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Infectious Disease

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Articles

  • Clinical Briefs in Primary Care supplement

  • Full March 2006 Issue in PDF

  • Of Mice and Men and Streptococci

    Microbiologists have been trying for years to make an effective vaccine against infections caused by the Group A Streptococcus (GAS). The best hope has been a vaccine that targets the outer carbohydrate (CHO) coat, since antibodies to these antigens increase with age and there is less GAS disease as humans age.
  • Updates by Carol A Kemper

    Following the tragedy on the Jamarat Bridge at Hajj in January 2006, many travel advisors felt the need to re-double their efforts in providing better travel advice. While it is widely acknowledged that this advice is inconsistently followed, this recent tragedy, and the rise of adventure travel, especially among younger travelers, raises an interestingÀ
  • Pharmacology Watch: Treating Opioid-Dependent Patients with OAT

    Long-Term Effects of Warfarin Use; Statins Multiple Benefits; FDA Actions
  • Insulin Therapy

    Normal circulating plasma glucose concentration is maintained by a delicate constant balance between glucose utilization (i.e., glycolysis or storage as glycogen by various tissues) on one hand and glucose production on the other (i.e., glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis induced in certain tissues, such as liver, muscle, renal parenchyma, and adipose tissue). During the late post-absorptive period or starvation, normal glucose concentration is maintained by facilitating glucose production while inhibiting glucose uptake.
  • Were ICPs heard? Report: Don't compare hospitals

    Though recently released with much fanfare in Pennsylvania, the first state infection rate report with hospital-specific data contains a key caveat: it should not be used to compare one hospital against another.
  • MDRO guidelines draw fire on active surveillance issue

    The prevention of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) is a "national priority . . . that requires all health care facilities and agencies assume responsibility," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasizes in long-awaited new guidelines on the issue.
  • CDC: Go to 'intensified interventions' if needed

    New guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on control of multidrug resistant pathogens (MDROs) include a section on "intensified interventions" such as active surveillance cultures (ASC). The CDC recommendations in this area include the following:
  • CDC: Use N95 respirators in event of pandemic flu

    Revising guidance on the use of surgical masks and respirators during a pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now advises that it is "prudent" for health care workers to use N95 respirators during "direct care activities involving patients with confirmed or suspected pandemic influenza."