IT is now possible to predict the probability of inheriting the gene for diseases such as Huntington's disease,^{1 , 2} familial Alzheimer's disease,³ and some types of familial cancer.⁴ For these diseases, which are manifested primarily in adult life, DNA ...

IT is generally accepted that atrial fibrillation is associated with an increased risk of stroke. The risk among patients with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation is estimated to be five times greater than that for comparable patients in sinus rhythm.^{1 , 2} ...

ASTHMA, a disorder characterized by attacks of dyspnea or wheezing and variable airways obstruction, may cause severe morbidity.¹ The mortality from asthma is rising in several countries.^{2 3 4} Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes ...

SALMETEROL, a new β₂-adrenoceptor agonist, is a chemical analogue of the bronchodilator albuterol. Structurally, the two compounds are similar, except that salmeterol has an elongated side chain thought to bind the molecule firmly to the region of the β₂-...

SOME patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) achieve good glycemic control when they are first treated with an oral hypoglycemic drug, but only approximately 50 percent continue to have satisfactory glycemic control after 10 years.¹ ...

POPULATION-BASED statistics on lung cancer in the United States must give pause even to hardened optimists. Carcinoma of the lung was the second most common cancer and the leading cause of death from cancer last year.¹ Therapeutic results in this disease ...

Presentation of Case

A 75-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of a colonic carcinoma, right ventricular mass, and pleuritic chest pains.

The patient was in vigorous health three months earlier, when a physical examination was normal; he ...

For the first 33 years of my life, I lived at risk for Huntington's disease. Huntington's disease is transmitted in an autosomal dominant fashion: each child of a person with the disease has a 50–50 chance of inheriting the Huntington's gene. Though it ...

The article by Ezekowitz et al. in this issue of the Journal ¹ marks the completion of a remarkable set of five contemporaneous randomized trials testing the efficacy of warfarin in the prevention of stroke in patients with nonrheumatic atrial ...

The use of a combination of oral hypoglycemic drugs and insulin to treat patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) that is refractory to treatment with oral hypoglycemic drugs alone has long been of great interest to practitioners. I ...

To the Editor: In their excellent review article on the use of aspirin in ischemic heart disease (July 16 issue),¹ Willard et al. cite the Department of Veterans Affairs cooperative studies,^{2 , 3} but we would like to emphasize that our recent work ...

To the Editor: The study by Christman et al. (July 9 issue),¹ as well as the accompanying editorial by Loscalzo,² strongly suggests that pulmonary endothelial dysfunction in primary pulmonary hypertension may play a part in the development and ...

To the Editor: In the July 9 issue, Rich et al.* present strong evidence that patients with primary pulmonary hypertension whose pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary-artery pressure respond to treatment with calcium-channel blockers have markedly ...

To the Editor: The article by Dr. Limberg (July 9 issue)¹ demonstrates the superiority of hydrocolonic sonography over conventional abdominal sonography in the diagnosis of colonic tumors, as well as the good correlation of the results with those of ...

To the Editor: Transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from health care provider to patient is another example of "AIDS and Absolutism — The Demand for Perfection in Prevention" (Aug. 13 issue).* To my knowledge, there have been only five ...

To the Editor: Intravenous clindamycin combined with oral primaquine may be effective treatment for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) who have toxic reactions or no response to other agents.¹

A ...

To the Editor: My associates and I have spent much time considering various protective measures to avoid needle sticks in the operating room. Trying to find gloves that will not permit the intrusion of a sharply honed needle is a hopeless task; one ...

To the Editor: Dr. Bodenheimer's Sounding Board article on underinsurance (July 23 issue)¹ is on target when it emphasizes that underinsurance is as great a problem of the nation's health care system as lack of insurance. He alludes only anecdotally, ...

To the Editor: In a 30-year-old physician beginning the molecular-biology laboratory component of his fellowship, diffuse facial erythema and tenderness developed, with sparing of the periorbital areas, after prolonged scrutiny of DNA fragments in an ...

Improving the health of our children, especially by ensuring them a healthy start in life, is an issue of pressing importance. The United States' far-too-high infant mortality rate must be of concern to all. This book represents a concerted attempt to set ...

The care of pregnant women with preexisting medical conditions is a challenge for obstetricians, internists, and family physicians. They should possess a complete knowledge of the effects of specific diseases and their treatment on the mother and fetus. ...

Diabetes is a common complication of pregnancy. Approximately 3 percent of all pregnant women will have gestational diabetes. In addition, 250,000 women in the United States of childbearing age are estimated to have insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (...

Normal and abnormal mechanisms of coagulation are well represented in most standard textbooks of hematology, but standard textbooks give these issues short shrift when it comes to obstetrics and gynecology. Haemostasis and Thrombosis in Obstetrics and ...

Over the past 30 years, female children and adolescents have become an important subgroup of patients requiring gynecologic services. Because of the age of these patients, there is considerable overlap among specialties in the provision of this care.

This ...

Drs. Thompson and Rock and their authoritative group of contributors are to be complimented on this outstanding revision of Te Linde's Operative Gynecology. It is interesting to compare this edition with previous editions, which contained an introduction, ...

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications are being accepted for the "Charles E. Culpeper Foundation Scholarships in Medical Humanities — 1993," which are awarded to support the study of philosophy, ethics, history, sociology, law, or economics, as applied to ...

Six times in the 20th century, America has flirted unsuccessfully with national health insurance legislation — the provision of medical care to all citizens. Instead, policy makers have allowed subsidies to finance part of private health insurance by ...