Over the past few decades, numerous outbreaks of tuberculosis have been reported in hospitals, prisons, schools, homeless shelters, bars, and factories. In some outbreaks the transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was limited, whereas in others, there ...

Among inbred strains of mice, natural resistance to infection with several intracellular pathogens is controlled by a single dominant gene, designated Bcg (also known as Lsh/Ity).¹–³ Two distinct phenotypes, Bcg s and Bcg r,are associated with ...

Cardiovascular disease accounts for 40 percent of overall mortality in the United States¹ and is the leading cause of death among persons with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).²,³ Strategies to reduce this risk include the appropriate ...

Hereditary pseudovitamin D–deficiency rickets, also known as vitamin D–dependent rickets type I, is characterized clinically by hypotonia, weakness, growth failure, and hypocalcemic seizures in early infancy.¹ The patients also have hypocalcemia, ...

Figure 1. A 42-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease from recurrent nephrolithiasis was admitted to the hospital for placement of an arteriovenous fistula for permanent hemodialysis access. While she was undergoing dissection of the brachial artery ...

The membranes surrounding the amniotic cavity are composed of the amnion and the chorion, which are closely adherent layers consisting of several cell types, including epithelial cells, mesenchymal cells, and trophoblast cells, embedded in a collagenous ...

Acute oliguria (excretion of less than 400 ml of urine per day) is often the earliest sign of impaired renal function and poses a diagnostic and management challenge to the clinician. Early identification of potentially reversible causes of acute oliguria ...

Until the middle of this century, tuberculosis was, in Dickens's words, “a disease which medicine never cured, wealth warded off, or poverty could boast exemption from — which sometimes moves in giant strides, and sometimes at a tardy sluggish pace, but, ...

After the introduction of calcium-channel blockers into clinical practice nearly two decades ago, prescriptions for these drugs for the treatment of hypertension increased to the point where they became the most commonly prescribed antihypertensive drugs ...

The typical clinical picture of rickets, first clearly described in the 17th century, includes growth-plate abnormalities and delayed growth, weakening and bowing of weight-bearing bones, hypoplasia of tooth enamel, and hypocalcemia with muscle hypotonia ...

To the Editor: Historically, chickenpox has been largely a benign disease affecting predominantly preschool and school-aged children. Times are changing: in Massachusetts, children enrolled in day-care programs will soon be required to be vaccinated ...

To the Editor: In an otherwise excellent and long-overdue review of anesthesiology, Wiklund and Rosenbaum (Oct. 16 and 23 issues)¹ have included several errors. Their discussion of halothane, in the section on inhalational anesthetics in part 1, states, “...

To the Editor: In his review article on low-molecular-weight heparins (Sept. 4 issue),¹ Dr. Weitz states that “preoperative dosing may be a problem in patients undergoing spinal anesthesia, although spinal cord bleeding is rare.” The reference cited was ...

To the Editor: In his discussion of Case 30-1997 (Sept. 25 issue),¹ Dr. Wilson reviewed a number of treatments for diffuse pulmonary interstitial emphysema in infancy. Another option in cases of larger focal interstitial air collections is that of ...

To the Editor: In a letter (June 5 issue)¹ about our article on the outcomes of medical-malpractice litigation,² Dr. Anderson of the Doctors' Company raised a question about the reliability of judgments concerning the occurrence of adverse events or ...

To the Editor: Dr. Kessler, in his analysis of the tobacco settlement (Oct. 9 issue),¹ does not mention that the contingency fee for the private trial lawyers involved in this government-sponsored settlement could amount to more than $100 billion. This ...

Hemophilia is a relatively rare congenital disorder (80 severe cases per 1 million males), which medical students become acquainted with mainly as the prototype of an X-linked hereditary disease. Despite the rarity of the disorder, the bleeding ...

In the past decade, there have been considerable advances in our understanding of the biology of breast cancer and in its treatment. The primary treatment of breast cancer is complex and multidisciplinary, involving surgeons, radiation and medical ...

As a “lymphomaniac,” I avidly read the new textbook The Lymphomas. I found it to be a well-organized, clearly written, complete presentation of the biology, epidemiology, pathology, clinical presentations, and treatment of the lymphomas. It is up to date ...

In one of the most enthusiastically received proposals in his January State of the Union address, President Bill Clinton called on Congress to enact a national bill of rights in health care. The President said, “You have the right to know all your medical ...