Cases that involve prolonged fever for which no cause can be identified are challenging. This one illustrates the deductive reasoning required of an excellent clinician.

When speaking with patients who want to follow a vegetarian diet, take time to discuss the foods to eat to help ensure nutritional adequacy. This discussion can start with a list of some of the common forms of vegetarianism.

Herpes zoster, or shingles, is caused by the reactivation of the latent varicella-zoster virus (VZV) within the sensory ganglia. The term shingles comes from the Latin word cingulum, which means belt or girdle, and refers to the characteristic rash that commonly appears as a band or belt on the trunk of patients with active infection. What causes the virus to emerge from latency is not completely understood, but waning cell-mediated immunity is linked directly to the reactivation. This theory is the basis of research that led to the development of this vaccine.

This past fall, we had the opportunity to run medical clinics in the poor colonias of Mazatlan, Mexico.