Clinical
Down south: Going the way of all flesh is one thing, but for young women with pelvic organ prolapse, it's time to give collagen levels the call-back.

Meet the neighbours: The gob and gut are bacteria havens, but never the twain shall meet, right? Wrong. Their go-between, the esophagus, has them too — and they could be causing trouble.

Boudoir blues: Testosterone replacement therapy gets no love from researchers who claim the drug doesn't help men regain that lovin' feelin'.

See spots run: A kinder, gentler test for colon lesions gets in through the back door. Gut study probes pan-chromoscopy.

New lease on shelf life: No longer just a granola shop standby, glucosamine gets some back-up from the science-heads for its treatment of OA of the knee.

Bad to the bone: Snort steroids for COPD and you could wind up with brittle bones, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Urgent, urgent, emergency: A minor ischemic event can turn into a nasty stroke the longer you wait to get your patient in for carotid endarterectomy.

Red rum: The Chinese were on to something when they drank from the poisoned chalice and used arsenic as a cancer treatment. A new study finds that combined with the toxin bryostatin it helps obliterate leukemic cells.

Don't kill whitie: Researchers suss out the protein kinase that kills white blood cells and suspect that specific inhibitors could help stack the odds in favour of the body's defences. A microscopic battle with macroscopic implications.

Picked for the patch: Investigators go fishing in the gene pool to catch the culprit behind nicotine patch success or failure. One gene takes the bait.

Boning up on OA drug: New study builds up the long-term benefits of OA drug alendronate — great news for those who have to put up with this high-maintenance medication.

Government & Medicine
Privacy piracy? BC health service outsourcing to the US could open a privacy loophole for FBI anti-terror investigators.

Sweet nothing: As the provincial premiers come to terms with being snubbed in the federal budget, public health wallflowers blossom.

Features
Thriving in 'a healing place': These MDs spread the message of truth and tolerance

Bitter pill to swallow: The US says generic AIDS drugs might be unsafe. Better to buy brand-names, according to President Bush.

Autopsies on the slab: Postmortems are on the decline and pathologists are feeling stiffed by doctors' lack of interest in the whys and wherefores of their patients' deaths.

To sleep, perchance to dream: The Sandman's sent packing by noisy hospital staff and equipment. Instead, insomnia comes to visit patients who can't get any shuteye.

US eh?: Some Canadian doctors are looking for greener pastures — in the US — while others are choosing to stick to their own backyard. What's behind this brain drain?

I see dead people: Our ethicist Dr Mark Bernstein faces off with the issue of face transplants. Don't I know you from somewhere?

Women's sexual health
Get in the rhythm: The Vatican's favourite birth control method has gone high tech with temperature monitoring computers. But does the math add up, and is anyone using them anyway?

Seeing red — or not: Oral contraceptive placebo-skipping has been legitimized by the new extended-cycle Pill. Are the tampon savings worth the risk?

Sexual healin': Not sure how to educate teens about the dangers of sexually transmitted infections? WHAT TO TELL YOUR PATIENTS helps you reach the MTV generation.

Departments
Across Canada: News highlights from coast to coast to coast.

News in Brief: bite-size treats from the international world of medicine

Editorial: The WHO that cried wolf

Editorial: Out on the fringe

Pursuits: Express yo' love for homemade coffee: Brew the perfect espresso — it doesn't take magic, just patience and skill.

Classics:
Movie: Sunset Boulevard
Music: The Joshua Tree
Book: Drawn & Quarterly Volume 5

Practice Management
Finally, a good use for lawyers: Signing your office lease can feel like selling your soul — and your practice too. Here are some pointers on how to avoid the slippery slope to financial ruin.