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February 19, 2004  Vol. 350 No. 8

Perspective
747-751

The views of Representative Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) and Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).

751-754

Although clinicians generally consider osteoporosis to be a disease primarily affecting postmenopausal women, other populations are also at high risk. One such group is recipients of organ transplants, who, as their long-term survival improves, have begun ...

754-756

One of the triumphs of modern obstetrics has been the dramatic reduction in late fetal mortality (defined as the rate of antepartum or intrapartum fetal death at 20 weeks of gestation or later) in the developed world during the second half of the 20th ...

Original Articles
757-766
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This randomized trial investigated the influence of the width of the margin of the surgical excision (1 cm or 3 cm) on the risk of recurrence and death in patients with high-risk cutaneous melanoma (as defined by a tumor thickness of 2 mm or more). A 1-cm margin was associated with a higher risk of locoregional recurrence than was a 3-cm margin, but three years after surgical treatment, overall survival was similar in the two groups.

767-776

This randomized trial compared alendronate with calcitriol for the prevention of bone loss during the first year after cardiac transplantation. A reference group concurrently underwent transplantation but did not receive either drug. Bone loss and the rate of fractures did not differ significantly between the intervention groups. Both intervention groups sustained less bone loss at the hip than the reference group did. Calcitriol was associated with a greater risk of hypercalciuria.

777-785
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This prospective study, involving over 400,000 women with consecutive singleton births in Sweden, demonstrated that women whose first infant was small for gestational age had an increased risk of stillbirth during their second pregnancy, especially if their first child was also delivered preterm. However, the absolute risk of stillbirth was low, even among women with a prior adverse outcome of pregnancy.

Review Articles
786-799

Symptoms of overactive bladder are common, are often distressing, and may have serious adverse consequences. Myriad factors — disorders of the lower urinary tract, neurologic conditions, behavioral factors, and a variety of commonly prescribed drugs — may cause this syndrome. This review considers the pathophysiology, diagnostic evaluation, and current treatment of overactive bladder syndrome.

800-808

    Acute chemical emergencies can occur as a result of an industrial accident, occupational exposure, a natural disaster, or an act of terrorism. This article reviews empirical principles for rapid recognition and treatment of the clinical syndromes, or toxidromes, caused by asphyxiants, cholinesterase inhibitors, respiratory irritants, and blistering agents. Treatment should be provided as soon as possible after an acute chemical exposure, usually before laboratory tests can confirm the specific chemicals involved.

    Images in Clinical Medicine
    809
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    A nine-year-old girl presented for evaluation of hyperpigmentation of her left eye (Panel A). The condition had been present since birth. The visual acuity was 20/20 in each eye. Slit-lamp examination revealed patchy, brownish discoloration of the left ...

    e7
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    A 26-year-old man presented with shock. Upper endoscopy showed no abnormalities.

    Case Records of the Massachusetts General Hospital
    810-821

      Many of the survivors of the Rhode Island nightclub fire in February 2003 sustained severe burns. In this Case Record, the multidisciplinary care of one of these patients is discussed.

      Editorial
      823-825

      The incidence of malignant melanoma has been rising over the past three decades.1 Much of the increase is accounted for by thin, localized cutaneous melanomas with the potential to be cured by surgery. Once melanoma spreads beyond the primary lesion, ...

      Health Policy Report
      826-833

      On December 8, President Bush signed the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. In this Health Policy Report, Iglehart discusses the new drug benefit and the contentious political process that led to this major reform of Medicare. Beginning in 2006, Medicare will cover 75 percent of a beneficiary's first $2,250 in annual drug expenses. Medicare will also pay 95 percent of expenses above $5,100. The program is voluntary and requires payment of a monthly premium and a $250 deductible. Coverage will be more generous for low-income elderly persons.

      Clinical Implications of Basic Research
      834-835

      A recent study shows that atherosclerotic plaques can generate ozone and that ozone may oxidize low-density lipoprotein — thus raising the possibility of new biomarkers for atherosclerosis.

      Correspondence
      836-838

      To the Editor: Marenzi et al. (Oct. 2 issue)1 offer a provocative article on the role of hemofiltration in preventing radiocontrast-agent–induced nephropathy. We disagree with the assumption that a lower creatinine concentration in the hemofiltration ...

      839

      To the Editor: The medical mystery in the January 1 issue1 involved a 62-year-old man who had a history of psychosis and who presented with an ileus. An abdominal radiograph revealed a ptotic gastric fundus filled with a very large, radiopaque density (...

      840

      To the Editor: I would like to correct an error in the Perspective by Kupper (Nov. 20 issue)1 on immunologic targets in psoriasis. Dr. Kupper indicated that etanercept (Enbrel), a tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)–receptor fusion protein, has demonstrated ...

      840-842

      To the Editor: Ballantyne and Mao's (Nov. 13 issue)1 recommendations for prescribing doses of short-acting opioids for chronic recurrent pain may put patients at increased risk both for undertreatment of their pain episodes and for drug tolerance. In ...

      842-843

      To the Editor: Extramedullary plasmacytomas are an unusual manifestation of multiple myeloma. Gastrointestinal plasmacytomas occur as discrete masses, usually involving either the stomach or colon, and can be mistaken for lymphoma.13 We report myeloma ...

      843-844

      To the Editor: Severe emotional stress can lead to a myriad of somatic or neurologic problems, including transient global amnesia, a syndrome of retrograde and anterograde memory loss without focal neurologic disturbances.1 I report the case of a healthy ...

      Book Reviews
      845

      The title of this book is something of a misnomer. At nearly 1000 pages, with 130 contributors, this is not the kind of “handbook” that will fit into the side pocket of one's laboratory coat. Moreover, the term “medical psychiatry,” as used here, appears ...

      846

      The scope and content of this book are aptly indicated by the title. However, the order of the topics inverts the prevailing focus, which is nosology. Above all, this book critically examines the current state of the classification and diagnosis of ...

      846-847

      In this wonderful book, Lisa Iezzoni opens a window to the overlooked world of people with mobility problems. She draws from extensive interviews of 119 mobility-challenged people (whose insights she quotes liberally), undertaken during her many months of ...

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