An ongoing dialogue on HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases,
July 22nd, 2018
FDA Approves First PI-Based Single-Tablet Treatment for HIV — How Will It Be Used?
The latest HIV drug approval from the FDA came this past week with the release of a single-tablet treatment containing the following drugs: Darunavir (DRV) 800 mg Cobicistat (c) 150 mg Emtricitabine (FTC) 200 mg Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) 10 mg Often abbreviated “DCF-TAF,” this is the first full treatment regimen in a single pill with a […]
July 15th, 2018
On-Service Digest, July 2018 — with Special Section Just for Staph aureus
I’m currently on-service for the inpatient ID consult team, and this is July. At a teaching hospital. Here’s where some would play scary music. After all, the interns and fellows have just started! YIKES! But no scary music for me — I love working with the July newbies. Because whatever they lack in experience or efficiency, they more than make up […]
July 1st, 2018
Why Do Our Patients Think They Have Spider Bites?
We are currently in peak tick season here in the Northeastern United States. It might be hard for clinicians elsewhere to understand just how profoundly this changes our assessment of fevers and rashes. But consider this — ordering the trio of Lyme antibody, Anaplasma PCR, and Babesia PCR is as much a part of the routine […]
June 24th, 2018
A Migrating Facial Worm, and Time to Vote for Your Favorite Cartoon Caption
Over on the New England Journal of Medicine, there’s a picture on the “Images in Clinical Medicine” series that’s getting quite a bit of attention. And it’s no wonder. This 32-year-old woman in Russia went to her ophthalmologist with a series of selfies she took over a 2-week period. The pictures demonstrated nodules (bumps) that moved around her […]
June 17th, 2018
Remembering Robert H. (Bob) Rubin, Father of Transplant Infectious Diseases
During my ID fellowship, Robert (Bob) Rubin was my very first attending. It was the transplant service in July, and Bob and I would round with the surgeons each morning. Early each morning. That was part of it. We needed to be there with them, before they disappeared to the OR. If we weren’t there, he […]
June 7th, 2018
What’s Your Favorite Off-Patent Antibiotic Brand Name?
Each time the FDA approves a new drug, they also approve a new brand name. The FDA and other regulators want something safe. They critically want to avoid names that sound or look similar to existing drugs, which could trigger medication errors. And names that imply an ingredient or an action not supported by clinical data […]
June 3rd, 2018
My Dog Louie Was Attacked by Another Dog — He’s Fine, I’m a Mess
On a cool morning recently, I was taking my dog Louie for his morning walk. We headed to a small local park, a place we’ve been hundreds of times in his 5-year life. He loves it. Lots to sniff. A chance to trot around without his leash. Perhaps a soggy tennis ball to chase, after I’ve given […]
May 28th, 2018
Predatory Journals Are Such a Big Problem It’s Not Even Funny
I’ve made fun of academic spam numerous times on this site. It’s those emails from dubious “predatory journals,” written in cheerful but awkward prose, with flowery praise and open invitations to submit research on various scientific topics. You know, the emails that start: Dear Dr. Paul E. Greetings for the day! Most of my coverage has been on […]
May 20th, 2018
Why the Dolutegravir Pregnancy Warning Is Important — and What We Should Do Now
Last week, in response to newly available surveillance data, multiple agencies issued a warning about the HIV integrase inhibitor dolutegravir (DTG) and pregnancy. The warnings cite an increased risk of neural tube defects in babies born to women who became pregnant while receiving the drug. From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: The concern stems from […]
May 13th, 2018
Why Experienced HIV/ID Doctors Leave Clinical Practice
Three of my good friends — they’re way more than just colleagues after all this time — in the HIV/ID world have left clinical practice recently. Abigail (Abbie) Zuger, Joel Gallant, and Chuck Hicks, each of them brilliant in different ways, won’t be caring for people with HIV anymore, something they’ve all been doing since the […]
Paul E. Sax, MD
Contributing Editor
NEJM Journal Watch
Infectious Diseases
Biography | Disclosures | Summaries
Learn more about HIV and ID Observations.
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