HIV AIDS

ATLANTA -- After a decade of decline, syphilis rates rose by 19% from 2000 through 2003, largely because of cases among men who have sex with men, according to a CDC study.

BRADFORD, England -- Well-meaning physicians may unwittingly induce delirium in older patients when they prescribe medications such as antihistamines or sleep aids, according to a literature review.

A middle-aged man hospitalized for intensive pulmonary toilet and topical and systemic treatment of a refractory skin disorder. Cough and moderate dyspnea with even mild exertion. Complains of scaling, uncomfortable dermopathy that he finds deeply cosmetically disfiguring and emotionally distressing.

BOSTON -- Hefty user fees from pharmaceutical companies account for some 40% of the FDA?s budget for new-drug reviews, but this scheme that spurs speedier approvals worries safety watchdogs.

BIRMINGHAM, England -- A cluster of six matching cases of tuberculosis here in 2005 originated from one person's exposure to bovine TB, strongly suggesting human-to-human spread, British researchers reported.

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The novel investigational drug raltegravir was highly effective at reducing the level of virus in their blood of extremely sick HIV patients, many of them with AIDS, according to researchers here.

BARCELONA, Spain -- Patients with hepatitis C virus infection who achieve a sustained virologic response to therapy should be considered cured, said investigators today.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA and GlaxoSmithKline have warned pharmacies about a drug-tampering incident that resulted in misbranding of two drugs used to treat HIV.

RIBEIRÃO PRETO, Brazil -- In a pilot study of stem cell therapy for newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, nearly all patients remained free of exogenous insulin for extended periods , one for as long as three years, researchers here reported.

BOSTON -- Co-infection with HIV and either hepatitis B or C remains a clinical challenge, but new therapies appear to have increased the opportunities for effective treatment.

BARCELONA, Spain -- The third-generation protease inhibitor darunavir (Prezista) is highly effective in combating highly resistant HIV, according to researchers here.

abstract: Hemoptysis has many causes, including bronchiectasis, lung cancer, and bronchitis. The initial goals of the history and physical examination are to differentiate hemoptysis from epistaxis and hematemesis and then to establish its severity. A variety of signs and symptoms may suggest the underlying cause. For example, hematuria suggests vasculitis or an immunologically mediated disease, such as Wegener granulomatosis or systemic lupus erythematosus. The workup includes chest radiography and measurement of hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, platelet count, international normalized ratio, activated partial thromboplastin time, and creatinine level. Chest CT scanning often identifies sources of bleeding that are not apparent on radiographs and sometimes can be used in conjunction with bronchoscopy. Patients with massive hemoptysis should be hospitalized for rapid evaluation and intervention; treatment may include interventional bronchoscopy, angiography, or embolization. (J Respir Dis. 2007;28(4):139-148)

Structured treatment interruption (STI) before initiating a new antiretroviral regimen is one strategy for improving virological response in patients with multidrug-resistant HIV-1 infection. However, there are conflicting data concerning the effectiveness of STI, and its role has not been established. The results of several recent studies, described below, are noteworthy (Table).

DURBAN. South Africa -- When women with HIV exclusively breastfeed their infants for the first six months, the chance of passing on the virus is only about 4%, researchers here said.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Reconstruction often gets short shrift from general surgeons treating breast cancer, according to researchers here.

LOS ANGELES -- Like a Pap smear, detection of abnormal anal cytology is clinically useful in HIV-positive gay men to predict the presence of anal dysplasia, according to researchers here.

PHILADELPHIA -- There's a checklist for prospective surgical outpatients who are the most likely to wind up being surgical inpatients.

MONTREAL -- White Americans still have longer life expectancies than black Americans, but the gap has narrowed in recent years, researchers here reported.

ROCKVILLE, Md -- The FDA has taken steps to ensure that clinicians and patients are aware of rare bizarre effects associated with sedative hypnotics, including driving or eating while sleeping.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- For a few patients undergoing, weight-loss surgery, a thiamine deficiency may cause memory loss and other neurologic problems, easily correctable when recognized.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has warned about a norovirus outbreak linked to raw oysters harvested in San Antonio Bay, on the Texas Gulf coast north of Corpus Christi.

LOS ANGELES -- After more than 25 years of battling HIV and AIDS, the U.S. is lagging behind other industrialized nations, said researchers here.

LOS ANGELES -- An intervention costing less than a year could save the lives of thousands of HIV-infected children in Africa, researchers said here.

LOS ANGELES -- A drug for patients infected with hepatitis B virus, an agent that was thought to be inactive against HIV for those co-infected with that virus, may not be so innocuous with HIV after all, investigators suggested here.

IZMIR, Turkey -- Hepatitis B virus testing and immunization should be mandatory for professional or Olympic athletes participating in contact sports, a small Turkish study suggests.