The New England journal of medicine
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Iron deficiency complicating celiac sprue is usually attributed to the malabsorption of dietary iron or the loss of iron from the intestinal mucosa. There has been little investigation of the role of intestinal loss of blood in patients with this condition. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of occult gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with celiac sprue. ⋯ Occult gastrointestinal bleeding can be detected in about half of patients with celiac sprue and should be added to the list of factors that can contribute to iron deficiency in patients with this disorder.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Effects of a combination of beta carotene and vitamin A on lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Lung cancer and cardiovascular disease are major causes of death in the United States. It has been proposed that carotenoids and retinoids are agents that may prevent these disorders. ⋯ After an average of four years of supplementation, the combination of beta carotene and vitamin A had no benefit and may have had an adverse effect on the incidence of lung cancer and on the risk of death from lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and any cause in smokers and workers exposed to asbestos.
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Clinical Trial
Improvement in pulmonary function and elastic recoil after lung-reduction surgery for diffuse emphysema.
Pulmonary function may improve after surgical resection of the most severely affected lung tissue (lung-reduction surgery) in patients with diffuse emphysema. The basic mechanisms responsible for the improvement, however, are not known. ⋯ Lung-reduction surgery can produce increases in the elastic recoil of the lung in patients with diffuse emphysema, leading to short-term improvement in dyspnea and exercise tolerance.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A randomized comparison of antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy after the placement of coronary-artery stents.
The clinical benefit of coronary-artery stenting performed in conjunction with coronary angioplasty is limited by the risk of thrombotic occlusion of the stent as well as hemorrhagic and vascular complications of intensive anticoagulation. We compared antiplatelet therapy with conventional anticoagulant therapy with respect to clinical outcomes 30 days after coronary-artery stenting. ⋯ As compared with conventional anticoagulant therapy, combined antiplatelet therapy after the placement of coronary-artery stents reduces the incidence of both cardiac events and hemorrhagic and vascular complications.
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Several surgical procedures to treat trigeminal neuralgia (tic douloureux) are available, but most reports provide only short-term follow-up information. ⋯ Microvascular decompression is a safe and effective treatment for trigeminal neuralgia, with a high rate of long-term success.