Better use of Darwinian concepts might change the way we look at some diseases

Medical science seems generally to be fixed in a paradigm within which individual organisms are viewed as harmonious units with all their component parts functioning towards a common good. This paper shows how a more revealing research methodology might be generated if a cellular, as opposed to organismic, perspective were used when thinking about some pathologies. From the cellular perspective, cells in multicellular organisms are seen to abandon intracellular cooperation and 'go solo' in some situations. This change in cellular conduct is facilitated by vestigial or introduced genetic instruction. When cells in multicellular organisms stop cooperating we call it disease.     

A look at lab numbers

Lab analyses show that children with HIV differ in disease characteristics from HIV-infected adults. In children, viral load and T-cells are higher initially, but gradually decline and achieve a plateau by age six. Like adults, both T-cells and two separate viral load levels must be considered when deciding on therapy. CD4+ cell counts below 25 percent of normal age levels warrant therapy. There is a substantial overlap in viral load levels in the first year of life between children who have rapid disease progression and those who do not. One study revealed that the average viral load for the first year of life was 185,000. For children below 2 years of age, viral load needs to multiply or decrease by five times to be considered a significant change, compared to a threefold difference for persons more than 2 years of age.     

A look at Women Alive

Women Alive is an advocacy group for HIV-positive women who are lesbians or have been incarcerated, and provides treatment information and education. Women Alive also provides outreach and counseling through telephone hotlines, Internet discussion groups, and group meetings. The group's philosophy is that creating a supportive environment for HIV-positive women is crucial to their survival. Women Alive also tracks gender-based differences in treatment, and works to ensure that women's health care needs are adequately addressed. Contact information for the group and for their Peer Support Hotline is included.     

A critical look at HLA-G

Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is a nonclassical HLA class-I molecule that was found to be expressed by placental trophoblast cells 20 years ago. Because trophoblast forms the physical interface between fetus and mother, HLA-G might play a role in maternal immunological accommodation of the semi-allogeneic fetus. Despite a mounting number of publications, there is still no consensus on many aspects of HLA-G, including its tissue distribution and receptor binding. Here we critically review the literature and suggest why some of this controversy has arisen and how it might be resolved. We do conclude that the evidence for trophoblast HLA-G stimulating leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor B1 receptors on decidual leukocytes is compelling. These findings suggest how a fetal molecule might influence the local maternal immune response.     

A critical look at connectomics

There is a public perception that connectomics will translate directly into insights for disease. It is essential that scientists and funding institutions avoid misrepresentation and accurately communicate the scope of their work.     

A stereoscopic look at visual cortex

Three recent studies offer new insights into the way visual cortex handles binocular disparity signals. Two of these studies recorded from single neurons in two different visual areas of the monkey brain, one (V5/MT) in dorsal and one (V4) in ventral cortex. While V5/MT neurons respond similarly to neurons in primary visual cortex (V1), V4 neurons appear to reflect a more advanced stage in the analysis of retinal disparity, closer to the perceptual experience of stereoscopic depth. Both studies are consistent with a third study using fMRI to address similar questions in humans. Together with previous evidence, these results suggest a new framework for understanding stereoscopic processing based on the separation between ventral and dorsal streams in visual cortex.