what they said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

Combining two therapies may help cut recurrence of C. difficile, a potentially deadly bacterial infection, early-stage research suggests.

C. difficile, which is widespread in the environment, has been at the centre of various hospital outbreaks. The bacteria infect the gastrointestinal tract, and can cause severe diarrhea and critical illness...

The original article can be found at: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/01/21/c-difficile-treatment.html

how did it rate? (more information)

what we said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

While it can be difficult to report on pre-market products, this article did a good job highlighting some of the important aspects of this new treatment for C. difficile infection. The author successfully provided comparative information and absolute frames to describe the benefits of this treatment and took care to mention the pre-market status of the treatment.

It should be noted that the article did not make mention of the potential harms associated with the monoclonal antibodies. While it may be to early to quantify the harms of this new treatment, it may have been wise to at least acknowledge the potential risks associated with the treatment and avoid over-emphasizing its benefits. In addition, specific information on potential conflicts of interest would have been useful for the readers of this article.

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