Inclusion of 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) in preparticipation screening of young athletes is controversial because of concerns about cost-effectiveness.

Sodium consumption raises blood pressure, increasing the risk for heart attack and stroke. Several countries, including the United States, are considering strategies to decrease population sodium intake.

A second-year medical resident returned to Haiti, his native country, in the aftermath of the 12 January 2010 earthquake. He witnessed the total devastation of Port-au-Prince, the city of his birth, and great human suffering. He describes the emotional and logistical challenges of providing care to the wounded of this impoverished nation.

New therapeutic approaches are needed for patients with severe asthma who are refractory to standard therapy comprising high doses of inhaled corticosteroids plus long-acting beta(2)-agonists. Current treatment guidelines for patients with severe asthma from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program recommend the addition of oral corticosteroids, which are associated with substantial morbidity, and, for those with allergic asthma, anti-IgE. Genetic and translational studies, as well as clinical trials, suggest that in a subgroup of patients, the pathobiology of severe asthma is mediated by immune pathways driven by T-helper 2 (Th2)-type CD4(+) T cells, which produce a characteristic repertoire of interleukins (ILs), including IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13. Therefore, biological modifiers of Th2-type ILs, such as monoclonal antibodies, soluble receptors, and receptor antagonists, are a rational strategy for developing new treatment approaches but will need to be targeted to selected patients in whom the appropriate Th2 immune pathway is "active." The benefits of immune-modifier therapies targeting Th2-type cytokines, however, need to be weighed against the toxicities associated with inhibition of key biological pathways, as well as the expense of future medications. Therefore, future clinical trials need to clearly establish the efficacy and safety of biological modifiers of Th2 immune pathways before these approaches can enter routine clinical practice for the treatment of severe asthma.

Superficial venous thrombosis (SVT) is perceived to have a benign prognosis.

Estrogen plus progestin therapy increases the risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) in postmenopausal women. However, this increased risk might be limited to the first years of use and to women who start therapy late in menopause.

Cigarette smoking is the major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but studies on the contribution of other smoking techniques are sparse.