Infectious Disease
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Drugs, Death, and Infectious Diseases
The intersection of the national opioid epidemic and infection control has reached some strange and critical crossroads, from drug-diverting healthcare workers infecting patients to addicted admissions infecting themselves by injecting through their IV lines. Now, we have another twist: the distinct possibility that infectious diseases could be masking some of the national death toll of opioids.
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Wild, Wild West: Clinic Outbreak Breaks All the Rules
How egregious were the infection control violations in an outbreak in a New York City outpatient oncology clinic? Three patients died and investigators agreed it could have been much worse. The staggering array of breaks in basic practice prompted investigator Joel Ackelsberg, MD, MPH, to dub the outbreak “the wild, wild west.”
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Mysterious Paralysis Cases Continue in Children
A cryptic polio-like illness of unknown etiology is increasing, causing more severe symptoms in younger patients than when it first emerged in 2014, a CDC investigator reports.
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Emerging Candida auris Spreading in Healthcare Outbreaks
Candida auris causes high mortality, can transmit to patients on the hands of healthcare workers, persists in the environment, and can colonize people who then serve as a reservoir for outbreaks.
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Clinical Briefs
In this section: Addressing postprandial glucose elevations; examining the possible connection between COPD and pulmonary embolisms; and defining healthcare's future reality.
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Dupilumab Injection (Dupixent)
Dupilumab is indicated for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (eczema) in whom prescription topical therapies are inadequate or not advisable.
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How Many Sex Partners Is 'Too Many'?
Changing mores regarding sex have direct bearing on patterns of sexual behavior and frequencies of STDs.
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Restricting Fluoroquinolone Use Reduces Clostridium difficile Infection More Than Infection Control Methods
An observational study from England showed that restricting fluoroquinolone use reduced incidence of Clostridium difficile infection more than would be predicted by improved infection control methods alone.
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Bright-light Therapy for Daytime Sleepiness in Parkinson’s Disease Patients
Light therapy has been shown to be beneficial in treating excessive daytime sleepiness in Parkinson’s disease patients and also may improve sleep quality.
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Pregabalin Not Effective for Reducing Pain in Acute or Chronic Sciatica
An Australian study of 207 patients suffering from acute and chronic clinically diagnosed sciatica did not find that treatment with pregabalin for eight weeks reduced pain at eight or 52 weeks.