Assessment of the effect of breast-cancer screening has been hampered by difficulty in measuring secular trends. In this study, data from a cancer registry were used to determine secular trends and to evaluate the effect of screening on breast-cancer mortality.

This genomewide association study implicates variants of SMAD3 in susceptibility to asthma and confirms previously observed genetic associations. The study implicates molecules that mediate the communication of epithelial damage to the immune system.

Superficial thrombophlebitis in the leg is associated with an increased risk of subsequent thromboembolic events; however, intervention to alter the risk has not been well studied. This study compared fondaparinux with placebo for patients with superficial thrombophlebitis in the leg.

One of the characteristics of severe emphysema is hyperinflation of regions of the lungs. In this trial, valves that prevented air entry but allowed air to escape were placed in lobar airways. Patients receiving endobronchial valves had modest improvements in lung function and exercise performance.