Functional health illiteracy: What patients don't know can hurt them
Patient education has become a discipline in itself, and physicians need to take better advantage of it.
J.D. CLOUGH

  Intravenous or oral steroids: Which is better for acute exacerbations of asthma or COPD?
For asthma, oral steroids appear to be as effective as intravenous. For COPD, we have less evidence.
C. EMERMAN

Assessing cancer clinical trials: Will your patient benefit from a ‘breakthrough’?
Pick up a newspaper or turn on the news, and you will see a story about some breakthrough in cancer. So will your patients.
M. MARKMAN

The CURE trial: Using clopidogrel in acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation
An important advance, but at the cost of excess bleeding.
G.P. GERSCHUTZ and D.L. BHATT

A 25-year-old woman with hemiparesis and a solitary brain tumor
What is the cause of this patient’s symptoms? A self-test.
J.O. TAVEE, C.J. BAE, R.A. PRAYSON, and E.P. PIORO

Two new treatment options for infections due to drug-resistant gram-positive cocci
Drug-resistant gram-positive cocci are on the rise, including VRE and MRSA strains. Synercid and Zyvox are welcome and needed, but they should not be used empirically.
S.J. REHM

Recognizing and overcoming inadequate health literacy, a barrier to care
A shocking number of patients cannot read adequately or understand medical concepts, with adverse consequences for their health.
M.V. WILLIAMS

The new American diet and the changing face of foodborne illness
Foodborne illness isn’t just about bad potato salad any more.
A.J. TAEGE

Benign breast disease: When to treat, when to reassure, when to refer
Many women have symptoms of breast disease, but few have cancer.
L. VAIDYANATHAN, K. BARNARD, and D.M. ELNICKI

ACE inhibitors vs ARBs: Is one class better for heart failure?
A patient who apparently cannot tolerate ACE inhibitors presents with worsening heart failure. What should be the next step?
M.E. DUNLAP and R.C. PETERSON

Letters to the Editor
Smallpox vaccination, a homeless man with hypothermia.