The techniques we describe may be applied to any miRNA family and should thus enable plant evo-devo to begin to investigate the contributions miRNAs have made to the evolution of plant development.”
“Considering electro-osmotic

flow in axisymmetric microducts is of both fundamental interest and practical significance. In this paper, an axisymmetric lattice Boltzmann model which solves the complete nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation is presented to obtain the electric potential distribution in the electrolytes, and another axisymmetric click here lattice Boltzmann model is employed to solve the velocity field. First, the lattice Boltzmann model is validated by the electric potential distribution in the electrolyte with analytical solutions and finite volume method. Second, velocity distributions in circular tubes at various conditions are discussed. Then, we extend the lattice Boltzmann model for steady and pulsating electro-osmotic flow through annular microducts and the influences of inner to outer radius ratio, inner to outer zeta potential ratio and oscillating frequency are investigated. In addition, a numerical study of electro-osmotic

flow in circular and annular microducts considering the non-Newtonian fluid behavior is also conducted for the first time. The results show that the microannular electro-osmotic flow exhibits much difference from the planar flow and the non-Newtonian Bromosporine inhibitor rheology has significant effect on the flow behavior as well. www.sellecn.cn/products/oligomycin-a.html (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3517437]“
“Alzheimer disease

(AD) is characterized by a progressive cognitive decline and accumulation of beta-amyloid (A beta) forming senile plaques that are associated with inflammatory molecules and cells. Resident microglia and newly differentiated cells that are derived from the bone marrow are found in the vicinity of A beta plaques. Although these two types of microglia are not distinguishable by specific markers in the brain, they seem to possess different phenotype and functions. In mouse models of AD, bone marrow-derived microglia (BMDM) have been shown to delay or stop the progression of AD and preventing their recruitment exacerbates the pathology. Transplantation of competent hematopoietic stem cells or their genetic modifications ameliorate cognitive functions, reduce A beta accumulation and prevent synaptic dysfunctions. Improving the recruitment of genetically-modified BMDM may be considered as a powerful new therapeutic strategy to counteract AD. Here we review the role of microglia subsets in AD and how these cells have a great potential to fight against A beta accumulation and cognitive impairment.”
“The ranunculid genus Aquilegia holds extraordinary promise as a model system for investigating a wide range of questions relating to the evolution and ecology of petals.

The insertion of a thin Os layer into the FePt and Si(100) interface results in better thermal stability. No diffusion evidence was found in samples with an Os underlayer for annealing temperatures up to 700 degrees C, as seen from x-ray, transmission electron microscopy, and magnetic studies. We have experimentally demonstrated that the Os underlayer can effectively prevent the diffusion of the intermixing between the FePt layer and the Si(100) substrate for temperatures up to 700 degrees C. As a result of this study, the Os has potential to AMN-107 be

a better diffusion barrier to prevent the diffusion of the FePt film on a Si(100) substrate from forming an ordered face centered tetragonal (fct) L1(0) hard magnetic phase. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3337643]“
“Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease often seen in patients with a genetic susceptibility. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are endogenous,

short RNA molecules that can bind to parts of mRNA target genes, thus inhibiting their translation and causing accelerated turnover or transcript degradation. MicroRNAs are important in the pathogenesis of human diseases such as immunological disorders, as they regulate a broad range of biological processes.

Objective: We investigated miRNA-mRNA interactions in involved (PP) and non-involved (PN) psoriatic skin compared with healthy skin (NN).

Methods: Biopsies were obtained from PP. PN and NN, the miRNA and mRNA expression Pevonedistat mw was analyzed by microarray techniques and a subset of miRNAs and mRNAs were validated by

q-RT-PCR. Novel target interactions in psoriasis were found using PubMed, miRBase and RNAhybrid. In addition, TIMP3 protein expression was studied in PP. PN and NN. Finally, the miR-221/2-TIMP3 target interaction was studied in primary human keratinocytes by endogenous overexpression of the miRNAs.

Results: We identified Selleckchem NVP-HSP990 42 upregulated miRNAs and 5 downregulated miRNAs in PP compared with NN, and only few deregulated miRNAs in PN compared with NN. Based on the miRNA and mRNA profiles miR-21, -205, -221 and -222 were found to have the following potential mRNA targets in psoriatic skin: PDCD4, TPMI, P57, C-KIT, RTN4, SHIP2, TIMP3, RECK and NFIB. The identified target mRNAs were likely to be involved in cellular growth, proliferation, apoptosis and degradation of the extracellular matrix. Finally we found that TIMP3 is downregulated in psoriatic skin. In vitro overexpression of miR-221 and miR-222 lead to degradation of TIMP3 resulting in decreased TIMP3 protein level.

Conclusion: Our data indicate several novel important associations for miRNAs in psoriasis and in particular the miR-221/2-TIMP3 target interaction could among others play a role in the psoriasis pathogenesis. (C) 2010 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology.

Although the mean volume of the hippocampus and the thickness of the hippocampal body were significantly smaller for patients with MTLE than for control subjects (P < .001 for both), there was no clear distinguishing threshold value between abnormal and normal hippocampi.

Conclusion:

PLHS showed the highest sensitivity for MTLE. This MR imaging feature might improve the accuracy of the diagnosis of bilateral hippocampal sclerosis, although further research is required. (C) RSNA, 2009″
“The field dependence of the magnetic entropy change peak at the low temperature surface spin freezing transition in chemically synthesized, monodispersed Co, Co-Ag, and Ni-Ag core-shell nanoparticles is studied, with the aim of gaining insight into the GSK J4 cell line critical exponents of this transition. It is evidenced that although the magnitude of the peak entropy change and position of the peak can be tuned by changing the composition and nature (metallic or organic) of the shell and surfactant layers, the characteristics of the spin freezing transition are not altered. The field dependence of the refrigerant capacity also confirms this finding. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3335514]“
“Purpose:

To determine whether there are detectable differences in tensor metrics between children who read normally and children with simple developmental dyslexia and/or differences Panobinostat between the right and left hemispheres in these groups by using 3.0-T diffusion-tensor

(DT) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging focused on the superior longitudinal fasciculus R406 purchase (SLF), inferior fronto-occipital and inferior longitudinal fasciculi (IFO-ILF), and posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC).

Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, HIPAA-compliant institutional review board-approved investigation with written informed parental consent. Nineteen English-speaking, right-handed children with a normal IQ and developmental dyslexia (16 male, three female; age range, 6-16 years; mean age, 9.9 years) and 18 normal-reading, age-matched pediatric control subjects (13 male, five female; age range, 6-15 years; mean age, 10.0 years) underwent DT imaging (30 directions, three signals acquired, voxel size of 2 mm). Regions of interest were placed on the SLF, IFO-ILF, and PLIC, and tensor metrics were calculated. Statistical analyses of differences in cognitive function between the dyslexic and control groups were performed by using the two-sample t test. Differences in tensor metrics were examined by using analysis of covariance models.

Results: In the control subjects, the fractional anisotropy (FA) of all tracts studied increased with age. In the dyslexic subjects, the age-related increases in FA in the SLF were most similar to those in the control subjects (P = .504), while mean FA values for the IFO-ILF (P = .009) and PLIC (P = .

1% and 43.9% in women, and 24.5% and 70.8% in men, respectively. Among subjects younger than 50 yr, 49.6% of women and 59.6% of men had low bone mass, respectively. In addition, more than one third of subjects showed discordance between different sites of measurement. The high GW3965 incidence of low bone density in young ages requires our proper attention and planning for prevention. Measurement of BMD in all three sites seems necessary

and clinicians should look for possible causes of discordance between different sites of measurement and develop an appropriate strategy approaching to these patients.”
“An optically active levoazobenzene polyurethane (PU) was synthesized and was based on the chromophore 4-(4′-nitrophenylazo) phenylamine, the chiral reagent L(-)-tartaric acid, and toluene diisocyanate. The chemical structure and thermal properties were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, (1)H-NMR Protein Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The PU

had high number- and weight-average molecular weights up to 52 300, a large glass-transition temperature of 235.7 degrees C, and an optical rotation of -18.06 degrees, The optical parameters, including the refractive index (n) and thermo-optic coefficient (dn/dT); the dielectric constant (epsilon) and its variation with temperature; and the thermal volume expansion coefficient and its variation with temperature of PU were obtained. The dn/dT and epsilon values for the polymer were in the range -4.1200 to 3.6257 x 10(-4) degrees C(-1) and 2.00 +/- 0.11, respectively. The dn/dT values were one order of magnitude larger than those of inorganic glasses, such as zinc silicate glass (5.5 x 10(-6) degrees C(-1)) and borosilicate glass (4.1 x 10(-6) degrees C(-1)), and were larger than organic materials, such as polystyrene (-1.23 x 10(-4) degrees C(-1)) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (-1.20 x 10(-4) degrees C(-1)). The epsilon values were lower than that of alicyclic polyimide and semiaromatic polyimide. The obtained PU is Caspase 抑制�?临床试验 expected to be useful for optical switching and optical waveguide areas. The conclusion has a little significance

for the development of a new digital optical switch. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 115: 146-151, 2010″
“The purpose of this study was to develop a sensitive and rapid method for the determination of venlafaxine in human saliva. Blank saliva samples were obtained from healthy volunteers. Their extraction was carried out on SPE columns. Cartridges of the columns were washed with water and the adsorbate was eluted with methanol. The eluate was evaporated and the residue was dissolved in a mixture of acetonitrile and water (50: 50, v/v). Venlafaxine was analyzed on a HPLC system with UV detection at 226 nm. The mobile phase was a mixture of acetonitrile and a phosphate buffer (30:70 v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL min(-1).

The size of the microcapsule is influenced by the concentration of protecting colloid and property of acrylic polyurethane diisocyanate. When concentration of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is 5% and molar ratio of TDI and acrylic ethoxylated pentaerythritol (acrylic PP50) rises to 1.50, average diameter of the microcapsule is only 3.3223 mu m. Delivery of 4-hydroxy-4′-isopropoxydiphenylsulfone (D-8) encap-suled by PUA microcapsule in solution can be prevented effectively by 30-min UV irradiation. Lightness (L*) is used to measure color changes of reaction between D-8 www.selleckchem.com/products/cx-5461.html in PUA microcapsule and 2-amino-6-dibutylamino-3-methylfluoran (ODB-2)

under thermal treatment. In dry state, irradiated PUA microcapsules are much harder to release D-8 than those not irradiated. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 113: 1008-1016, 2009″
“Plumbago zeylanica produces cytoplasmically dimorphic sperm cells that target the egg and central cell during fertilization. www.selleckchem.com/products/pu-h71.html In mature pollen, the larger sperm cell contains numerous mitochondria, is associated with the vegetative nucleus (S(vn)), and fuses preferentially with the central cell, forming endosperm. The other, plastid-enriched sperm cell (S(ua)) fuses with the egg cell, forming the zygote and embryo. Sperm expressed genes were investigated using ESTs produced from each sperm type; differential expression was validated through suppression

subtractive hybridization, custom microarrays, real-time RT-PCR and in situ hybridization. The expression profiles of dimorphic sperm cells reflect a diverse and broad complement of genes, including high proportions of conserved and unknown genes, as well as distinct

patterns of expression. A number of genes were highly up-regulated in the male buy Nutlin-3 germ line, including some genes that were differentially expressed in either the S(ua) or the S(vn). Differentially up-regulated genes in the egg-targeted S(ua) showed increased expression in transcription and translation categories, whereas the central cell-targeted S(vn) displayed expanded expression in the hormone biosynthesis category. Interestingly, the up-regulated genes expressed in the sperm cells appeared to reflect the expected post-fusion profiles of the future embryo and endosperm. As sperm cytoplasm is known to be transmitted during fertilization in this plant, sperm-contributed mRNAs are probably transported during fertilization, which could influence early embryo and endosperm development.”
“A novel mathematical model is presented for the reaction between melamine (M) and formaldehyde (F) at pH = 9.0 and at temperatures between 38 and 90 degrees C. It is based on a kinetic scheme that includes reversible methylolations, irreversible formation of (unsubstituted) methylene bridges, reversible formation of (unsubstituted) ether bridges, instantaneous dissolution of M, and instantaneous equilibrium for the hydration/dehydration of F.

The ceramic yield of allyhydridopolycarbosilane is about 60% and that of ethynylhydridopolycarbosilane is over 75%, indicating that the liquid polycarbosilanes have great potential to be promising precursors to SiC. Moreover, the compositions of the polycarbosilanes and the final ceramics can be tailored by controlling the amount Of the starting materials. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 113:1611-1618, 2009″
“We observe an intense ion pulse from nanocomposite thermite reactions, which we temporally probe using a recently developed temperature jump/time of flight mass spectrometer. These ion pulses are observed to be much shorter in duration than the overall thermite reaction time. Ion

ejection appears in stages as positive ions are ejected prior to nanocomposite thermite ignition, and ignition of the thermite mixtures find more leads to a second this website ionization step which is primarily dominated by negative species. The positive species are identified from mass spectrometric measurements and the results show that the positive ion species are comprised of Na ions with minor species of Al and K ions. This observation can be explained by a diffusion based ion-current mechanism, in which strong Al ion diffusion flux formed through the oxide shell, and the surface Na and K ions from salt contaminations are ejected by the strong electrostatic repulsion. The fact that the negative ionization step occurs

during the ignition event suggests a strong relation between the nanocomposite thermite reaction and the negative ionization process. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3225907]“
“Calcium-shellac microspheres with encapsulated carbamide peroxide (CP) were made by emulsification to generate an emulsion including shellac ammonium salt aqueous Solution with soluble CP dispersed in Sunflower oil with calcium chloride powders, followed by gelation between shellac and calcium. The effects of formulation and processing conditions on the encapsulation efficiency of CP, the physical, structural, 3-MA purchase and mechanical properties of calcium-shellac microspheres, including

size, inner structure, and mechanical strength, were investigated. The sizes of the prepared microspheres were in the range of 10-100 mu m, depending on the agitation speed used in the emulsification process. The morphology of calcium-shellac microspheres was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and image analysis. Their inner structure was evaluated using X-ray microcomputed tomography, and their mechanical strength was determined by a micromanipulation technique. The Structure and mechanical strength of the microspheres were compared with those bigger calcium-shellac beads (1-3 mm in diameter) made by extrusion followed by gelation (Xue and Zhang, J Microencapsul 2008, 25, 523), and clear contrast in the properties between the two preparation methods has been found. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

999 and the limits of detection (LD) and quantification (LQ) were 0.046 and 0.1 mu g/mL, respectively. Validation parameters, such as the specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, and robustness were evaluated, and results were within the acceptable range. The results proved that the proposed method was successfully applied

to evaluate the entrapment efficiency and naringenin content in lecithin/chitosan nano-and microparticle suspensions.”
“Intrathoracic petechiae are a potential marker of acute asphyxia in stillborn infants. Retroplacental hematoma (RPH) is a cause of acute asphyxia. The histological features of ISRIB price RPH can be timed using criteria for intrauterine duration of fetal death. Autopsies of stillborn infants of >26 weeks in gestation with RPH were evaluated for gross or microscopic evidence of petechiae. Placental gross and microscopic features were recorded. Eleven controls from other mechanisms of death were randomly selected. Intrathoracic petechiae

were present in all 17 infants with RPH of >50% of the placental area, in 3 of 7 infants with <50% area RPH, and in 2 of 11 infants with other diagnoses. The placenta demonstrated basal plate neutrophils in all cases of RPH (N = 21). Early coagulation necrosis in the villi overlying the RPH was present in 5 of 13 cases after 4 to 24 hours, and complete coagulation necrosis was present in 3 of 4 cases after 24 hours. Infants with RPH underlying >50% of click here the placenta demonstrate intrathoracic petechiae, but controls and infants with smaller RPH do so much less frequently. This is consistent with the hypothesis that intrathoracic petechiae are a marker for intrauterine asphyxia. Basal plate neutrophils are a useful early marker of retroplacental hemorrhage. Early coagulation necrosis of the placenta over RPH begins in 4 to 24 hours but is not complete after more than 24 hours.”
“Diffusivity of Er3+ into LiNbO3 crystal has been studied as a function of Li2O content and crystal orientation. The Li2O content in single-crystal LiNbO3 plates was adjusted by Li-rich vapor transport equilibration (VTE) technique.

Five selleck chemicals llc X-cut and five Z-cut congruent substrates were VTE treated at first at 1100 degrees C for different durations ranging from 6 to 74 h, and then were subjected to a special post-VTE anneal procedure at the same temperature for 60 h to obtain homogeneous Li2O content. The Li2O content was determined from the measured fundamental optical absorption edge. Its homogeneity is verified by measuring the optical absorption edge as a function of the crystal thickness. After the composition characterization, the substrates were coated with 45 nm thick Er film and annealed at 1130 degrees C for 40 h in argon atmosphere. The Er3+ profile was analyzed by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The results show that the Er3+ diffusivity decreases monoexponentially with the increase in the Li2O content in both cases of X- and Z-cut.

Results: During the study period, a total of 173,628 deliveries met the inclusion criteria; 1605 (0.9%) occurred in patients with “”isolated”" obesity. Higher rates of CD were found among patients with “”isolated”" obesity (30.7% vs. 12.3%; odds ration [OR] = 3.2; p < 0.001). When controlling for possible confounders, using a multivariable model with CD as the outcome variable, AZD0156 research buy the association between “”isolated”" obesity and CD remained significant (adjusted OR = 2.6; p < 0.001). No significant differences were found in the risks of perinatal complications including perinatal mortality, shoulder dystocia, congenital malformations, and low 5-min Apgar score.

Conclusion: “”Isolated”" obesity, although not a risk factor for adverse perinatal outcomes, is an independent risk factor for CD.”
“Stents are structural implants with widespread clinical use in vascular

intervention to re-open stenotic vessels for the treatment of coronary artery disease and peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Apart from their mechanical function, current drug-eluting stents (DES) utilize local drug delivery buy Ulixertinib from a drug-incorporated permanent polymer coating to prevent in-stent restenosis. This delayed closure of the stented vessel is considered one of the major limitations of conventional bare metal stents (BMS). The long-term safety of DES, however, is still under debate, with reported cases of delayed healing, late thrombosis and hypersensitivity demanding further evolution in this field. A promising approach to circumvent the limitations of first generation DES is the application of degradable polymer coatings in second generation DES, and fully absorbable polymer stents. From a materials and engineering perspective, this paper provides a mini-review of current clinically relevant DES technology Kinase inhibitor Library �ɹ� and recent advancements in the development of stents from degradable polymeric materials as an alternative to permanent BMS and DES. This review, includes work on degradable stents and coatings based on blends of polylactic acid and the microbially-produced poly(4-hydroxybutyrate). (C) 2009 Society of Chemical Industry”
“Objective: To determine

whether an abnormal 50-g glucose-challenge test (GCT) is independently associated with adverse pregnancy outcome. Methods: A retrospective study of women with abnormal GCT (>140 mg/dL) but normal subsequent 100-g oral glucose-tolerance test (OGTT). Pregnancy outcome was compared with that of women with normal GCT (<140 mg/dL). Results: Of the 79,153 women delivered during the study period, the results of the GCT were available for 14,268. Of these, 809 (5.7%) had an abnormal GCT and normal OGTT and were eligible for the study group. An abnormal GCT was independently associated with an increased risk for macrosomia (odds ratio [OR] = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.5-2.7), large for gestational age (OR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.3-2.0), cesarean section (OR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1-1.6), respiratory morbidity (OR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-2.

The results from a parametric study showed that both salt size and salt to polymer ratio affect the acoustic and mechanical performance of open-cell PP foams. As salt size increases, cell size increased and cell density decreased. The salt to polymer ratio had opposite affect on cell density, and increasing the salt to polymer ABT-263 mass ratio increased

the open-cell content. The airflow resistivity decreased significantly by increasing the cell size, which means that foam samples with smaller cell size have better sound absorption. When foam samples were thin, smaller cell sizes produced better sound absorption; however, as thickness of the sample increases, medium cell size offered the best acoustic performance. The compressive strength of the foams was increased by increasing the relative density. Acoustic performance results from the parametric study were compared to the Johnson-Allard model with good agreement. Finally, optimal cellular morphologies for acoustic absorption and mechanical performance were identified. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 116: 1106-1115,2010″
“Purpose:

To establish reference values of the ratios of flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery (V(MCA)) and the terminal portion of the internal carotid artery (V(tICA)) to flow velocity in the extracranial portion of internal carotid artery (V(ICA)) in children with sickle cell disease (SCD).

Materials and Methods: Institutional Nirogacestat order MAPK inhibitor ethics committee approval and parental informed consent were obtained for this prospective HIPAA-compliant study. Sixty-eight children (38 female; mean age, 7.7 years +/- 3.3; range, 2-14 years) with HbSS genotype, without neurologic deficits and no history of stroke, were enrolled. Final study population comprised 56 (mean age 8.0 +/- 3.3 years,

26 females) children who underwent magnetic resonance (MR) angiography, which excluded intracranial arterial narrowing, transcranial color-coded duplex ultrasonography (US), and carotid US to determine V(MCA)/V(ICA) and V(tICA)/V(ICA) ratios from angle-corrected and uncorrected velocities. Tolerance interval estimates were used to calculate reference ranges and linear regression was used to quantify associations of Doppler parameters with age adjusted for hemoglobin and hematocrit.

Results: Reference ranges in centimeters per second for mean angle-corrected V(MCA) on the left and right sides were 62-198 and 69-153; those for V(tICA) were 30-196 and 36-175; and those for V(ICA) were 18-116 and 15-95, respectively. Reference ranges for mean angle-corrected V(MCA)/V(ICA) ratio on the left and right sides were 1.2-4.0 and 0.4-3.4 and those for V(tICA)/V(ICA) ratio were 0.5-2.9 and 0.5-2.7, respectively. V(MCA), V(tICA), and V(tICA)/V(ICA) ratio were not age dependent, contrary to V(ICA) and V(MCA)/V(ICA) ratio, after controlling for hematocrit and hemoglobin.

Using molecular dynamics simulations with the AMBER protein force field (ff96) coupled with the implicit solvent model (IGB = Pitavastatin molecular weight 5), we shed new light into the nature of this transition and resolve the experimental controversies. We show that the melting transition corresponds to the melting of the protein as a whole, and not solely to the helix-coil transition. The breadth of the folding transition arises from the spread in the melting temperatures (from similar to 325 K to similar to 302 K) of the individual transitions: formation of the hydrophobic core, beta-hairpin and

tertiary fold, with the helix formed earlier. Our simulations initiated from an extended chain accurately predict the native structure, provide a reasonable estimate of the transition barrier height, and explicitly demonstrate the existence of multiple pathways and multiple transition states for folding. Our exhaustive sampling enables us to assess the quality of the Amber ff96/igb5 combination and reveals that while this force field can learn more predict the correct native fold, it nonetheless overstabilizes the alpha-helix portion of the protein (Tm = similar to 387K) as well as the denatured structures.”
“Objectives: : The aim of this study is to highlight the importance of infections caused by members of the genera Pseudallescheria/Scedosporium in HIV-positive patients.

Methods: We

describe a case of a fatal scedosporiosis in a treatment-naive HIV patient and review all previously reported cases of pseudallescheriosis/scedosporiosis

from a search of the PubMed and Deutsches Institut fur Medizinische Dokumentation und Information (DIMDI) databases, applying the terms ‘Pseudallescheria’, ‘Scedosporium’, ‘Allescheria’, ‘Monosporium’, SGC-CBP30 datasheet ‘Petriellidium’, ‘boydii’, ‘prolificans’, ‘inflatum’, cross-referenced with ‘HIV’ and ‘AIDS’.

Results: Detection of Scedosporium and Pseudallescheria species has been reported in 22 HIV-positive patients. Fourteen isolates belonged to the Pseudallescheria boydii complex and eight to Scedosporium prolificans. Invasive scedosporiosis (IS) was proven in 54.5% of the patients. Among them dissemination was observed in 66.7%. Pseudallescheria/Scedosporium species were mainly isolated from male individuals. Patients with proven IS showed CD4+ cell counts <100/mu l and a higher co-infection rate as compared to colonized patients. Patients with central nervous system (CNS) manifestations showed CD4+ cell counts <50/mu l. The mortality rate for patients with proven IS was 75% and was 100% for patients with dissemination/CNS manifestations. The fatality rate for patients treated with antifungal drugs plus surgery was lower compared to patients treated with antimycotic agents alone.

Conclusions: IS only occurred in HIV-positive patients with a strongly impaired immune system.