Was the Great Plague of Athens (ca. 430 BC) the first recorded influenza pandemic? Was the SARS outbreak of 2003 the latest warning? Could avian influenza H5N1 virus usher the next influenza pandemic? Medscape Infectious Diseases
Undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) presents signs and symptoms suggestive of autoimmune disease but does not meet existing classification criteria for connective tissue disease. The diagnostic criteria, differential diagnoses, and natural history and management of UCTD are reviewed. Nature Clinical Practice Rheumatology
Results from a 3-year extension study of oral fingolimod show continued low rates of relapse and disease activity on MRI, researchers report. Medscape Medical News
Safety reviews of infliximab, etanercept, and adalimumab identified rare cases of erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and other skin reactions. Medscape Medical News
Emily Friedman, an independent health policy and ethics analyst, reminds us why doctors must be "canaries" and the FDA must act. The Medscape Journal of Medicine
New findings that demonstrate the real-time RT-PCR and RT-LAMP are discussed. Could these findings have potential in clinical diagnosis and detection of Chikungunya virus? Future Virology
