A rare case of infectious colitis.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is responsible for numerous infectious processes. Gastrointestinal tract involvement is rather rare and only a handful of cases of MRSA colitis have been reported in North America. We present a case of MRSA colitis in an adult without apparent risk factors. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed thickening of the sigmoid colon, indicative of colitis, and empiric therapy with ciprofloxacin and metronidazole was started. Initial work-up for infection-including blood and stool cultures, and stool Clostridium difficile toxin assay-was negative. The patient's clinical status improved but his diarrhea did not abate. Repetition of stool culture demonstrated luxuriant growth of MRSA sensitive to vancomycin. Oral vancomycin was administered and the patient's symptoms promptly ceased.

Head-to-head comparisons of hydrochlorothiazide with indapamide and chlorthalidone: antihypertensive and metabolic effects.

Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) has often been contrasted with chlorthalidone, but relatively little is known about HCTZ versus indapamide (INDAP). This systematic review retrieved 9765 publications, and from these, it identified 14 randomized trials with 883 patients comparing HCTZ with INDAP and chlorthalidone on antihypertensive potency or metabolic effects. To make fair comparisons, the dose of the diuretic in each arm was assigned 1 of 3 dose levels. In random effects meta-analysis, INDAP and chlorthalidone lowered systolic blood pressure more than HCTZ: -5.1 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, -8.7 to -1.6); P=0.004 and -3.6 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, -7.3 to 0.0); P=0.052, respectively. For both comparisons, there was minimal heterogeneity in effect across trials and no evidence for publication bias. The HCTZ-INDAP contrast was biased in favor of greater HCTZ potency because of a much greater contribution to the overall effect from trials in which the HCTZ arm had a higher dose level than the INDAP arm. For the HCTZ-INDAP comparison, no single trial was responsible for the overall result nor was it possible to detect significant modifications of this comparison by duration of follow-up, high- versus low-bias trials, or the presence or absence of background medications. There were no detectable differences between HCTZ and INDAP in metabolic adverse effects, including effects on serum potassium. In conclusion, these head-to-head comparisons demonstrate that, like chlorthalidone, INDAP is more potent than HCTZ at commonly prescribed doses without evidence for greater adverse metabolic effects.