From the Editor's Desk

David E. Beck

For our readers who haven't heard, I'm pleased to announce that The Ochsner Journal is now listed on PubMed Central (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc) and that all articles, in full text, are available via PubMed (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) and PubMed Central searches. This indexing is a major advancement for our publication, and I would like to thank all of the contributors, editors, and Journal staff whose efforts have made this possible.

Fall 2011 continues our schedule of nonthemed issues by assembling a diverse group of articles highlighting original research by contributors from several medical and academic institutions. We start with an editorial by a researcher on a potential new target for gene therapy in melanoma, followed by the basic science article it addresses. That piece discusses research by a group of investigators that includes melanoma expert Dr Adam Riker.

Cardiac disease remains a major health problem, and Dr De Schutter and colleagues next describe their investigations of body composition in coronary heart disease. Living in the South, we are well aware of how natural disasters can impact a patient's quality of life. Dr Stanley and colleagues report their experience with hypertensive patients following Hurricane Katrina.

Next, Drs DeSalvo and Muntner present their research into the differences in patient and physician assessments of health and how they relate to mortality. From the Ochsner Hypertension Research Laboratory, Drs Susic and Frohlich describe the results of a basic science study of the role of increased collagen in left ventricular function in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Dr Leslie Thomas and her anesthesiology colleagues compared ultrasound and nerve stimulation techniques for interscalene brachial plexus block for shoulder surgery. Their results will be incorporated into training in our anesthesiology residency program.

As the Ochsner Clinical School increases our interaction with The University of Queensland School of Medicine, it is important to understand the differences and similarities in medical practice in Australia and the United States. Faculty from both countries collaborated to produce an informative review.

Dr Hart and colleagues then review the problem of unintended perioperative hypothermia. They are followed by Drs Glass and Amedee from the Tulane and Ochsner Otolaryngology programs who discuss allergic fungal rhinosinusitis.

Next, Drs Shankar and Rowe report an unusual case of splenic injury after colonoscopy, preceding a review of the Ochsner Clinic experience with acute ischemic colitis. This issue concludes with letters to the editor discussing previous articles and issues addressed in The Ochsner Journal. The editors value these submissions and invite others to contribute.