Arch Intern Med
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To evaluate the frequency, presentation, and course of the acute chest syndrome (ACS) in adult Afro-Caribbean patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). ⋯ Acute chest syndrome occurs in 42% of adult Afro-Caribbean patients with SCD; patients with HbSS are more prone to recurrences. Delayed development of radiologic infiltrates is common. Interventions apart from supportive care do not influence the course of ACS. Fatal ACS occurs in patients with a more severe form of SCD.
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In the United States, few studies have examined important variables in physician attitudes toward the practice of euthanasia, such as the patient's underlying disease, mental capacity, and age, and the physician's specialty and religion. We administered a case-based survey to analyze the impact of such specific variables on physician attitudes toward the practice. ⋯ Given the disparity in responding physicians' attitudes toward euthanasia, along with the fact that values based on religious affiliation or profession may underlie many physicians' opposition to the practice, we conclude that if euthanasia is to be legalized, safeguards protective of patients and physicians must be incorporated.