A relationship between CD4 count and oral manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy in urban population.

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection gradually destroys the body's immune system, which makes it harder for the body to fight infections. HIV infection causes a quantitative and qualitative depletion of CD4 lymphocyte count, which increases the risk of opportunistic infections. Thus, CD4 count is one of the key factors in determining both the urgency of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) initiation and the need of prophylaxis for opportunistic infections.

Predictors of HIV positivity among pregnant women presenting for obstetric care in South India - a case-control study.

Feminization of the HIV epidemic in India has increasingly burdened the public health infrastructure to provide prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services. A mere 20% of pregnant women in the country receive HIV counseling and testing. One of the strategies, for expansion of PMTCT services is to ascertain an accurate identification of HIV-positive pregnant women.

Retinol enhances differentiation of the gastric parietal cell lineage in developing rabbits.

In the gastric glands, parietal cells are the targets for anti-ulcer drugs because they contain the proton pump or HK-ATPase responsible for acid secretion. Little is known about factors influencing developmental expression and activity of HK-ATPase. In this study, the parietal cell lineage was investigated in rabbits at post-natal days 0 (P0) to P60 by using morphological and biochemical methods.