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This study in patients presenting to the emergency department with acute dyspnea showed that rapid BNP testing is cost-effective during the initial hospital encounter as well as at 180 days.
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Seventeen cases of community acquired pneumonia due to Staphylococcus aureus are described. Most were methicillin resistant and caused severe disease with high mortality.
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In this retrospective case-control study, carotid stenting with cerebral protection and carotid endarterectomy were not significantly different in early morbidity and mortality.
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All of the currently available non-invasive techniques for carotid artery imaging give accurate results when there is a high-grade stenosis (70-99%), but contrast-enhanced MRA is slightly more sensitive.
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Acute Q fever may progress to endocarditis in patients with clinically silent valvulopathy. Those at risk require either extended antibiotic prophylaxis or close serological follow-up. All patients with acute Q fever should undergo transthoracic echocardiography, or in some instances transesophageal echocardiography, to exclude occult valvular abnormalities.
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Antibody testing successfully identified 7 patients whose encephalitis was due to the free-living amoeba, Balamuthia mandrillaris, a pathogen that should be suspected in individuals with soil contact, high CSF protein, and mass-like or ring-enhancing brain lesions.
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Overall, clopidogrel plus aspirin was not significantly more effective than aspirin alone in reducing the rate of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from cardiovascular disease.
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A return to full normal activities, including work at 2 weeks, after AMI appears to be safe in patients who are stratified to a low-risk group. This should have significant medical and socioeconomic implications.
