Boston University, WHO study reveals oral antibiotic treatment just as effective as hospital therapy for children with moderate to severe pneumonia

Treating children with severe pneumonia at home is just as effective as treating them in hospitals, a new study has found. The study results could significantly change the way the illness is managed in developing countries, saving a significant number of lives every year and taking pressure off health systems. more  

Infectious disease facts: The difference between latent TB infection and active TB disease

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by a germ called Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is spread from person to person through the air. TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine. When a person with infectious TB coughs or sneezes, droplet nuclei containing M. tuberculosis are expelled into the air. If another person inhales air containing these droplet nuclei, he or she may become infected. However, not everyone infected with TB bacteria becomes sick. As a result, two TB-related conditions exist: latent TB infection and active TB disease. more

Minority groups less likely to get strong pain medications in hospital emergency departments

Blacks and Hispanics who go to hospital emergency departments in pain are significantly less likely than whites to get pain-relieving opioid drugs, according to a new study funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). more  

Helping patients navigate the health care system: Advice from Dr. Carolyn Clancy about prescription drug errors

If your doctor wrote you a prescription for the pain reliever Darvon, would you know if you received Diovan, a medicine for high blood pressure, by mistake? Unless you're a health professional or you carefully read both the doctor's prescription and your medicine bottle at the drug store, chances are you would not know you got the wrong medicine. more

Institute for Safe Medication Practices: List of confused drug names  

In the first study examining American physicians' use of placebos in clinical practice in the 21st Century, 45 percent of Chicago internists report they have used a placebo at some time during their clinical practice researchers report in the January issue of Journal of General Internal Medicine. more

Cervical vaccine hurts, but it's probably worth the sting 

The vaccine against cervical cancer, Gardasil, has been the subject of several complaints from women who have received it. According to stories appearing in the Associated Press, complaints such as: "It burns!" and "the burning is worse than with other kinds of vaccines I've had." There are also complaints about pain and discomfort in the arm for a day or two after getting the shot. There are also reports of women fainting after receiving Gardasil, but there's no clear information about whether this is a form of hysteria, whether the girls are fainting from nerves, fear, or pain. more

News you can use: An HPV primer

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is now recognized as the major cause of cervical cancer, a disease that kills more than 200,000 women around the world each year. HPV is very common, however, and of the more than 100 types of HPV, fewer than 20 are considered "high-risk" for the development of cancer. The following is a brief guide to HPV, including transmission, incidence, treatment, and its connection to genital warts and cancer. more

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