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Stroke is indicated by an abrupt manifestation of neurologic deficits secondary to an ischemic or hemorrhagic insult to a region of the brain. Stroke is ranked as the third leading cause of death in the United States, affects more than 730,000 individuals per year, and accounts for 160,000 deaths annually. Approximately $40 billion is spent annually for health care treating stroke victims. This case report shows that despite the use of antithrombotic and/or antiplatelet aggregating drugs, the key to stroke management is primary prevention.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an infectious disease commonly seen in the primary care environment. CAP is ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. It affects more than 10 million individuals per year and accounts for 500,000-1,000,000 hospital admissions. Precise diagnosis of CAP continues to be complex. Despite enormous advances in serologic analysis and antimicrobial development, at least 50% of causative pathogens are not identified. This article presents a case report of a white female in her seventies diagnosed with CAP and emphasizes the need for early detection, immunization, and prompt interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality rates. This case brings to light the dilemma practitioners can face when treating high-risk populations on an outpatient basis.

Hispanics are among the fastest growing minorities in the United States, after Asian-Americans and Pacific-Islanders. Hispanics, Latinos, Chicanos, Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban-Americans, etc. are all designations used to describe this large, heterogeneous population with different cultural, ethnic, geographic, and social backgrounds. There is still no clear definition of the term "Hispanic." The data available regarding the incidence, morbidity, and mortality from cancer in Hispanics are scarce, scattered, outdated, and often incomplete. From the studies looking at the accessibility and availability of medical care for this population, few have examined in detail the variability within the entire Hispanic population. The aggregation of culturally distinct subgroups, which have resided in the United States for different periods of time, into a more inclusive Hispanic category assumes that all persons of Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican extraction have similar needs and experience similar barriers in using health services. There is, however, no clear evidence for this assumption. On the contrary, there is evidence that each group has specific characteristics that make it different and independent from another, despite the fact that they also share some commonalities. Because of the lower overall prevalence of cancer in this population, potential protective factors need to be explored. Hispanics, however, appear to have a less favorable stage of disease at presentation and have overall lower death rates from cancer than non-Hispanic whites, but lower overall survival in certain cancers. Demographic and epidemiologic data collection need to be updated and improved.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)