Conjunctival Flora of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Patients on Antiretroviral Treatment.

Objectives: To determine the conjunctival flora of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients on antiretroviral treatment (ART).

Methodology: A total of 104 conjunctival swabs from 104 HIV patients on ART underwent microbiological evaluation to describe the flora.

Result: There were 71 (68.

A ghrelin gene variant may predict crossover rate from restricting-type anorexia nervosa to other phenotypes of eating disorders: a retrospective survival analysis.

Background: Patients with anorexia nervosa restricting type (AN-R) often develop bulimic symptoms and crossover to AN-binge eating/purging type (AN-BP), or to bulimia nervosa (BN). We have reported earlier that genetic variants of an orexigenic peptide ghrelin are associated with BN. Here, the relationship between a ghrelin gene variant and the rate of change from AN-R to other phenotypes of eating disorders (EDs) was investigated.

[Somatization and FSS].

In this paper, we discussed the relationship between somatization and functional somatic syndrome (FSS). The concept of somatization takes its origin from the work of Freud S who proposed the idea of conversion as a main defense mechanism. At the same period, the term somatization was introduced by Stekel W as a hypothetical process whereby a deep-seated conflict could cause a bodily disorder.

Clarithromycin suppresses bronchial hyperresponsiveness associated with eosinophilic inflammation in patients with asthma.

Background: Although long-term administration of 14-membered macrolide antibiotics is a therapeutic alternative in asthma, both its pharmacologic mechanism of action and association with the pathogenesis of asthma remain obscure.

Objective: This study investigated the suppressive effect of clarithromycin on airway responsiveness to methacholine provocation testing and examined whether chrarithromycin's antiasthmatic activity is associated with a reduction in eosinophilic inflammation.

Methods: For 8 weeks, patients received 200 mg of clarithromycin or identical-appearing placebo twice daily.