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Clinical trials details for apergillus, asergillosis & ABPA.
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Aspergillus and CGD
 There are a small number of genetic disorders that render the people suffering from those gene changes vulnerable to infections. Two of those are cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic granulomatous disorder (CGD).
CGD sufferers carry a defect in the system designed to kill incoming foreign organisms so it is not too surprising that they have to be particularly careful when they get infections, and none moreso than Aspergillus infections - partly because they are difficult to detect and stubborn to treat.
We collaborate with and have sponsorship from the CGD Trust in the UK in an effort to increase support for both patients and professionals alike who have to deal with this illness.
There is a recent comprehensive review in our library entitled "Modern management of chronic granulomatous disease" which covers all aspects of this illness including infections and Aspergillus in particular.
This month
We have started to integrate information on the Aspergillus website with the huge amounts of genomic information in the CADRE website by identifying genes that have medical significance and linking all information we have on those genes and their medical effects in one place. The outcome is a new section named 'Genes of Medical Interest' where we have currently placed linked information on the cluster of genes involved in the synthesis of gliotoxin - all of the genes involved are present altogether in a small area of the genome and so are closely linked physically.
The second group we list are those of genes that are known to be allergens, so although not physically linked they are linked by medical effect.
More to come in this section over the next few months...
Latest News and Articles
There have been 40 additions (3 reviews) to the articles section. Readers should also note that it is now possible to read the abstract of each article simply by clicking in the Abstract link appearing alongside each article. We have picked out a few of the highlights here:
Transuterine transmission of Aspergillus terreus in a case of disseminated canine aspergillosis
This is the first reported case of the mother of pups transmitting the infection to her pups
Activities of antifungal agents against yeasts and filamentous fungi: assessment according to the methodology of the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing
An impartial comparison of the inhibitory and fungicidal activity of key antifungal agents against numerous yeasts and filamentous fungi.
"the EUCAST data showed that the in vitro susceptibilities of yeasts and filamentous fungi are variable, that susceptibility occurs among and within various genera and species, and that susceptibility depends on the antifungal drug tested. [The azoles had lower MICs than AMB or l-AMB.] AMB, l-AMB, and POS were active against the majority of pathogens, including species that cause rare and difficult-to-treat infections"
Bioinformatic and expression analysis of the putative gliotoxin biosynthetic gene cluster of Aspergillus fumigatus
Not only does the gliotoxin cluster appear in our new 'Genes of Medical Interest' section, there is also this new paper in our library that investigates the physical limits and timing and pattern of expression of the genes in the cluster.
Clinical-scale generation of human anti-Aspergillus T cells for adoptive immunotherapy.
T-cells are an important part of the body's defence against infection. If a patient is undergoing treatment for some cancers they lose their natural immune system for a short time, which puts them at risk from infections including Aspergillus.
This paper describes a way to grow T-cells in a laboratory which can be given to a vulnerable patient and should offer them some protection against an Aspergillus infection while they are immunocompromised.
Reviews
Aspergillus fumigatus cell wall: composition and biosynthesis
Our current understanding of the composition and biosynthesis of the fungal cell wall and its importance in pathogenicity. Includes a comparative analysis of conidia (spores) and mycelium (fungal body).
Metabolomics of Aspergillus fumigatus.
A description of 226 metabolites (extrolites) from Aspergillus fumigatus and their grouping into 24 families. Includes the analysis of the ability of several dozen isolates of A.fumigatus to synthesis each metabolite family.
Genomes
Aspergillus nidulans annotation
The latest Eurofung annotation for A. nidulans is now available at the CADRE/Aspergillus Genomes section. This is the only website that information is available from.
Blog
FDA Alert: TNF-blockers can increase the risk of fungal infection
The FDA is concerned that it is not widely enough known that the use of TNF-blockers (used to treat a variety of conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, and Crohn's disease) also suppresses the immune systems of patients taking the drug.
Patients with a suppressed immune system are more vulnerable to potentially serious and difficult to treat infections such as Aspergillosis.
Patients
We run a highly active support group and Question & Answer bulletin boards for all patients and their relatives.
Technical Tips
Our discussion group (email and/or website) designed to promote discussion on technical issues for laboratory workers.
Searching the website
We now have a dedicated Google Search Appliance for this website. This means you can search the Aspergillus Website using Google and it will include nearly all documents on the website (pdf, doc, ppt, html, php etc). and will include parts of the secure sections and eventually index images - a big improvement on earlier search facilities. Try it out here or search the Aspergillus Cloud
HonCode
 Health on the Net Foundation (HonCode) are the formost accrediation service for health-oriented websites. The Aspergillus Website has been accredited since 1999 and this has once again been reaffirmed after the latest review in August 2007
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The Aspergillus Team.
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