Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfection in a patient with AIDS.

Strongyloides stercoralis is a prevalent cause of severe infection and death in many areas of the world where fecal contamination of soil or water is common. The nematode is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including northeastern Argentina, where infection rates may exceed 30% of the population. Strongyloides infections are often light and associated with few or no signs and symptoms, particularly during initial migration through the body.

Regional differences in astrocyte activation in HIV-associated dementia.

Since astrogliosis is a histological marker usually observed in HIV-associated dementia (HIV-D), we decided to investigate the potential relationship between the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and the regional distribution of cells positive (+) for this specific marker of astrocyte activation. Histological sections of brain tissues obtained at necropsy from 5 HIV-D patients and 5 age-matched controls without history of neuropsychiatric illness were immunostained with peroxidase. Mean numbers of GFAP(+) astrocytes were significantly increased in entorhinal cortex, hippocampus and subcortical white matter of patients, but values in frontal cortex and basal ganglia were similar to those of controls.