Scabies in the nursing home.

Scabies infection is antediluvian and ubiquitous both in developing and developed countries, yet often neglected. Scabies has a predilection to infect vulnerable subsets of population in crowding conditions, typically applicable to residents in the nursing home. The mite incites a unique immunological response from human hosts.

Detection of esophageal varices using CT and MRI.

Background And Aims: The development of esophageal varices in cirrhotic patients carries a significant risk of hemorrhage and associated morbidity/mortality. Universal endoscopic screening, however, is invasive and expensive. Conversely, cirrhotic patients often have imaging findings which suggest portal hypertension.

Correlation between beta-lipoprotein levels and outcome of hepatitis C treatment.

The low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) has been proposed as a candidate receptor for the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Competitive inhibition of HCV binding to the LDLR by low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been shown in vitro. If similar inhibition occurs in vivo, an elevated serum concentration of beta-lipoproteins may reduce the efficiency of infecting hepatocytes with HCV by competitively inhibiting HCV viral receptor binding.