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Predicting Fatal Fungal Infections
In a study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified cells in blood that predict which HIV-positive individuals are most likely to develop deadly fungal meningitis, a major cause of HIV-related death. This form of meningitis affects more than 900,000 HIV-infected people globally most of them in sub-Saharan Africa and other areas of the world where antiretroviral therapy for HIV is not available.
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Aspirin Appears To Be Associated With Lower Risk Of Stroke For Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease
An analysis of previous studies indicates that among patients with peripheral artery disease, aspirin use is associated with a statistically nonsignificant decrease in the risk of a group of combined cardiovascular events (nonfatal heart attack, nonfatal stroke, and cardiovascular death), but is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of one of these events, nonfatal stroke, although the findings may be limited by the lack of a large study population, according to an article in the May 13 issue of JAMA.
News of the day
Green Tea Chemical Shows Potential As Low-Cost Intervention Against Sexual HIV Transmission, Study Says
A chemical found in green tea might be an effective tool against the sexual transmission of HIV, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Heidelberg in Germany and published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, AFP/Google.com reports. According to the study, green tea polyphenol -- called epigallocatechin-3-gallete, or EGCG -- neutralizes a protein in sperm that aids in the transmission of HIV during sex. The researchers noted that they "recently identified a peptide fraction in human semen that consistently enhanced HIV-1 infection." The study found that EGCG is able to neutralize the sperm protein, known as a semen-derived enhancer of virus infection, or SEVI. The researchers said that SEVI is "an important infectivity factor of HIV." According to the researchers, EGCG "appears to be a promising supplement to antiretroviral microbicides to reduce sexual transmission of HIV-1." The researchers said that because a majority of people living with HIV contract the disease through heterosexual transmission and that 96% of new cases are reported in developing and impoverished nations, the use of green tea in topical creams could be a "simple and affordable prevention method" (AFP/Google.com, 5/19).
Oncology

Tocilizumab Blunts Joint Damage Worsening In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

COPENHAGEN - The interleukin (IL)-6 receptor inhibitor tocilizumab (ActemraR) combined with methotrexate is more effective than methotrexate monotherapy in inhibiting the progression of structural joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis patients, according to results released at the 10th Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) 2009. Joel Kremer, MD, Research Director at the Center for Rheumatology in Albany, New York, and co-workers examined the efficacy of adding tocilizumab to methotrexate in patients who had an inadequate response to methotrexate. The two-year, phase 3 LITHE (Tocilizumab Safety and The Prevention of Structural Joint Damage) trial was conducted in more than 1,200 patients in 15 countries. Patients received stable doses of methotrexate with tocilizumab (4 mg/kg or 8 mg/kg) or placebo (control) every four weeks and could receive blinded rescue therapy starting at week 16. Interim results at 52 weeks showed disease remission, demonstrated by DAS28 less than 2.6, in 30 percent of tocilizumab patients on the 4 mg/kg dose and 47 percent of patients on the tocilizumab 8 mg/kg dose versus eight percent of placebo-treated patients. Both tocilizumab cohorts also had a significant inhibition in the progression of structural joint damage as measured by the change in the mean Genant -modified Total Sharp Score versus patients assigned to methotrexate plus placebo (0.29, 0.34, and 1.1, respectively, p less than 0.001). In addition, there were significantly more patients in the tocilizumab groups with no radiographic progression whatsoever from baseline versus control, (pò‰¤0.0001.) Most tocilizumab-treated patients had significantly more improvement in their physical function than control patients. "Inhibiting rheumatoid arthritis from progressing further by achieving disease remission provides real-life benefits to patients while at the same time helping them maintain day-to day function,"" Dr. Kremer, who is the study"s principal investigator, said in a news release. "The study also demonstrated the efficacy of tocilizumab, even in patients with a relatively long disease duration, which suggests that it may be an effective treatment option for many rheumatoid arthritis patients." Written by Jill Stein Jill Stein is a Paris-based freelance medical writer. jillstein03(at)gmail.com Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today


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