Internal Medicine Alert – September 15, 2011

September 15, 2011

• A Placebo the Patient Believes in is Effective for the Common Cold

  A randomized, controlled trial of persons with new onset common cold showed modest effects of placebo on duration and severity of the cold symptoms, but greater effects among the patients who believe in the benefits of echinacea, whether receiving the supplement or placebo.

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• Secondary Prevention of Postherpetic Neuralgia

  Adding gabapentin to valacyclovir early in the treatment of acute herpes zoster may reduce the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia.

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• Aspirin for Primary Prevention

  The use of aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular (CV) disease remains controversial.

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• Emtricitabine/Rilpivirine/Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate Tablets (Complera™)

  The FDA has approved a second three-drug fixed combination for the treatment of HIV-1 infections. This combination contains two nucleoside analog HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors (emtricitabine and tenofovir) and a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI; rilpivirine).

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• Clinical Briefs By Louis Kuritzky, MD

  Screening for lung cancer by means of chest X-ray (CXR) does not reduce mortality, even with the addition of sputum cytology.

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• ECG Review: Is the AV Block Complete?

  Interpret the rhythm strip shown above. Does it represent complete (3rd degree) AV Block? How would you proceed clinically?

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