Search

The article discusses the potential for ochre to sequester phosphorus in an environmentally sustainable fashion. Ochre deriving from coal mine drainage sites in the United Kingdom displays a high phosphorus retention capacity without highly mobilizing metals, indicating that it can potentially adsorb phosphorus from agricultural wastewaters and be used as a fertilizer. A study focused upon untreated acid mine drainage from an abandoned copper-sulfur mine in a catchment of southeast Ireland. Ochre was mixed with phosphorus-amended water in batch experiments and a maximum adsorption capacity was calculated from the Langmuir equation.

Late diagnosis remains the most important factor related to death due to HIV in the UK. To reduce late diagnosis, the British HIV Association (BHIVA), the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), and the British Infection Society jointly released national guidelines for HIV testing in the UK in 2008. They recommend local evaluation of HIV testing for all medical admissions aged 15-59 years in areas where the local prevalence is above 2/1000. The local prevalence of HIV in Croydon is 4.17/ 1000. We carried out a local acceptability study at Mayday Hospital in Croydon and found that 84/101 medical patients agreed to have an HIV test. A previous audit showed that only 9/1047 medical admissions had been tested for HIV. This study shows that HIV testing is acceptable and that more patients could be tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We will present the first two cases of HIV-1 group O in the UK. We will discuss the epidemiology, diagnostic difficulties, monitoring, and treatment of HIV-1 group 0. A 47 year old Caucasian man presented with a history of SOB, fever, and unproductive cough. His past medical history included malaria, an admission with PUO in 1998, and the investigation of a focal fit and persistent anaemia. Chest x ray demonstrated bilateral lung shadowing. ABG: pO2 = 6.93 kPa, pCO2 = 3.51 kPa, pH = 7.485. He was then referred to our team and it was noted he was lymphopaenic with a raised ESR. He was empirically treated for PCP with intravenous co-trimoxazole and steroids and improved. HIV antibody testing was initially reported as inconclusive, but suspicious of an HIV sub-type confirmed by the reference laboratory to be HIV-1 Group O. His CD4 count was 24 (5%) and viral load was <50 (Chiron bDNA). A sample sent to Madrid, however, gave a result of 74 132 copies/ml. Genotyping demonstrated resistance to NNRTIs and 2°mutations to protease inhibitors. He was started on HAART and had a significant CD4 rise to 207 (19%) four weeks into treatment. Unfortunately, he developed disseminated MAI exacerbated by immune reconstitution and his HAART was interrupted. He was started on MAI treatment and one month later his antiretroviral medication was reinstituted. The second case was his wife , a 37 year old Cameroonean woman whose baseline CD4 count was 170 (12%) and viral load 15 770 copies/ml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.