The main national data sources for perinatal epidemiology are birth and death certificates, yet routinely linked birth and death certificate data are still not available in the U.S. Completeness and quality of the reporting of perinatal events should be considered in examining trends over time and between jurisdictions. The U.S. has experienced a marked decline in its infant mortality rate, but...

SPINAL anesthesia has enjoyed a long history of success and recently celebrated a centennial anniversary. Anesthesiologists master spinal anesthesia early during training with achievement of competence (. 90% technical success rate) after only 40–70 supervised attempts. The ease and long history of spinal anesthesia may give the impression that it is a simple technique with little sophisticatio...

The reimbursement policies of Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers can have a major impact on the ability of oncologists to deliver care to their patients. This article explores current issues of particular interest to oncologists, including coverage of off-label drug uses, reimbursement for drugs used in clinical trials and for costs of care for patients in trials, the effect of DRGs on th...

The concept of a specific disorder of motor function has been recognized for at least a century, with a gradual increase in awareness of this condition among health professionals and researchers developing over the past 30 years or so. First recognized in DSM-III-R (American Psychiatric Association 1987) as clumsy child syndrome, a number of labels have been applied to the disorder, including d...