Delayed diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus infection in a patient with non-specific neurological symptoms and pancytopenia: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Both non-specific presentation and asymptomatic course of human immunodeficiency virus infection lead to undiagnosed long-term persistence of the virus in a patient's organism. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we present a case of a 31-year-old Caucasian man with non-specific neurological symptoms and pancytopenia, who was referred to an internal medicine ward for further diagnosis. Upon admission to our hospital, he denied any past risky behaviors and refused to have his blood collected for human immunodeficiency virus testing. Later, he eventually provided consent to conduct the human immunodeficiency virus test which turned out to have a positive result. The overall clinical pattern indicated an advanced-stage of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, which contrasted with the history he had provided. CONCLUSIONS: This case report indicates the need to consider human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome diagnosis in patients with non-specific neurological and hematological disorders. Our report also demonstrates difficulties that can be experienced by the physician while trying to obtain both a clear history and consent to perform human immunodeficiency virus testing

Czy oznaczanie stężeń peptydów natriuretycznych BNP i NT-proBNP przynosi korzyści w postępowaniu z pacjentem z nagłą dusznością?

W badaniach z ostatnich lat wykazano, że ocena peptydów natriuretycznych przeprowadzona u pacjentów z dusznością pozwala znacznie zwiększyć dokładność, z jaką może być wykluczone lub potwierdzone rozpoznanie niewydolności serca. Tym niemniej do dziś nie udało się jednoznacznie ustalić, czy wprowadzenie do rutynowej diagnostyki oznaczeń peptydów natriuretycznych u tych pacjentów mogłoby przynieść wymierne korzyści farmakoekonomiczne. Część badaczy sugeruje wręcz, że oznaczanie BNP i NT-proBNP w tej grupie pacjentów ma jedynie znaczenie poznawcze i nie przekłada się na zmianę postępowania diagnostyczno-terapeutycznego. Celem niniejszej pracy jest przedstawienie wyników badań — zarówno tych, w których skupiono się na ocenie roli peptydów natriuretycznych w dokonaniu właściwego rozpoznania, jak i tych, w których analizowano potencjalne farmakoekonomiczne korzyści wykonania takiego oznaczenia. Choroby Serca i Naczyń 2011, 8 (4), 215–22

Consumer Choices in the Pasta Market: The Importance of Fiber in Consumer Decisions

The aim of the current study was two-fold: (1) to identify consumer segments based on pasta selection motives and (2) to examine the differences between the identified segments in terms of perception of pasta and pasta with added fiber and information on the food label. The data were collected using a CAPI (computer-assisted personal interview) survey on a sample of 1013 consumers. The k-means clustering method was used to identify four clusters of consumers, namely, quality-oriented, sensory-oriented, convenience-oriented, and neutral consumers. The quality-oriented group was the group that expressed the most positive opinions about the pasta and about the addition of fiber to pasta. Moreover, they appreciated the information placed on the pasta label the most. Consumers in the sensory-oriented segment were the least likely to agree that the addition of fiber to pasta deteriorated its taste and to agree that it looked worse compared to pasta without fiber. These findings are of significance for those involved in the public nutrition sector as well as for those responsible for preparing well-targeted marketing messages. The conclusions may constitute invaluable insights for those devising educational initiatives and campaigns

Decreased CD127 Expression on CD4+ T-Cells and Elevated Frequencies of CD4+CD25+CD127− T-Cells in Children with Long-Lasting Type 1 Diabetes

Pathobiology of type 1 diabetes (T1D) is predominantly associated with T-cell-related actions. Homeostasis of majority of T-cells is critically dependent on signals mediated by CD127 (interleukin-7 receptor, IL-7R). In contrast, regulatory T-cells express very little CD127 and thereby may be delineated by CD4+CD25+CD127− phenotype. Here we aimed to analyze CD127 expression on CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells and enumerate CD4+CD25+CD127− T-cells in long-lasting T1D. T-cells were analyzed by flow cytometry and immunologic data were correlated with vascular, metabolic, and inflammatory parameters. We demonstrated significantly decreased CD127 levels on CD4+, but not CD8+, T cells in T1D pediatric patients. Interestingly, frequencies of CD4+CD25+CD127− T-cells were significantly enhanced in T1D children and correlated well with frequencies of CD34+CD144+ endothelial progenitor cells and CD4+CD25− T-cells. Levels of CD127 on both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in T1D patients were not correlated to each other or HbA1C. Interestingly, however, CD127 levels on CD4+ T-cells were significantly correlated to frequencies of CD4+CD25+CD127− T-cells, whereas CD127 levels on CD8+ T-cells were significantly correlated to concentrations of VEGF and triglycerides. Our data indicate that CD127 expression is differentially modulated on CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in the course of T1D. Moreover, we demonstrated that, in contrast to recent-onset T1D, long-lasting T1D is associated with enhancement of T-cells with regulatory phenotype