Interruptions of tenofovir/emtricitabine-based antiretroviral therapy in patients with HIV/hepatitis B virus co-infection

Thai patients enrolled in STACCATO with HIV/hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infection and tenofovir/emtricitabine-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) were randomly assigned to continuous treatment or CD4 cell count-guided interruptions. HBV replication was suppressed below detection in 15/16 patients. Structured treatment interruption increased transaminases and HBV viraemia in five of six patients; one flare was severe. Conversion to anti-hepatitis Be occurred with continuous treatment only. Tenofovir/emtricitabine-containing ART is highly effective in controlling chronic HIV/HBV co-infection but treatment should not be interrupted.     

Donepezil Protects Against Doxorubicin-Induced Chemobrain in Rats via Attenuation of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Without Interfering With Doxorubicin Efficacy

Although doxorubicin (Dox) is an effective chemotherapy medication used extensively in the treatment of breast cancer, it frequently causes debilitating neurological deficits known as chemobrain. Donepezil (DPZ), an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, provides therapeutic benefits in various neuropathological conditions. However, comprehensive mechanistic insights regarding the neuroprotection of DPZ on cognition and brain pathologies in a Dox-induced chemobrain model remain obscure. Here, we demonstrated that Dox-treated rats manifested conspicuous cognitive deficits and developed chemobrain pathologies as indicated by brain inflammatory and oxidative insults, glial activation, defective mitochondrial homeostasis, increased potential lesions associated with Alzheimer’s disease, disrupted neurogenesis, loss of dendritic spines, and ultimately neuronal death through both apoptosis and necroptosis. Intervention with DPZ co-treatment completely restored cognitive function by attenuating these pathological conditions induced by DOX. We also confirmed that DPZ treatment does not affect the anti-cancer efficacy of Dox in breast cancer cells. Together, our findings suggest that DPZ treatment confers potential neuroprotection against Dox-induced chemobrain.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13311-021-01092-9.     

Increase in fluid viscosity during epididymal transit and the immobilization of rat epididymal spermatozoa

A microcapillary method was developed to measure the viscosity of small volumes of undiluted epididymal fluid. Fluid from the cauda epididymis registered 82 +/- 17 centipoise which was much more viscous than fluid from the caput region (8 +/- 2 centipoise). Initiation of sperm motility was strongly suppressed in the viscosity range of 7 to 150 centipoise. A significant increase in the viscosity of fluid from the caput region was observed when immobilin in the fluid binds with a lectin from Jack fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus). Thus, it is postulated that aggregation of the immobilin induced by a lectin-like material produced by the cauda epididymis may be a mechanism by which fluid viscosity is increased during epididymal transit.     

Respiratory tract infection caused by bacteria (non-Mycobacterium) and their antibiogram in HIV-positive patients

Abstract. This study was undertaken from 1995-2000 to investigate the cause of respiratory tract infection among 481 patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. The positive rate of bacterial pathogens was 38.46%. Pseudomonas aeruginosa appeared to be the most common pathogen (32.97%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (18.92%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (10.81 %), Haemophilus influenzae (7.57%), and Acinetobacter baumannii (5.95%). P. aeruginosa was sensitive to netilmycin, amikacin, imipenem, meropenem, cefoperazone/sulbactam, piperacillin/tazobactam, and gentamicin (67-84%). S. aureus was sensitive to vancomycin and teicoplanin (100%).     

Binding of Spermatozoa to Positively Charged Beads as an Inexpensive Method to Isolate Sperm Heads and Tails

Rat epididymal spermatozoa were capable of rapid binding to various positively charged beads, but not to beads with negative or no charge. The binding appeared to involve the end-piece and perhaps a portion of the tail. The binding was quite resistant to acid, heat, Triton X-100, sodium dodecyl sulphate and trypsin. The bound spermatozoa could be slowly released from the beads in a concentrated solution of salts, the best among those tested was 1 M-ammonium acetate. The bead-binding property of the spermatozoa was employed to develop a new, simple and inexpensive method to isolate heads and tails without the use of an ultracentrifuge. The yield of the heads from spermatozoa of the cauda epididymis was 65 to 80% with 2 to 10% of tails contaminating while the yield of the tail was 30 to 40% with no cross contamination.     

Rapid detection of Brugia malayi in mosquito vectors using a real-time fluorescence resonance energy transfer PCR and melting curve analysis

We developed real-time fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with melting curve analysis for detection of Brugia malayi DNA in blood-fed mosquitoes. Real-time FRET PCR is based on a fluorescence melting curve analysis of hybrid formed between amplicons generated from a family of repeated DNA element, 153-bp HhaI repeated sequence, specific to genus Brugia and specific fluorophore-labeled probes. The B. malayi-infected mosquitoes were differentiated from Wuchereria bancrofti-infected and uninfected mosquitoes and from genomic DNA of Dirofilaria immitis--and Plasmodium falciparum--infected human red blood cells and human leukocytes by their melting temperature. Sensitivity and specificity were both 100%. Melting curve analysis produces a rapid, accurate, and sensitive alternative for specific detection of B. malayi in mosquitoes, allows high throughput, and can be performed on small samples. This method has the potential for endemic area mapping or monitoring effect of brugian filariasis mass treatment programs.     

Effects of a symptom management program on auditory hallucinations in Thai outpatients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia: a pilot study*

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of a symptom management program on auditory hallucinations in outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia. A quasi-experimental research design with convenience sample was used. Eighteen Thai outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia were divided into a control group and an experimental group. Those who were in the experimental group received a 10-session symptom management program, while the control group received the usual care. The participants were assessed at baseline and post-treatment. The results revealed that the participants who attended the symptom management program experienced significantly decreased overall scores of the characteristics and severity of auditory hallucinations. The findings demonstrated that the symptom management program could attenuate auditory hallucinations in outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia through their understanding of symptoms, and learning and practicing skills for managing their symptoms in both group and home settings.