Malignancies have been detected in approximately 40% of all patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) sometime during the course of their illness. More »
We’re now entering the fourth decade of HIV/AIDS awareness. Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the earliest report (on June 5, 1981) of what is now known as AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). More »
With National HIV Testing Day recently behind us and the 19th International AIDS conference happening later in July in Washington, DC, I would like to share some recent HIV/AIDS statistical, research, and policy highlights. More »
Thanks to the widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), AIDS patients continue to live longer after their initial diagnosis. More »
Extracts of oleander are promoted to treat cancer, AIDS, and congestive heart failure, and a few of these extracts are being investigated in clinical trials. There are no data yet on their efficacy. More »
Though there are no data yet on their efficacy, oleander extracts are promoted to treat cancer, AIDS, and congestive heart failure, and are being investigated in clinical trials. More »
HIV’s disruption of immune system function may cause the immune system cells themselves to become cancerous, NCI researchers have concluded. If so, this might explain why patients with AIDS are 100 times more likely to be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma than the general population. More »
Malignant pleural effusion complicates the care of approximately 150,000 people in the United States each year. The pleural effusion is usually caused by a disturbance of the normal Starling forces regulating reabsorption of fluid in the pleural space, secondary to obstruction of mediastinal lymph nodes draining the parietal pleura. More »
Malignancies have been detected in approximately 40% of all patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) sometime during the course of their illness. These cancers have been both a primary cause of death in some patients and also a source of considerable morbidity. In the current era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are surviving longer than ever. HAART appears to have substantially reduced the incidence of... More »
The purposes of this study were to determine the clinical importance and relative value of reinterpretation of brain CT studies by subspecialty experts by assessing the accuracy of interpretation by general radiologists at primary stroke centers and to assess interpretive quality outcomes as a function of change in the treatment of patients with stroke diagnoses or acute presentations of suspected stroke.|Computerized medical records for the years 2009-2010 at four major community hospitals were queried for primary interpretation of brain CT studies of stroke patients with an acute presentation of either stroke or suspected stroke as diagnosed by board-certified general radiologists (nonneuroradiologists). A central database was queried that allowed one to query by clinical history or symptoms. Secondary interpretation of images of the identified patient sample was then performed by three experienced neuroradiologists. Each case was initially interpreted as an emergency or urgent
Survivin is overexpressed in major types of cancer and is considered an ideal "universal" tumor-associated antigen that can be targeted by immunotherapeutic vaccines. However, its anti-apoptosis function raises certain safety concerns. Here, a new truncated human survivin, devoid of the anti-apoptosis function, was generated as a candidate tumor vaccine. Interleukin 2 (IL-2) has been widely used as an adjuvant for vaccination against various diseases. Meanwhile, the DNA prime and recombinant adenovirus (rAd) boost heterologous immunization strategy has been proven to be highly effective in enhancing immune responses. Therefore, the efficacy of a new cancer vaccine based on a truncated form of survivin, combined with IL-2, DNA prime, and rAd boost, was tested. As prophylaxis, immunization with the DNA vaccine alone resulted in a weak immune response and modest anti-tumor effect, whereas the tumor inhibition ratio with the DNA vaccine administered with IL-2 increased to 89% and was
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is one of the most common types of non-AIDS-defining tumors in the HIV-infected. Its incidence however seems to have increased under highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). HIV-HL is a different entity from HL in HIV-negative subjects with a poorer prognosis that is associated with tumor-subtype, EBV-infection, and "B" symptoms. Despite the aggressive nature of the disease, clinical outcome has improved with combination therapies including appropriately timed antiretroviral strategies and the quality of supportive care-notably the use of hematopoietic growth factors. More intensive chemotherapy regimens with or without autologous stem cell transplantation appear to improve survival. Functional imaging such as positron emission tomography and computed tomography (FDG-PET) may help guide treatment strategy and minimize long-term toxicity.
To evaluate the effect of hexaminolevulinate (HAL)-induced fluorescence during resection of noninvasive bladder cancer on tumor recurrence compared with resection under white light.|Between 2008 and 2010, 102 consecutive patients with suspected bladder cancer were randomized to undergo transurethral resection with either conventional white light or combination of white light and HAL-induced fluorescence. Difference in tumor recurrence rate and recurrence-free survival between the 2 groups was evaluated. Subgroup analysis on recurrence-free survival was performed for different tumor parameters.|Cystoscopy at 3 months revealed tumor recurrence in 6 of 45 (13.3%) patients of the white light group compared with only 1 of 41 patients of the HAL group (2.4%) (P < .001). The recurrence-free rates in white light patients at 12 and 18 months were 56.3% and 50.6%, respectively, compared with 91% and 82.5% in HAL patients (P = .0006). In subgroup analyses, recurrence-free survival was similar
Ewing sarcoma is a high-grade round cell sarcoma that affects bones and soft tissues in children and young adults. Its diagnosis can be challenging, and the differential diagnoses include a wide variety of small round cell tumors. CD99 and FLI-1 are the currently accepted immunohistochemical markers for Ewing sarcoma, but their accuracy has been controversial. NKX2.2 is a homeodomain-containing transcription factor that plays a critical role in neuroendocrine/glial differentiation. The NKX2.2 gene was recently identified as a target of EWS-FLI-1, the fusion protein specific to Ewing sarcoma, and was shown to be differentially upregulated in Ewing sarcoma on the basis of array-based gene expression analysis. However, the immunohistochemical diagnostic potential of this marker has not been tested. We immunostained representative sections of 30 genetically confirmed Ewing sarcomas and 130 non-Ewing small round cell tumors by using an antibody to NKX2.2. Nuclear staining in at least 5% of
Five Steps to Improving Patient Access Judy Capko, May 21, 2013 Patient access is getting increased attention through reform initiatives. Here are five steps you can take to make sure patients get appropriate access to care in your office.
Growing HIPAA Threat – Ignore Windows XP at Your Own Peril Marion K. Jenkins, May 21, 2013 Chances are good that you have some major ticking software time bombs lurking in your medical practice's computer environment, namely Windows XP and Server 2003.
Three Areas to Reduce Costs at Your Medical Practice Greg Mertz, May 19, 2013 By taking a hard look at reducing costs for staffing, overhead, and technology at your medical practice, you may see increased physician compensation.
Dos and Don’ts for Starting a Physician Blog Michael Woo-Ming, MD, May 18, 2013 Starting a physician blog can provide your medical practice with marketing benefits, but it's important to do it right.
