Primary Article

Pregnancy Termination Because of Chromosomal Abnormalities: A Study of 26 950 Amniocenteses in the Southeast

ABSTRACT: A regional study was done to investigate the outcome of chromosomally abnormal pregnancies with respect to the parental decision to continue or to terminate the pregnancy. Fourteen medical centers in the southeastern United States contributed data on 26 950 amniocenteses. In 416 cases (1.54%), cytogenetic abnormalities were reported. Of…

Primary Article

Technique for Drawing Blood for Cultures: Is Changing Needles Truly Necessary?

ABSTRACT: After drawing blood for culture, medical students and house officers are often taught to change needles before inoculating the culture media. Data to support this practice have been scarce. We obtained simultaneous blood cultures on 75 hospital patients using two techniques: changing needles (C) or not changing needles (NC)…

Primary Article

Erythromycin Ototoxicity: A Call to Heighten Recognition

ABSTRACT: Bilateral sensorineural hearing loss developed in a 64-year-old woman treated with intravenous erythromycin lactobionate for bacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia. Discontinuance of the antibiotic led to prompt correction of the hearing deficit. Reversible hearing loss is an infrequently described adverse effect attributed to high-dose erythromycin therapy. Possible risk factors, including age,…

Current Concepts

Clomipramine for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Prescribing Guidelines

ABSTRACT: Clomipramine is a newly marketed tricyclic antidepressant drug prescribed for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It selectively blocks neuronal uptake of serotonin. Clomipramine has been prescribed in Europe and Canada for 20 years in management of depression. Studies have now shown clomipramine to be effective in treating OCD. Dry mouth, visual…

Primary Article

Suicide in the Elderly: A Two-Year Study of Data From Death Certificates

ABSTRACT: Data from death certificates in Kentucky in 1987 and 1988 for persons 65 years old and older were analyzed. There were 205 suicides in the 2-year study period. Suicide rates were higher for the elderly than for any other population group. White men, the group at highest risk, committed…

Primary Article

Patient Reading Ability: An Overlooked Problem in Health Care

ABSTRACT: Health care workers often assume that patients who have completed a certain grade in school can read at that level. This study examines the relationships between patient reading ability, the last grade completed, and the reading ability necessary to comprehend commonly used written materials. We tested 528 patients during…

Primary Article

Effect of Anorexia Nervosa on Pulmonary Immunocompetence

ABSTRACT: Pulmonary infection due to opportunistic organisms and usually nonpathogenic mycobacteria may occur whenever immune defenses are weakened by external factors. These factors include neutropenia, treatment with corticosteroids or cytotoxic agents, previous antibiotic therapy, and nosocomial hazards (eg, catheters, ventilators). Nutritional deprivation is also often implicated as an important coexistent…

Primary Article

Rhodococcus equi Causing Human Pulmonary Infection: Review of 29 Cases

ABSTRACT: Rhodococcus equi is a gram-positive pleomorphic bacillus that has been identified as a life-threatening pulmonary pathogen in the immunocompromised host. Infection with R equi may go unrecognized by physicians unacquainted with its presentation and unaware of the organism's ability to mimic diphtheroids and to stain weakly positive with an…

Primary Article

Shift Work, Sleep Quality, and Worker Health A Study of Police Officers

ABSTRACT: The Planning and Analysis Unit of the Lexington Police Department changed from rotating to permanent shift assignments. We report herein the results of patrol officers' responses to the Florida Sleep Questionnaire, the SCL-90 (a symptom checklist), and absentee data. Sleep quality and sleep hygiene improved after changing from rotating…

Primary Article

Benign and Malignant Neoplasms in a Family With Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome: Study of Three Generations

ABSTRACT: Three members of a family with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome had intussusception due to intestinal hamartomas. In addition, the grandfather had carcinoma of the jejunum, and the granddaughter had benign ovarian sex cord/stromal tumor causing sexual precocity. Benign and malignant tumors, not often associated with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, pose a further threat…

Primary Article

Phenytoin Intoxication

ABSTRACT: We studied the clinical features of 85 cases of phenytoin toxicity in 76 patients treated at a general hospital. Serum levels of phenytoin on admission ranged from 30.3 to 95.0 µg/mL (median, 46.5). Iatrogenic causes of intoxication were common and included increased daily dosage and intravenous loading in the…

Primary Article

Pheochromocytoma: Diagnosis by Scintigraphy Using Iodine 131 Metaiodobenzylguanidine

ABSTRACT: We summarize our experience using iodine 131 metaiodobenzylguanidine (131I MIBG) imaging in 24 patients with suspected pheochromocytoma and compare 131I MIBG imaging with other imaging modalities such as computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Our results confirm the high sensitivity and excellent specificity reported from other centers experienced in…

Primary Article

Hypermobility and Deconditioning: Important Links to Fibromyalgia/Fibrositis

ABSTRACT:In this study 210 patients who were identified as having fibromyalgia/fibrositis were evaluated for hypermobility of joints. The patients were then instructed to perform an exercise program, and thereafter their compliance with the program and its effect on their symptoms were evaluated. The data were then analyzed using the Student's…

Editorial

‘WE DON’T MAKE ‘EM—WE JUST FIX ‘EM!’

Case Report

AIDS-Related Lymphoma Diagnosed by Flow Cytometry of a Pleural Effusion

Letter to the Editor

Anti-Scud-Busting

Case Report

Central and Peripheral Nervous System Demyelination After Infection With Mycoplasma pneumoniae: Evidence of an Autoimmune Process

Case Report

Complete Colonic Obstruction Caused by a Sigmoid Colon Cancer Incarcerated in an Inguinal Hernia Sac

Letter to the Editor

Drug Names

Case Report

Hematoma of the Rectus Abdominis Manifested as Severe Pain in the Right Lower Quadrant

Letter to the Editor

Hunting Accidents

Case Report

Hypokalemic Adrenal Crisis in a Patient With AIDS

Evagations

IT’S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE…

Announcement

John F. Redman, MD Incoming President of SMA

Letter to the Editor

Laws and Laws

Case Report

Life-Threatening Complications of Empiric Ceftriaxone Therapy for ‘Seronegative Lyme Disease’

Case Report

Lymphangiomyomatosis: Hormonal Implications in Etiology and Therapy

Letter to the Editor

Merkel’s Cell Carcinoma

Letter to the Editor

Merkel’s Cell Carcinoma Reply

Case Report

Multiple Epiphyseal Dysplasia Misdiagnosed as Bioinactive Growth Hormone Disorder

Case Report

Naproxen-Associated Nightmares

Review Article

Null Cell Adenoma of the Pituitary Gland

Case Report

Octreotide Acetate Therapy for Hypercalcemia Complicating Small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung

Editorial

PATIENT PROTECTION AND TORT EVASION: ILLITERACY REVISITED

Article

Swallowing-Induced Atrioventricular Block

Article

The Healing of Paintings

Editorial

THE PHYSICIAN AS ARTIST

Case Report

Treatment of Tularemia With Imipenem/Cilastatin Sodium

Case Report

Trichorhinophalangeal Syndrome

Letter to the Editor

X-Ray Ownership

Letter to the Editor

X-Ray Ownership Reply

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