To provide biomedical researchers and clinicians with information regarding and recommendations for effective rehabilitation measures for persons who have experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Recent attention has focused on whether government health service institutions, particularly in the United Kingdom, reflect cultural sensitivity and competence and whether medical students receive proper guidance in this area.

Although physicians report spending a considerable amount of time in continuing medical education (CME) activities, studies have shown a sizable difference between real and ideal performance, suggesting a lack of effect of formal CME.

Following an outbreak of measles in 1989-1991, a blueprint for change was developed to improve immunization coverage by addressing deficiencies in the immunization delivery system. A review was undertaken by the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) to assess progress in improving immunization coverage, decreasing disease incidence, and developing an immunization delivery system to serve children in the United States. Based on this review, strategies were recommended to sustain success in immunization coverage.

Early clinical recognition of meningitis is imperative to allow clinicians to efficiently complete further tests and initiate appropriate therapy.

To develop consensus-based recommendations for measures to be taken by medical and public health professionals following the use of smallpox as a biological weapon against a civilian population.

Which drug is most effective as a first-line treatment for stable angina is not known.

Atrial fibrillation, a common disorder that affects nearly one sixth of the population aged 75 years and older, is a major risk factor for stroke.

To develop consensus-based recommendations for measures to be taken by medical and public health professionals following the use of anthrax as a biological weapon against a civilian population.

Thrombus formation on disrupted atherosclerotic plaque is the major cause of acute coronary events. Platelet inhibitors are the mainstay of drug therapy to reduce cardiac events in patients with acute coronary syndromes. The platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor is the final common pathway of platelet aggregation.

Alcoholism affects approximately 10% of Americans at some time in their lives. Treatment consists of psychosocial interventions, pharmacological interventions, or both, but which drugs are most effective at enhancing abstinence and preventing relapse has not been systematically reviewed.

To establish, in a single resource, up-to-date recommendations for primary care physicians regarding prevention strategies for a first stroke.

To review, systematically, the physical diagnosis of hypovolemia in adults.

Central venous catheters impregnated with chlorhexidine and silver sulfadiazine have recently been introduced for the prevention of catheter-related infections. However, there remains some uncertainty regarding the efficacy of these catheters because of conflicting reports in the literature.

To review evaluation and treatment of patients with ventricular arrhythmias, based on recent studies, with an emphasis on randomized controlled trials.

In the physical examination of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), the only maneuver of demonstrated value is abdominal palpation to detect abnormal widening of the aortic pulsation. Palpation of AAA appears to be safe and has not been reported to precipitate rupture. The best evidence on the accuracy of abdominal palpation comes from 15 studies of patients not previously known to have AAA who were screened with both abdominal palpation and ultrasound. When results from these studies are pooled, the sensitivity of abdominal palpation increases significantly with AAA diameter (P<.001), ranging from 29% for AAAs of 3.0 to 3.9 cm to 50% for AAAs of 4.0 to 4.9 cm and 76% for AAAs of 5.0 cm or greater. Positive and negative likelihood ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a cutoff point for AAAs of 3.0 cm or greater are 12.0 (95% CI, 7.4-19.5) and 0.72 (95% CI, 0.65-0.81), respectively, and for AAAs of 4.0 cm or greater are 15.6 (95% CI, 8.6-28.5) and 0.51 (95% CI, 0.38-0.67). The positive predictive value of palpation for AAA of 3.0 cm or greater in these studies was 43%. Limited data suggest that abdominal obesity decreases the sensitivity of palpation. Abdominal palpation specifically directed at measuring aortic width has moderate sensitivity for detecting an AAA that would be large enough to be referred for surgery but cannot be relied on to exclude AAA, especially if rupture is a possibility.

Since the 1996 publication of guidelines on smoking cessation from the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research and the American Psychiatric Association, several new treatments have become available, including nicotine nasal spray, nicotine inhaler, and bupropion hydrochloride. In addition, nicotine gum and patch have become available over-the-counter. This article reviews the published literature and US Food and Drug Administration and pharmaceutical company reports on these therapies. Based on this review, clinical logic, and experience, we conclude that pharmacotherapy should be made available to all smokers. All currently available therapies appear to be equally efficacious, approximately doubling the quit rate compared with placebo. Concomitant behavioral or supportive therapy increases quit rates and should be encouraged but not required. Combining patch with gum or patch with bupropion may increase the quit rate compared with any single treatment. Because patient characteristics predictive of success with a particular therapy are not yet known, the best treatment choice for an individual patient should be guided by the patient's past experience and preference and the product's adverse effect profile.