Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death in North America. There is evidence that the rate of mortality from colorectal cancer can be reduced by screening asymptomatic persons at average risk, beginning at the age of 50 years.¹–⁵ The ...

The clinical significance of distal colorectal polyps depends on two factors: whether the polyps are associated with advanced proximal neoplasms, and whether polyps with histologic features of advanced neoplasia (e.g., villous features) are clinically ...

Group B streptococcus, or Streptococcus agalactiae, is a leading cause of sepsis, meningitis, and death among newborn infants in Western countries. Early-onset infections (those appearing within seven days after birth) with this organism account for ...

Administration of radiographic contrast agents often results in an acute reduction in renal function.¹–⁵ The reduction can cause substantial morbidity and mortality during hospitalization and can lead to chronic end-stage renal disease.¹,⁵ Important risk ...

Hemangiomas are the most common tumors of infancy, with a prevalence of 5 to 10 percent among one-year-olds. They are characterized by rapid growth in the first year of life, followed by involution and gradual regression by adolescence.¹,² We recently ...

Figure 1. A 71-year-old man began to have burning substernal pain while he was eating a sandwich. The pain became excruciating, worsened with breathing, and was accompanied by dyspnea. On admission to the hospital, he had hypoxemia, an elevated blood ...

Recent research results suggest that the risk of breast cancer can be reduced. In this review I will focus on chemoprevention, emphasizing evidence from randomized clinical trials, and in addition summarize the evidence regarding preventive strategies ...

Presentation of Case

A 74-year-old man was referred to the hospital because of worsening dysphagia.

The patient had been in good health until seven months earlier, when dysphagia developed and subsequently worsened, with epigastric and subxiphoid pain. ...

Available screening methods should make it possible to prevent most deaths from colorectal cancer. Almost all colorectal cancers arise from adenomatous polyps that develop over a period of years. During this time, polyps can be detected and then removed ...

During the 1990s, the incidence of disease caused by mother-to-child transmission of group B streptococcus fell by 65 percent, from 1.7 to 0.6 case per 1000 live births.¹ The decline stemmed from the increased use of penicillin during labor in women at ...

Nephrotoxicity of radiographic contrast agents is an important cause of acute renal failure even when measures are taken to reduce these toxic effects. Such toxic effects prolong hospital stays, add to the cost of medical care, and can be fatal. The ...

Allopathic medical schools in the United States enroll and graduate a total of about 16,000 students a year — a number that has been remarkably consistent for two decades.¹ Interest in medical education has remained high throughout this period, with the ...

To the Editor: On the basis of their population-based, case–control study of invasive pneumococcal disease, Nuorti and coworkers (March 9 issue)¹ conclude that cigarette smoking is the strongest independent risk factor for invasive disease in ...

To the Editor: Meijers et al. (March 9 issue),¹ who report that high levels of coagulation factor XI are a risk factor for deep venous thrombosis, did not take into account the possible role of antiphospholipid antibodies. During the past decade, the ...

To the Editor: Treatment of the pain that is frequently associated with acute herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia is a challenging clinical problem. Although in their review of the neurologic complications of the reactivation of varicella–zoster ...

To the Editor: In his thoughtful and provocative essay, Callahan (March 2 issue)¹ suggests that modern medicine may feel itself compelled “to overcome death itself” rather than to follow the humanistic logic of accepting death (when appropriate) in order ...

To the Editor: Sirolimus is a new, highly potent immunosuppressive drug¹,² that was recently licensed in the United States and is currently being evaluated in phase 3 clinical trials in Europe. The main side effects of sirolimus are thrombocytopenia and ...

Since the eye is only 24 mm in diameter, a 500-page book devoted to basic and clinical concepts of ocular inflammation will seem a bit excessive to many clinicians and scientists. Yet the editor of this book, David BenEzra, laments in his introduction ...

This book is an overview of today's knowledge of all topics concerning otology, written by a group of recognized authorities. Basic science, diagnostic methods, and treatments related to diseases of the ear are extensively described.

Each of the book's 12 ...

Approximately 43 percent of women in the United States will have a voluntary abortion during their lifetime, yet medical education about abortion is limited. A Clinician's Guide to Medical and Surgical Abortion is the first comprehensive textbook about ...

Hot-Tub Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Correspondence, N Engl J Med 2000:342;218-219.. On page 218, the sentence that begins on the first line of the right-hand column should have read, “Whirlpool baths and hot tubs are recognized as significant ...

Role of Transforming Growth Factor β in Human Disease Review Article, N Engl J Med 2000:342;1350-1358.. On page 1355, the sentences that begin on line 27 and line 30 of the right-hand column should have referred to apolipoprotein(a), not apolipoprotein A, ...