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This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory. This is page number 37.

Influenza in pregnancy
Please cite this paper as: Memoli et al. (2012) Influenza in pregnancy. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 00(00), 000–000. The 2009 pandemic served as a strong reminder that influenza‐induced disease can have a great impact on certain at‐risk populations and that pregnant women are one such important population. The increased risk of fatal and severe disease in these women was appreciated more than 500 years ago, and during the last century, pregnant women and their newborns have continued to be greatly affected by both seasonal and pandemic influenza. In this review, we briefly discuss the data collected bo...
Source: Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses - November 21, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Matthew J. Memoli, Hillery Harvey, David M. Morens, Jeffery K. Taubenberger Tags: Review Article Source Type: research

Legionnaires' disease from a cooling tower in a community outbreak in Lidkoping, Sweden- epidemiological, environmental and microbiological investigation supported by meteorological modelling
Conclusions: Classical epidemiological, environmental and microbiological investigation of an LD outbreak can be supported by meteorological modelling methods.The broad competence and cooperation capabilities in the investigation team from different authorities were of paramount importance in stopping this outbreak.
Source: BMC Infectious Diseases - November 21, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Peter UllerydAnna HugossonGörel AllestamSverker BernanderBerndt ClaessonIngrid EilertzAnne-Christine HagaeusMartin HjorthAgneta JohanssonBirgitta JongAnna LindqvistPeter NolskogNils Svensson Source Type: research

Inhibition of dengue NS2B-NS3 protease and viral replication in Vero cells by recombinant retrocyclin-1
Conclusion: Recombinant RC-1 inhibits DENV-2 replication in Vero cells by interfering with the activity of its serine protease. Thus, we propose that recombinant RC-1 is a potent, cost-effective dengue virus inhibitor. Therefore, it is suitable to consider RC-1 as a new candidate for drug development against dengue infection.
Source: BMC Infectious Diseases - November 21, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Hussin RothanHeh HanThamil RamasamyShatrah OthmanNoorsaadah RahmanRohana Yusof Source Type: research

Community faecal carriage of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in french children
Conclusions: The carriage rate of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriacae in young children in the French community setting is noteworthy, underlining the importance of this population as a reservoir. Exposure to third-generation oral cephalosporins was associated with a significant risk of ESBL carriage in our study. Because of the significant public health implications including the treatment of community-acquired urinary tract infections, the spread of organisms producing ESBLs in the community merits close monitoring with enhanced efforts for surveillance.
Source: BMC Infectious Diseases - November 21, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: André BirgyRobert CohenCorinne LevyPhilippe BidetCéline CourrouxMohamed BenaniFranck ThollotEdouard Bingen Source Type: research

An investigation of the auto-induction of and gender-related variability in the pharmacokinetics of dihydroartemisinin in the rat
This study was performed in rats.
Source: Malaria Journal - November 21, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Fanping ZhuFuying DuXinxiu LiJie Xing Source Type: research

Seroprevalence of Tick-Borne Infections in Military Working Dogs in the Republic of Korea
Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases , Vol. 0, No. 0.
Source: Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases - November 20, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: article Source Type: research

Chikungunya Virus and the Mosquito Vector Aedes aegypti in New Caledonia (South Pacific Region)
Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases , Vol. 0, No. 0.
Source: Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases - November 20, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: article Source Type: research

Genetic variants of heat shock protein A1L2437 and A1B1267 as possible risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma in India
Summary To study the role of heat shock protein A1L (HSPA1L) and A1B (HSPA1B) polymorphisms and subsequent risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in India. Subjects enrolled included 185 cases of HCC, 182 cases of chronic hepatitis (CH) and 200 healthy controls. Genomic DNA was typed for HSPA1L2437 and HSPA1B1267 SNP using polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphism. Other risk factors were also analysed. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, older age >35 years and high aflatoxin level in urine increased the risk of HCC. The frequencies of HSPA1L BB genotype and B allele in HCC were more than ...
Source: Journal of Viral Hepatitis - November 20, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: S. Medhi, M. P. Sarma, M. Asim, P. Kar Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Membrane‐bound Interleukin‐21 and CD137 Ligand induce functional human natural killer cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells through STAT3 activation
In this study, we engineered the leukemia cell line K562 to express CD137 ligand (CD137L) and membrane‐bound interleukin‐21 (mbIL‐21) on the cell surface, and used these cells to expand NK cells from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We found that purity of the NK cells (CD3‐CD56+/CD16+) increased from less than 30% to above 95% after 3‐week expansion and proliferation of the cells was sustained for more than 8 weeks. The surface expression of NK cell activating and inhibitory receptors, except for NKp80, was clearly increased with the expansion, and NK cell mediated killing activity was also significantly ...
Source: Clinical and Experimental Immunology - November 20, 2012 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Xiaoyan Wang, Dean Anthony Lee, Yanli Wang, Zhenhua Lin, Jinke Cheng, Shiguo Zhu Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Patterns of mortality in public and private hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Conclusions: The results of the present study shows that, in addition to the common Group I causes of death, emerging group II diseases are contributing to high proportions of mortality in the public and private hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Thus, priority should be given to the prevention and management of conditions arising during perinatal period such as low birth weight and still birth, HIV/AIDS; tuberculosis, respiratory infections, cardiovascular diseases, malignant neoplasm, chronic respiratory diseases and road traffic accident. The planning of health resources and activities should take into account the doub...
Source: BMC Public Health - Latest articles - November 20, 2012 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Awoke MisganawDamen Haile MariamTekebash ArayaKidane Ayele Source Type: research

Application of chlorhexidine to the umbilical cord after birth in low-income settings: two randomised controlled trials
Study design Design: Community-based cluster-randomised trial. Allocation: Clusters were computer randomised. There were 133 clusters, with a mean population of 4100 people. Blinding: Interventions were not masked. Study question Setting: Rural area of Bangladesh. Patients: All liveborn babies were eligible for enrolment. Of 35 908 eligible infants, 29 760 were enrolled. Over 85% received the intervention within 24 h of birth. Baseline characteristics were similar between the three groups. Intervention: Clusters were randomised to three groups: topical 4% chlorhexidine once at birth, chlorhexidine at birth p...
Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Education and Practice - November 20, 2012 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Osrin, D. Tags: Clinical trials (epidemiology), Epidemiologic studies, Drugs: infectious diseases, Child health, Infant health, Neonatal health Structured Abstracts of Sentinel Articles: Picket Source Type: research

Leave entitlements, time off work and the household financial impacts of quarantine compliance during an H1N1 outbreak
The objective of this study was to investigate the extent to which parents' access to paid sick leave or paid carer's leave was associated with (a) time taken off work to care for quarantined children, (b) household finances, and (c) compliance with quarantine recommendations. Methods: We conducted an online and telephone survey of households recruited through 33 schools (85% of eligible schools), received 314 responses (27%), and analysed the subsample of 133 households in which all resident parents were employed. Results: In 52% of households, parents took time off work to care for quarantined children. Households in whi...
Source: BMC Infectious Diseases - November 20, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Anne KavanaghKate MasonRebecca BentleyDavid StuddertJodie McVernonJames FieldingSylvia PetronyLyle GurrinAnthony LaMontagne Source Type: research

Identification and characterization of the bacterial etiology of clinically problematic acute otitis media after tympanocentesis or spontaneous otorrhea in German children
Conclusions: NTHi, S. pneumoniae and S. pyogenes are implicated as important causes of complicated AOM in children in Germany. NTHi disease appears prevalent in all ages. The impact of vaccination to prevent NTHi and S. pneumoniae AOM may be substantial in this population and is worth investigating.
Source: BMC Infectious Diseases - November 20, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Gerhard GreversSusanne WiedemannJan-Christof BohnRolf-Werner BlasiusThomas HarderWerner KroenigerVolker VetterJean-Yves PirçonCinzia Marano Source Type: research

[Personal View] Lessons from malaria control to help meet the rising challenge of dengue
Achievements in malaria control could inform efforts to control the increasing global burden of dengue. Better methods for quantifying dengue endemicity—equivalent to parasite prevalence surveys and endemicity mapping used for malaria—would help target resources, monitor progress, and advocate for investment in dengue prevention. Success in controlling malaria has been attributed to widespread implementation of interventions with proven efficacy. An improved evidence base is needed for large-scale delivery of existing and novel interventions for vector control, alongside continued investment in dengue drug and vaccine development.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Katherine L Anders, Simon I Hay Tags: Personal View Source Type: research

[Review] Strategies to increase responsiveness to hepatitis B vaccination in adults with HIV-1
HIV and hepatitis B virus co-infection leads to substantially increased morbidity and mortality compared with either infection alone. Immunisation with hepatitis B virus vaccine is the most effective way to prevent the infection in people with HIV; however, these patients have decreased vaccine responses and a short duration of protection compared with immunocompetent individuals. Control of HIV replication with highly active antiretroviral therapy and increased CD4 cell counts are associated with improved immune responses to hepatitis B vaccination.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Jennifer A Whitaker, Nadine G Rouphael, Srilatha Edupuganti, Lilin Lai, Mark J Mulligan Tags: Review Source Type: research

[Review] The burden of tuberculosis in crisis-affected populations: a systematic review
Crises caused by armed conflict, forced population displacement, or natural disasters result in high rates of excess morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases. Many of these crises occur in areas with a substantial tuberculosis burden. We did a systematic review to summarise what is known about the burden of tuberculosis in crisis settings. We also analysed surveillance data from camps included in UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) surveillance, and investigated the association between conflict intensity and tuberculosis notification rates at the national level with WHO data.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: William Kimbrough, Vanessa Saliba, Maysoon Dahab, Christopher Haskew, Francesco Checchi Tags: Review Source Type: research

[Articles] Malaria prevention in pregnancy, birthweight, and neonatal mortality: a meta-analysis of 32 national cross-sectional datasets in Africa
Malaria prevention in pregnancy is associated with substantial reductions in neonatal mortality and low birthweight under routine malaria control programme conditions. Malaria control programmes should strive to achieve full protection in pregnant women by both IPTp and ITNs to maximise their benefits. Despite an attempt to mitigate bias and potential confounding by matching women on factors thought to be associated with access to malaria prevention in pregnancy and birth outcomes, some level of confounding bias possibly remains.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Thomas P Eisele, David A Larsen, Philip A Anglewicz, Joseph Keating, Josh Yukich, Adam Bennett, Paul Hutchinson, Richard W Steketee Tags: Articles Source Type: research

[Articles] Early versus deferred antiretroviral therapy for children older than 1 year infected with HIV (PREDICT): a multicentre, randomised, open-label trial
AIDS-free survival in both treatment groups was high. This low event rate meant that our study was underpowered to detect differences between treatment start times and thus additional follow-up of study participants or future studies are needed to answer this clinical question.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Thanyawee Puthanakit, Vonthanak Saphonn, Jintanat Ananworanich, Pope Kosalaraksa, Rawiwan Hansudewechakul, Ung Vibol, Stephen J Kerr, Suparat Kanjanavanit, Chaiwat Ngampiyaskul, Jurai Wongsawat, Wicharn Luesomboon, Nicole Ngo-Giang-Huong, Kea Chettra, The Tags: Articles Source Type: research

[Articles] Empiric deworming to delay HIV disease progression in adults with HIV who are ineligible for initiation of antiretroviral treatment (the HEAT study): a multi-site, randomised trial
Our findings do not suggest an effect of empiric deworming in the delaying of HIV disease progression in adults with HIV in an area where helminth infection is common. Alternative approaches are needed to delay HIV disease progression in areas where co-infections are common.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Judd Walson, Benson Singa, Laura Sangaré, Jaqueline Naulikha, Benjamin Piper, Barbra Richardson, Phelgona Apondi Otieno, Loice Wangari Mbogo, James A Berkley, Grace John-Stewart Tags: Articles Source Type: research

[Articles] Outcomes of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign in intensive care units in the USA and Europe: a prospective cohort study
The significant difference in unadjusted mortality and the fact that this difference disappears with severity adjustment raise important questions about the effect of the approach to critical care in Europe compared with that in the USA. The effect of ICU bed availability on outcomes in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock requires further investigation.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Mitchell M Levy, Antonio Artigas, Gary S Phillips, Andrew Rhodes, Richard Beale, Tiffany Osborn, Jean-Louis Vincent, Sean Townsend, Stanley Lemeshow, R Phillip Dellinger Tags: Articles Source Type: research

[Media Watch] How to Survive a Plague
A quote from the late Jesse Helms (1921–2008), Republican politician and latterly the chair of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee: “nothing positive happened to Sodom and Gomorrah and nothing positive is likely to happen to America if our people succumb to the drumbeats of support for the homosexual lifestyle”. His views were hardly representative of mainstream American opinion in the 1980s, but nor could they be readily dismissed as a screed from a furious extremist. This was a man who played a pivotal role in Ronald Reagan's advancement, and who the people of North Carolina elected to the Senate five times.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Talha Burki Tags: Media Watch Source Type: research

[Newsdesk] Research brief
Human antibodies to HIV, which develop in a few patients, can neutralise a broad range of viral isolates in vitro. However, attempts to use passive antibody transfer to control HIV infection have failed because HIV quickly evolves resistance to the antibodies. Recently, more potent anti-HIV antibodies have been found and improved by structure-based design, and researchers report that passive transfer of mixtures of these antibodies can effectively control HIV infection in humanised mice. Moreover, viraemic control lasts, on average, for 60 days after cessation of therapy.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Jane Bradbury Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research

[Newsdesk] Highlights from the first Infectious Diseases Week
The inaugural Infectious Diseases Week was held in San Diego (CA, USA) Oct 17–21: the first joint conference of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA), and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS). The meeting attracted delegates from across North America and further afield. As the ongoing outbreak of fungal meningitis associated with steroid injections began to develop, some rapidly organised sessions on this topic unsurprisingly drew large crowds.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Peter Hayward Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research

[Newsdesk] Infectious disease surveillance update
A disease that killed more than 30 people in Darfur, Sudan, in October has been identified as yellow fever, WHO said on Oct 30. The outbreak was first detected earlier in October when patients in central and southern Darfur died after showing symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, and bleeding from the nose and mouth. 84 suspected cases, including 32 deaths, have been reported since. Sudan's Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) is reinforcing the disease surveillance system and raising public awareness of prevention and control.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Rebecca Heald Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research

[Newsdesk] vCJD remains an enigma as UK deaths fall to zero for 2012
Since surveillance of the disease began in 1995, 176 people have died in the UK from the fatal human transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). But as the days count down towards the end of December, it looks increasingly likely that 2012 will be the first year since the epidemic's genesis to pass without a recorded death attributable to vCJD. Reports of the epidemic's demise may, however, prove to be premature.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: David Holmes Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research

[Newsdesk] Calls for more detailed studies on toxoplasmosis
2012 has seen a renewed focus on a long-documented infection, Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan infection that is transmitted to human beings through contaminated food or direct contact with faeces of cats that are shedding the organism in their excrement. Large numbers of the general population are infected with the parasites. 20–40% of adults in the UK and USA have antibodies for T gondii, while seroprevalence is higher in central Europe, South and Central America, and in west Africa (50–80%), and similar or lower in southeast Asia, China, and Korea (4–39%), Scandinavia (11–28%), and Australia (30%).
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Tony Kirby Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research

[Correspondence] Pretreatment HIV-1 drug resistance testing in sub-Saharan Africa
We welcome the analysis of Raph Hamers and colleagues on the effect of pretreatment HIV-1 drug resistance on first-line treatment outcomes, calling for investment in testing for pretreatment drug resistance in Africa.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Lutgarde Lynen, Katrien Fransen, Johan Van Griensven, Robert Colebunders Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research

[Correspondence] Public–private mix in tuberculosis – Authors' reply
Jacob Creswell and colleagues and Gyanshankar Mishra reiterate the importance of private sector involvement in countries such as Pakistan and India, and the need to consider long-term sustainability of public–private mix initiatives in these countries. These colleagues agree with us that technology alone is unlikely to ensure success, and that innovative business models need to be tried.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Noor Ahmad Baloch, Madhukar Pai Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research

[Correspondence] Public–private mix in tuberculosis
I read with interest the Comment by Noor Ahmad Baloch and Madhukar Pai. The authors highlighted a business model for the private sector that significantly increased the case notification rate of tuberculosis. The authors very correctly mentioned that, in Pakistan and India, 70–80% of first contact care happens in the private sector and that the diagnostic and treatment practices pertaining to tuberculosis control in the private sector are suboptimum in these countries. Private sector health-care services are disorganised, which further adds to the complex problem.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Gyanshankar P Mishra Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research

[Correspondence] Effect of intermittent preventative therapy for secondary prevention of severe malarial anaemia – Authors' reply
As Christopher Duncan points out, most of the beneficial effect of intermittent preventive therapy post-discharge (IPTpd) was due to a reduction in hospital admissions from severe malaria and all-cause severe anaemia (protective efficacy [PE] 32% during the primary time window of interest (1–6 months), p=0·03). The protective effect on all-cause mortality during this same period was 53% (p=0·189), but event numbers and the absolute rate reduction were low. As shown in the note to figure 3 in the Article, overall, the effect size estimates on the individual components of the composite outcome, severe malaria, and all-ca...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Kamija Phiri, Michael Esan, Michael Boele van Hensbroek, Carole Khairallah, Brian Faragher, Feiko O ter Kuile Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research

[Correspondence] Effect of intermittent preventative therapy for secondary prevention of severe malarial anaemia
Kamija Phiri and colleagues describe an innovative study of intermittent preventative therapy post-discharge (IPTpd) for children admitted to hospital with severe malarial anaemia needing blood transfusion. They postulated that prevention of recurrent malaria in these children would reduce the risk of death, recurrence of severe anaemia, and readmission with severe malaria. By combining these outcomes into a composite primary endpoint they showed protective efficacy of 31% for IPTpd. In secondary endpoint analyses, IPTpd also prevented another composite endpoint of readmissions for severe anaemia or severe malaria (combine...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Christopher JA Duncan Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research

[Comment] Human microbial challenge: the ultimate animal model
Natural exposure to infections occurs throughout life, but the infection of human volunteers could be viewed as a dark art, antihippocratic, unnatural, risky, and even unethical. Studies of carefully monitored and controlled human infection, however, can provide unique insights into pathogenesis and be used to advance the development of antimicrobial drugs and vaccines.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Andrew J Pollard, Julian Savulescu, John Oxford, Adrian VS Hill, Myron M Levine, David JM Lewis, Robert C Read, David Y Graham, Wellington Sun, Peter Openshaw, Stephen B Gordon Tags: Comment Source Type: research

[Comment] Proxies and prevention of malaria in pregnancy
There exists an overwhelming consensus that pregnant women need to be protected against malaria. Chemoprophylaxis was recommended in the past, but no safe and effective drug is available at present. In Africa, malaria prevention in pregnancy relies largely on insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs) and the partial protection provided by intermittent preventive therapy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine. In The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Thomas P Eisele and colleagues report on malaria prevention effectiveness during pregnancy across Africa, using 27 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), four Malaria Indicator Surveys, and...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Rose McGready, François Nosten Tags: Comment Source Type: research

[Comment] When should therapy begin for children infected with HIV?
Worldwide, about 400 000 children younger than 15 years acquire HIV infection every year. Without effective antiretroviral therapy, children with HIV have a very high risk of death: 35% before 1 year of age, 50% before 2 years, and up to 62% before 5 years. Several years ago, paediatricians caring for children living with HIV and researchers postulated that antiretroviral therapy started as soon as possible after birth and before immunosuppression and clinical characteristics of AIDS had developed could strikingly reduce infant mortality.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Valériane Leroy, François Dabis Tags: Comment Source Type: research

[Comment] Can deworming delay immunosuppression in HIV?
In sub-Saharan Africa, co-infection with HIV-1 and helminths is very common, affecting the natural history and disease progression of both. However, the effects of interaction between the two infections are a contentious issue. Findings from various studies have shown impaired immune responses against HIV in individuals with helminth infections, suggesting a role for helminths in immunity attenuation,
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Zilungile L Mkhize-Kwitshana, Musawenkosi HL Mabaso Tags: Comment Source Type: research

[Comment] Surviving sepsis: a systems issue
In The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Mitchell M Levy and colleagues present an analysis of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) database of 25 375 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock admitted to 107 intensive care units (ICUs) in the USA and 79 in Europe between 2005 and 2010.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Julian Bion Tags: Comment Source Type: research

[Editorial] Prion diseases remain a mystery
In the 1980s and 1990s, the UK outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, and the subsequent human cases of a then novel variant of Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) linked to the bovine disease, led to some of the defining political moments of the time and large-scale reassessment of agricultural practices and food safety. From the then Agriculture Minister, John Gummer, giving his daughter a hamburger to reassure the nation that British beef was safe in 1990, to the mass slaughter of over 4 million cattle to contain the BSE epidemic, images from the period still resonate in the country's consciousness.
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: The Lancet Infectious Diseases Tags: Editorial Source Type: research

Shame Villagers about Toilets, Save a Child's Life
BETTIAH, INDIA--A jeep traveling through this small town in rural Bihar State affords the usual sights: the traffic chaos of donkey carts, cycle-rickshaw wallahs, motorbikes carrying six-person families, wandering cattle and pigs--all contributing to the cacophony of urban Indian life. As the town chaos thins out, there are other sights such as: haystacks, sugar cane fields and bright pink saris. And then, along the roadside, one pile of brown material after the other, in a shameful line. This is where the people of this part of town come every morning to defecate--either because they have no toilet or they prefer to squat...
Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed - November 19, 2012 Category: Science Tags: Health,Technology,Infectious Diseases,Everyday Science,More Science,Environment,Society & Policy Source Type: research

Seattle genome group will share in $52 million for disease research
A consortium of Washington state-based genome researchers will be part of a team receiving as much as $52.4 million in the next five years to investigate new drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tools. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, is awarding the grant to two research consortiums that are working together on projects related to deadly infectious diseases, including the plague, anthrax, cholera, tuberculosis, leprosy, amoebic…
Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines - November 19, 2012 Category: Biotechnology Authors: Valerie Bauman Source Type: research

Clinical features of influenza disease in admitted children during the first post‐pandemic season and risk‐factors for hospitalization; a multicentre spanish experience
This study concludes that influenza disease in paediatric population requiring for hospitalization during the postpandemic season affected mainly children with neurologic or pulmonary comorbidities and children of parents with a lower educational level. Most of the influenza infections caused respiratory symptoms, although neurologic manifestations were also observed. Early initiation of oseltamivir was associated with a shorter length of stay. © 2012 The Authors Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2012 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Source: Clinical Microbiology and Infection - November 19, 2012 Category: Microbiology Authors: Cristian Launes, Juan Jose García‐García, Aina Martínez‐Planas, Fernando Moraga, Nuria Soldevila, Itziar Astigarraga, Javier Arístegui, Javier Korta, José María Quintana, Nuria Torner, Angela Domínguez, Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Impact of treatment with raltegravir during primary or chronic HIV infection on RNA decay characteristics and the HIV viral reservoir: Erratum
No abstract available
Source: AIDS - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Errata Source Type: research

HIV/STI Risk Among Venue-Based Female Sex Workers Across the Globe: A Look Back and the Way Forward
Abstract Female sex workers (FSWs) continue to represent a high-risk population in need of targeted HIV prevention interventions. Targeting environmental risk factors should result in more sustainable behavior change than individual-level interventions alone. There are many types of FSWs who operate in and through a variety of micro- (eg, brothels) and macro-level (eg, being sex-trafficked) contexts. Efforts to characterize FSWs and inform HIV prevention programs have often relied on sex work typologies or categorizations of FSWs by venue or type. We conducted a systematic search and qualitatively reviewed 3...
Source: Current HIV/AIDS Reports - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Current HIV/AIDS Reports Source Type: research

How important is vitamin D in preventing infections?
Abstract Interaction with the immune system is one of the most recently established nonclassic effects of vitamin D (VitD). For many years, this was considered to be limited to granulomatous diseases in which synthesis of active 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) or calcitriol is known to be increased. However, recent reports have supported a role for 1,25(OH)2D3 in promoting normal function of the innate and adaptive immune systems. Crucially, these effects seem to be mediated not only by the endocrine function of circulating calcitriol but also via paracrine (i.e., refers to effects to adjacent or nearby...
Source: Osteoporosis International - November 19, 2012 Category: Orthopaedics Tags: Osteoporosis International Source Type: research

Chlamydia pneumoniae and osteoporosis-associated bone loss: a new risk factor?
Conclusion The association between the presence of C. pneumoniae DNA, both in bone tissue and PBMCs, and the increase in sRANKL/OPG ratio as well as in IL-1β and IL-6 levels observed in osteoporotic patients suggests C. pneumoniae infection as a new risk factor for osteoporosis. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticlePages 1-6DOI 10.1007/s00198-012-2217-1Authors M. Di Pietro, Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, ItalyG. Schiavoni, Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University, P.le...
Source: Osteoporosis International - November 19, 2012 Category: Orthopaedics Tags: Osteoporosis International Source Type: research

Correlates of Retention in HIV Care After Release from Jail: Results from a Multi-site Study
Abstract Retention in care is key to effective HIV treatment, but half of PLWHA in the US are continuously engaged in care. Incarcerated individuals are an especially challenging population to retain, and empiric data specific to jail detainees is lacking. We prospectively evaluated correlates of retention in care for 867 HIV-infected jail detainees enrolled in a 10-site demonstration project. Sustained retention in care was defined as having a clinic visit during each quarter in the 6 month post-release period. The following were independently associated with retention: being male (AOR = 2.10...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: AIDS and Behavior Source Type: research

The Role of Jails in Engaging PLWHA in Care: From Jail to Community
Abstract HIV testing in jails has provided public health officials with the opportunity to not only identify new cases of HIV but to also reestablish contact with previously diagnosed individuals, many of whom never entered care following diagnosis or entered care but then dropped out. The presence of inmates throughout the HIV/AIDS continuum of care suggests that jails can play a strategic role in engaging persons living with HIV and AIDS in care. In order to be successful in structuring HIV/AIDS programs in jails, health care and correctional officials will be well-served to: (1) understand the HIV/AIDS co...
Source: AIDS and Behavior - November 19, 2012 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: AIDS and Behavior Source Type: research