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Background: Mortality in Zambian AIDS patients is high, especially in patients with diarrhoea, and there is still unacceptably high mortality in Zambian patients just starting anti-retroviral therapy. We set out to determine if high concentrations of serum cytokines correlate with mortality. Methods: Serum samples from 30 healthy controls (HIV seropositive and seronegative) and 50 patients with diarrhoea (20 of whom died within 6 weeks) were analysed. Concentrations of tumour necrosis factor receptor p55 (TNFR p55), macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-12, interferon (IFN)-gamma and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured by ELISA, and correlated with mortality after 6 weeks follow-up. Results: Apart from IL-12, concentrations of all cytokines, TNFR p55 and CRP increased with worsening severity of disease, showing highly statistically significant trends. In a multivariable analysis high TNFR p55, IFN-gamma, CRP and low CD4 count (CD4 count <100) were pred

Online community encourages members to give up holiday gifts to give 1,000 teddy bears to South African AIDS orphans. (PRWeb Nov 13, 2008) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/11/prweb1610754.htm

(American Society of Tropical medicine and Hygiene) The ASTMH annual meeting is Dec. 7-11 in New Orleans.

(Cardiff University) A new research study underway at Cardiff University could see a decrease in the rates of treatment failure among patients with end-stage kidney disease. Experts in the Infection, Immunity and Inflammation Interdisciplinary Research Group at the School of medicine have secured more than £230,000 from the "Renal Discoveries -- The Baxter Extramural Grant" program, to investigate the potential to safeguard susceptible patients against serious problems caused by bacterial infections.

(University of Michigan) Developed more than 200 years ago and found in households around the world, chlorine bleach is among the most widely used disinfectants, yet scientists never have understood exactly how the familiar product kills bacteria.

Background: By using a standard Support Vector Machine (SVM) with a Sequential Minimal Optimization (SMO) method of training, Naive Bayes and other machine learning algorithms we are able to distinguish between two classes of protein sequences: those folding to highly-designable conformations, or those folding to poorly- or non-designable conformations. Results: First, we generate all possible compact lattice conformations for the specified shape (a hexagon or a triangle) on the 2D triangular lattice. Then we generate all possible binary hydrophobic/polar (H/P) sequences and by using a specified energy function, thread them through all of these compact conformations. If for a given sequence the lowest energy is obtained for a particular lattice conformation we assume that this sequence folds to that conformation. Highly-designable conformations have many H/P sequences folding to them, while poorly-designable conformations have few or no H/P sequences. We classify sequences as foldi

Fabry's Disease is a rare genetic syndrome, with a classic X-linked alpha -galactosidase A deficiency phenotype, responsible for glico-sphyngolypids metabolism impairment with clinical effects in several organs and functions. We describe the anaesthesiologic implications of two patients with Fabry disease who underwent a kidney transplantation from a deceased donor. We recommend careful preoperative evaluation, including cardiac sonography study and spirometry for Fabry disease patients, and according to our experience, we recommend advanced haemodynamic monitoring during surgery. Careful airway examination should be further performed, with particular attention to patient ventilability prediction and available alternative strategies for airway management in case of difficulties. A nephroprotective strategy and a particular care to the associated end-stage organ disease may significantly improve the long-term outcome of patients with Fabry Disease.