Cryptococcus Infection in an Immunocompetent Patient.

Cryptococcal meningitis is a fungal infection of the CNS, generally thought of as an opportunistic infection in those with T-cell immunodeficiencies including AIDS (usually with a CD4 count of less than 100), chronic steroid use, hematological malignancies, and transplant recipients. It can have irreversible CNS morbidity, including vision loss, intracranial hypertension, and cognitive decline. Diagnosis depends on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis, in which cultures and cryptococcal antigen are most sensitive.

A Rare Case of Pyriform Sinus Fistula in an Adult.

The pyriform sinus fistula is very rare in adults, and it can present as recurrent deep neck space infection and abscess formation. The fistula results due to failure of obliteration of the third and fourth pharyngeal pouches. The diagnosis is often challenging, even with standard imaging techniques.

Pleural and Pericardial Infection Due to Cutibacterium acnes in a Splenectomized Patient: A Case Report of an Underreported Systemic Infection.

Infectious pericarditis does not always present with all the classic findings. Some of the traditional signs of fever, pleuritic chest pain, and frictional rub may be missing. This presents a diagnostic challenge, thus clinical suspicion is important.

Permanent pacemaker-associated actinomycetemcomitans endocarditis: A case report.

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a Gram-negative bacillus, member of the HACEK group of bacteria, and it is a very rare cause of endocarditis. It is also an extremely rare cause of device-associated infection of the heart. We describe the case of a 25 year-old man who presented with pacemaker-associated endocarditis due to Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and also discuss the implications and treatment of this organism.

Primary cerebral echinococcosis presenting as long-standing generalized weakness.

Echinococcosis is an infectious disease that can remain dormant for years. The most common sites of infection are liver and lungs. Primary cerebral disease is very rare.

Tuberculous empyema presenting as a persistent chest wall mass: case report.

Empyema necessitatis is an empyema that spreads outside of the pleural space involving the chest wall. Tuberculosis is the most common cause. It occurs in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients.

Asthma in the geriatric population.

Asthma is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in the geriatric population. Despite the rising incidence of asthma in people >65 years of age, the diagnosis is frequently missed in this population. Factors that contribute to this include respiratory changes caused by aging, immunosenescence, lack of symptoms, polypharmacy, clinician unawareness, and lack of evidence-based guidelines for diagnosis and management that target this population.

Alzheimer's disease and immunotherapy.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a growing health care epidemic. It is the most common cause of dementia and its incidence is rising. Age, which influences the oxidative and inflammatory states of the brain, is the most important risk factor.

A review on the role of quinones in renal disorders.

Quinones are electron and proton carriers that play a primary role in the aerobic metabolism of virtually every cell in nature. Most physiological quinones are benzoquinones. They undergo highly regulated redox reactions in the mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum.

Bacterial biofilms and chronic rhinosinusitis.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a highly prevalent disease in the adult and pediatric population. It causes significant burden and the management is considered one of the most costly public health conditions. Comorbidities include asthma, aspirin sensitivity, and nasal polyposis.

Slow dissociation of a charged ligand: analysis of the primary quinone Q(A) site of photosynthetic bacterial reaction centers.

Reaction centers (RCs) are integral membrane proteins that undergo a series of electron transfer reactions during the process of photosynthesis. In the Q(A) site of RCs from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, ubiquinone-10 is reduced, by a single electron transfer, to its semiquinone. The neutral quinone and anionic semiquinone have similar affinities, which is required for correct in situ reaction thermodynamics.

Modification of quinone electrochemistry by the proteins in the biological electron transfer chains: examples from photosynthetic reaction centers.

Quinones such as ubiquinone are the lipid soluble electron and proton carriers in the membranes of mitochondria, chloroplasts and oxygenic bacteria. Quinones undergo controlled redox reactions bound to specific sites in integral membrane proteins such as the cytochrome bc(1) oxidoreductase. The quinone reactions in bacterial photosynthesis are amongst the best characterized, presenting a model to understand how proteins modulate cofactor chemistry.

Modeling binding kinetics at the Q(A) site in bacterial reaction centers.

Bacterial reaction centers (RCs) catalyze a series of electron-transfer reactions reducing a neutral quinone to a bound, anionic semiquinone. The dissociation constants and association rates of 13 tailless neutral and anionic benzo- and naphthoquinones for the Q(A) site were measured and compared. The K(d) values for these quinones range from 0.