The New England journal of medicine
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The American Medical Political Action Committee (AMPAC), the political arm of the American Medical Association (AMA), contributed $2.4 million to candidates for Congress during the 1989-1990 campaign and $2.9 million during the 1991-1992 campaign. It is not known whether these funds preferentially benefited representatives who supported the AMA's positions on public health issues. ⋯ AMPAC's contributions to members of the House of Representatives belie the AMA positions on some important public health issues.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
A controlled trial of high-dose intravenous immune globulin infusions as treatment for dermatomyositis.
Dermatomyositis is a clinically distinct myopathy characterized by rash and a complement-mediated microangiopathy that results in the destruction of muscle fibers. In some patients the condition becomes resistant to therapy and causes severe physical disabilities. ⋯ High-dose intravenous immune globulin is a safe and effective treatment for refractory dermatomyositis.
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The relative roles of obesity, insulin resistance, insulin secretory dysfunction, and excess hepatic glucose production in the development of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) are controversial. We conducted a prospective study to determine which of these factors predicted the development of the disease in a group of Pima Indians. ⋯ Insulin resistance is a major risk factor for the development of NIDDM: A low acute insulin response to glucose is an additional but weaker risk factor.