Avian influenza A (H5N1) in 10 patients in Viet Nam

Study on clinical features and epidemiology among 10 patients had avian influenza A who treated in hospital in Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi 12/2003 and 1/2004, 13,7 mean age. In all patients, the diagnosis of influenza A (H5N1) was confirmed by means of viral culture or reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with primers specific for H5 and N1. None of the 10 patients had pre-existing medical conditions. Nine patients had a clear history of direct contact with poultry. All patients had fever, respiratory symptoms and clinically significant lymphopenia. The medium platelet count was 75.500/mm3. Seven patients had diarrhea. In all patients, there were marked abnormalities on chest radiography. There was no definitive evidence of human to human transmission, eight patients died

Randomized clinical trials of dihydroartemisinin - piperaquine against multidrug resistant

A clinical randomized trial on dihydroartemisinin piperaquin was conducted with drug resistant malaria patients. The effectiveness to cure the disease through 56 days follow up the recurrent by PCR manifested on 97.4% in DTP group and 100% in A3M group. In second study the rate of recovery was equal in all groups - DTP group 97.4%; DP group 98.7%; A3M group 98.7%. Dihydroartemisenin piperaquin was well tolerated. In less than 3% of patients, there was side effects which can be related to smoking. The preparation is inexpensive, effective, safe with high efficacy to drug resistant malaria parasite.