Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2011
Differences in national antiretroviral prescribing patterns between black and white patients with HIV/AIDS, 1996-2006.
The benefit of improved health outcomes for blacks receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) lags behind that of whites. This project therefore sought to determine whether the reason for this discrepancy in health outcomes could be attributed to disparities in use of antiretroviral therapy between black and white patients with HIV. ⋯ Blacks experienced a lag in the use of antiretrovirals at the beginning of the study; this discrepancy dissipated in more recent years.
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2011
Prevalence of atherosclerotic plaque in young and middle-aged asymptomatic individuals: the Bogalusa heart study.
To determine the prevalence of carotid and femoral artery atherosclerotic plaque in a community-based population of asymptomatic African American and white men and women, with an age range of 29 to 51 years, and the potential relations with cardiovascular risk factors. ⋯ In this population, studied sequentially since 1973, the presence of plaque correlated with widely recognized cardiovascular risk factors, although we did not detect significant contributions from either obesity or elevated lipids, including low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. It is possible that interventions, such as diet alteration and statin therapy, may have a positive impact on these potential contributors to plaque formation, and hypertension, diabetes mellitus and smoking remain of great importance.
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2011
Risk factors of cellulitis treatment failure with once-daily intravenous cefazolin plus oral probenecid.
Once-daily intravenous cefazolin with probenecid is used commonly to treat cellulitis. The primary objective of this study was to determine the risk factors of treatment failure with this regimen. ⋯ Patients with cellulitis and CVD who are being treated with once-daily intravenous cefazolin plus probenecid should be monitored closely for treatment failure.
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Southern medical journal · Dec 2011
Factors associated with recently transmitted Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain MS0006 in Hinds County, Mississippi.
The objective of this study was to investigate risk factors associated with tuberculosis (TB) transmission that was caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain MS0006 from 2004 to 2009 in Hinds County, Mississippi. ⋯ Our findings suggest that a majority of recently transmitted TB in the studied county was caused by the MS0006 strain. African American race and homelessness were significant risk factors for inclusion in the cluster. Molecular epidemiology techniques continue to provide in-depth analysis of disease transmission and play a vital role in effective contact tracing and interruption of ongoing transmission.