8/14/2019 ReaDigest Oct09

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Test your MQ*

1. When was the first AIDS epidemic discovered?

2. What is the symbol for showing solidarity with AIDS

affected people?

3. Which cancer is developed due to an HIV infection?

4. Which region of the world has highest number ofAIDS patients?

5. Which of the following celebrities died of AIDS?

A. Kurt Cobain B. Freddie Mercury

C. John Lennon D. Fred Astaire

*Medical Quotient

Industry New(s)

PIMA analyzer is a newtool in the managementof HIV patients.CD4 count can be ob-

tained in 20 minutes

with a single fingerprick.Its battery operated, portable and robust.

For more info: http://www.pimatest.com/en/page-daccueil.html

ReaMetrix is committed

to becoming the leadingprovider of high quality

research and diagnostic

assay. We believeIndian resources bring

significant value toi d e n t i f y i n g a n d

addressing the health

care needs of thedeveloping world.

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please visit

www.reametrix.com

Contact us

ReaMetrix India Pvt.

Ltd, 50 B, 2nd Phase,TVS Cross, Peenya

Industrial Area, PeenyaBangalore- 560 058

India.

Phone: +91 80 2837

8693

Fax : +91 80 4117 2451

PTO

t o f i n d

HAART as

prevention?

Do you know?

Toons for

thought

Brain Gym

ReaDigest1 0 o f O c t 2 0 0 9V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1

Focus of the month

HIV/AIDS

Novel CD4 enumeration reagent:For accessible n affordable HIV/AIDS managementCE marked, Convenient and sim-

plified workflow, Decentralizedstaining of sample, No cold chainfor storage and transport, Sta-ble at temperatures up to 40oC

and Affordability significantlybrings down the cost of CD4testing to 1/3 of the currentmethodologies.

The HIV/AIDS management in-

volves diagnosis of immune statusof an individual using CD4 enumera-tion test followed by prescriptionof appropriate Anti Retroviral

Therapy (ART). Early and timelydiagnosis of immune status helpsmillions of people by not just allow-ing an appropriate ART but also by

significantly reducing the cost andtime of treatment.

The most widely used methodologyto accurately measure CD4 countsis by flow cytometry. The followingfactors in currently used method-ologies affect the affordability andaccessibility of CD4 testing; need

for a cold chain during shipment andstorage of flow reagents, aging ofpatient blood samples due to delayin transport to centralized testing

centers and the need for skilledtechnical expertise (as the use ofexisting liquid reagent involves sev-

eral manual pipetting steps that

usually lead to erroneous result).The Dry Tri T-STAT developed byReaMetrix addresses the unmet

needs of sample processing, storageand shipment in infrastructure-poor

settings.

The unique and novel feature ofthe Dry Tri T-STAT is that itfacilitates decentralized stainingof patient blood. Reagents do not

require cold-chain and can beshipped to the point of sample

collection withminimal effort.

The blood samplescan be stained and

fixed after which

the samples can be shipped tocentralized testing centers foranalysis. The advantage is that thedelivered sample is already proc-

essed and ready to be run on themachine. External studies pub-lished in peer-reviewed journals

have shown that stained samples

are stable for up to 8 days with nochange in CD4 counts.The salient features of Dry Tri T-

STAT are; high accuracy and re-producibility, US FDA cleared and

Picture showing Dry

Tri T STAT in a

unitized format

Dr. Sujay Prasad,

Director,

Anand Diagnostics says

ReaMetrix help us inkeeping our commitmentin offering tests ataffordable costsespecially HIV. Earlierwe were providing this(HIV) test for Rs2000,

as the cost of the

reagent was high. Butnow with help ofReaMetrix we offer this

test for Rs250.

To know the answers for

Test your MQ and Brain

Gym, log onto

readigest.reametrix.com

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8/14/2019 ReaDigest Oct09

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HAART as Prevention: A New Paradigm?ART is good, not only for treatment, but also forpreventing HIV transmission

Excerpts from a study summary by Reuben Granich, M.D., M.P.H. IAS Conference, Cape

town.

earlier would shift the risk of TB to

a much lower level. However if we

consider that people will live fortens of years on ART then starting2-4 years earlier appears much

shorter. The model also showed thebenefit of HIV prevention for a

theoretical scenario involving a CD4count of less than 350.

People are starting to realize thatHIV treatment is not only about

saving people's life, which is impor-tant, and keeping them out of the

hospital, which is, of course, criti-

cal, and allowing them to live a pro-ductive and longer life; but it's also

about preventing transmission toothers.For a detail read go to

http://www.thebody.com/

content/confs/ias2009/

art52828.html?ts=pf

Reuben Granich, M.D., M.P.H., medicalofficer for the World Health Organiza-

tion (WHO)'s HIV/AIDS Department

HAART (Highly Active Anti Retro

Viral Therapy) as prevention is a

theoretical model that showsthat if people are tested forHIV, on average, once per year,

and ART [antiretroviral therapy]is started immediately, a 95%

reduction in incidence of new HIVcases would be seen in 10 years.

The end of 2007 reported, 2.7million new infections a year, and

6.7 million people who need treat-ment.

The discussed model used a com-

bined prevention approach thatwould not only include ART, but

also many other interventions(like couple's counseling and malecircumcision, for example) to getahead of the epidemic, and pre-

vent transmission. Patients whostarted ART earlier between 200

and 350 CD4 counts had signifi-cantly fewer deaths and fewer

cases of TB when compared withthose that had deferred treat-

ment to less than 200 or an AIDSdefining illness. Starting ART

Across

1. Orange dye a nucleic acid stain

3. A flurochrome abbreviation

5. Stimulates Antibody production

7. An enzyme inhibited by Elvitegravir (GS9137)

9. Abbreviation for a HIV drug

10. His equation shows the relation of temperature dependenceand the rate of a chemical reaction (A=RT)

Down

2. A HIV protease inhibitor

4. An enzyme in HIV with an ase amiss

6. HIV belongs to this family

8. Word ending with fluid- the liquid stream in flow cytometer

Brain Gym

Toons forThought

Do you k now?

650 Link ART Centers Planned under

NAPC - III. Presently there are 68.

There are eight state centers where sec-ond line ART is available in India, previously

only two were available.For more information visit www.hivaidsonline.in

We welcome your feedback, write to us at readigest@reametrix.com

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