Identifying etiologies of acute febrile illnesses (AFI) is challenging due to non-specific presentation and limited availability of diagnostics. Prospective AFI studies provide a methodology to describe the syndrome by age and etiology, findings that can be used to develop case definitions and multiplexed diagnostics to optimize management. We conducted a 3-year prospective AFI study in Puerto Rico.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To analyze the effect of cosmetic outcome as an isolated variable in patients undergoing surgical treatment based on the incision used in the 3 variants of radical prostatectomy: open (infraumbilical incision and Pfannestiel incision) and laparoscopic, or robotic (6 ports) surgery.
Patients And Methods: 612 male patients 40 to 70 years of age with a negative history of prostate disease were invited to participate. Each patient was evaluated by questionnaire accompanied by a set of 6 photographs showing the cosmetic appearance of the 3 approaches, with and without undergarments.
In 2009, an increased proportion of suspected dengue cases reported to the surveillance system in Puerto Rico were laboratory negative. As a result, enhanced acute febrile illness (AFI) surveillance was initiated in a tertiary care hospital. Patients with fever of unknown origin for 2-7 days duration were tested for Leptospira, enteroviruses, influenza, and dengue virus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Tuberculous pleurisy can result in pleural fibrosis, calcification and thickening. To prevent these complications, corticosteroids are frequently used in addition to antituberculous drugs; however, new therapeutic regimens can control the disease and minimise the sequelae, and there is no convincing evidence of the benefit of the use of corticosteroids as adjuvant therapy.
Methods: Patients received isoniazid 5 mg/kg and rifampicin 10 mg/kg daily for six months.