An ongoing dialogue on HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases,
April 29th, 2009
Swine Flu Treatment Guidelines — For Now
The swine flu situation is so dynamic that what I wrote earlier this week now seems hopelessly dated — except that from the perspective of a clinical ID doctor, it still feels eerily similar to the anthrax and SARS outbreaks. But related to that post — specifically the use of antivirals — these interim guidelines for […]
April 26th, 2009
Swine Flu Curbsides: Anthrax, SARS Redux?
In my email in-box yesterday AM from a primary care doc: A patient of mine, 40 year old woman totally healthy, is going to Cancun on Tuesday for a conference. She’ll be there for 6 days. I know there are no cases of swine flu in Cancun yet, and the situation is evolving, but here’s my question: […]
April 24th, 2009
Colonoscopy in HIV Patients, Part II: Problem (Mostly) Solved
Both here and on the AIDS Clinical Care site, we posted a case of a 50-year-old HIV+ man in need of a screening colonoscopy. What sedation could he receive while on tenofovir/FTC and ritonavir-boosted atazanavir? Specifically, would midazolam and fentanyl (“contraindicated” in the ritonavir package insert) be ok? (Same issue for efavirenz, by the way.) We solicited […]
April 20th, 2009
Another HIV Pharmaceutical Partnership
GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer have created an alliance for HIV drug development. Since there is only one collaborative effort in the HIV treatment area — the colossally-successful “Atripla” between Gilead and BMS — I had thought this kind of arrangement was fairly rare in the drug biz, but according to this interesting take, apparently not. Perhaps not surprisingly, […]
April 18th, 2009
Ceftriaxone and Calcium — OK Again in Adults!
As every house officer, hospitalist, intensivist, and ID doc knows, ceftriaxone and calcium have been contraindicated since 2007 due to fears of a potentially fatal precipitation of the two that led to the death of 5 neonates. Pediatricians are fond of saying “kids are not small adults” (I should know), and if that’s true, it’s even […]
April 11th, 2009
Another Drug Linked to PML — Law Firms Waiting for Your Call
The psoriasis drug Raptiva (efalizumab) has been linked to progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy: On Oct. 16, 2008, FDA updated the FDA-approved labeling for Raptiva to warn of the risk of life-threatening infections, including PML. On Feb. 19, 2009, the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory informing patients and prescribers of the risk of PML in patients taking […]
April 6th, 2009
Delayed Opening Day Videos, and More
Some random HIV/ID issues while awaiting a delayed opening day here in cold, rainy Boston: If you enjoy video highlights, check out these of HIV making its way from T cell to T cell. If you’re short on time, #’s 9-12 are particularly amazing. Still, I don’t imagine that this video will make it to Youtube anytime […]
Paul E. Sax, MD
Contributing Editor
NEJM Journal Watch
Infectious Diseases
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NEJM Journal Watch — Recent Infectious Disease Articles- Innovative Pairing of Beta-Lactamase Inhibitors to Combat Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Pathogens
- Ceftobiprole Joins the Beta-Lactam Squad Against MRSA Infections
- Sulbactam-Durlobactam for Treating Patients with Acinetobacter baumannii Infections: Do MICs Matter?
- Antibiotic Options Against Enterobacterales That Produce Wild-Type AmpC β-Lactamases
- Quorum Sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa — An Overlooked Treatment Target?