Mycoplasma pneumonia and its complications.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae continues to be the most frequent cause of atypical pneumonia. Fortunately, the antibiotics listed in this article are generally very effective. Major skills are needed to detect M pneumoniae extrapulmonary diseases, which require a special heightened awareness and sensitivity. It is not known whether early therapy prevents dreaded complications.

Fever of unknown origin: historical and physical clues to making the diagnosis.

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) has fascinated and perplexed clinicians for over a century. No published guidelines exist on the approach to FUO, and studies have demonstrated that a diagnosis is never established in up to 30% of cases. A comprehensive history and physical examination are the keys to establishing a diagnosis in patient with FUO. This article provides a systematic approach to the diagnosis of FUO by delineating the most important elements of a comprehensive history and physical examination.

High-dose, short-course levofloxacin for community-acquired pneumonia: a new treatment paradigm.

Levofloxacin demonstrates concentration-dependent bactericidal activity most closely related to the pharmacodynamic parameters of the ratio of area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) to minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the ratio of peak plasma concentration (C(max)) to MIC. Increasing the dose of levofloxacin to 750 mg exploits these parameters by increasing peak drug concentrations, allowing for a shorter course of treatment without diminishing therapeutic benefit. This was demonstrated in a multicenter, randomized, double-blind investigation that compared levofloxacin dosages of 750 mg per day for 5 days with 500 mg per day for 10 days for the treatment of mild to severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). In the clinically evaluable population, the clinical success rates were 92.4% (183 of 198 persons) for the 750-mg group and 91.1% (175 of 192 persons) for the 500-mg group (95% confidence interval, -7.0 to 4.4). Microbiologic eradication rates were 93.2% and 92.4% in the 750-mg and 500-mg groups, respectively. These data demonstrate that 750 mg of levofloxacin per day for 5 days is at least as effective as 500 mg per day for 10 days for treatment of mild-to-severe CAP.

Worldwide assessment of linezolid's clinical safety and tolerability: comparator-controlled phase III studies.

Linezolid, an oxazolidinone antibiotic, has 100% oral bioavailability and favorable activities against gram-positive pathogens including multidrug-resistant staphylococci, enterococci, and pneumococci. Safety assessments were conducted for 2,046 linezolid-treated patients and 2,001 comparator drug-treated patients from seven controlled clinical trials comparing the activities of linezolid and comparator drugs against nosocomial and community-acquired pneumonia, skin and skin structure infections, and methicillin-resistant staphylococcal infections. Drug-related adverse events were primarily transient. The most frequent (> or = 2%) adverse events caused by linezolid and the comparator drugs were diarrhea (4.3 and 3.2%, respectively; P = 0.074), nausea (3.4 and 2.3%, respectively; P = 0.036), and headache (2.2 and 1.3%, respectively; P = 0.047). Treatment discontinuations due to drug-related events (2.4 and 1.9%, respectively), serious adverse events (11.4 and 10.6%, respectively), and deaths (4.8 and 4.9%, respectively) were similar. No clinically significant drug-related hematologic events were reported, and laboratory safety data were comparable. In the first 6 months of postmarketing surveillance, hematologic abnormalities were reported in 0.1% of linezolid-treated patients, but no irreversible blood dyscrasias were documented. The risk for transient, reversible hematologic effects from treatment with linezolid should be considered together with the clinical benefits associated with its use.

Hepatitis viral / Viral hepatitis

El diagnostico diferencia de la hepatitis viral se inicia con la busqueda de orina oscura y bilis en la orina. Estos signos de hiperbilirrubinemia conjugada descartan la existencia de una enfermedad prehepatica. En la actualidad se llevan a cabo enstudios de los niveles elevados de transaminasas, caracteristicos de hepatitis infecciosa, y una historia cuidadosa para descartar la hepatitis inducida por toxicos o medicamentos que puede simular una hepatitis viral aguda. Un buen indicio de colestasis es la elevacion de la fosfatasa alcalina. Este diagnostico puede ampliarse mediante la ultrasonografia. Los sintomas clasicos de la hepatitis viral son ictericia, nauseas, vomitos, malestar, anorexia y dolor sordo en el cuadrante abdominal superior derecho. Sin embargo, se requiere de estudios serologicos para detectar la presencia de agentes virales especificos.