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SAN ANTONIO -- Among the major breast cancer events of 2006, there was a report of a dramatic drop in the annual incidence, evidence that an osteoporosis drug may prevent invasive disease, and encouraging reports about an investigational therapy.

NEW YORK -- The next step in assisted reproduction may be a uterus transplant, according to researchers here.

ATLANTA -- Binge drinking is common among high school students and is tied to other risky behaviors, according to a national survey by the CDC.

WASHINGTON -- The maternal age of 35 should no longer be the primary benchmark for testing pregnancies for Down's syndrome, according to new recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

An 82-year-old woman consulted her ophthalmologist because the vision in her left eye was becoming progressively blurrier. The patient was pseudophakic and had bilateral glaucoma, for which she used latanoprost ophthalmic solution.

A sudden, severe decrease in the vision in her left eye brought an 80-year-old woman in for an evaluation. Her best corrected visual acuity was 20/200 in that eye.

An 82-year-old woman with a history of wet age-relatedmacular degeneration in both eyes presented for a3-month follow-up visit. She had previously undergonelaser treatment for bilateral subretinal neovascularmembranes. She has noticed a new black area in thevision of her left eye and periodic flashes of light inthat eye.

The authors report a case of adult-onset acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) presenting with a right upper lobe infiltrate associated with acute fibrinous and organizing pneumonia (AFOP), which resolved spontaneously during the course of chemotherapy.

A study conducted in France provides further evidence of how allergic rhinitis adversely affects quality of life. Léger and associates found that allergic rhinitis impairs all dimensions of sleep quality.

ABSTRACT: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort, bloating, and constipation or diarrhea; the pain is typically relieved by defecation. The diagnosis is not one of exclusion; it can be made based on the answers to a few key questions and the absence of "alarm" symptoms. Fiber therapy, the elimination of particular foods, and regulation of bowel function can help relieve symptoms. Tegaserod or polyethylene glycol can be used to treat IBS with constipation. Loperamide and alosetron are of benefit in IBS with diarrhea (although the latter carries a small risk of ischemic colitis). Low-dose tricyclic antidepressants may be used to treat the abdominal pain associated with IBS. Probiotic therapy or rifaximin may help reduce bloating. Psychological therapies seem to improve well-being in patients with IBS.

With the significant rise in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, a small rise in the number of cases of Clostridium difficile colitis appears to be an unfortunate but unpreventable consequence of using the few effective antibiotics remaining that can be prescribed in the outpatient setting.

On a warm August day, a 79-year-old man is hospitalized because of progressive lethargy over the past week. Previously, he was alert and able to converse. He has no chest pain, dyspnea, or cough. His history includes hypertension of unknown duration, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and a recent hospitalization for pneumonia.

For the past year, we have been working to develop an Internet search engine for practicing clinicians (rather than consumers or researchers) that would be more selective than Google but more comprehensive than PubMed/Medline.

A 40-year-old Hispanic homemaker is admitted with a 3-week history of high fever, chest pain, and a dry, irritating cough. Her illness began insidiously with increasing right upper chest pain that is sharp, pleuritic, and rates a 6 on a pain scale of 1 to 10. The pain is associated with temperatures of up to 38.8°C (102°F) and chills, rigors, and profuse sweating that increase in the evening. Worsening dyspnea has been accompanied by a drop in effort tolerance.

Television ads promote a quick pharmaceutical "fix" for erectile dysfunction (ED). The afferent limb is greater recognition of the problem by health care providers and the lay public. The efferent limb is a prescription for a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. The downside of this reflex action may be a lack of insight into the clinical significance of ED.

Many patients with postnasal drip syndrome, allergic rhinitis, or sinusitis use nasal saline solution erratically and only a few drops at a time. Be sure to tell patients that they must flush their nasal passages with a generous amount of saline solution at least 4 or 5 times a day to have an effect.

The lesion on this 6-year-old boy occupies almost the entire left side of his nose. The mother attributed it to an injury her son had sustained 2½ weeks earlier, when he was hit in the face by a baseball.

An 80-year-old woman has a 3-month history of increasing dysphagia (withboth solids and liquids), fatigue, and dyspnea on exertion. She has also involuntarilylost 50 lb during the same period. She reports no abdominal pain orchange in bowel function.