REFRACTORY ascites is an infrequent but debilitating condition in patients with cirrhosis.^{1 , 2} Peritoneovenous shunting does not improve survival in these patients,^{3 , 4} has serious complications,^{3 , 5 6 7 8} and is associated with a high rate of ...

THE cellular and biochemical mechanisms that lead to the long-term complications of diabetes mellitus are poorly understood. There is evidence that sustained hyperglycemia is a major factor in the development of many complications in patients with ...

THE major histocompatibility complex contains a large number of polymorphic genes, which encode Class I antigens (HLA-A, B, and C) and Class II antigens (HLA-DR, DQ, and DP). The importance of matching for HLA antigens to the survival of renal grafts has ...

DESPITE the large number of diagnostic and prognostic tests that can be used to evaluate patients with suspected coronary artery disease, the treadmill exercise test remains the most readily available and the most often used for this purpose, especially ...

SPORADIC transient monocular loss of vision (amaurosis fugax) lasting a few seconds to several minutes has fascinated and perplexed clinicians for years. In the mid-19th century, von Graefe¹ and later Gowers² proposed an embolic pathogenesis. Temporary ...

ELEVEN years ago, in the Annual Discourse presented before the Massachusetts Medical Society and later published in the Journal,¹ I first addressed the issue of commercialism in medical care. Referring to what I called "the new medical—industrial complex,"...

ALLERGIC rhinitis, the most common form of atopic disease, has an estimated prevalence ranging from 5 to 22 percent.¹ It is characterized by sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, and pruritus of the nose and eyes. Other symptoms, such as "popping" of ...

Presentation of Case

A 33-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of aortic regurgitation and aneurysmal dilatation of the ascending aorta.

The patient was in good health until six months earlier, when severe substernal pain developed. He was ...

Diabetes mellitus presents a lifelong challenge to patients and their health care providers. Although Type I (insulin-dependent) and Type II (non-insulindependent) diabetes mellitus probably have different causes, patients with either form have an ...

The malignant degeneration of normal tissues is a multifactorial process in which elements in the host and the environment conspire to produce clinical cancer. Except under rather rare circumstances, no element alone is sufficient. It is generally ...

During the past three decades, the exercise test has evolved into a method of considerable importance in the evaluation of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. Exercise testing aids physicians in making the diagnosis, in quantifying ...

To the Editor: Using rates of operative injuries, one can estimate the risk of acquiring infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as an occupational hazard for surgeons. Clearly, this issue is two-sided: patients are concerned about ...

To the Editor: Two articles^{1 , 2} and an editorial³ in the March 7 issue reported a possible role for serotonin in the pathogenesis of clinical coronary ischemia. Golino et al. noted that "it is still uncertain whether serotonin is important in modulating ...

To the Editor: Trevisan et al. (May 2 issue)¹ reported a relation between the absence of siblings and an increased prevalence of hypertension in adults. In a study of 3591 British children between 5.0 and 7.5 years of age, the details of which have been ...

To the Editor: Although the data on toxicity are limited, widespread use of aerosolized pentamidine has aroused concern about the occupational exposure of health care workers, and some regulatory agencies are recommending costly environmental controls.^{1 ...}

To the Editor: Many drugs may interfere with neuromuscular transmission, unmasking or aggravating myasthenia gravis.^{1 , 2} We describe a patient with myasthenia gravis whose clinical picture was unmasked by her cocaine use.

A 24-year-old woman prostitute ...

To the Editor: Eighteen billion single-use disposable diapers were sold in the United States in 1989, accounting for approximately 88 percent of all diapers used for infants and children.¹ Recent advances in diaper manufacturing have led to "...

To the Editor: The Massachusetts model health care proxy described by Annas (April 25 issue)* offers a solution to a problem created by the new federal law that will require thousands of health care facilities to start asking patients whether they want ...

The public's interest in Final Exit, the book by Derek Humphrey of the Hemlock Society describing how terminally ill persons can commit suicide, should leave each of us in the medical community wondering where we have gone wrong. The book directly ...

Adolescence is the period of the life cycle when human beings complete physical growth and development and attain reproductive capacity. With maturation comes the expectation that teenagers will learn to be responsible for themselves and their actions, ...

The editors of this book set forth as their goal the production of a textbook elucidating the scientific underpinnings of hematology and using that information to explicate the diagnosis and treatment of hematologic diseases. They have succeeded ...

With recent discoveries in the area of molecular biology encompassing oncogenes, proto-oncogenes, and anti-oncogenes, chromosomes are currently recognized as a crucial determinant in the malignant process. To bring together the world literature on ...

This 500-page, $100 book attempts to describe the basic and clinical aspects of the hematopoietic growth factors, a field that has exploded in the past six years. This book illustrates the difficulties met by editors who attempt to summarize a rapidly ...

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MEMORIAL/UCI CENTER FOR HEALTH EDUCATION

The following meetings will take place ...