Detection of herpes simplex virus type 1 in rheumatic valvular tissue.

Background: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is the most important sequela of rheumatic fever (RF): evidence that streptococcal infection is aetiological is prominent, but sometimes contradictory. Acute HSV-1 infection in mouse leads to carditis and valvulitis whereas recurrent infection results in inflammatory granulomatous lesions that resemble Aschoff bodies. Cells containing HSV-1 inclusions or virus infected giant cells appear similar to Anitschkow cells or Aschoff cells respectively.

Preferences for hospital quality in Zambia: results from a discrete choice experiment.

This study reports on the results of a discrete choice experiment undertaken in Zambia to assess the factors influencing the demand for hospital care in Zambia, in particular the role of (perceived) quality and trade-offs between price and quality. Valuations of quality were evaluated for the treatment of two acute medical conditions, cerebral malaria in adults and acute pneumonia in children. Marginal utilities and willingness-to-pay for attributes of quality of hospital care were estimated, together with the influence of socioeconomic characteristics on these valuations and the extent of non-linearities in valuations of time and money.

Detection of enterovirus capsid protein VP1 in myocardium from cases of myocarditis or dilated cardiomyopathy by immunohistochemistry: further evidence of enterovirus persistence in myocytes.

The association of enteroviruses with myocardial disease has been investigated extensively by molecular biological techniques to detect viral RNA, but remains controversial. This retrospective study investigated the involvement of enterovirus in myocarditis or dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) by detection of viral antigens in myocardial samples from a new patient series using an optimized immunohistochemical technique. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded biopsy, autopsy or explanted myocardial tissue samples were obtained from 136 subjects.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 infection associated with atrial myxoma.

Some findings suggest an infectious factor in cardiac myxoma and certain histopathological features indicate herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection. We hypothesized that HSV-1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of cardiac myxoma. Paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 17 patients with atrial myxoma were investigated for HSV-1 antigen by immunohistochemistry and viral genomic DNA by nested polymerase chain reaction.