Recently researchers have suggested that clinical subsets of Crohn's disease occur, which are variously described as inflammatory, fibrostenotic, and fistulizing. In addition, it has been observed that within families with multiple cases, often there is concordance of the site and type of disease. The lesions of Crohn's disease occur in segments that suggest that distribution of Peyer's patches. When the age-related incidence of Crohn's disease was plotted for all countries from which such data were available, the peaks of greatest case frequency occurred at ages 15 to 25 years and paralleled a similar peak representing the number of Peyer's patches as a function of age. This correlation suggests that Crohn's disease may develop as an inflammatory process specifically targeting these important lymphoid structures. Similar peaks of activity in the adolescent to early adult years occur for appendicitis and tonsillitis.

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Emergency care services in the UK are receiving increasing numbers of patients presenting with a wide range of problems, from life-threatening conditions to minor injury or illness. All patients seeking emergency care need to be assessed and classified to prioritise those who have the most urgent problems and are in need of immediate care. This article provides an overview of triage within an emergency care setting. It explores the development of triage and describes the nationally recognised Manchester Triage System. The professional and legal responsibilities of the triage nurse are also discussed.

Passive reporting of VRE isolates from sterile sites markedly underestimated the actual number of iso lates, as determined in a statewide reporting system. Statewide passive surveillance systems for routine or emerging pathogens must be validated and laboratory proficiency ensured if results are to be accurate and substantial underreporting is to be corrected.

Patients presenting with minor injuries are treated in a variety of healthcare settings and are often assessed by nurses. This article provides an overview of the care and management of patients with common minor injuries, exploring history taking, physical examination, treatment options and professional issues in relation to care delivery. Various consultation models used during patient assessment are explored to give an understanding of how they help to inform practitioners' decision making. The professional and legal responsibilities of the nurse in this autonomous role are also discussed.