Isospora belli diarrhoea as a presenting feature of AIDS

Isospora belli, an opportunistic coccidia, has recently been reported as a cause of severe diarrhea in AIDS patients. We report a 40-year-old female, who presented with prolonged watery diarrhea and weight loss. She had received blood transfusions in 1985 for a fractured femur. She was positive for human immunodeficiency virus antibodies. Her cd4 [helper] cells were markedly diminished. Isospora belli oocysts were repeatedly recovered from her stool specimens. She initially responded to trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole therapy. However, eventually she expired. Patients with severe, chronic and intractible diarrhoea should be investigated for Isospora belli infection and underlying AIDS

role of interferon alpha in the management of cancers: current scenario

The interferons, in particular interferon alpha, have been the subject of extensive clinical research over the past decade. Their activity has been demonstrated in several diverse malignancies as well as in viral hepatitis, human papilloma virus and human retroviral infections. How precisely the interferons fit into the clinical scenario of patients with cancers is not completely known at present, and is the subject of this review article