Infectious Disease Alert articles from May 2003

Infectious Disease Alert archives from May 2003

Applying pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles to meropenem.(Merrem )
May 1, 2003... ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY Synopsis: Comparison of 2 meropenem dosing regimens, 500 mg q 6 h and 1000 mg q 8h, found that the resultant pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics were equivalent. Source: Kuti JL, et al. Economic benefit of a...

Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America meeting coverage.
May 1, 2003... The following is an overview of some presentations at the annual meeting of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. E faecium At the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, the prevalence of Quinupristin/Dalfopristin...

Focus on Fungal Infections meeting coverage.
May 1, 2003... The following is a brief and selected overview of presentations at the Focus on Fungal Infections conference in Maui, Hawaii, March 19-21, 2003. Training in Clinical Mycology William Steinbach reviewed the current state of training in...

Oregon's Assisted Suicide program. (Updates).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Source: N Engl J Med. 2003;348:961-964. PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE HAS been legal for terminally ill patients in Oregon since October 1997. Since then, 129 patients have chosen to participate in the program and died after ingestion of...

HIV accelerates HCV fibrosis. (Updates).(hepatitis C )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Source: Clin Infect Dis. 2003;36:491-498. REPORTS SUGGEST THAT CHRONIC hepatitis and liver disease are surpassing AIDS-related infections and malignancies as a cause of death in persons with HIV. A total of 188 patients with chronic HCV...

Fuzeon (T-20) goes forward. (Updates).(entivirtide approval recommended)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Source: Espicom Business Intelligence. March 24, 2003. AN FDA ADVISORY PANEL RECENTly recommended FDA approval of Fuzeon (entivirtide), formerly known as T-20. This approval was, in part, based on the results of the TORO study soon to be...

Counterfeit Procrit uncovered by FDA surveillance. (Pharmacology Watch).
May 1, 2003... In one of the more bizarre stories of the year, the FDA has uncovered files of counterfeit Procrit (epoetin alfa--Johnson & Johnson) in routine surveillance. To make matters worse, the fake vials have been contaminated with bacteria and many...

Use of hip protectors in nursing homes. (Clinical Briefs in Primary Care).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Source: Meyer G, et al. BMJ. 2003; 326:76-78. DESPITE THE FACT THAT USE OF HIP protectors (HIP) has demonstrated excellent outcomes reduction when used among elderly persons ie, as much as a 50% reduced incidence of hip fractures, actual...

Disclosing unanticipated outcomes and medical errors. (Clinical Briefs in Primary Care).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Source: O'Connell D, et al. J Clin Outcomes Man. 2003;10(1):25-29. ACCORDING TO THE 1999 INSTITUTE OF Medicine report, medical errors are n important cause of loss of life, resulting in as many as 98,000 deaths annually in the United...

Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation to treat respiratory failure resulting from exacerbations of COPD. (Clinical Briefs in Primary Care).(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Source: Lightowler JV, et al. BMJ. 2003;326:185-187. WHEN THE TRADITIONAL INTERventions (eg, bronchodilators, steroids, antibiotics, oxygen) for COPD exacerbation are insufficient to reverse clinical deterioration, clinicians typically rely...

Effect of ibuprofen on cardioprotective effect of aspirin. (Clinical Briefs in Primary Care).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Source: MacDonald TM, Wei L. Lancet. 2003;361:573-574. A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF LITERAture supports the efficacy of aspirin (ASA) for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. The benefits of aspirin for reduction of...

Antidepressant drug treatment in depressive disorders. (Clinical Briefs in Primary Care).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Source: Geddes JR, et al. Lancet. 2003;361:653-661. PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR DEPRESSION IS generally recognized to be effective to produce remission in the majority of sufferers. The recommended duration of treatment of depression has undergone...

Adverse drug events among the elderly in the ambulatory setting. (Clinical Briefs in Primary Care).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Source: Gurwitz JH, et al. JAMA. 2003;289:1107-1116. WHEN ONE CONSIDERS THAT MORE than 90% of persons older than age age 65 use at least 1 medication per week, and that more than 40% of these individuals use 5 or more medications per week,...