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April 15, 2004  Vol. 350 No. 16

Perspective
1595-1597

    Two articles in this issue of the Journal tell a similar story: primary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) may be divided into subclasses according to gene-expression profiles. Given the number of articles that describe the correlative and predictive usefulness ...

    1597-1600

    Cytogenetics is the genetic analysis of cells, a discipline that has flourished since the chromosome-banding techniques introduced in 1969 by Torbjörn Caspersson and Lore Zech first provided a simple and inexpensive way to gauge the number and assess the ...

    1601-1602

    Acute adrenal insufficiency, a rare cause of shock, is manifested as shock that is poorly responsive to fluid resuscitation and pressors, not unlike cardiogenic or septic shock. It is almost always associated with a history of supraphysiologic ...

    1603-1604

    Of the 60.2 million women in the United States who were of reproductive age in 1995, about 1.2 million, or 2 percent, had had an infertility-related medical appointment within the previous year, and about 15 percent had received infertility services at ...

    Original Articles
    1605-1616

    This study demonstrates that the genes expressed by peripheral-blood monocytes of adults with acute myeloid leukemia provide prognostic information over and above that provided by established indicators such as cytogenetic status. The authors analyzed the gene-expression profiles of samples obtained from 116 patients, who were subsequently assigned to receive various intensive treatments. They identified good- and poor-outcome classes of gene expression that were associated with differences in overall survival — even when the analysis was restricted to specimens with a normal karyotype.

    1617-1628

    This investigation of 285 cases of acute myelogenous leukemia combined sophisticated analyses of gene-expression profiles with cytogenetic findings, mutational status, and morphologic characteristics to identify distinct groups of patients. These groupings were related to the outcome of treatment.

    1629-1638
    • Free Full Text

    In critically ill patients, elevated glucocorticoid secretion is marked by a rise in the serum total cortisol concentration. This study investigated the effect of decreased amounts of cortisol-binding protein on total and free serum cortisol concentrations during critical illness, when glucocorticoid secretion is maximally stimulated. Critically ill patients were found to have markedly elevated glucocorticoid secretion that was not detectable when only the serum total cortisol concentration was measured.

    Special Article
    1639-1645

    An analysis of trends in the practice of assisted reproductive technology in the United States reveals that, since 1997, there have been consistent decreases in the number of embryos transferred per cycle and in the percentage of pregnancies involving three or more fetuses, along with a consistent increase in the percentage of live births per cycle.

    Review Articles
    1646-1654

      This review summarizes current knowledge about the pathophysiology of ascites and explains the appropriate approach to clinical evaluation. The authors describe measures for the control of ascites as well as strategies for its management and for the prevention of major complications, including gastrointestinal bleeding, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and the hepatorenal syndrome.

      1655-1664

      This authoritative survey discusses how tumor cells cause bone metastases by producing both local and systemic factors that disrupt the balance between bone formation and bone resorption. Research on the molecular mechanisms of these processes has uncovered promising leads that may improve the treatment and prevention of bone metastases.

      Images in Clinical Medicine
      1665
      • Free Full Text

      A 19-year-old woman (gravida 1, para 0) delivered a healthy, 3270-g female infant at 38 weeks' gestation. The pregnancy had been uncomplicated except for the death of a twin, which was noted during an ultrasound examination at 23 weeks. The placenta was ...

      e14
      • Free Full Text

      Examination revealed pustular exudates on the right tonsil.

      Case Records of the Massachusetts General Hospital
      1666-1674
      • Video

      A 38-year-old woman who had given birth to a healthy infant by cesarean section two weeks earlier experienced a sudden onset of pain in her throat, anterior chest, and back, maximal at onset, accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, and nausea. Physical examination revealed symmetric pulses, normal blood pressure, and a diastolic heart murmur. Initial imaging studies showed widening of the aortic root, with inflammatory changes in the mediastinum, mild aortic regurgitation, and a pericardial effusion. The differential diagnosis of acute chest pain in a young woman is discussed.

      Editorial
      1676-1678

      The past three decades have seen considerable advances in our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and dramatic improvements in treatment. At present, decisions about therapy are largely based on prognostic factors ...

      Clinical Implications of Basic Research
      1679-1680

      The promise of gene therapy has been dimmed in the past few years by a number of setbacks, including the development of T-cell leukemia in infants treated for severe combined immunodeficiency. A recent study suggests that these cases do not augur ill for the field as a whole and that specific changes to gene-therapy protocols may reduce the chances that such therapy will inadvertently trigger cancer.

      Correspondence
      1681-1683

      To the Editor: The International Adjuvant Lung Cancer Trial (IALT) Collaborative Group (Jan. 22 issue)1 concludes that their study demonstrates that “cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival among patients with completely resected non–...

      1683-1685

      To the Editor: The European Collaboration on Low-Dose Aspirin in Polycythemia Vera (ECLAP) trial, as reported by Landolfi et al. (Jan. 8 issue),1 does not entirely clarify the role of aspirin in the treatment of polycythemia vera. There were more smokers ...

      1685-1686

      To the Editor: Using a case report and retrospective series, Lecuit et al. (Jan. 15 issue)1 describe an association between Campylobacter jejuni and immunoproliferative small intestinal disease. They conclude that “C. jejuni should be added to the ...

      1686-1687

      To the Editor: Garcia et al. (Jan. 15 issue)1 report the results of a trial of antiparasitic treatment for cerebral cysticercosis. Previous investigations, such as the one by Carpio et al.,2 have not shown differences among praziquantel, albendazole, and ...

      1687-1688

      To the Editor: Gross hematuria in a 33-year-old woman with a bladder-wall mass, described by Heney and Young (Dec. 18 issue),1 should raise the suspicion not only of tumors but also of parasitic infestation with Schistosoma haematobium and its sequelae. ...

      1688

      To the Editor: One of the images presented by Aronowitz and Cobarrubias (Dec. 25 issue)1 is described as showing a “huge mantle of osteophytic bone anterior to the spine from C2 to C7.” The term “osteophyte,” however, is controversial when used in ...

      1688-1690

      To the Editor: Both patients and health care professionals should be aware of potential pacemaker interactions in the environment, since cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators are sensitive to many kinds of electromagnetic interference.

      A 52-year-old man ...

      Book Reviews
      1691-1692

      Economic globalization is associated with a worldwide rise in the incidence of obesity. If the United States and United Kingdom can be considered the first “fat lands,” most ethnic groups in other parts of the world, especially in the developing countries ...

      1692-1693

      The field of diabetes in pregnancy was last reviewed by Jørgen Pedersen in his classic 1977 monograph, The Pregnant Diabetic and Her Newborn (Copenhagen: Munksgaard; Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins). Therefore, this book edited by Moshe Hod and his group of ...

      1693-1694

      During the past decade, the explosion of knowledge regarding the molecular and physiological basis of smell and taste has been accompanied by an increased awareness of chemosensory function in health and disease. The second edition of the Handbook of ...