|
The following reflects new findings and outcomes in medical research as presented at major medical meetings and published peer-reviewed medical journals. In this section members can view reports from important congresses as well as summaries of some recently published journal articles. Please let us know if you have a particular area of interest you would like to see covered. PRIORITY PRESS - 26th International Papillomavirus Conference and Clinical and Public Health Workshops Enhanced Treatment Strategies for External Genital WartsMontreal, Quebec / July 3-8, 2010 Montreal - External genital warts (GWs) are the most common sexual health disorder for which young men and women seek medical attention and, globally, more cases and recurrent episodes are being reported. GWs are associated with considerable psychological distress and potentially very unpleasant and painful treatment. Although the natural history of GWs suggests that most patients will eventually clear the warts, treatment with an immune response modifier may accelerate the natural immune (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 26th International Papillomavirus Conference Reducing the Burden of HPV-related Disease in Men and WomenMontreal, Quebec / July 3-8, 2010 Montreal - Genital warts are the earliest manifestation of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. A rapid decline in their incidence with widespread uptake of the quadrivalent vaccine in Australia is the first concrete proof of its efficacy. Trial data discussed here this week during the scientific sessions continue to confirm exceptional efficacy rates in women and men. This was demonstrated against not only genital warts but also other manifestations of HPV infection, including low- and (...) Read more... RESOURCE LINE VACCINEApril-June 2010 NACI recommendations for herpes zoster vaccination
PRIORITY PRESS - Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (AMMI) Canada/ Canadian Association for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (CACMID) Annual Conference Gram-positive Infections: Putting Research into Clinical PracticeEdmonton, Alberta / May 6-8, 2010 Edmonton - Information gathered by laboratory research is often seen as lacking in clinical relevance. But in vitro clarification of the actions of bactericidal and bacteriostatic agents can actually inform drug choice when taken into consideration along with the type of infection involved and the comparative activity of other potential medication choices. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies of antimicrobial therapy can assist in both drug choice and in determining how best to (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 28th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) Countering Increased Vulnerability to Meningococcal DiseaseNice, France / May 4-8, 2010 Nice - The incidence of invasive meningococcal disease has dropped dramatically in Canada and most Western countries as a result of mass immunization campaigns in the 1990s. However, declining immunological protection is occurring as children age and the potential for disease transmission increases as protective antibody levels decline. Meningococcal disease caused by historically unimportant serogroups is also becoming more prevalent. To counteract waning antibody levels against (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 28th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) Broadening Protection Against Pneumococcal Disease with Multivalent VaccinesNice, France / May 4-8, 2010 Nice - Streptococcus pneumoniae remains the leading cause of vaccine-preventable death worldwide, with an annual mortality of up to 1 million in young children and up to 1.6 million including the elderly. Children under 5 years of age are at greatest risk for contracting invasive pneumococcal disease and infection, which is accompanied by high morbidity, cost and familial distress. Mass immunization campaigns against pneumococcal disease using the 7-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7) have (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - American Transplant Congress 2010 Improving Long-term Outcomes in Kidney Transplant RecipientsSan Diego, California / May 1-5, 2010 San Diego - The calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) have long been the anchor of transplant immunosuppression, leading to low acute rejection rates in the short term. However, short-term gains have had little impact on long-term graft survival, partly because of the nephrotoxic effects associated with CNI maintenance. In an effort to preserve renal function, strategies have been used to either eliminate or at least minimize CNI exposure, key among them being early conversion to mammalian target (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 20th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) Fluoroquinolones in the Management of Community-acquired PneumoniaVienna, Austria / April 10-13, 2010 Vienna - Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) predominantly affects elderly people and causes substantial morbidity and mortality. The long hospital stays required generate high health-care costs. The most important pathogen in CAP is Streptococcus pneumoniae. A number of different antibiotic classes are active against this bacterium, but extensive and sometimes inappropriate use over the years has lead to resistance. Of particular concern is resistance to b-lactam antibiotics such as (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 20th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) Broadening Vaccine Serotype Coverage Against Emerging Antibiotic ResistanceVienna, Austria / April 10-13, 2010 Vienna - The burden of pneumococcal diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae is particularly high among young children and those aged over 65 years. In 2000, the 7-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7) was approved for use in infants and the consequent reduction in pneumococcal disease was notable. There was also evidence that antibiotic resistance of this pathogen also decreased as the vaccine reduced the frequency of some of the most important drug-resistant serotypes. However, (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 20th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) New Developments in the Treatment of MRSA and Other Infectious DiseasesVienna, Austria / April 10-13, 2010 Vienna - Advances in the use of respiratory fluoroquinolones—which are extremely active against Streptococcus pneumoniae—have represented a major development in treating community-acquired pneumonia. However, indiscriminate use of these and other agents may have contributed to increased incidence of Clostridium difficile infections and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The primary course of treatment for MRSA respiratory infections has been vancomycin, but there are concerns (...) Read more... MEDI-NEWS - Based on Clinical Practice Guidelines for Clostridium difficile Infection in Adults: 2010 Update by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2010;31:431-55. Guidelines for Clostridium difficile in AdultsApril 2010 The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) recently released updated guidelines for the management of Clostridium difficile. Since their last position paper published in 1995, significant changes have occurred in the epidemiology and treatment of C. difficile and have been incorporated into the new guidelines. Among the most relevant highlights are treatment recommendations favouring metronidazole as the drug of first (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 36th Annual Meeting of the European Group for Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) New Antifungal Strategies in High-risk Stem Cell Transplant RecipientsVienna, Austria / March 21-24, 2010 Vienna - Although Candida infection is still probably the most widespread fungal infection in a surgical setting, Aspergillus and other mold pathogens are a substantial cause of morbidity and mortality in immunosuppressed patients. In allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), patients are at particular risk of mold infections, which are often fatal. Novel formulations of existing strategies and new azoles—active against Aspergillus species, all with different spectrums of (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 36th Annual Meeting of the European Group for Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) Progress in Infection Management of Allogeneic Stem Cell RecipientsVienna, Austria / March 21-24, 2010 Vienna - In the last 10 years, widespread use of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has decreased the risk of recurrence in patients with aggressive hematological malignancies. However, the associated conditioning and immunosuppressive regimens have given rise to extremely neutropenic patients who are at risk of a range of opportunistic infections or reactivation of infectious processes. On recovery from neutropenia, patients may suffer graft-vs.-host disease (also (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 14th International Congress on Infectious Diseases (ICID) Prevention of Meningococcal DiseaseMiami, Florida / March 9-12, 2010 Miami - Invasive meningococcal disease, although rare in Canada at between 300 and 400 cases a year, causes enormous parental distress and is still associated with a high fatality rate. Almost all meningococcal disease is caused by the five serogroups A, B, C, W-135 and Y, but their distribution differs geographically and over time. It has been documented that conjugate meningococcal vaccines are immunologically more efficacious than their polysaccharide counterparts. As discussed by (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - Focus on Fungal Infections New Horizons in the Management of Invasive AspergillosisNew Orleans, Louisiana / March 3-5, 2010 New Orleans - Invasive fungal infections caused by Aspergillus species confer a high risk of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Prolonged neutropenia, use of steroids or immunosuppressive agents, and hematopoietic stem-cell or solid-organ transplantation can predispose patients to invasive aspergillosis (IA). The introduction of antifungals with better efficacy and a low risk of toxicity has improved outcomes in patients with IA. The expansion of therapeutic options has (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - EUROGIN 2010 9th International Multidisciplinary Congress Vaccination Against HPV Reduces Burden of Disease in Its Earliest ManifestationsMonte Carlo, Monaco / February 17-20, 2010 Monte Carlo - Many theoretical arguments have been raised in support of vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV). Now, for the first time, compelling evidence that vaccination does reduce the earliest manifestations of infection in the form of genital warts was reported here this week. End-of-study results continue to support the efficacy of the quadrivalent vaccine against high-grade cervical lesions in older women, which has important implications for the prevention of cervical (...) Read more... PRIORITY PRESS - 4th Advances Against Aspergillosis Conference Improving Outcomes in Invasive AspergillosisRome, Italy / February 4-6, 2010 Rome - With wider use of immunosuppressive regimens in transplant patients and intensive chemotherapy regimens in oncology patients, the incidence of invasive fungal and mold infections is increasing. Aspergillus species account for a substantial proportion of such infections and invasive aspergillosis is associated with very high mortality rates. Much work is still required to optimize treatment as management of patients and control of drug levels is complicated by concurrent conditions (...) Read more... MEDICAL FRONTIERS - 4th Advances Against Aspergillosis Conference Improving Outcomes in Invasive AspergillosisRome, Italy / February 4-6, 2010 Rome - With wider use of immunosuppressive regimens in transplant patients and intensive chemotherapy regimens in oncology patients, the incidence of invasive fungal and mold infections is increasing. Aspergillus species account for a substantial proportion of such infections and invasive aspergillosis is associated with very high mortality rates. Much work is still required to optimize treatment as management of patients and control of drug levels is complicated by concurrent conditions (...) Read more... RESOURCE LINE MRSAWinter 2009 Distinct increase in MRSA over the past 20 years in eastern Ontario
PRIORITY PRESS - 12th European AIDS Conference A Holistic Approach to Management of HIV and Comorbidities: A Treatment ContinuumCologne, Germany / November 11-14, 2009 Cologne - Now that HIV infection is generally controllable, attention has turned to a spectrum of pathologic processes that appear to be accelerated in an HIV population. Conditions generally recognized as age-related in the non-HIV population, such as cardiovascular disease, cognitive dysfunction, renal impairment and osteoporosis, are occurring at an earlier age in those with HIV infection. Although no goal is more important to long-term survival than controlling HIV infection, the (...) Read more... |