Medscape's Infectious Diseases MedPulse 8-24-01

_______________________________________________________________________

>>> MEDSCAPE's Infectious Diseases MedPulse(R) <<<

http://id.medscape.com

_______________________________________________________________________

This message is intended for US residents only.

Asthma is sneaky. You may not always have asthma symptoms -

but that does not mean your asthma is not there! The truth

is, you always have asthma, whether you feel it or not. And

if you need but don't take your maintenance medications

regularly, your asthma symptoms can suddenly flare up into

an attack. To learn more about a maintenance medication,

visit http://medscape.com/sponsor/asthmawas1

_______________________________________________________________________

MedPulse is a weekly index of key news and features on Medscape's

specialty sites compiled by Medscape's Editors.

_______________________________________________________________________

___________________ NEW FEATURE ARTICLES THIS WEEK ____________________

-- MEDSCAPE ORIGINAL ARTICLES --

JOURNAL SCAN - ID-INFLUENZA 1(4)

Laurent Kaiser, MD, summarizes and comments on important newpublications, including:

-- Vaccinating Healthy Working Adults

-- Zanamivir for Avian Influenza Viruses

-- Vaccinating Hospitalized Patients

http://id.medscape.com/41951.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

BOOK REVIEW - TYPHOID MARY: AN URBAN HISTORICAL

Anthony Bourdain offers a retelling of the story of Mary Mallon, chef and medical menace.

MedGenMed, August 21, 2001

http://id.medscape.com/41967.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

CLINICAL ABSTRACTS - HEPATOTOXICITY OF ANTIRETROVIRAL AGENTS

What's new concerning hepatotoxic effects of antiretroviral agents? Find out in this easy-to-navigate compilation of MEDLINE and conference abstracts compiled by the editors at Medscape.

Medscape HIV/AIDS 7(4), 2001

http://id.medscape.com/42008.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

-- HIV/AIDS ANNUAL UPDATE 2001 --

FOREWORD

A comprehensive collection of state-of-the-art reviews of key issues in the management of HIV-infected patients

http://id.medscape.com/41834.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

IMMUNOPATHOGENESIS OF HIV INFECTION

Encouraging results with early treatment of acute HIV infection demonstrate that critical immune responses can be effectively boosted in infected persons, and that the host-virus relationship can be manipulated.

http://id.medscape.com/41835.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

VIRAL PATHOGENESIS: MECHANISMS OF PERSISTENCE OF WILD-TYPE AND

DRUG-RESISTANT HIV

Eradication of HIV infection is not a reasonable goal with current regimens, although in compliant patients, current HAART regimens can essentially stop virus evolution. The latent reservoir will store all forms of the virus that circulate at high levels.

http://id.medscape.com/41836.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

-- MMWR --

HUMAN ANTHRAX ASSOCIATED WITH AN EPIZOOTIC AMONG LIVESTOCK --- NORTH DAKOTA, 2000

On August 19, 2000, a 67-year-old resident of eastern North Dakota participated in the disposal of five cows that had died of anthrax. . .

MMWR 50(32):677-680, 2001. Centers for Disease Control

http://id.medscape.com/41940.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

BOTULISM OUTBREAK ASSOCIATED WITH EATING FERMENTED FOOD ---ALASKA, 2001

Alaska's foodborne botulism rates exceed those in any other state and are among the highest in the world. This report illustrates how the use of nontraditional fermentation methods is associated with foodborne botulism in Alaska.

MMWR 50(32):680-682, 2001. Centers for Disease Control

http://id.medscape.com/41941.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

-- INFECTIONS in MEDICINE --

HCV INFECTION IN HIV-INFECTED PATIENTS: CHALLENGES AND FUTURE OUTLOOK

Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is many times more prevalent than infection with HIV.

Infect Med 18(7):349-357, 2001

http://id.medscape.com/41949.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

-- OTHER JOURNALS --

RHODOCOCCUS EQUI PNEUMONIA IN A PATIENT WITH HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS: CASE REPORT AND REVIEW

Rhodococcus equi is a facultative, intracellular, gram-positive coccobacillus increasingly reported as an opportunistic pathogen in patients positive for human immunodeficiency virus.

Pharmacotherapy 21(8):998-1002, 2001

http://id.medscape.com/41975.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

COMPARATIVE TOLERABILITY OF INTRAVENOUS AZITHROMYCIN, CLARITHROMYCIN AND ERYTHROMYCIN IN HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS: RESULTS OF A DOUBLE-BLIND, DOUBLE-DUMMY, FOUR-WAY CROSSOVER STUDY

Macrolide antibacterials possess activity against a wide range of bacterial pathogens.

Clin Drug Invest 21(8):527-536, 2001

http://id.medscape.com/41993.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

POTENTIAL RISKS AND PREVENTION, PART 3: DRUG-INDUCED THREATS TO LIFE

This report is the third in a series of four describing significant adverse drug events, including adverse drug reactions, allergic drug reactions, drug interactions, and medication errors.

Am J Health-Syst Pharm 58(15):1399-1405, 2001

http://id.medscape.com/41976.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

POTENTIAL RISKS AND PREVENTION, PART 4: REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE

DRUG EVENTS

A summary analysis of three descriptive studies of significant adverse drug events (ADEs) was conducted.

Am J Health-Syst Pharm 58(15):1406-1412, 2001

http://id.medscape.com/42002.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

_______________________________________________________________________

___________________________________ NEWS ______________________________

-- TUBERCULOSIS --

SPECIALIZED CARE RESULTS IN BETTER OUTCOMES FOR MDR-TB PATIENTS

In cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), treatment in a specialized tuberculosis care program that includes in-hospital therapy leads to better patient outcomes, compared with community-based outpatient treatment, according to a report in the August issue of Chest.

http://id.medscape.com/41823.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

HAART NOT LINKED TO TB WORSENING IN HIV PATIENTS

Highly active antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection does not appear to be associated with paradoxical worsening of tuberculosis, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, and other centers.

http://id.medscape.com/42028.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

ANTI-INTERLEUKIN-10R ANTIBODY MAY IMPROVE MYCOBACTERIAL RESPONSE TO ANTIBIOTICS

Monoclonal antibodies to interleukin-10R may improve the response of mycobacterial infections to antimicrobial chemotherapy, Portuguese investigators report.

http://id.medscape.com/41863.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

-- WEST NILE VIRUS --

ELDERLY GEORGIA WOMAN DIES OF WEST NILE VIRUS

An elderly Georgia woman was confirmed on Friday as the nation's first death this season from infection with the West Nile virus, health officials said.

http://id.medscape.com/41850.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

-- ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE --

VANCOMYCIN-RESISTANT BACTERIA CAN BE RESENSITIZED

A new strategy to resensitize vancomycin-resistant enterococci, which uses meticulously designed molecules that sever the mutated peptidoglycan cell wall precursors that confer resistance, is described in a report in the August 24th issue of Science.

http://id.medscape.com/42048.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

LINEZOLID EFFECTIVE AGAINST GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIA

Studies of clinical isolates demonstrate that linezolid, one of the oxazolidinones, a novel synthetic class of microbial agents, shows wide activity against Gram-positive bacteria.

http://id.medscape.com/41923.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

-- RESPIRATORY TRACT --

ETIOLOGY OF COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA VARIES WITH SEVERITY

Among low-risk patients with community-acquired pneumonia, the etiologies of infection differ depending on the severity of the illness, according to a report in the August 13/27 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

http://id.medscape.com/41854.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

-- HEPATITIS --

YOUNG ADULTS IN INDIA BECOMING MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO HEPATITIS A

Data from a multicenter study in India show a changing age profile of hepatitis A infection in India, with the infection occurring more commonly in young adults than in children.

http://id.medscape.com/41874.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

-- HIV/AIDS --

HIV POSTEXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS CLARIFIED FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

A stratified approach to HIV postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) in children and adolescents is proposed in the August issue of Pediatrics by Dr. Reza Keshavarz and Dr. Roland Clayton Merchant, from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

http://id.medscape.com/41813.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

HAART IS NOT A CONSISTENT RISK FACTOR FOR OSTEONECROSIS IN HIV-INFECTED PATIENTS

Although the number of cases of osteonecrosis is increasing among HIV patients, highly active antiretroviral therapy does not appear to be a consistent risk factor for this complication, Italian researchers report.

http://id.medscape.com/41869.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

VARIOUS MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR LIPODYSTROPHY IN HIV-INFECTED

PATIENTS

Factors such as HIV-1 load and age, as well as antiretroviral therapy with or without protease inhibitors, are linked with the development of lipodystrophy among HIV-1-infected patients, French researchers report.

http://id.medscape.com/41925.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

ANTIRETROVIRAL DRUG SELECTION AFFECTS PROBABILITY OF EMERGENCE OF

RESISTANT VIRUS

Targeting the wild-type HIV strain with antiretroviral drugs may inadvertently foster the emergence of resistant viruses, according to a report published in the August 1st Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

http://id.medscape.com/41917.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

This is only a selection of this week's HIV/AIDS NEWS. Read all the latest news about advances in this field, from Reuters and Medscape Wire.

http://www.medscape.com/hiv/news

And you can subscribe to the HIV/AIDS Medpulse, as well as other specialty Medpulses, by updating your profile at the following link:

http://www.medscape.com/profile

-- OTHER STDs --

MULTIPLE HPV TYPES PRESENT IN WOMEN WITH CERVICAL DYSPLASIA

Multiple human papillomavirus types are often found in the lower genital tracts of women with cervical dysplasia, according to a report published in the August issue of the Journal of Medical Virology.

http://id.medscape.com/41875.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

-- VACCINES --

CAMBODIA LAUNCHES ASIAN VACCINE DRIVE

In a muddied clearing set against the backdrop of ancient temple ruins, villagers mingled here on Wednesday with local and international health officials to celebrate the launch of a new effort to vaccinate children throughout Asia.

http://id.medscape.com/42040.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

IMMUNOSTIMULATORY GENE IMPROVES ANTI-HIV DNA VACCINE

Combining a typical antigen used in anti-HIV DNA vaccines with an immunostimulatory DNA sequence both improves and diversifies the immune response to HIV in mice, according to a report in the August 1st issue of the Journal of Immunology.

http://id.medscape.com/41930.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

-- OTHER ID NEWS --

LIPOSOMAL AMPHOTERICIN B EFFECTIVE AGAINST LEISHMANIASIS IN INDIA BUT

TOO COSTLY

Low-dose liposomal amphotericin B is effective in treating visceral leishmaniasis in India, but it is too expensive for widespread use, according to pilot study results published in the August 25th issue of the British Journal of Medicine.

http://id.medscape.com/42032.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

PET HAMSTERS, MICE POSE BIRTH DEFECT RISK

Pregnant women should avoid contact with pet hamsters, mice and other rodents because of the risk of infection with the Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), researchers warn in the August issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

http://id.medscape.com/41851.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

HERPESVIRUS 8 CAN BE TRANSMITTED THROUGH NEEDLE SHARING

Needle sharing can result in transmission of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), which is associated with Kaposi's sarcoma and pleural effusion lymphomas, Argentinian and American scientists report in the current issue of Medicina.

http://id.medscape.com/41821.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

TOUGHER MEASURES RECOMMENDED TO PROTECT NHS STAFF AGAINST MENINGITIS

New guidelines have been drawn up in the UK to help protect hospital staff against infection with meningitis.

http://id.medscape.com/41881.rhtml?srcmp=id-082401

______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________ MEMBER NEWS

___________________________

NEW CUSTOMER SUPPORT INFORMATION

If you have any questions about your Medscape Membership or need help finding information, please go to

http://www.medscape.com/Home/Help/Tech/MedPulse.html

FREE--DAILY MEDICAL NEWS ON YOUR HANDHELD

Mdirect puts Medscape's up-to-date, specialty specific content directly to your Palm OS handheld. Download Mdirect for free and receive articles, journal scans, and conference summaries daily as you sync your handheld.

http://www.medscape.com/mobile36

MORE THAN 30 EDITIONS OF MEDPULSE NOW AVAILABLE

Medscape offers MedPulse in more than 30 editions so you can stay up-to-date with the latest clinical information faster and easier. Subscribe for free to as many editions as you like. There are very specialized condition editions like Medscape's HIV/AIDS MedPulse and broader topics like Women's Health MedPulse. To add or change your subscription preferences, point your browser to the link below and edit your profile.

http://www.medscape.com/Home/registration/profile/Profile.html

_______________________________________________________________________

_____________________________ USER SUPPORT ____________________________

Unsubscribe or subscribe to MedPulse: http://www.medscape.com/profile

Forgot your login info?: http://www.medscape.com/password

Need additional support?: http://www.medscape.com/help/tech

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.