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The following summary of selected abstracts from 3 meetings will be published in multiple parts. The 43rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) met in Chicago September 14-17, 2003.
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The evolution of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus is an epic saga. Resistance to penicillin was first reported in the 1940s, at a time when the drug still remained in short supply.
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An outbreak of tetanus involving 6 (and possibly 7) injection drug users in England and Wales has officials concerned that others may be at risk. Six of the cases occurred during the past 3 weeks and were spread throughout the country, suggesting contamination of some type of drugpossibly heroin.
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Oral rofecoxib (Vioxx) may have a role in controlling postoperative pain patients undergoing knee surgery. Researchers in Chicago enrolled 70 patients who were undergoing total knee arthroplasty and randomized them to rofecoxib 50 mg the day prior to surgery, 1-2 hours prior to surgery, and for 5 days postoperatively, then 25 mg daily for another 8 days; or matching placebo at the same times.
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A high saturated-fat and no-starch diet resulted in modest weight loss without negative effects on serum lipid levels; weight loss can be continued for up to a year with such a diet.
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A consensus panel updates recent understanding about the causes and treatment in common neuropathic pain problems.
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The study found that high-intensity warfarin therapy was not necessary for the prevention of recurrent thrombosis in the APA syndrome.
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A majority of gastric fundic polyps are benign. Their presence in unscreened individuals older than 50 might warrant colonoscopy.
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The FDA has approved tadalafil, the third phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5) for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
