Two imaging techniques, multislice computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have evolved for noninvasive coronary angiography.

Abnormal and exaggerated deposition of extracellular matrix is the hallmark of many fibrotic diseases, including systemic sclerosis and pulmonary, liver, and kidney fibrosis. The spectrum of affected organs, the usually progressive nature of the fibrotic process, the large number of affected persons, and the absence of effective treatment pose an enormous challenge when treating fibrotic diseases. Delineation of the central role of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and identification of the specific cellular receptors, kinases, and other mediators involved in the fibrotic process have provided a sound basis for development of effective therapies. The inhibition of signaling pathways activated by TGF-beta represents a novel therapeutic approach for the fibrotic disorders. One of these TGF-beta pathways results in the activation of the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase cellular Abelson (c-Abl), and c-Abl inhibitors, including imatinib mesylate, diminishing the fibrogenic effects of TGF-beta. Thus, recently acquired basic knowledge about the pathogenesis of the fibrotic process has enabled the development of novel therapeutic agents capable of modifying the deleterious effects of the fibrotic diseases.

This issue provides a clinical overview of gout focusing on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, practice improvement, and patient information. Readers can complete the accompanying CME quiz for 1.5 credits. Only ACP members and individual subscribers can access the electronic features of In the Clinic. Non-subscribers who wish to access this issue of In the Clinic can elect "Pay for View." Subscribers can receive 1.5 category 1 CME credits by completing the CME quiz that accompanies this issue of In the Clinic. The content of In the Clinic is drawn from the clinical information and education resources of the American College of Physicians (ACP), including PIER (Physicians' Information and Education Resource) and MKSAP (Medical Knowledge and Self Assessment Program). Annals of Internal Medicine editors develop In the Clinic from these primary sources in collaboration with the ACP's Medical Education and Publishing division and with assistance of science writers and physician writers. Editorial consultants from PIER and MKSAP provide expert review of the content. Readers who are interested in these primary resources for more detail can consult www.acponline.org, http://pier.acponline.org, and other resources referenced within each issue of In the Clinic.

A multidisciplinary group of 34 experts from 15 countries developed this update and expansion of the recommendations on the management of acute nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) from 2003.

Leptin is a hormone secreted by adipose tissue in direct proportion to amount of body fat. The circulating leptin levels serve as a gauge of energy stores, thereby directing the regulation of energy homeostasis, neuroendocrine function, and metabolism. Persons with congenital deficiency are obese, and treatment with leptin results in dramatic weight loss through decreased food intake and possible increased energy expenditure. However, most obese persons are resistant to the weight-reducing effects of leptin. Recent studies suggest that leptin is physiologically more important as an indicator of energy deficiency, rather than energy excess, and may mediate adaptation by driving increased food intake and directing neuroendocrine function to converse energy, such as inducing hypothalamic hypogonadism to prevent fertilization. Current studies investigate the role of leptin in weight-loss management because persons who have recently lost weight have relative leptin deficiency that may drive them to regain weight. Leptin deficiency is also evident in patients with diet- or exercise-induced hypothalamic amenorrhea and lipoatrophy. Replacement of leptin in physiologic doses restores ovulatory menstruation in women with hypothalamic amenorrhea and improves metabolic dysfunction in patients with lipoatrophy, including lipoatrophy associated with HIV or highly active antiretroviral therapy. The applications of leptin continue to grow and will hopefully soon be used therapeutically.

The Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) is widely used to predict perioperative cardiac complications.

This issue provides a clinical overview of diabetic ketoacidosis focusing on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, practice improvement, and patient information. Readers can complete the accompanying CME quiz for 1.5 credits. Only ACP members and individual subscribers can access the electronic features of In the Clinic. Non-subscribers who wish to access this issue of In the Clinic can elect "Pay for View." Subscribers can receive 1.5 category 1 CME credits by completing the CME quiz that accompanies this issue of In the Clinic. The content of In the Clinic is drawn from the clinical information and education resources of the American College of Physicians (ACP), including PIER (Physicians' Information and Education Resource) and MKSAP (Medical Knowledge and Self Assessment Program). Annals of Internal Medicine editors develop In the Clinic from these primary sources in collaboration with the ACP's Medical Education and Publishing division and with assistance of science writers and physician writers. Editorial consultants from PIER and MKSAP provide expert review of the content. Readers who are interested in these primary resources for more detail can consult www.acponline.org, http://pier.acponline.org, and other resources referenced within each issue of In the Clinic.

Patients with ischemic heart disease and preserved ventricular function experience considerable morbidity and mortality despite standard medical therapy.

Most women undergoing breast biopsy are found not to have cancer.

In primary care settings, prevalence estimates of major depressive disorder range from 5% to 13% in all adults, with lower estimates in those older than 55 years (6% to 9%). In 2002, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended screening adults for depression in clinical practices that have systems to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and follow-up.

Update of the 2002 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation statement on screening for depression in adults.

The content of In the Clinic is drawn from the clinical information and education resources of the American College of Physicians (ACP), including PIER (Physicians' Information and Education Resource) and MKSAP (Medical Knowledge and Self Assessment Program). Annals of Internal Medicine editors develop In the Clinic from these primary sources in collaboration with the ACP's Medical Education and Publishing division and with assistance of science writers and physician writers. Editorial consultants from PIER and MKSAP provide expert review of the content. Readers who are interested in these primary resources for more detail can consult www.acponline.org, http://pier.acponline.org, and other resources referenced within each issue of In the Clinic.

This systematic review is an update of evidence since the 2002 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation on breast cancer screening.

Update of the 2002 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation statement on screening for breast cancer in the general population.

Trials demonstrate the efficacy of medications to reduce the risk for invasive breast cancer.

Under conditions of constrained resources, cost-saving innovations may improve overall outcomes, even when they are slightly less effective than available options, by permitting more efficient reallocation of resources. The authors systematically reviewed all MEDLINE-cited cost-utility analyses written in English from 2002 to 2007 to identify and describe cost- and quality-decreasing medical innovations that might offer favorable "decrementally" cost-effective tradeoffs-defined as saving at least $100 000 per quality-adjusted life-year lost. Of 2128 cost-effectiveness ratios from 887 publications, only 9 comparisons (0.4% of total) described 8 innovations that were deemed to be decrementally cost-effective. Examples included percutaneous coronary intervention (instead of coronary artery bypass graft) for multivessel coronary disease, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (instead of electroconvulsive therapy) for drug-resistant major depression, watchful waiting for inguinal hernias, and hemodialyzer sterilization and reuse. On a per-patient basis, these innovations yielded savings from $122 to almost $12 000 but losses of 0.001 to 0.021 quality-adjusted life-years (approximately 8 hours to 1 week). These findings demonstrate the rarity of decrementally cost-effective innovations in the medical literature.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common male sexual disorder. The relative benefits and harms of pharmacologic therapies for ED, as well as the value of hormonal testing in men with ED, are uncertain.

The American College of Physicians developed this guideline to present the available evidence on hormonal testing in and pharmacologic management of erectile dysfunction. Current pharmacologic therapies include phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors, such as sildenafil, vardenafil, tadalafil, mirodenafil, and udenafil, and hormonal treatment.