Background:Protozoan infections are the most serious among all the superimposed infections in HIV patients and claim a number of lives every year. The line of treatment being different for diverse parasites necessitates a definitive diagnosis of the etiological agents to avoid empirical treatment. Thus, the present study has been aimed to elucidate the associations between diarrhoea and CD4 counts and to study the effect of HAART along with management of diarrhoea in HIV positive patients. This study is the first of its kind in this area where an attempt was made to correlate seasonal variation and intestinal protozoan infestations.Methods:The study period was from January 2006 to October 2007 wherein stool samples were collected from 366 HIV positive patients with diarrhea attending the ART centre, inpatient department and ICTC of S.S.

Today's Zaman

Spray yourself with a DEET-based insect repellent and the mosquitoes will leave you alone. But why? They flee because of their intense dislike for the smell of the chemical repellent and not because DEET jams their sense of smell, report researchers at the University of California, Davis. Their groundbreaking findings was published Monday, Aug.

If you knew what possessed the young Jim Sacchettini to become a biochemist, you might look upon the "bar scene" more approvingly. But that story's for later. Instead, ponder what Sacchettini calls "the diseases of the poor" - infectious diseases that not long ago were considered wiped from the face of the Earth - tuberculosis and malaria, for instance.

You're about to leave work at the end of the day when your cell phone rings: it's your spouse, asking that you pick up a gallon of milk on the way home. Before you head out the door, though, your spouse calls again and asks you to stop by the hardware store too. Based on your knowledge of the area and rush-hour traffic, you decide to get the milk first and the toilet plunger second.

The National Science Foundation's Expeditions in Computing program has awarded $10 million to the Molecular Programming Project, a collaborative effort by researchers at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Washington to establish a fundamental approach to the design of complex molecular and chemical systems based on the principles of computer science.

Teenagers who don't sleep well or long enough may have a higher risk of elevated blood pressure that could lead to cardiovascular disease later in life, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers found the odds of elevated blood pressure increased 3.5 times for those with low sleep efficiency and 2.

The long-term prognosis of patients infected with West Nile virus is good, according to a new study appearing in the August 19, 2008, issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, the American College of Physicians' flagship journal. This is the largest study of the long-term outcomes of West Nile virus infection.

Vitamin D Deficiency Puts Older Women at Risk for Hip Fracture Previous studies of the effect of low blood vitamin D levels on the risk for hip fractures in older women have given inconsistent results. In this study, researchers took blood to measure vitamin D levels and gathered information about fracture risk from 800 women between the ages of 50 and 79.

A new clinical trial at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill using a popular low-dose contraceptive could uncover a more effective treatment for the 5 to 10 percent of women who suffer from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). PMDD is much more severe than premenstrual syndrome, or PMS.

Though B vitamins have some health benefits, a study published in the August 20 issue of JAMA finds that they are not an effective means of preventing death or cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease. To motivate this large randomized trial, researcher Marta Ebbing, M.D.

Human embryonic stem cells trigger an immune response in mice, researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine report. The finding suggests that the effectiveness of human therapies derived from the cells could be limited unless ways are found to dampen the rejection response.

According to a study published in the August 20 issue of JAMA, an analysis using a representative sample of U.S. adults has found a relationship between higher levels of arsenic in the urine and an increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes. It has been widely documented that arsenic from inorganic sources is highly toxic and causes cancer in humans.

The Woods Institute for the Environment has awarded five faculty planning grants to develop long-term research programs at Stanford that help solve the world's urgent demands for fresh water.

According to an article published in the August 20 issue of JAMA, there is likely an association between within-person variability on neuropsychological testing and the development of dementia in older adults. Roee Holtzer, Ph.D.

According to a report in the August issue of Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, patients who undergo a surgical procedure that removes excess tissue from the throat (uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or UPPP) along with a surgical tonsil-removing procedure (tonsillectomy) have an increased rate of hemorrhage (bleeding) if they are smokers.

Patients in intensive care units who require mechanical ventilation are more likely to develop ventilator-associated pneumonia if they stay in hospitals longer. A new study published in the August 20 issue of JAMA reports that the use of a silver-coated endotracheal tube led to a reduction in the incidence of this type of pneumonia.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) with earlier onset, longer duration, and greater severity, according to an article released on August 11, 2008 in the Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

A meta-analysis published in the August issue of Archives of Surgery concludes that patients who have surgery to remove all or part of the colon (colectomy) have enhanced recovery of intestinal function if they chew gum.

In England, a large portion of the population is not receiving adequate basic care from the National Health Service and private healthcare systems, especially older and weaker people, according to a study released on August 15, 2008 in BMJ.