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_______________________________________________________________________
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 --
DIGESTIVE DISEASE WEEK 2002
Leading authorities provide clinically focused and comprehensive updates on
topical issues in the fields of gastroenterology and hepatology. ID-related
highlightes include:
- Recent Advances in the Understanding of Hepatitis C, by David Bernstein, MD
- Treatment of Hepatitis B, by Geoffrey L. Braden, MD
- Clinical Advances in Liver Disease: HCV and Liver Transplantation, by Michael
R. Lucey, MD
And from the Daily Newsbeat:
- Amantadine Role in Hepatitis C Treatment Debated
- Hepatitis C Transmission Via Toothbrush Deemed Possible
medscape.com/viewprogram/1846?srcmp=id-061402
CHANGES OF CENTRAL VENOUS CATHETERS IN THE ICU
What is the evidence for and against scheduled changes of central venous
catheters in the ICU?
Medscape Critical Care 3(1) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436161?srcmp=id-061402
JOURNAL SCAN - GASTROENTEROLOGY, MAY 2002
Highlights include effect of PEG-interferon and ribavirin on fibrosis in HCV,
and lamivudine for children with HBV.
Medscape Gastroenterology 4(1) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/435958?srcmp=id-061402
-- MMWR --
OUTBREAK OF ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS ASSOCIATED WITH NORWALK-LIKE VIRUSES AMONG
BRITISH MILITARY PERSONNEL -- AFGHANISTAN, MAY 2002
The inability to identify the agent promptly and the atypical presentation
resulted in a "mystery infection."
MMWR 51(22) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436340?srcmp=id-061402
PROGRESS TOWARD POLIOMYELITIS ERADICATION -- NIGERIA, JANUARY 2000-MARCH 2002
Nigeria remains one of 3 global reservoirs with low routine OPV use and high
population density favoring transmission.
MMWR 51(22) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436341?srcmp=id-061402
-- EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES --
NEUROCYSTICERCOSIS IN RADIOGRAPHICALLY IMAGED SEIZURE PATIENTS IN U.S. EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENTS
This disease was associated with Hispanic ethnicity, immigrant status, and
exposure to areas where it is endemic.
Emerg Infect Dis 8(6) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434417?srcmp=id-061402
KNOWLEDGE OF BAT RABIES AND HUMAN EXPOSURE AMONG UNITED STATES CAVERS
Fourteen percent of the cavers did not consider a bat bite a risk factor for
rabies.
Emerg Infect Dis 8(5) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/432550?srcmp=id-061402
CEFEPIME MIC AS A PREDICTOR OF THE EXTENDED-SPECTRUM BETA-LACTAMASE TYPE IN
KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE, TAIWAN
Continued use of cefepime appears to be a treatment option in cases for which
MIC results are available.
Emerg Infect Dis 8(5) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/432545?srcmp=id-061402
GENETIC VARIANTS OF EHRLICHIA PHAGOCYTOPHILA, RHODE ISLAND AND CONNECTICUT
The low incidence in Rhode Island may result from interference by variant
ehrlichiae.
Emerg Infect Dis 8(5) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/432523?srcmp=id-061402
LETTER: EMERGENCE OF VANCOMYCIN-INTERMEDIATE STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS AND S. SCIURI,
GREECE
Both staphylococcal strains carried the mecA gene.
Emerg Infect Dis 8(5) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/432552?srcmp=id-061402
-- THE AIDS READER --
EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF ONCE-DAILY ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY
The data support the use of once-daily therapy, and there are now a variety of
regimens from which to choose.
AIDS Read 12(3) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/433558?srcmp=id-061402
-- OTHER JOURNALS --
PRESCRIBING PATTERNS AND RETREATMENT RATES IN PATIENTS WITH OTITIS MEDIA
Should careful observation without antibiotic prescription be used as the
primary treatment for OM?
Clin Drug Invest 22(5) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434084?srcmp=id-061402
HOW TO ADVERTISE IN MEDPULSE
For information on advertising in our e-mail newsletters -- like this MedPulse
you are reading -- or other creative advertising opportunities with WebMD
Medscape, please send an email to:
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FOCUS ON UTI's
Medscape's UTI-Zone gives you the most timely
medical news and clinical information available on Medscape,
with an emphasis on treatment and prevention of urinary
tract infections.
medscape.com/mp/rc/usmd/uti
NEW EBOLA OUTBREAK FEARED AFTER FIVE CONGO DEATHS
Five people in the Congo appear to have died from infection with the Ebola
virus, triggering fears of a new upsurge of the deadly disease in central
Africa, health officials said on Wednesday.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436471?srcmp=id-061402
-- WEST NILE ENCEPHALITIS --
WEST NILE VIRUS NOW ENTRENCHED IN EASTERN HALF OF USA
In a report issued Thursday, federal health officials say West Nile virus has
taken up permanent residence in North America.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436573?srcmp=id-061402
-- MALARIA --
INDIA WARNS OF MALARIA EPIDEMIC, 73 DEAD
Hundreds of thousands of people in India's northeastern Assam state have malaria
and 73 people have died of the disease in the past 6 weeks, a health official
said on Tuesday.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436420?srcmp=id-061402
-- GI TRACT --
NORWALK-LIKE VIRUS RESPONSIBLE FOR GASTROENTERITIS OUTBREAK IN AFGHANISTAN
UK scientists and their colleagues have determined the cause of a 'mysterious'
outbreak of diarrhea last month among 29 British military personnel at a
military camp in Afghanistan, they reported Thursday.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436255?srcmp=id-061402
PROBIOTICS MAY PREVENT ANTIBIOTIC-ASSOCIATED DIARRHEA
The best defense is limiting antibiotic overuse; a change in practice is not yet
recommended.
Medscape Medical News 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436412?srcmp=id-061402
CHLORHEXIDINE BEST FOR VASCULAR CATHETER SITE CARE
The treatment halves infection rate compared with povidine-iodine.
Medscape Medical News 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436213?srcmp=id-061402
GENETIC 'PATHOGENICITY ISLAND' MODULATES VIRULENCE OF E. FAECALIS
For the first time, researchers have identified a clustering of genes within
vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis that determines virulence.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436488?srcmp=id-061402
-- STDs --
HPV DETECTED ON SURFACES AT GENITOURINARY CLINIC
More than 50% of the environmental surfaces tested at one genitourinary medicine
clinic in the UK were contaminated with human papillomavirus DNA.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436554?srcmp=id-061402
-- VACCINES & IMMUNIZATION --
SHORTAGES OF VACCINES EXPECTED TO BE RESOLVED BY END OF YEAR
Nationwide shortages in the supply of several childhood vaccines are ongoing,
but most should be resolved by the end of the summer, industry and government
officials told lawmakers Wednesday.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436473?srcmp=id-061402
NO LINK 'WHATSOEVER' SEEN BETWEEN MMR VACCINE AND AUTISM, GI DISEASE
Physicians who conducted an independent review of medical research into the
controversial measles, mumps and rubella vaccine said on Tuesday they found no
evidence it causes autism or bowel disease.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436415?srcmp=id-061402
EPIMMUNE GETS FDA APPROVAL TO INITIATE PHASE I/II STUDY OF HIV VACCINE
Epimmune Inc. said on Thursday that the US Food and Drug Administration has
approved the initiation of a phase I/II clinical trial for the company's
experimental HIV-1 vaccine, EP HIV-1090.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436570?srcmp=id-061402
LIVE-ATTENUATED VACCINE PROTECTS MONKEYS AGAINST SIV
A vaccine spray containing attenuated simian immunodeficiency virus has proven
effective in stimulating a protective immune response in rhesus monkeys,
researchers in Germany, Italy and Austria have shown.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436560?srcmp=id-061402
-- TRANSPLANTATION --
COMBINATION REGIMEN EFFECTIVE AGAINST GANCICLOVIR-RESISTANT CMV
The combination of low-dose ganciclovir and tailored-dose foscarnet is effective
against ganciclovir-resistant cytomegalovirus infections in solid-organ
transplant recipients, according to a report in the May 15th issue of Clinical
Infectious Diseases.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436361?srcmp=id-061402
-- RESPIRATORY TRACT --
CLINICAL PARAMETERS PREDICT POOR OUTCOME OF DISCHARGED PNEUMONIA PATIENTS
One or more defined observational criteria in the 24 hours before hospital
discharge of patients treated for pneumonia are associated with adverse
outcomes, according to a report in the June 10th issue of the Archives of
Internal Medicine.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436446?srcmp=id-061402
ANTIBIOTIC IMPROVES LUNG FUNCTION IN CERTAIN ASTHMATICS
Clarithromycin is effective in those infected with M pneumoniae or C pneumoniae.
Medscape Medical News 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436410?srcmp=id-061402
ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY IMPROVES LUNG FUNCTION IN ASTHMATICS WITH BACTERIAL INFECTION
Asthmatic patients who test positive for Mycoplasma pneumoniae or Chlamydia
pneumoniae experience improved lung function after treatment with clarithromycin,
according to the results of a randomized study published in the June issue of
Chest.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436437?srcmp=id-061402
HOSPITALIZATION OFTEN DUE TO RESPIRATORY VIRUS INFECTION IN LUNG DISEASE
PATIENTS
In patients with chronic lung disease, influenza virus and respiratory syncytial
virus (RSV) infections are responsible for a substantial percentage of acute
respiratory hospitalizations, according to a report published in the June 10th
issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436434?srcmp=id-061402
SERIAL P. AERUGINOSA SEROLOGY MAY IMPROVE OUTCOME IN CYSTIC FIBROSIS
In children diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth, a rise in Pseudomonas
aeruginosa antibody titers, indicative of initial infection, occurs 6 to 12
months before the organism is isolated in respiratory secretions.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436439?srcmp=id-061402
UPPER AIRWAY RANTES LEVELS PREDICT RECURRENT WHEEZING AFTER RSV INFECTION
Increased nasal secretion of the eosinophil chemoattractant and activator RANTES
during acute RSV bronchiolitis correlate with recurrent wheezing 1 year later.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436431?srcmp=id-061402
FDA TAKES ISSUE WITH ROCHE TAMIFLU AD
The US Food and Drug Administration cited drugmaker Hoffman-La Roche for
releasing what the agency deems an inappropriate radio commercial for the
company's influenza therapy Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate).
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436351?srcmp=id-061402
-- HELICOBACTER PYLORI --
HELICOBACTER-INDUCED GASTRITIS INCREASES HYPERGLYCEMIA IN DIABETIC MICE
Gastritis induced in mice by Helicobacter felis is associated with higher
hemoglobin A1c levels in a murine model of type 1 diabetes, according to a
report in the May 15th issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436481?srcmp=id-061402
H PYLORI ERADICATION BENEFITS CHRONIC OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA
Intraocular pressure and visual fields improve with successful eradication.
Medscape Medical News 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436338?srcmp=id-061402
-- HIV/AIDS - CLINICAL --
RAPID EMERGENCE OF HIV-1 RESISTANCE TO FUSION INHIBITOR REPORTED
Certain HIV-1 infected patients receiving monotherapy with the viral fusion
inhibitor T-20 (enfuvirtide) show signs of virologic resistance, researchers
report in the June issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436559?srcmp=id-061402
COMBINATION ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY SAFE DURING PREGNANCY
A report in The New England Journal of Medicine for June 13 finds that the use
of combination antiretroviral therapy in pregnant HIV-infect women is not
associated with increased rates of premature birth.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436491?srcmp=id-061402
ADJUNCTIVE CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE DOES NOT DEPLETE HIV-INFECTED CELLS
The addition of cyclophosphamide to antiretroviral therapy in HIV-1 infected
patients appears to have no effect on the reservoir of HIV-1 infected cells,
researchers report in the May 20th issue of AIDS Research and Human
Retroviruses.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436486?srcmp=id-061402
ONGOING THYMOPOIESIS IN HIV+ ADULTS ON HAART CONTRIBUTES TO IMMUNE RECOVERY
Mounting evidence indicates that thymic output plays a role in immune
reconstitution in HIV-infected adults receiving highly active antiretroviral
therapy (HAART).
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436442?srcmp=id-061402
RECURRENCE RATE OF CERVICAL DYSPLASIA HIGH IN HIV-POSITIVE WOMEN
Women who are HIV-positive are more likely to have a recurrence of cervical
dysplasia, regardless of treatment modality, compared with their HIV-negative
counterparts, researchers report.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436432?srcmp=id-061402
ESOPHAGEAL CANDIDIASIS PERSISTS IN HIV+ CHILDREN WHO RESPOND POORLY TO HAART
The incidence of esophageal candidiasis in HIV-infected adults has declined
since the advent of HAART, and results of a new study show a similar trend in
HIV-infected children, with one caveat.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436367?srcmp=id-061402
ENROLLMENT IN PREVENTION TRIALS REDUCES SEXUAL RISK TAKING AND HIV INCIDENCE
Enrolling in a clinical trial aimed at preventing HIV infection in high-risk
women and taking part in risk-reduction counseling results in a decrease in
study endpoints, a multinational research team reports.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436254?srcmp=id-061402
-- HIV/AIDS - GLOBAL/POLITICAL --
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION WARNS OF AFGHAN AIDS THREAT
WHO has warned that war-torn Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest countries,
faces a potential AIDS disaster.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436374?srcmp=id-061402
UN FOOD PROGRAM TARGETS ZAMBIANS WITH HIV/AIDS
Victims of the HIV/AIDS pandemic are among 2.5 million Zambians targeted for
food relief starting next month, the United Nations World Food Programme said on
Tuesday.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436414?srcmp=id-061402
FEEDING HUNGRY SEEN KEY TO COMBATING AIDS
Winning the war on hunger is vital to reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS in hardest
hit sub-Saharan Africa, a senior AIDS expert said.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436503?srcmp=id-061402
UN URGES AFRICA'S RELIGIOUS LEADERS TO FIGHT AIDS
The UN envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa said on Monday religion's voice had been
'muted' on the disease and told religious leaders it was high time they used
their influence to fight the epidemic.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436447?srcmp=id-061402
SOUTH AFRICA SAYS HIV INFECTION RATE SLOWING
South Africa announced on Monday that its HIV infection rate was slowing down
and the worst was probably over for a country with the highest number of
HIV/AIDS cases in the world.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436375?srcmp=id-061402
-- OTHER NEWS --
THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE LOOSENS CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST RULES
In this week's issue, the editors announced a change in journal policy that will
allow experts to comment on the effectiveness of a drug or device, even when
they have a financial tie to the maker of the product under review.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436548?srcmp=id-061402
HEALTH WEBSITE USERS FIND INFORMATION CREDIBLE, BUT WANT CONTENT REGULATED
A slight majority of Internet users in four countries believes that health
information on the web is trustworthy, easy to understand, and of good quality,
but that the government should regulate online content, according to a recent
poll by Harris Interactive.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/436547?srcmp=id-061402
NEW MEETING COVERAGE: VISIT THE CONFERENCE CENTER
Catch up on hot topics from some of the year's most important
medical meetings, with Medscape Conference Coverage. Free
CME. Browse by specialty in the Conference Center:
medscape.com/conferencedirectory/Default
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MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
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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.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"
