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Articles 
Thomas M. Gill, Mayur M. Desai, Evelyne A. Gahbauer, Theodore R. Holford, and Christianna S. Williams Restricted activity is common in community-living older persons, regardless of risk for disability, and it is usually attributable to several concurrent health-related problems. Although restricted activity is associated with a substantial increase in health care utilization, older persons with restricted activity often do not seek medical attention.
Saskia Middeldorp, Johan R. Meinardi, Maria M.W. Koopman, Elisabeth C.M. van Pampus, Karly Hamulyák, Jan van der Meer, Martin H. Prins, and Harry R. Büller The absolute annual incidence of spontaneous venous thromboembolism in asymptomatic carriers of the factor V Leiden mutation is low and does not justify routine screening of the families of symptomatic patients.
Eric C. Schneider, Lucian L. Leape, Joel S. Weissman, Robert N. Piana, Constantine Gatsonis, and Arnold M. Epstein Among a large and diverse sample of Medicare beneficiaries in five U.S. states, overuse of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was greater in white men than in other groups, but this difference did not fully explain overall disparities in revascularization by race. Overuse of cardiac revascularization varied significantly by geographic region.
Brief Communications
Anna Simon, Laurence Cuisset, M.-Françoise Vincent, Saskia D. van der Velde-Visser, Marc Delpech, Jos W.M. van der Meer, Joost P.H. Drenth for the International HIDS Study Group The hyper-IgD and periodic fever syndrome (HIDS) is characterized by recurrent attacks of fever, abdominal distress, and arthralgia and is caused by mevalonate kinase mutations. This cross-sectional study from the Netherlands found that genetic heterogeneity exists among patients with a clinical diagnosis of HIDS.
Academia and Clinic
David M. Eisenberg, Ronald C. Kessler, Maria I. Van Rompay, Ted J. Kaptchuk, Sonja A. Wilkey, Scott Appel, and Roger B. Davis National survey data do not support the view that use of complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapy in the United States primarily reflects dissatisfaction with conventional care. Adults who use both appear to value both forms of therapy and tend to be less concerned about their medical doctor's disapproval than their doctor's inability to understand or incorporate CAM therapy use.
Reviews
Nancy R. Kressin and Laura A. Petersen This review found racial differences in invasive cardiac procedure use even after adjustment for disease severity. Future studies should comprehensively and simultaneously examine the full range of patient, physician, and health care system variables related to racial differences in the provision of invasive cardiac procedures.
Perspectives
Kenneth A. Bauer The author focuses on which patients should be screened for hereditary and other thrombophilias and on the implications of such a diagnosis on patient management.
Editorials
Edward R. Marcantonio Perhaps the most important question raised by Gill and colleagues' study in this issue is the significance of restricted activity. Is restricted activity a key marker of functional decline and long-term disability, or does it merely indicate intermittent difficulty in the performance of usual activities: in other words, an elderly person "having a bad day"? The answer to both questions is probably "yes."
On Being a Patient
Theodore B. Schwartz
Letters Methylene Blue Improves the Hepatopulmonary Syndrome
Periodic Liver Biopsy for Mild Hepatitis C
Cost-Effectiveness Analyses
Ultrasonography in Management of Nodular Thyroid Disease
Doxepin-Induced Torsade de Pointes Tachycardia
Wendy Levinson, Marc S. Cohen, Donald Brady, and F. Daniel Duffy One of a physician's most important tasks is to help patients change unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, hazardous alcohol use, overeating, or physical inactivity. The authors explain a clinically useful model for counseling and provide sample words and phrases to illustrate how physicians can influence change.
Stuart G. Finder
Mark A. Perazella
Bonnie Salomon
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