An intriguing feature of the human genome is the accumulation of distinct classes of repetitive DNA. These classes of DNA consist of several hundred to several thousand base pairs (bp), are dispersed throughout the genome, and are conserved in primates ...

Despite improvements in valve design, thromboembolism remains a serious complication after heart-valve replacement. It is generally agreed that lifelong anticoagulant therapy is indicated in all patients with mechanical valves and in patients with tissue ...

The ability of topical tretinoin (retinoic acid) to improve fine wrinkles associated with damage caused by exposure to sunlight (photodamage)¹–⁵ has ignited considerable interest in the mechanisms of this process. Although there is no established ...

Brain tumors account for about one childhood cancer in five, but little is known about their cause. One risk factor that has been the subject of preliminary investigation is maternal exposure to nitrosamines and other N-nitroso compounds, some of which ...

Seabather's eruption is an annoying pruritic dermatitis that occurs primarily on areas of the body covered by the bathing suit shortly after a swimmer leaves the ocean. The eruption was first identified in persons who had bathed off the southeast coast of ...

Figure 1. Basal-Cell Carcinoma.

Basal-cell carcinoma appears most frequently as a classic pearly papule (Panel A). It can also take other forms. Panel B shows multiple superficial multicentric lesions on a patient's back that may be associated with the ...

Performing coronary angiography after acute myocardial infarction can be useful in obtaining prognostic information¹,² as well as details of the coronary anatomy required for subsequent coronary revascularization. Some authorities recommend that coronary ...

The field of psychiatry has undergone a profound transformation in recent years. The focus of research has shifted from the mind to the brain, one of the most exciting frontiers in biology. At the same time, the profession has shifted from a model of ...

Presentation of Case

A 50-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of fever of unknown origin and diarrhea.

The patient had been in stable health until three months earlier, when fever and diarrhea developed while he was on a camping trip in ...

Financial conflicts of interest in medicine -- what they are and how to deal with them -- constitute one of the most contentious issues in our profession. Organized medicine and its critics have debated whether clinicians should gain financially from ...

The human genome is often viewed as a stable collection of genes, embedded both in the DNA necessary to regulate their expression and in the chromosomal packaging. According to this relatively static picture, genetic diseases may be caused by rare ...

The problem of conflicts of interest began to receive serious attention in the medical literature in the 1980s¹,². Studies have described a wide range of conflicts involving physicians, medical researchers, and medical institutions (the most comprehensive ...

To the Editor: In the March 18 issue of the Journal, Manning et al.¹ admirably advocate early cardioversion for atrial fibrillation without prolonged anticoagulation beforehand, if the possibility of atrial thrombi can first be excluded by ...

To the Editor: The photograph of the aortoenteric fistula detected by endoscopy, shown in Images in Clinical Medicine (April 22 issue¹), is dramatic. The accompanying computed tomographic scan is interesting and confirms the diagnosis, but I am surprised ...

To the Editor: Lehmkuhle and coworkers (April 8 issue)¹ describe abnormalities of the visual evoked potential in children with reading disability. I disagree with the authors' interpretation of their findings as evidence of a selective abnormality of the ...

To the Editor: Although a causal relation between human T-cell lymphotropic retrovirus type I and type II (HTLV-I and HTLV-II) and adult T-cell leukemia has been well established, the association between HTLVs and the cutaneous T-cell neoplasm mycosis ...

To the Editor: Several pieces of data are needed to interpret the conclusion of Fisher et al. (April 8 issue)¹ that CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) “remains the best available treatment for patients with advanced-stage ...

To the Editor: In their report in the April 8 issue, Hofer et al. describe disseminated osteomyelitis due to Mycobacterium ulcerans infection after a snakebite¹. We do not believe that the authors have unambiguously established M. ulcerans as the ...

To the Editor: We report the use of intracolonic vancomycin to treat antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis in a patient with paralytic ileus.

An 80-year-old man underwent combined aortocoronary-bypass grafting, thromboendarterectomy of the left ...

To the Editor: Headache during or after intravenous immune globulin infusion is a common side effect of this increasingly frequent treatment. Headache usually occurs with initial infusions, particularly when they are administered at fast rates, but may ...

It is less than a decade since the audacious idea of cloning and sequencing the entire human genome was first proposed to the world community., and it has been almost five years since Congress first authorized funding for this project. In this time, the ...

In 1958, just after completing a genetics fellowship, I was most fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in a meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado, cochaired by Victor McKusick and Ted Puck. This meeting represented the beginning of the field of ...

This remarkable book can be seen as heralding the coming of age of the “first wave” of the new era of molecular medicine -- DNA-based diagnostics (the imminent second wave being gene therapy). Forty years after the elucidation of the double helical ...

Over the past decade, molecular genetic investigations of neurologic disease have entered a veritable golden age. With the recent cloning of the genes for Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and neurofibromatosis 1 and 2, among others, ...

Dr. Bundey states in her preface that she has written this book as a practical guide for neurologists to whom molecular genetics is an unfamiliar subject. We found this claim accurate: instead of being a complicated compendium of gene mutations and ...

Speaking for the United States, Secretary of State Warren Christopher told the June 1993 World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna that human rights are universal and that “we cannot let cultural relativism become the last refuge of repression”¹. The ...