Slouching toward Bethlehem with the Ninth Amendment

Slouching towards Bethlehem: the beast of biocompatibility.

In this issue of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation, Haag-Weber and colleagues report the results of a randomized, multi-centre study comparing the use of a peritoneal dialysis (PD) solution with low levels of glucose degradation products (GDPs) to conventional solutions produced by three major suppliers (Gambrosol, Stay-safe and Dianeal)[1]. In contrast to other studies, the patients inc...

Slouching toward a systems approach to treatment.

Both the health care sector generally and the alcohol and drug field are moving toward a truly systematic approach to treatment, accelerated by the anticipated advent of health care reform. There is considerable reluctance to develop systems. Many are not convinced of their necessity, and systematization inevitably involves a decrement in autonomy for the components of the system. Nor are syste...

Slouching toward value-based health care.

Health Care D e s p i t e s om e r e c e n t moderation, health care costs continue to grow at rates exceeding those of the larger economy, as documented in the annual assessment by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), with which we begin this issue of the journal. Spending growth is not necessarily a problem, assuming the benefits in terms of enhanced health and social well-be...

Reaching for Utopia and slouching toward Gomorrah.

It is a unique privilege to address the 50th annual meeting of the CNS during this first year of a new century and a new millennium. I owe recognition and thanks to many people for their overwhelming support. I thank my parents, Dr. and Mrs. Warren Barrow, and my grandmother, Mrs. Emma Pessina, for providing me with a nurturing environment, an education, and encouragement to pursue my career an...

The Ninth Amendment: It Means What It Says