Infectious Disease

GHENT, Belgium -- Production of avian influenza vaccine could substantially increase with use of an antigen-sparing strategy that increases levels of neutralizing antibodies, investigators here reported.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Washing hands with antibacterial soap was no more effective at reducing bacteria levels or preventing illness than washing with plain soap, researchers said.

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- For microbiologic diagnosis of an infected hip or knee prosthesis, low-energy ultrasound of the device itself may be the preferred approach.

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands -- The incidence of gastric cancer in developed Western nations will decrease by 24% during the next 10 years, investigators have concluded.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The bivalent vaccine that protects against infection with human papillomavirus does not affect HPV clearance in women with pre-existing infections and should not be considered a treatment modality.

PITTSBURGH -- Fatal sepsis in hospitalized pneumonia patients is most likely to occur in the presence of high levels of certain proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, investigators here found.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has warned consumers against using three brands of red yeast rice, a product marketed as a natural remedy for high cholesterol, because they may contain lovastatin, the active ingredient in Mevacor.

NAPLES, Italy -- Not all probiotics stem acute childhood diarrhea any better than standard oral hydration, researchers here found.

GHENT, Belgium -- Noninvasive serum N-glycan profiling might unmask undiagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma in HBV-infected patients with cirrhosis, investigators here said.

OXFORD, England -- Abstinence-only programs to prevent HIV and pregnancy in high-income countries are ineffective, according to a systematic review of 13 U.S. trials.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Zinc lozenges do nothing to prevent or treat the common cold, a systematic review of studies of the over-the-counter treatment suggested.

BALTIMORE -- Internal medicine residents scored poorly on a 20-question quiz testing their ability to diagnose tuberculosis and choose appropriate treatment, researchers found.

GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- FDA advisers have recommended approval of the problem-ridden multiple sclerosis drug natalizumab (Tysabri) for treatment of moderate to severe Crohn's disease, but only with extensive safety monitoring.

The authors describe a case of air embolism that developed during a plane flight in a woman who had a congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation. They review the pathophysiological mechanisms, risk factors, clinical features, and treatment of air embolism.

For several days, a 50-year-old man has had copious green stools, vomiting, and fever. His symptoms began shortly after he was discharged from a regional burn center, where he was treated for full-thickness burns that covered 60% of his body surface.

A 39-year-old woman complained of excruciating pain that radiated from a chronic lesion on the left upper lip to the entire left side of the face. She had AIDS but was not receiving antiretroviral therapy.

Dermclinic: A Photo Quiz to Hone Dermatologic Skills

ROCKPORT, Me. -- With two seizures in his medical history, the latest yesterday, Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., has a greater than 50% risk for a third, and may require antiepileptic drugs, specialists said today.

BOSTON -- New genetic contributors to multiple sclerosis have been uncovered for the first time in 35 years, according to researchers here.

TORONTO -- Donepezil (Aricept) helped stave off fading cognition in patients with severe Alzheimer's but failed to otherwise stem the advance of the disease, researchers found.

SYDNEY -- Treatment with the new protease inhibitor darunavir (Prezista) was able to drive HIV to undetectable levels in 71% of patients compared with 60% for patients taking lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra).

SYDNEY -- A new class of HIV drugs, the CCR5 inhibitors, is designed to prevent HIV from entering cells and should be helpful in disease management if they gain regulatory approval, said researchers at an industry-sponsored symposium here.

LOS ANGELES -- Diesel pollution may induce cardiovascular risk, researchers found in a genome-wide study.

DENVER -- Controversial TB patient Andrew Speaker is a free man -- declared non-contagious, released from the hospital, and given medical clearance to fly on commercial aircraft without posing any risk to fellow travelers.

SYDNEY -- Making circumcision widely available to adult men in regions of the world where HIV infection is highly prevalent will save millions of lives and should be undertaken immediately, researchers urged here.