International Medical News from Johns Hopkins

International Medical News is a monthly podcast from Johns Hopkins Medicine. In it, Elizabeth Tracey, director of electronic media for Johns Hopkins Medicine, and Michael Klag, MD, MPH, dean of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, look at the top international news of the month gone by.

This month's topics include health events on airplanes, an update on the new coronavirus MERS, therapy for survivors of violence, and HIV's impact on global health.

Early Therapy May Lead to HIV Remission (CME/CE)

Early Therapy May Lead to HIV Remission (CME/CE)

Preliminary data from a French randomized trial suggest that early HIV treatment might be a step toward so-called post-treatment control, a researcher said here.

Post-treatment control is what investigators are calling the ability to stop HIV therapy -- after some time on treatment -- without having the virus resume replication within the body.

Some 14 patients -- known as the Visconti cohort and all treated within weeks of their infection -- have been shown to have such control, some for several years, according to Antoine Cheret, MD, of Sorbonne-Paris-Cite University in Paris.

Early HIV Treatment Restores Immune System (CME/CE)

Early HIV Treatment Restores Immune System (CME/CE)

Antiretroviral therapy can restore aspects of a normal immune system in some patients with chronic HIV, as well as reduce the size of the viral reservoir, a researcher said here.

The catch is they have to start with a relatively intact immune system, with at least 500 CD4-positive T cells per microliter of blood, according to Laurent Hocqueloux, MD, of the Centre Hospitalier Régional in Orleans, France.

Mental Decline Seen Earlier When Epilepsy Present, Study Suggests

Mental Decline Seen Earlier When Epilepsy Present, Study Suggests

People with epilepsy appear to show signs of mild memory problems or Alzheimer's disease earlier than those without epilepsy, according to a new study.

"Careful identification and treatment of epilepsy in such patients may improve their clinical course," concluded Dr. Keith Vossel, of the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease in San Francisco, and colleagues.

The researchers evaluated data on 54 patients and found that those with mild memory problems

Blood Tests May Aid Alzheimer's Diagnosis (CME/CE)

Blood Tests May Aid Alzheimer's Diagnosis (CME/CE)

Several novel markers detectable in blood could prove to be useful adjuncts in diagnosis and management of patients with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, researchers suggested here.

In separate studies, researchers found significant associations between fragments of tau protein, metabolites of thiamine, and apolipoprotein J (also known as clusterin) in blood products such as serum with clinical diagnoses and/or results of neurocognitive tests, according to presentations at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference.

HIV Drugs Getting Better (CME/CE)

HIV Drugs Getting Better (CME/CE)

The efficacy of HIV drugs in clinical trials has increased markedly over time, according to a meta-analysis of 144 studies with more than 40,000 participants.

Efficacy -- defined as the proportion of patients able to suppress HIV to undetectable levels -- was about 47% in trials conducted before 2000, according to Frederick Lee, MD, of the St. Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, in Australia.

Distribution and Marketing for Zurich’s General Insurance

Distribution and Marketing for Zurich’s General Insurance

Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) announces the appointment of Dirk De Nil (50, Belgian citizen) to the position of Head of Customer, Distribution and Marketing for its General Insurance (GI) business. Previously he held the position of Head of Sales and Distribution for GI.
In his new role, Mr. De Nil will continue to report to Michael Kerner, CEO General Insurance. “I’m