This randomized, placebo-controlled trial of inactivated and live attenuated influenza vaccines was performed in the winter of 2004–2005. During that season, in which most circulating viruses were dissimilar to those in the vaccines, the absolute efficacies of the inactivated vaccine and the live attenuated vaccine were 67 to 77% and 30 to 57%, respectively.

Children are important vectors of the influenza virus. In this study, investigators vaccinated children in several intervention schools and compared the occurrence of influenza-like illness in their households with that in households of children in control schools. Intervention-school households had significantly fewer outcomes related to influenza-like illness than did control-school households, including household members with any influenza-like symptoms, fever plus cough or sore throat, medical visits for children, absenteeism among elementary and high school students, and workdays lost by adults during the recall week.

In this study of 12 experienced gastroenterologists who performed colonoscopic screening, the duration of withdrawal of the colonoscope varied widely among physicians. Rates of detection of polyps were higher among endoscopists who took more time. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of colonoscopy in preventing colon cancer may be influenced by procedure times.

It now appears that most cancers acquire the nourishment that feeds their growth by sprouting new blood vessels under the influence of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Monoclonal antibodies against VEGF are coming on line in clinical trials. In this article, the authors report on a large clinical trial of one such agent, bevacizumab, in advanced non–small-cell lung cancer. The results are modest but encouraging.