Colonoscopy is a cost-effective means of screening for colorectal cancer because it reduces mortality at relatively low incremental costs. Low compliance rates render colonoscopy every 10 years the most cost-effective primary screening strategy for colorectal cancer.

Smoking was found to be associated with albuminuria and abnormal renal function. However, these associations are less pronounced or absent in former smokers.

According to this national survey, type 2 diabetes occurs more often in persons with hepatitis C virus infection who are older than 40 years of age.

Renal crisis in patients with scleroderma can be effectively managed when hypertension is aggressively controlled with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Patients should continue taking these drugs after beginning dialysis.

For infections related to implantable electrophysiologic devices, complete device removal and antimicrobial therapy allow timely, successful reimplantation at a remote anatomic site without substantial risk for surgical mortality or recurrent infection.

Recent advances in the understanding of selected aspects of cachexia are discussed. Among these are changes in body composition, food intake, intermediary metabolism, energy balance, cytokine regulation, and recent therapeutic initiatives.

Part 1 of this two-part conference addresses a new understanding of what osteoarthritis is and the risk factors that predispose to disease occurrence.

This paper briefly reviews existing clinical trials registries, discusses challenges in building registries, and reviews some of the benefits of registries.

It now appears almost certain that screening colonoscopy can effectively reduce colorectal cancer–related mortality and is probably more effective than fecal occult blood testing, flexible sigmoidoscopy, or both. An important remaining question is how much this strategy will cost. In this issue, Sonnenberg and colleagues attempt to answer that question.

The association between chronic hepatitis C virus infection and type 2 diabetes mellitus, reported by Mehta and colleagues in this issue, seems genuine. However, numerous questions must still be addressed, most notably those regarding the nature of the link between the disorders.

During a rural medicine clerkship, a medical student encounters a surprising link to her past.

Among the many important papers in the field of oncology published in 1999, this Update focuses on studies of breast cancer, cervical cancer, multiple myeloma, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer.