Increasing rates of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections among HIV-infected persons.

Community-acquired (CA) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rates have rapidly increased in the general population; however, little data on recent incidence rates and risk factors of CA-MRSA infections among HIV patients appear in the literature. A retrospective study was conducted from 1993 through 2005 among patients at a large HIV clinic. Trends in CA-MRSA infection incidence rates, clinical characteristics and risk factors for CA-MRSA were evaluated.

Cadmium bioavailability and bioaccessibility as determined by in vitro digestion, dialysis and intestinal epithelial monolayers, and compared to in vivo data.

The objective of the study was to compare in vivo estimates of Cd bioavailability in two diet materials (lettuce and durum wheat grain) with bioaccessibility estimates from three in vitro methods. For both dietary materials, the Cd was either incorporated during growth or applied topically as a soluble salt just prior to experimentation. Simulated gastric/intestinal digestion using a physiologically based extraction technique (PBET) solubilized less than 56% (lettuce) or 13% (grain) of the Cd that was either incorporated into the plant tissues during growth, or added to the plant tissues before experimentation, as Cd(NO3)2.

The HBV drug entecavir - effects on HIV-1 replication and resistance.

Entecavir, a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, is not believed to inhibit replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) at clinically relevant doses. We observed that entecavir led to a consistent 1-log(10) decrease in HIV-1 RNA in three persons with HIV-1 and HBV coinfection, and we obtained supportive in vitro evidence that entecavir is a potent partial inhibitor of HIV-1 replication. Detailed analysis showed that in one of these patients, entecavir monotherapy led to an accumulation of HIV-1 variants with the lamivudine-resistant mutation, M184V.

Death by small forces: a fracture and fatigue analysis of wave-swept macroalgae.

Wave-swept macroalgae are subjected to large hydrodynamic forces as each wave breaks on shore, loads that are repeated thousands of times per day. Previous studies have shown that macroalgae can easily withstand isolated impositions of maximal field forces. Nonetheless, macroalgae break frequently.

PI3K signalling during influenza A virus infections.

Recent work has demonstrated that the PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase) signalling pathway is important for efficient influenza A virus replication. Activation of PI3K in virus-infected cells is mediated by the viral NS1 protein, which binds directly to the p85beta regulatory subunit of PI3K and causes the PI3K-dependent phosphorylation of Akt (protein kinase B). Given that recombinant influenza A viruses unable to activate PI3K signalling are attenuated in tissue culture, the PI3K pathway could be a novel target for the development of future anti-influenza drugs.

Erectile dysfunction and hypogonadism among men with HIV.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) and hypogonadism are increasingly recognized conditions, however, the prevalence and etiologies of these conditions among HIV-infected men remain unclear. We studied 300 HIV-infected men who completed standardized questionnaires regarding sexual function and hypogonadal symptoms. An early morning testosterone test was performed; patients with a low serum testosterone level (defined by <300 ng/dL), underwent additional blood tests to determine the etiology of the hypogonadism.

Culpability and blame after pregnancy loss.

The problem of feeling guilty about a pregnancy loss is suggested to be primarily a moral matter and not a medical or psychological one. Two standard approaches to women who blame themselves for a loss are first introduced, characterised as either psychologistic or deterministic. Both these approaches are shown to underdetermine the autonomy of the mother by depending on the notion that the mother is not culpable for the loss if she "could not have acted otherwise".

Justice and equality in mental health law: the European experience.

This is the text of a lecture delivered at the World Conference of the International Academy of Law and Mental Health in Sydney in September 2003 on the occasion of the award to the author of the Prix Philippe Pinel. Its theme is the potential of the European Convention on Human Rights to secure the human rights of people with mental disorders and disabilities, viewed in the context of the legislation on mental health and mental incapacity in England and Wales. Its conclusion is that the Convention is better at protecting them from unwanted or unnecessary treatment and care than it is at securing for them equal access to the treatment and care they want or need.

Unusual presentations of coccidioidomycosis: a case series and review of the literature.

Coccidioidomycosis is an emerging fungal infection of the southwestern United States. Although Coccidioides species infections are usually asymptomatic or result in a mild, flu-like illness, disseminated disease may occur in 1% of cases. While extrapulmonary disease usually involves the skin, central nervous system, bones, or joints, coccidioidomycosis is a great imitator, with the ability to infect any tissue or organ.

Influenza A virus NS1 protein binds p85beta and activates phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase signaling.

Influenza A virus NS1 is a multifunctional protein, and in virus-infected cells NS1 modulates a number of host-cell processes by interacting with cellular factors. Here, we report that NS1 binds directly to p85beta, a regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K), but not to the related p85alpha subunit. Activation of PI3K in influenza virus-infected cells depended on genome replication, and showed kinetics that correlated with NS1 expression.

The influence of sampling site and assay method on lactate concentration in response to rock climbing.

The sport of rock climbing has increased in popularity and as a focus for research. Previous studies have examined the physiological determinants for successful performance. Variation is evident between studies over lactate sampling sites and assay methods.

The biotic ligand model for plants and metals: technical challenges for field application.

To improve predictions of phytoavailable metal, the mechanistic bases of bioaccumulation and toxicity of metals to plants can be integrated into a biotic ligand model (BLM). There are a number of significant challenges to the application of the BLM to plants in soils, including reliable measurements of free ion concentrations for the metals of interest in rhizospheric soil solution, as well as other free ions, and concentrations of ligands to which the ions could bind; identification of the simplest model that can adequately predict root accumulation, and the potential for more complex models to add accuracy to the predictions; incorporating the dissociation of labile metal complexes (i.e.

Effects of drought stress and nutrient availability on dry matter allocation, phenolic glycosides, and rapid induced resistance of poplar to two lymantriid defoliators.

The growth-differentiation balance hypothesis (GDBH) postulates that variation in resource availability can increase or decrease allocation to secondary metabolism, depending on how growth is affected relative to carbon assimilation. Growth and leaf area of black poplar (Populus nigra) increased substantially in response to increased nutrient availability, while net assimilation rate and photosynthesis were less strongly affected. In response, total phenolic glycoside concentrations declined, which is consistent with GDBH.

Exercise-dependence in bodybuilders: antecedents and reliability of measurement.

Aim: The purposes of this study were: a) to examine social and psychological antecedents of bodybuilding dependence (life satisfaction, socio-economic status, marital status and parental status) and b) to examine the test-retest reliability of the Bodybuilding Dependence Scale (BDS).

Methods: One hundred and eighty-one male bodybuilders agreed to participate in the study. Nineteen of these failed to complete the questionnaire on the second occasion, resulting in a sample size of 162.

Use of bilirubin as a marker of adherence to atazanavir-based antiretroviral therapy.

We retrospectively reviewed 134 patients to evaluate atazanavir-related bilirubin elevation as an adherence marker. Using a 2 log reduction or undetectable viral load as a marker for suppression, the median bilirubin increase at first follow-up was 1.3 (0.

Effect of incremental exercise on initiation and movement times in a choice response, whole body psychomotor task.

Objectives: To examine how exercise at moderate and maximal intensities affects performance on a choice response time, whole body psychomotor task.

Methods: Subjects (n = 12) were tested on a three-choice response time task, after rest and after exercise at 70% and 100% maximum power output (W*max). The dependent variables were time to begin forward momentum (initiation time) and time to complete the movement (movement time).

Landowner satisfaction with the Wetlands Reserve Program in Wisconsin.

We evaluated ecological monitoring data and landowner perceptions to the federally funded Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in a three-county region in Wisconsin. We surveyed landowner satisfaction, involvement, participation, and use of the WRP restoration sites. We found that landowners are satisfied with the overall program (mean, 3.

Temperature dependence of homogeneous nucleation rates for water: near equivalence of the empirical fit of Wölk and Strey, and the scaled nucleation model.

It is pointed out that the temperature fitting function of Wölk and Strey [J. Phys. Chem.

Ecological conservation through aesthetic landscape planning: a case study of the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway.

A consequence of expanding residential development into rural areas is the potential alteration of ecological communities. Certain novel land-use policies seek practical solutions by accommodating social needs for housing while conserving biodiversity. This study investigates whether regulations designed to protect the aesthetic characteristics of a river corridor simultaneously mitigate negative effects of development on avian biodiversity, despite the absence of explicit conservation objectives.

History of U.S. military contributions to the study of rickettsial diseases.

Rickettsial diseases have affected the military throughout history. Efforts such as those of the Joint U.S.