A previous report showed that the use of caffeine to treat apnea of prematurity reduces the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, but whether it has long-term effects on neurodevelopment and growth is unknown. In this placebo-controlled, randomized trial, treatment with caffeine significantly improved the rate of survival without neurodevelopmental disability at 18 to 21 months.

In this study, humoral immunity after vaccination or natural infection was assessed for several common pathogens. Antibodies against varicella–zoster virus, measles, and mumps were long-lived (estimated half-lives, 50 years), and antibodies against tetanus and diphtheria were short-lived (estimated half-lives, 11 and 19 years, respectively). Antibody titers were poorly correlated with peripheral-blood memory B cells.

This large trial showed that chemotherapy plus involved-field radiotherapy was superior to subtotal nodal radiotherapy alone in patients with localized stage supradiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease and risk factors for a good outcome. In patients with early-stage Hodgkin's disease and risk factors for a poor outcome, limited chemotherapy was as effective as a more aggressive course.

Children who survive surgical repair of congenital heart defects often have abnormal neurodevelopment. In this comparison of 41 term newborns with congenital heart disease and 16 controls, abnormalities in brain maturation were present before cardiac surgery.

An 82-year-old woman with severe depression, including psychotic symptoms, is referred for consideration of electroconvulsive therapy. She has had four episodes of major depression consisting of crying spells, loss of interest in usual activities, insomnia, loss of appetite and weight, difficulty with concentration, feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, and thoughts of suicide.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia has become the most common chronic lung disease of infancy. This review summarizes the patterns and pathogenesis of chronic lung impairment that may become clinically significant decades after the use of mechanical ventilation and oxygen supplementation in premature newborns.

A 77-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of difficulty speaking and altered mental status. He had been well until the day before admission, when pain developed in the right side of the face and in the right ear. Several days earlier, he had fallen on the sidewalk and hit his head. On examination, he was lethargic with incomprehensible speech; dried blood was seen in the right ear canal. CT scanning of the head disclosed pneumocephalus and opacification of the right mastoid air cells.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is less prevalent in women than in men. A recent study of a mouse model indicates that estrogen counters a pathway that induces hepatocellular carcinoma and may therefore account for the difference in prevalence between the sexes.

Skin and soft-tissue infections, including cutaneous abscesses, are commonly encountered in primary care and emergency departments. This video covers basic indications and contraindications and demonstrates the technique of incision and drainage of a cutaneous abscess.