Feasibility of fecal occult-blood testing for detection of colorectal neoplasia: debits and credits.

A screening program for colorectal cancer and adenomas has been applied to 6,579 mostly asymptomatic men and women age 40 years and older utilizing fecal occult-blood testing followed by investigation of patients with positive slides by air-contrast barium enema and colonoscopy. A control population of 7,325 patients had sigmoidoscopy only and no occult-blood testing. Approximately 1% of the patients had positive slides; most patients had only one or two slides positive.

Noninvasive assessment of clinical response to oral propranolol therapy.

Nineteen patients with severe but stable angina pectoris entered a double blind controlled study to evaluate the effect of orally administered propranolol on exercise tolerance measured with a bicycle ergometer, and left ventricular function measured by echocardiography and systolic time intervals. In the group treated with propranolol the dose was increased from 80 to 320 mg/day. Studies including determination of propranolol blood levels were obtained before treatment and for each dose of propranolol.