To perform a systematic review of studies evaluating the effectiveness of the World Health Organization (WHO) analgesic ladder as an intervention for cancer pain management.

To develop recommendations for obtaining adequate informed consent in the future when gathering tissue samples that may be used for genetic studies and defining the circumstances under which it is necessary to obtain further consent if tissue samples already in hand are to be used for such research.

To provide guidelines for the treatment of endocarditis in adults caused by the following microorganisms: viridans streptococci and other streptococci, enterococci, staphylococci, and fastidious gram-negative bacilli of the HACEK group.

To evaluate the published data on the association between apolipoprotein E genotype (APOE) and Alzheimer disease (AD) and determine whether the data support the use of genetic testing for diagnosis or prediction of disease. This statement is intended for neurologists, psychiatrists, geneticists, primary care providers, diagnostic laboratories, and the public.

To examine the effects of sugar on the behavior or cognition of children by using meta-analytic techniques on reported studies.

To review published literature regarding dehydration in older individuals and formulate a consensus on the evaluation and treatment of this unrecognized cause of hospitalizations, morbidity, and mortality.

Chronic heart failure is the leading cause of hospital admissions in patients older than 65 years. Heart failure due to systolic dysfunction is accompanied by activation of the sympathetic nervous system that contributes to progressive symptoms and an increased risk of death. While several clinical trials have suggested that antagonizing this sympathetic activation with beta-blocking agents may provide clinical benefit, no clear consensus exists regarding use of beta-blockers for congestive heart failure. Therefore, we review the pathophysiology of the sympathetic nervous system as a basis for examining these clinical trials in order to understand the rationale for beta-blockade as a treatment for heart failure.

To provide physicians and other transfusion medicine professionals with a current consensus on infectious disease testing for blood transfusions.

To assess the evidence that lipid lowering prevents coronary heart disease (CHD) events in women.

To determine the risk of elevated total homocysteine (tHcy) levels for arteriosclerotic vascular disease, estimate the reduction of tHcy by folic acid, and calculate the potential reduction of coronary artery disease (CAD) mortality by increasing folic acid intake.

To identify the components of exercise rehabilitation programs that were most effective in improving claudication pain symptoms in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Neuroimaging was revolutionized by the development of computed tomography (CT) and standard T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Magnetic resonance imaging and CT can adequately distinguish hemorrhage from infarction and depict ischemic stroke 12 to 24 hours after onset. However, during the critical initial hours after the onset of ischemic stroke, these imaging technologies do not adequately demonstrate the location and extent of infarction. Diffusion-weighted MRI and perfusion imaging, as well as advances in magnetic resonance spectroscopy, will enhance our ability to evaluate ischemic stroke shortly after onset. Some of the uses of MRI techniques are as follows: (1) Diffusion-weighted imaging can depict the location and extent of the ischemic lesion as soon as a stroke patient is available for examination. (2) Perfusion imaging evaluates blood flow within the brain's microvasculature and can reveal regions of perfusion deficits corresponding to major vascular territories. (3) Magnetic resonance spectroscopy evaluates metabolic abnormalities associated with focal brain ischemia by specific biochemical measurements. These MRI techniques will rapidly provide important information to clinicians about ischemia, guiding diagnosis and helping in the development of acute stroke interventions to improve outcome.

To review the literature relating to the effectiveness of education strategies designed to change physician performance and health care outcomes.

To determine the frequency and temporal changes in application of seven accepted methodological standards for the evaluation of diagnostic tests.

In the assessment and management of the potentially poisoned patient with altered consciousness, the most consequential and controversial interventions occur during the first 5 minutes of care. In this review article, the risks and benefits of standard diagnostic and therapeutic interventions are presented to guide clinicians through this critical period of decision making.

To present the current state of systemic radiopharmaceutical therapy for the palliation of pain in individuals with metastatic cancer and to evaluate the palliative effect and degree of hemotoxicity of strontium chloride 89 (89Sr) in patients with painful osteoblastic metastases primarily from prostate and breast cancer.

To provide physicians with a current consensus on total hip replacement.

To summarize consensus recommendations for off-label uses of standard intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), as developed by a University Hospital Consortium (UHC) Expert Panel. These findings are intended to help guide clinicians in the appropriate and efficient use of IVIG.