(February 19, 2008 - Insidermedicine) From Ethiopia - More frequent administration of antibiotics may be needed to reduce the burden of trachoma - the world's leading cause of blindness. Trachoma is a condition in which the cornea can become scarred following a bacterial infection. Giving antibiotics twice annually reduced infection in preschool children by a factor of 6, and 4 times in 2 years nearly eradicated the infection.

From Virginia - With nearly 100,000 preventable in-hospital deaths occurring in the US each year, researchers sought to determine if time of cardiac arrest influenced survival. They found that patients who had a cardiac arrest after hours were 25% less likely to survive. Differing staffing ratios and operational procedures may be to blame.

And finally, from Beijing - A type of eczema that is not clearly caused by irritants or allergy has an unusually poor prognosis. Many cases of eczema are linked to local irritation, allergy to inciting material or a tendency to react to environmental allergens in those genetically predisposed. In a study of over 600 patients with eczema, nearly one third were diagnosed with the "unclassified" type. Lesions in this group cleared only 15% of the time, compared to a 50% cure rate in those with contact dermatitis.

For Insidermedicine in 60, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.