'Infectious web'

Infections by Helicobacter pylori are responsible for duodenal and gastric ulcers and are a significant risk factor for the development of gastric adenocarcinoma. H. pylori was discovered in 1983, but many institutes in Canada, Europe, and the United States are already involved in programs to understand and treat the infections, as reflected by the growing number of internet sites devoted to this bacterium. Most AIDS patients and about 20% of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia develop Pneumocystis carinii pneumoniae. Information on clinical symptoms and treatment, as well as the P. carinii genome sequencing project, are described at several web sites. Students and researchers wishing to understand the correlation between telomere length and AIDS may turn to web sites of the University of Colorado and Washington University School of Medicine for the latest on telomeres and telomerase, and their function in aging and cancer.