Possibilities of specific immunological tests in patients with TB/HIV coinfection

The objective of the study: to study the possibilities of skin tests with tuberculosis recombinant allergen (TRA) in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in HIV-positive patients in the region with a high prevalence of tuberculosis.Subjects and Methods. Medical files of 85 patients were retrospectively analyzed, all the patients suffered from TB/HIV coinfection and underwent the skin test with TRA.Results. The skin test with TRA was found to be significantly valuable for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in patients with TB/HIV coinfection. The correlation between the intensity of response to the TRA test and CD4+ count was detected (p = 0.011). The lowest values were observed for CD4+ counts below 100 cells/μL. The direct correlation between the intensity of response to TRA and the stage of HIV infection was proved. No effect of the form of tuberculosis, the phase of the tuberculosis disease, or drug sensitivity on the intensity of response to TRA was found. Among tuberculosis patients with bacterial excretion (n = 48), 68.8% of patients responded positively to the TRA test, and in those with no bacterial excretion, the positive reaction was observed in 81.1%.

The Impact of Orgasm on the Development of Female Sexual Experiences at Different Age Stages

The data on the effect of the absence or presence of orgasm on the representation in the domain of self-awareness of women of sexual and emotional experience at different age stages is given. 429 women with an average age of sexual debut 18,220,12 years were surveyed anonymously. Between the ages of 18 and 24, 179 women had regularly experienced orgasm, but 37 had not. At the age of 25-60, 186 women had experienced orgasm, and 27 had not. We used the method of sampling experiences. The women noted the signs consistent with their usual experiences during “normal” intercourse. It has been established that the appearance of an orgasm before 25 years of age strengthens and reinforces psychological satisfaction, inner comfort, meeting expectations, sexual interest, intensity of reaction and acceptance of what is happening, weakens dysphoria and shame. At the age of over 25 years, appearance of an orgasm maximally stimulates sexual interest, intensity of response, acceptance of what is happening, sharpness of perception, reduces shame and weakens physical discomfort more strongly. The absence of an orgasm before the age of 25 does not have a bright negative effect. After 25 years, this, first of all, leads to a decrease in sexual interest and mood, increased shame, guilt, hopelessness, and disruption of interpersonal interaction.

The clinical aspects of effectiveness of incretin therapy (WNT-pathogenic path and polymorphism of gene TCF7L2)

The article considers genetic susceptibility to development of diabetes mellitus type II, its micro-vascular complications and intensity of response under application of incretin therapy depending on carriage of polymorphism of gene TCF7L2 involved into WNT-path and incretin axis.

Experimentally induced invasive aspergillosis in mice

In this study systemic response to intravenous administration of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia was investigated. The intensity of response was evaluated by a survival rate and by histopathological tissue analysis. Administration of all doses (106 - 5x107) of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia caused mortality, but the highest mortality and the shorter time of survival were noted at higher doses applied. At the highest applied dose, the presence of spores and hyphae was noted in lungs and kidneys. Histological analysis revealed the presence of intense inflammatory reaction in lungs, kidneys and spleen. Functional and histological changes observed provide means to study both mechanisms and drug interventions in systemic Aspergillus infection.

Serological responses to Cryptosporidium antigens among women using riverbank-filtered water, conventionally filtered surface water and groundwater in Hungary

We compared serological responses to Cryptosporidium parvum antigens using surplus sera from females undergoing routine screening for pregnancy from three counties in Hungary where bank-filtered surface water, conventionally filtered and disinfected surface water, and groundwater from either a karst or confined aquifer are commonly used for drinking water. The primary purpose was to determine whether the prevalence and intensity of serological responses, indicators of prior Cryptosporidium infection were similar for these populations. Women using groundwater from a confined aquifer had significantly lower mean serological responses for both the 15/17-kDa and 27-kDa (p<0.0001) antigen groups than women using conventionally filtered and disinfected surface water or karst well water. This is suggestive of less frequent infections. Women using bank-filtered water also had lower mean responses for both antigen groups. Among women using bank-filtered water, the mean intensity of response for both antigen groups was almost one-third of the mean response observed for women using conventionally filtered and disinfected surface water. These findings suggest that riverbank filtration may be an effective alternative to conventional treatment for reducing Cryptosporidium exposures and infection from surface drinking water sources.

Effects of chlorine and chloramines on earthy and musty odors in drinking water

Water treatment plants in the US may operate under the assumption that chlorine masks earthy and musty odors from geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) in drinking water. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the effects of chlorine and chloramines on geosmin and MIB by two sensory analysis approaches - a statistical Pairwise Comparison Test, and Flavor Profile Analysis (FPA). All Pairwise Ranking test statistics were significant (p<0.05); we conclude that panelists can differentiate minor differences in geosmin and MIB concentrations in a Pairwise Comparison Test even in the presence of chlorine. FPA appeared to be more challenging in discerning subtle differences in concentrations of geosmin or MIB than did the Pairwise Comparison Test, and the presence of chlorine (0.5-20 mg/L) and chloramines (3-24 mg/L) confused the panelists (i.e showed a larger error in the intensity of response reported by the panel), but did not necessarily mask geosmin or MIB.