March 5th, 2017

High-Dose Flu Vaccine, Robert De Niro Challenge, Antibiotics for Colds, and More: March Comes in Like a Lion ID Link-o-Rama

Here are a few ID/HIV items blowing around the neighborhood on this, a bitterly cold and windy first weekend of March (at least here in Boston):

Only 28 days until Opening Day!

(Hat tip to Chuck Daley for this last item.)

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2 Responses to “High-Dose Flu Vaccine, Robert De Niro Challenge, Antibiotics for Colds, and More: March Comes in Like a Lion ID Link-o-Rama”

  1. Loretta S says:

    The links to the Gilead articles were very interesting. And the cartoon captures the dilemma perfectly: Find a cure for something and find your market for treatment of that something shrinking rapidly. I have often had similar thoughts about Type 2 DM, the treatment of which represents a large portion of primary care office visits — and pharmaceutical companies’ profits, of course. While we may bemoan our patients’ not-at-goal A1c levels, the fact is that those visits pay a lot of bills and keep us busy. What if there were a cure for T2DM and insurance companies were willing to pay for it? The success of metabolic/bariatric surgery — for some patients — in this regard gives a small glimpse of what the primary care world might look like post-DM. Of course, there is always hypertension, atherosclerosis…

    I almost spit my tea into my laptop when I read your suggestion for DeNiro’s next movie title, Paul. The actual quote from Kennedy regarding the $100,000 reward was that it is for anyone who could produce “a single study that says it’s safe to inject mothers with the levels of mercury we are currently injecting them with.” Eye-rolling, inflammatory nonsense. Loved this quote from Daniel Summers in the Washington Post article: “I could resurrect Edward Jenner and Jonas Salk for joint TED talks about the benefits of vaccination, and somehow I doubt it would make any difference at this point.” Yep, the anti-vaccine crowd wouldn’t care. But wow, those are TED talks that I would like to hear!

  2. Ghassan Al Awar says:

    Hi Paul,
    You said: “Vancomycin is better than metronidazole for C diff — again. I can’t think of any reason to use metronidazole for patients who actually have C diff, the real thing”.
    I suggest a few reasons:
    1- To spare vancomycin; and you know the rest of the story,
    2- There is evidence for it, though you may question it,
    3- And it is in the guidelines!
    What do you think, again? (Sorry for a late comment).

HIV Information: Author Paul Sax, M.D.

Paul E. Sax, MD

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NEJM Journal Watch
Infectious Diseases

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