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Black cohosh, when studied in appropriate randomized trials, is no different than placebo treatment in affecting hot flushing.
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Borrelia persica is the causative agent of tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF). The Borrelia name will be familiar to clinicians because of Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi.
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Do long-acting beta agonist inhalers increase the severity of asthma? Yes, according to the results from a large meta-analysis recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Over the last two decades, methamphetamine use has increased drastically in the United States and it has become one of the most popular illicit drugs in the country, particularly along the West Coast and in the Mid West.
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Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the community was the cause of the majority of skin and soft tissue infections, and was predominantly of one strain different from MRSA of hospital origin.
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A prospective randomized trial carried out over a 6-year period of time enrolled 180 patients with ARDS of at least 7 days duration, and randomized them to receive either methylprednisolone or placebo. There was no significant difference noted in mortality at 60 days, though there was some improvement in ventilator-free and shock-free days during the first 28 days in patients treated with steroids. Steroids were also associated with an increased risk of death if started more than 2 weeks after the onset of ARDS.
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In a retrospective analysis, medical ICU patients requiring mechanical ventilation for 2 days or more had lower ICU and hospital mortality (but more ventilator-associated pneumonia) if they were begun on enteral feeding during that time than if they were not.
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Fatigue occurs commonly in patients with cancer, particularly when receiving chemotherapy or radiation. Furthermore, in long term survivors, persistent fatigue occurs in up to one third. Although anemia is one contributing factor, fatigue certainly occurs in its absence as well. Two recent reports are reviewed; one addressing the mechanisms and biochemical markers of persistent fatigue, and the other introducing a novel therapeutic approach directed at chemotherapy-associated fatigue. It is quite apparent that dysregulation of inflammatory mechanisms accounts for some component of fatigue and anti-inflammatory treatments may be of great value.
