MEDSCAPE's Infectious Diseases MedPulse(R)
medscape.com/infectiousdiseaseshome
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MedPulse is a weekly index of key news and features on Medscape's
specialty sites compiled by Medscape's Editors.
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___________________ NEW FEATURE ARTICLES THIS WEEK ____________________
-- MEDSCAPE ORIGINAL ARTICLES --
SECRET AGENTS: THE MENACE OF EMERGING INFECTIONS
A new book provides an overview of new pathogens, many of which have become household concerns.
Medscape General Medicine 4(2) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/433742?srcmp=id-053102
NOTES FROM AFGHANISTAN: NURSING IN A WAR ZONE
Imagine what it is like to move from an ER in Texas to a public health team in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Medscape Nurses 4(1) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/433919?srcmp=id-053102
-- EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES --
EVALUATION IN NONHUMAN PRIMATES OF VACCINES AGAINST EBOLA VIRUS
None of these strategies successfully protected nonhuman primates from robust challenge with Ebola virus.
Emerg Infect Dis 8(5) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/432519?srcmp=id-053102
TYPICAL AND ATYPICAL ENTEROPATHOGENIC ESCHERICHIA COLI
Atypical EPEC is more closely related to Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.
Emerg Infect Dis 8(5) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/432520?srcmp=id-053102
RISK TO HUMAN HEALTH FROM A PLETHORA OF SIMIAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUSES IN PRIMATE BUSHMEAT
These data document for the first time that a substantial proportion of wild monkeys in Cameroon are SIV infected.
Emerg Infect Dis 8(5) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/432521?srcmp=id-053102
-- INFECTIONS in MEDICINE --
CHANCROID: AN UPDATE
Review the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and current and future treatments for this underrecognized disease.
Infect Med 19(4) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/433130?srcmp=id-053102
COMBATING ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE: INTERVENTION PROGRAMS TO PROMOTE APPROPRIATE ANTIBIOTIC USE
Clinician education and household and office-based brochures for patients are helping to improve antibiotic use.
Infect Med 19(4) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/433128?srcmp=id-053102
MMR VACCINE AND AUTISM COMPLICATIONS: NO ASSOCIATION; EARLY MULTIPLE VACCINATIONS NOT RISKY; FDA SAYS NO TO BLOOD FROM XENOTRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS; LYME VACCINE OFF THE US MARKET...
Read brief summaries of recent infectious disease findings.
Infect Med 19(4) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/433133?srcmp=id-053102
-- THE AIDS READER --
RESOLUTION OF RENAL FAILURE AFTER INITIATION OF HAART: 3 CASES AND A DISCUSSION OF THE LITERATURE
The patients all demonstrated marked improvement, and none of the 3 has required dialysis.
AIDS Read 12(3) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/433555?srcmp=id-053102
-- SOUTHERN MEDICAL JOURNAL --
INVASIVE ASPERGILLOSIS TREATED WITH ADJUNCTIVE HYPERBARIC OXYGENATION: A RETROSPECTIVE CLINICAL SERIES AT A SINGLE INSTITUTION
Read about a noninvasive therapeutic tool that might serve as an alternative therapy to surgical debridement.
South Med J 95(4) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/432440?srcmp=id-053102
-- OTHER JOURNALS --
VISUAL COMPATIBILITY OF AZITHROMYCIN WITH 24 COMMONLY USED DRUGS DURING SIMULATED Y-SITE DELIVERY
Azithromycin was visually compatible with only 4 of the 24 medications tested.
Am J Health-Syst Pharm 59(9) 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/433321?srcmp=id-053102
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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
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___________________________________ NEWS ______________________________
-- INFLUENZA --
RECENT HONG KONG AVIAN FLU VIRUS DIFFERENT FROM DEADLY 1997 STRAIN
Investigators for the Hong Kong government confirmed on Friday that the viruses in a recent outbreak of avian flu in the territory were different from the one that killed six people in 1997.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434139?srcmp=id-053102
PEDIATRIC HIV STATUS DOES NOT AFFECT INFLUENZA INFECTION OUTCOMES
The clinical outcomes of HIV-infected children with influenza virus-associated lower respiratory tract infections are similar to those of HIV-uninfected children, according to a recent report.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434191?srcmp=id-053102
-- HEPATITIS --
HEPATITIS C TRANSMISSION VIA TOOTHBRUSH DEEMED POSSIBLE
Hepatitis C could possibly be transmitted by common household items such as toothbrushes, researchers warned last week at the annual meeting of the American Gastroenterological Association.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434182?srcmp=id-053102
LAMIVUDINE MODERATELY EFFECTIVE IN CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS B
In children with chronic hepatitis B, lamivudine therapy is associated with a higher virologic response rate than placebo, according to a report published in the May 30th issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434400?srcmp=id-053102
-- HELICOBACTER PYLORI --
H. PYLORI INFECTION FACILITATES ASPIRIN-INDUCED STOMACH DAMAGE
Aspirin's harmful effects on the gastric mucosa are more pronounced when H pylori infection is present, according to findings from an animal study published in the May issue of Gut.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434178?srcmp=id-053102
-- ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE & NOSOCOMIAL INFECTIONS --
HOSPITAL PAGERS HARBOR BACTERIAL PATHOGENS
Potential pathogens are frequently isolated from pagers used by hospital personnel, Ohio researchers report.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434301?srcmp=id-053102
PREPARED SHRIMP FOUND TO HARBOR ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT BACTERIA
Ready-to-eat shrimp can contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria, a Mississippi researcher reported at the American Society for Microbiology's annual meeting.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434171?srcmp=id-053102
PIG FARMS CONTAMINATE GROUNDWATER WITH DRUG-RESISTANT BACTERIA
Methods now used by many swine farmers to dispose of pig manure are contaminating nearby groundwater with bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics, North Carolina researchers reported at the American Society for Microbiology's annual meeting.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434172?srcmp=id-053102
PROLONGED ANTIBIOTIC PROPHYLAXIS NOT WARRANTED AFTER SEVERE TRAUMA
Giving more than one antibiotic for more than 24 hours following surgery for severe trauma does not offer greater protection against sepsis, organ failure or death, but does increase the probability of antibiotic-resistant infections, researchers report.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434170?srcmp=id-053102
-- FUNGAL INFECTIONS --
FDA CLEARS VFEND FOR INVASIVE ASPERGILLOSIS
Pfizer Inc. said on Tuesday that it has received US Food and Drug Administration approval for oral and intravenous formulations of Vfend (voriconazole) for the primary treatment of acute invasive aspergillosis, and as salvage therapy for rare but serious fungal infections caused by Scedosporium apiospermum and Fusarium spp.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434247?srcmp=id-053102
CANDIDA-SPECIFIC ANTIBODIES FAIL TO EXPLAIN HIV-RELATED OROPHARYNGEAL CANDIDIASIS
The levels of Candida-specific antibodies in saliva do not account for the high prevalence of oropharyngeal candidiasis in HIV-infected individuals, according to a report in the May 1st issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434322?srcmp=id-053102
-- URINARY TRACT --
VAGINAL VACCINE MAY PREVENT RECURRENT UTIs
An experimental vaccine, administered as a vaginal suppository, may be safe and effective in warding off recurrent urinary tract infections, based on study results presented during the 100th annual meeting of the American Urological Association.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434249?srcmp=id-053102
-- STDs --
INFANT MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH CONGENTIAL SYPHILIS REMAINS A PROBLEM IN US
Although the rate of congential syphilis has declined in the US, the percentage of associated fetal and infant deaths remains unchanged, researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, report.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434252?srcmp=id-053102
-- TUBERCULOSIS --
BCG VACCINE DECREASES SEVERITY BUT NOT INCIDENCE OF TB
The BCG vaccine does not prevent infection with tuberculosis but may decrease the risk of severe forms of the disease, researchers from Turkey report in the April issue of Indian Pediatrics.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434257?srcmp=id-053102
CHEST X-RAY IS AN INEFFECTIVE SCREEN IN TUBERCULIN-POSITIVE PATIENTS
The imaging technique is not cost-effective, consumes resources, and increases radiation exposure.
MedscapeWire 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434074?srcmp=id-053102
-- VACCINES & IMMUNIZATION --
HIB CONJUGATE VACCINE REDUCES HIB DISEASE EVEN WHEN HIV PREVALENCE IS HIGH
Although the effectiveness of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine is reduced by more than half in children infected with HIV, the vaccine's effectiveness in the overall population is high enough to merit its use in developing countries where HIV prevalence is high, according to results of a study conducted in Soweto, South Africa.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434274?srcmp=id-053102
HIV COMBINATION VACCINE SHOWS PROMISE IN ANIMAL STUDY
Biotech firm Immune Response Corp. said on Thursday that its experimental HIV combination vaccine produced a dramatic immune response in primates, and the company wants to eventually conduct clinical trials.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434394?srcmp=id-053102
AFRICAN STATES SEEK FUNDS FOR HIV VACCINE PROGRAM
African scientists, drug companies and donor groups will meet next week in South Africa to discuss the financial status of an Africa-specific HIV vaccination program, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434374?srcmp=id-053102
-- HIV/AIDS - CLINICAL & DRUG STUDIES --
FEVER AND RASH MOST COMMON SYMPTOMS IN PRIMARY HIV INFECTION
Among individuals recently exposed to HIV, the best independent predictors of primary HIV infection are rash and fever, according to results of a prospective cohort study.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434295?srcmp=id-053102
THALIDOMIDE WELL TOLERATED IN HIV-INFECTED PATIENTS
Thalidomide in doses of up to 150 mg per day appears to cause few problems in HIV-infected patients, researchers report in the May 1st issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434156?srcmp=id-053102
HIV DRUG-RESISTANCE MUTATIONS EMERGE AT LOW VIRAL LOADS
Mutations conveying resistance to antiretroviral drugs may emerge even at low levels of viremia in HIV-infected patients treated with combination therapy, according to a report in the May 3rd issue of AIDS.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434160?srcmp=id-053102
PROTEASE INHIBITOR USE ASSOCIATED WITH MALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION
In HIV-infected men, the use of protease inhibitors, particularly ritonavir, appears to increase the risk of sexual dysfunction, according to a report published in the May 1st issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434266?srcmp=id-053102
PUTATIVE SOURCE TESTING CUTS NEED FOR HIV POSTEXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS
Testing of the source of possible nonmedical HIV exposure appears to be a practical means of avoiding unneeded prophylaxis, Swiss researchers report in the May 24th issue of AIDS.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434389?srcmp=id-053102
ABNORMAL CHEST X-RAY MAY DETECT INFECTION IN PATIENTS WITH ASYMPTOMATIC HIV DISEASE
In more than half of HIV-infected patients with abnormal chest x-ray findings, but without respiratory symptoms, an infectious disorder is present, according to a report published in the May issue of Chest.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434392?srcmp=id-053102
-- HIV/AIDS - POLITICAL/GLOBAL --
ZIMBABWE DECLARES EMERGENCY TO FIGHT AIDS
The Zimbabwean government has declared a six-month emergency period to deal with one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS infections in the world.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434173?srcmp=id-053102
BRAZIL RESISTS PRESSURE FROM LATIN AMERICAN AIDS ACTIVISTS TO EXPORT DRUGS
The recent death of a Honduran woman of AIDS has turned Latin American activists against Brazil, for years the region's champion in the global fight to guarantee antiretroviral drugs for all.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434242?srcmp=id-053102
GERMAN DRUG COMPANY GIVES ANTIRETROVIRAL DRUG TO KENYA
German drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim gave the Kenyan government on Thursday the first batch of a million doses of a drug to fight HIV/AIDS, officials said.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434092?srcmp=id-053102
US FOUNDATION BARS GLAXO OVER AIDS DRUG PRICING
GlaxoSmithKline Plc., Europe's biggest drugmaker, was embroiled in a fresh row over the cost of AIDS medicines on Wednesday after a US group barred GSK sales representatives from its clinics.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434298?srcmp=id-053102
BRISTOL-MYERS SEEKS APPROVAL OF NEW HIV PROTEASE INHIBITOR IN EUROPE
Pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. on Wednesday said it had submitted a marketing authorization application to the European Medicines Evaluation Agency for its once-daily HIV protease inhibitor atazanavir.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434304?srcmp=id-053102
HIV SUBTYPE D TIED TO FASTER DISEASE PROGRESSION THAN A IN UGANDA
Of the two most prevalent HIV-1 subtypes in Uganda, infection with subtype D is associated with faster disease progression than infection with subtype A, according to a report published in the May 1st issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434180?srcmp=id-053102
-- OTHER ID NEWS --
CLINICAL TRIALS WEB SITES DON'T DISCLOSE STUDY RISKS
Web sites that provide listings of clinical trials are growing in popularity, but a new US government inspection reveals a potential danger for patients.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434296?srcmp=id-053102
NEW BODY TO OVERSEE CLINICAL TRIAL ETHICS IN DEVELOPING WORLD
An international network aimed at raising ethical standards for clinical trials in developing countries is set to be formally established next month with the backing of the pharmaceutical industry.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434385?srcmp=id-053102
TELEMEDICINE MAY REDUCE NUMBER OF TESTS AND IMPROVE PATIENT SATISFACTION
Patient teleconsultation with specialists increases the number of follow-up appointments, but also improves patient satisfaction and decreases the number of diagnostic tests and investigations, according to the results of a randomised trial by UK researchers.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434303?srcmp=id-053102
LACTOFERRIN BLOCKS BACTERIAL BIOFILM FORMATION BY SEQUESTERING FREE IRON
Subinhibitory concentrations of lactoferrin prevents Pseudomonas aeruginosa from forming biofilms by sequestering free iron, which in turn increases bacterial motility, according to a report in the May 30th issue of Nature.
Reuters Health Information 2002
medscape.com/viewarticle/434388?srcmp=id-053102
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