Clinical
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Intestinal Fibrosis and Immune Reconstitution in Patients with HIV Infection
Duodenal biopsies in patients naïve to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) underwent tissue staining and were examined. Intestinal myofibroblast activation was correlated with intestinal fibrotic changes and poor immune reconstitution following cART.
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Idarucizumab: A Promising New Drug that Reverses the Anticoagulant Effects of Dabigatran
Several new oral anticoagulants are changing the approach to anticoagulation for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and deep venous thrombosis/pulmonary emboli.
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Chagas — Multifaceted Approach Needed
Prolonged recurrent exposure to Trypanosoma cruzi leads to an increased risk of inflammatory cardiomyopathy, but to decreased congenital transmission of T. cruzi. As housing and vector control improve, concurrent attention to early treatment is needed in order to reduce both cardiomyopathy and congenital infection.
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Optimal Duration of Anticoagulation for Unprovoked Pulmonary Embolism
The PADIS-PE study is a randomized, double-blind trial of adult patients with a first episode of unprovoked PE that seeks to better define the appropriate duration of therapy.
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Procalcitonin and Differentiating Bacterial from Viral Meningitis
ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY: A meta-analysis found an elevated serum procalcitonin to be an accurate test. Details inside.
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Oral Nutritional Supplementation for Hospitalized COPD Patients Pays Off
<>In contrast to many of the other top 10 causes of death in the United States, COPD deaths are increasing, such that COPD is now the third most common cause of death. Although a variety of pharmacologic interventions are available to improve symptoms and decrease exacerbations, none has been shown to reduce mortality. -
Tighter Blood Pressure Control Post-Intracranial Hemorrhage May Decrease Recurrence
Fifty percent of stroke-related morbidity and mortality are related to intracerebral hemorrhage.
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Two Drugs Better Than One for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Among subjects with pulmonary arterial hypertension who are treatment naïve, initial combination therapy with tadalafil and ambrisentan is associated with significantly lower risk of clinical failure than initial monotherapy with either tadalafil or ambrisentan.
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Role of Transthoracic Echo in Staph Bacteremia
In patients without community-acquired Staph bacteremia, a high-risk cardiac condition, or IV drug use, a negative transthoracic echo excluded infective endocarditis.
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Echocardiographic Parameters Predict Outcome in Peripartum Cardiomyopathy
Poor baseline left ventricular ejection fraction, greater degree of left ventricular dilation, and black race predict poorer subsequent recovery with conventional therapy.