Internal Medicine
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Flu in Pregnancy: Increased Inflammation Demonstrated
In pregnant women, monocytes and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) exhibit an exaggerated proinflammatory immune response to influenza A virus compared to nonpregnant women.
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Ventilator-associated Pneumonia with Minimal Ventilatory Requirements — Discontinuing Antibiotics After Three Days
Discontinuation of empiric antibiotic therapy given for treatment of presumed ventilator-associated pneumonia can be discontinued safely after three days in patients with minimal ventilator requirements.
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Decreasing Malaria Mortality in Africa
Malaria mortality in Africa has decreased by approximately 57% during the past 15 years, but some areas still have low level use of bed nets, low coverage with antimalarial medication, and higher death rates due to malaria. At the same time, anti-malarial measures are still important for individuals traveling to endemic areas.
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A Short Course of Antibiotics for Acute Otitis Media in Children Leads to Worse Outcomes Compared to Standard Course Therapy
A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial determined that in children 6-23 months of age with acute otitis media, five days of amoxicillin-clavulanate resulted in more clinical failure compared to a 10-day course of therapy.
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Intrauterine Zika Virus Infection — Not Just Microcephaly at Birth
Manifestations of intrauterine Zika infection may not be clinically apparent at birth, warranting the use of early neuroimaging and careful follow-up.
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Zika Virus and Risk of Congenital Abnormalities
Two recent studies clarify the substantial risk of congenital abnormalities following maternal Zika virus infection. The risk is highest in the first trimester of pregnancy, and appears similar following symptomatic and asymptomatic maternal infection.
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Strategies to Manage the Failed Airway
In this large, multicenter, retrospective study, video laryngoscopy, the most common approach to failed airway management, demonstrated a high rate of success, even when difficult ventilation existed.
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Antibiotic Treatment in Community-acquired Pneumonia
In patients with newly diagnosed community-acquired pneumonia, basing the duration of antibiotic treatment on clinical stability criteria led to a significant reduction in duration of antibiotic treatment without an increased risk of adverse outcomes.
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Is There an Optimal Blood Pressure Target in Patients Presenting with Intracerebral Hemorrhage?
Recently, two large randomized, controlled trials compared intensive blood pressure control with permissive hypertension in the setting of acute intracerebral hemorrhage. The authors of the two trials reached seemingly differing conclusions, leading to confusion on how to best manage patients.
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Troponin Highly Prognostic in Decompensated Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction
Among patients with acute decompensated heart failure and preserved ejection fraction, elevated troponin is associated with worse in-hospital outcomes and long-term survival, independent of other predictors.