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Editorial, Opinion Piece Discuss Issues Related To Routine HIV Testing
A recent directive to streamline the HIV testing consent process in Massachusetts as well as consent forms "no longer hav[ing] to accompany test specimens to the lab," are bringing "the state closer to a CDC recommendation that clinicians provide HIV screening on an opt-out basis," according to a Boston Globe editorial. "The opt-out provision is at the heart" of legislation sponsored by state Sen. Patricia Jehlen (D) that would end the state"s requirement of written consent for HIV testing "and instead have healthcare providers inform patients verbally that the test is planned but that they can decline it," the editorial states, adding, "The Jehlen bill would help destigmatize HIV testing itself" (7/6).
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Britains Next Oldest Mother Highlights Increase Of 'fertility Tourism'
At 66 years old, Elizabeth Adeney is set to become Britain"s oldest mother when she gives birth to a child conceived following fertility treatment at a clinic in Ukraine. The example highlights the growing trend among fertility patients to travel abroad to access treatment which in Britain often involves high cost and a long wait.
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Recovery Act Funding Supports 23 Fellowships For Early Career Scientists
Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will allow the National Institutes of Health to create jobs for early career scientists and increase the ranks of researchers and clinicians working in the global health field. With $3 million in funding over the next 18 months, the NIH"s Fogarty International Center will be able to support 23 additional participants in its Clinical Research Training Scholars and Fellows Program.
Endocrinology

The Characteristics Of Clarithromycin-Resistant Helicobacter pylori

Clarithromycin is currently one of the antibiotics used for eradication of Helicobacter pylori. However, reports of H. pylori resistance to this antibiotic are increasing worldwide. Clarithromycin resistance has been attributed to the presence of mutations in the 23S rRNA gene, a component of the ribosome that is the protein manufacturing machinery of all living cells. There is little information on the prevalence and characteristics of clarithromycin resistance in H. pylori strains isolated from Malaysian patients. In a research article published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, the authors determined the prevalence of resistance and characterized the types of mutations present in their resistant strains. In this study conducted by Norazah et al on strains isolated in Malaysia, a low prevalence of clarithromycin-resistant strains was noted. Transitions of adenine to guanine at positions 2142 and 2143 of the 23S rRNA of H. pylori were the main mutations found in clarithromycin-resistant isolates. The A2142G and 2143G mutations of 23S rRNA genes in these strains can be detected easily by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the PCR product of the 23S rRNA genes, using MboII or BsaI restriction enzymes. This eliminates the need to detect these mutations by sequencing. The result of the study demonstrates that clarithromycin resistance is present among local strains. However, even though it is an uncommon occurrence, the possibility of the patient being infected with a resistant strain should be considered if the patient does not respond to treatment with clarithromycin, so that an alternative treatment can be given. The ability to detect clarithromycin resistance by molecular methods such as RFLP showed that this rapid method has the potential to be used as a diagnostic tool. Reference: Ahmad N, Zakaria WR, Abdullah SA, Mohamed R. Characterization of clarithromycin resistance in Malaysian isolates of Helicobacter pylori. World Journal of Gastroenterology 2009; 15(25):3161-3165 http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/15/3161.asp Correspondence to: Dr. Norazah Ahmad, Bacteriology Unit, Institute for Medical Research, Jalan Pahang, 50588 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Lin Tian World Journal of Gastroenterology


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