The New England journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
High-frequency oscillatory ventilation compared with conventional mechanical ventilation in the treatment of respiratory failure in preterm infants.
We conducted a multicenter randomized clinical trial to compare the efficacy and safety of high-frequency ventilation with that of conventional mechanical ventilation in the treatment of respiratory failure in preterm infants. Of 673 preterm infants weighing between 750 and 2000 g, 346 were assigned to receive conventional mechanical ventilation and 327 to receive high-frequency oscillatory ventilation. The incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was similar in the two groups (high-frequency ventilation, 40 percent; conventional mechanical ventilation, 41 percent; P = 0.79). ⋯ The crossover rate from high-frequency ventilation to conventional mechanical ventilation was greater than the crossover rate from mechanical to high-frequency ventilation (26 vs. 17 percent; P = 0.01). High-frequency ventilation, as compared with conventional mechanical ventilation, was associated with an increased incidence of pneumoperitoneum of pulmonary origin (3 vs. 1 percent; P = 0.05), grades 3 and 4 intracranial hemorrhage (26 vs. 18 percent; P = 0.02), and periventricular leukomalacia (12 vs. 7 percent; P = 0.05). These results suggest that high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, as used in this trial, does not offer any advantage over conventional mechanical ventilation in the treatment of respiratory failure in preterm infants, and it may be associated with undesirable side effects.
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To study risk factors for falling, we conducted a one-year prospective investigation, using a sample of 336 persons at least 75 years of age who were living in the community. All subjects underwent detailed clinical evaluation, including standardized measures of mental status, strength, reflexes, balance, and gait; in addition, we inspected their homes for environmental hazards. Falls and their circumstances were identified during bimonthly telephone calls. ⋯ The risk of falling increased linearly with the number of risk factors, from 8 percent with none to 78 percent with four or more risk factors (P less than 0.0001). About 10 percent of the falls occurred during acute illness, 5 percent during hazardous activity, and 44 percent in the presence of environmental hazards. We conclude that falls among older persons living in the community are common and that a simple clinical assessment can identify the elderly persons who are at the greatest risk of falling.
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Lymphocytes extracted from freshly resected melanomas can be expanded in vitro and can often mediate specific lysis of autologous tumor cells but not allogeneic tumor or autologous normal cells. We treated 20 patients with metastatic melanoma by means of adoptive transfer of these tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and interleukin-2, after the patients had received a single intravenous dose of cyclophosphamide. Objective regression of the cancer was observed in 9 of 15 patients (60 percent) who had not previously been treated with interleukin-2 and in 2 of 5 patients (40 percent) in whom previous therapy with interleukin-2 had failed. ⋯ Toxic effects of interleukin-2 occurred, although the treatment course was short (five days); these side effects were reversible. It appears that in patients with metastatic melanoma, this experimental treatment regimen can produce higher response rates than those achieved with interleukin-2 administered alone or with lymphokine-activated killer cells. It is too early to determine whether this new form of immunotherapy can improve survival, but further trials seem warranted.