —Making Ground Meat More Healthful" (Jan. 10 issue)* includes information that dietitians have been providing to patients for at least the 15 years that I have been in the profession. We ...

To the Editor: At the close of their elegant epidemiologic study of a cluster of sternal infections following cardiac surgery, Richet et al. (Jan. 10 issue)¹ present an unconvincing hypothesis — that the infecting organisms reached the sternal wounds ...

To the Editor: The results of the Third International Study of Infarct Survival (ISIS-3), the latest of several large-scale trials comparing thrombolytic agents used for acute myocardial infarction, were recently presented at the 40th Annual Session of ...

To the Editor: In reference to Beutler's comprehensive review of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency (Jan. 17 issue),¹ we would like to add an important drug to his list of common drugs and chemicals that can induce hemolysis in persons ...

To the Editor: Zeller et al. (Jan. 10 issue)¹ demonstrated that a diet restricted in protein and phosphorus, as compared with a control diet, resulted in a fourfold reduction in the rate of decline in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with ...

To the Editor: Neurologic complications of cyclosporine therapy are frequent, usually occurring during the first month after the beginning of treatment. We report the case of a child who underwent liver transplantation and had a seizure late in her ...

To the Editor: Rodwin's letter discussing the John Moore lawsuit (Dec. 13 issue)¹ implies that I failed to disclose an economic conflict of interest to my patient, Mr. Moore. This is incorrect, and the court made no such determination. The only issue ...

To the Editor: The language of medicine is the language of warfare. Microorganisms and cancer cells colonize and invade. The body uses immunologic surveillance and defenses to repel the enemy.^{1 , 2} Will new war terms find their way into the language of ...

In few fields of medicine have advances been as dramatic and fast moving as those in cardiothoracic surgery during the past decade. An almost complete "recycling" of our knowledge base of this specialty has taken place, from general thoracic surgery — ...

It is often said that surgeons have a natural reluctance to write books about postoperative complications, that there are disincentives to too close an association with unfavorable outcomes. In point of fact, there is a wealth of books, chapters, and ...

It used to be easy to write a surgical atlas, but those halcyon days are about over. Innovative nonoperative techniques and new operative approaches complicate the choice of surgical options. Atlases are already appearing in looseleaf form. Inserts sent ...

This book was written in conjunction with a course offered every year at the University of California at Los Angeles. It is a one-week course; each chapter represents a one-hour lecture. The primary focus is on issues of science in vascular surgery, the ...

As the authors state very clearly in the preface, this book is intended for practicing vascular surgeons or surgeons challenged with increasing frequency by complex vascular injuries. The editors have assembled an extraordinarily readable and accessible ...

This book by a single author presents a current and balanced overview of the cause, diagnosis, and management of Stage I and Stage II breast carcinoma. Although not as encyclopedic as other works on the breast, it provides a great deal of information in a ...

This is a compact book that emphasizes the cognitive aspects of oncology and wisely sacrifices figures and drawings for additional text. Each chapter is written by a single author. Most of the authors are surgeons from Glasgow or Edinburgh, giving the ...

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CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Abstracts are now being accepted for the "7th International ...

Germany's universal health insurance plan is grounded in a social contract that places a strong emphasis on the provision of medical care to all citizens by private ambulatory care physicians who largely have clinical autonomy but who have relinquished ...