Insidermedicine in 60 - February 19, 2008
From Ethiopia - More frequent administration of antibiotics may be needed to reduce the burden of trachoma - the world's leading cause of blindness. Trachoma is a condition in which the cornea can become scarred following a bacterial infection. Giving antibiotics twice annually reduced infection in preschool children by a factor of 6, and 4 times in 2 years nearly eradicated the infection. From Virginia - With nearly 100,000 preventable in-hospital deaths occurring in the US each year, researchers sought to determine if time of cardiac arrest influenced survival. They found that patients who had a cardiac arrest after hours were 25% less likely to survive. Differing staffing ratios and operational procedures may be to blame. And finally, from Beijing - A type of that is not clearly caused by irritants or allergy has an unusually poor prognosis. Many cases of eczema are linked to local irritation, allergy to inciting material or a tendency to react to environmental allergens in those genetically predisposed. In a study of over 600 patients with eczema, nearly one third were diagnosed with the "unclassified" type. Lesions in this group cleared only 15% of the time, compared to a 50% cure rate in those with contact dermatitis.For Insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.
Author: insidermedicine
Keywords: antibiotics eye cornea blindness trachoma africa cardiac arrest heart failure hospital medical doctor eczema dermatitis
Added: February 19, 2008