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Tens of thousands of persons with HIV/AIDS have seen their treatment interrupted by the worldwide recall of Roche Pharmaceuticals’ protease inhibitor Viracept (nelfinavir).

We conducted a survey of 154 inmates of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections jail regarding HIV risk, HIV testing experiences, and attitudes toward rapid HIV testing in the correctional setting.

Treatment of HIV infection reduces the risk of transmission and can significantly improve patients’ quality of life. For these reasons, the CDC has recommended routine screening for HIV in all health care settings.1 HIV testing access in correctional facilities is the weakest link in the fight against HIV infection in the United States; increasing access to testing would improve the identification of HIV-positive inmates as they pass through prisons and jails, providing an opportunity to integrate them into the public health infrastructure of HIV care. However, numerous logistical and cost-related barriers to such testing must be addressed when determining how and when it should be conducted.

Two girls, aged 10 and 17 years, both with perinatally acquired HIV infection, participated in a 12-week, hospital-based exercise rehabilitation program of progressive resistance exercise training with an aerobic component.

Miller1 reports the results of a 3-month program of progressive resistance and aerobic exercise training in 2 perinatally HIV-infected girls: a normal-weight 10-year-old and an overweight 17-year-old. By the end of the program, both had decreases in body mass index (BMI); lost fat, including visceral fat, by at least some measures; and gained significant muscle strength. One had improved cardiovascular fitness, and both showed further improvements after completing a home-based program after the initial 12-week program.

Chen and colleagues developed a 5-gene signature that they found to be closely associated with relapse-free and overall survival among patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

In a phase 2 study, the new echinocandin anidulafungin was demon-strated to be effective in the treatment of invasive candidiasis. Additional encouraging findings have recently been reported by Reboli and coworkers, who compared anidulafungin with fluconazole in a randomized, double-blind, noninferiority trial. The study included patients 16 years or older who had invasive candidiasis; 89% had candidemia only. They were randomly assigned to receive either intravenous anidulafungin or intravenous fluconazole. After 10 days of intravenous therapy, the patients could receive oral fluconazole.

Common eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataract, and age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) (Figure) can have significant systemic ramifications. Recent studies have found that these eye diseases may herald the onset of various types of physical and mental impairment, especially in elderly persons.

A number of factors heighten the risk of parasitic infections in elderly persons, who often live in communal settings (eg, nursing homes), where they are more likely to encounter parasites, such as the scabies mite.

I work with frail, elderly patients who generally have few--if any-- living relatives. During their initial physical evaluation, I always ask them if they have any pets.

We advise our patients with constipation to drink 500 to 750 mL of water with freshly squeezed lemon juice on arising in the morning.

Patients often fail to reap the full benefit of corticosteroid nasal sprays because they do not use these devices correctly.

An 83-year-old man with a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diverticulosis was hospitalized because of painless hematochezia of 1 day's duration. Two years earlier, he had undergone surgical excision of a superficial spreading melanoma on his right thigh.

Several hours after striking his closed fist against the side pillar of a passenger car, a 28-year-old man presented with acute pain and swelling of the left hand. The dorsum of the left hand appeared deformed and edematous; there were scattered abrasions but no lacerations, exposed bony fragments, ecchymosis, or active bleeding.

For several months, a 55-year-old white construction worker experienced intense burning of the skin when exposed to direct sunlight. In addition, multiple fragile blisters appeared on the dorsa of his hands and arms; these rapidly developed into crusted, superficial erosions.

abstract: Common causes of poorly controlled asthma include nonadherence to long-term inhaler therapy; environmental exposures; and uncontrolled comorbidities, such as allergic rhinitis. Adherence can be limited by many factors, including inadequate patient education, medication cost, prior failed treatment, poor physician-patient relationship, unrealistic expectations for therapy, and depression. For patients who have a poor perception of their symptoms, emphasizing the "disconnect" between symptoms and pulmonary function can help motivate them to monitor themselves with a peak flow meter and to adjust their medication accordingly. For patients with allergic triggers, instituting allergen-specific environmental controls can decrease symptoms and urgent care visits for asthma. Chronic rhinosinusitis and gastroesophageal reflux disease can also contribute to difficult-to-control asthma, and treatment of these comorbidities can help reduce asthma symptoms. (J Respir Dis. 2007;28(9):365-369)

A 47-year-old woman who recently completed adjuvant chemotherapy for colon cancer has painless cervical lymphadenopathy of 1 to 2 cm. She has no fever, sore throat, cough, or unexplained weight loss, and she denies exposure to ill persons or animals.

AURORA, Colo. -- High-risk smokers have "tremendous" genetic damage in their bronchial endothelium even before lung cancer develops, which may provide clues in the search for a genetic screening test.