Reflecting and regrouping after failed trials, sepsis researchers forge on

Article Abstract:

Researchers continue to develop treatments for septic shock despite the disappointing results of clinical trials. Septic shock results from the body's reaction to bacterial infection, and involves the release of immune cells and inflammatory chemicals. It occurs in approximately 400,000 patients in the US each year, and one-fourth die. Antibodies to bacterial endotoxin have been successful in animals but not in humans, possibly because humans are more diverse. A soluble receptor for tumor necrosis factor protects mice from sepsis and reduced mortality by 36% in a human trial. Another approach is inhibitors of nitric oxide or the enzyme that produces it. Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels and can lead to multiple organ failure. Another promising treatment is reconstituted high-density lipoprotein, which can bind to bacterial endotoxin LPS.

Care and treatment, Complications and side effects, Bacterial infections, Septic shock

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Ecological monitoring helps researchers study disease in environmental context

Article Abstract:

Infectious disease experts are beginning to use methods of ecological monitoring to determine where and when a disease outbreak might strike. For example, an outbreak of Hantavirus occurred in the Southwest when heavy rains increased the food supply of the deer mouse that carries the virus. Satellite images can reveal changes in vegetation and weather patterns that could be a harbinger of such outbreaks. This is possible because the same environmental factors that affect vegetation also affect the spread of disease-causing organisms. Blooms of algae in the ocean can also predict an increase in shellfish poisoning and Vibrio contamination of oysters.

Methods, Forecasts and trends, Environmental aspects, Communicable diseases, Ecological research, Epidemics

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HIV Researchers Air New Findings

Article Abstract:

HIV researchers discussed their findings at the Sixth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in February, 1999. Some patients who take highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) can recover their immune function. This may occur because an organ called the thymus can continue to produce new T cells even in adults. These patients have fewer opportunistic infections, indicating a strengthened immune system. CD8 T cells appear to be involved in the immune response against the virus. One piece of bad news is that the virus is becoming resistant to some AIDS drugs.

Physiological aspects, HIV infection, HIV infections

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