The New England journal of medicine
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New policy options are emerging in the debate regarding the regulation of firearms in the United States. These options include the treatment of firearms as consumer products, the design of which can be regulated for safety; denial of gun ownership to those convicted of misdemeanors; and strategies to curtail the illegal sale of guns. The public's opinion of these innovative gun-policy options has not been thoroughly assessed. ⋯ Strong public support, even among gun owners, for innovative strategies to regulate firearms suggests that these proposals warrant serious consideration by policy makers.
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In postmenopausal women, the serum concentrations of endogenous sex hormones and vitamin D might influence the risk of hip and vertebral fractures. In a study of a cohort of women 65 years of age or older, we compared the serum hormone concentrations at base line in 133 women who subsequently had hip fractures and 138 women who subsequently had vertebral fractures with those in randomly selected control women from the same cohort. Women who were taking estrogen were excluded. The results were adjusted for age and weight. ⋯ Postmenopausal women with undetectable serum estradiol concentrations and high serum concentrations of sex hormone-binding globulin have an increased risk of hip and vertebral fracture.
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Atrial fibrillation, the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and a major cause of stroke, results from simultaneous reentrant wavelets. Its spontaneous initiation has not been studied. ⋯ The pulmonary veins are an important source of ectopic beats, initiating frequent paroxysms of atrial fibrillation. These foci respond to treatment with radio-frequency ablation.
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Comparative Study
Use and cost effectiveness of smoking-cessation services under four insurance plans in a health maintenance organization.
Lack of information about the effect of insurance coverage on the demand for and use of smoking-cessation services has prevented widescale adoption of coverage for such services. ⋯ Use of smoking-cessation services varies according to the extent of coverage, with the highest rates of use among smokers with full coverage. Although the rate of smoking cessation among the benefit users with full coverage was lower than the rates among users with plans requiring copayments, the effect on the overall prevalence of smoking was greater with full coverage than with the cost-sharing plans.