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Thousands of patients who attended one of 65 health fairs held throughout the United States were educated about the ABCS of heart health, thanks to $35,000 in grant money from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation.

Investigators from the Tennessee Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided an aggressive public health response following a single case of Aspergillus fumigatus meningitis in an immunocompetent adult who had received an epidural injection of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate at a clinic in Tennessee, according to a report published Nov. 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has approved revisions to the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine recommendations for individuals with HIV infection, for those with evidence of immunity, and for those at high risk who have been exposed to measles, according to a report published by Medscape Medical News.

Smoking cessation before the age of 40 reduces the excess risk of lung cancer mortality and overall mortality by 90% compared to individuals who continue to smoke, according to a prospective study of women in the United Kingdom followed for 12 years.

Topical ivermectim provided a good degree of cure in patients with head lice infection with one simple and easy to-use application, according to a study published in the Nov. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

FDA has expanded the approved use of oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Janssen) to include three new indications: treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE), and reducing the risk of recurrent DVT and PE following initial treatment.

Bleeding rates associated with new use of dabigatran (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim) do not appear to be higher than bleeding rates associated with new use of warfarin, according to an FDA safety review of post-market reports of serious bleeding events.

The United States may be the world's last bastion of customer service. Inherent in our national psyche is the expectation that when we pull out our wallets to purchase something, whether a product or a service, we have a right to satisfaction.

Diabetes initiatives

A look at how both chain pharmacies and independents are working on providing better diabetes care.