Move over AMD. Sony and Toshiba have bumped you off the top-10 list — and Intel remains king of the chipmakers. According to iSuppli’s preliminary 2007 global semiconductor market share estimate, Intel is the top of the heap. Intel’s chip revenue is expected to rise 7.7 percent in 2007 to reach $33.97 billion, up from $31.5 billion in 2006. Intel exceeded the overall semiconductor industry growth rate of 4.1 percent in 2007 and massively outperformed its PC microprocessor rival AMD, whose sales are expected to decline by 22.7 percent for the year. “Throughout most of the year, Intel successfully defended much of the market share that it won from AMD in the first quarter in the PC microprocessor segment due to the success of its lines of dual- and quad-core chips,” Dale Ford, vice president of market intelligence for iSuppli, said in a statement. “This represents a major reversal of fortune compared to 2006, when AMD had the advantage with its popular dual-core microprocessors, allowing it to gain share from Intel.” AMD’s Woes Intel’s market share rose to 12.5 percent in 2007, up from 12.1 percent in 2006. After rising into the top 10 rankings for the first time ever last year, AMD’s revenue decline is expected to cause it to drop back to 11th place in 2007, down from eighth place in 2006. AMD’s semiconductor revenue in 2007 is set to fall to $5.8 billion, down from $7.5 billion in 2006. The root of the issue might be AMD’s quad-core bets. AMD took a fundamentally different approach to quad-core development than Intel. While Intel pressed forward into the quad-core market by combining two dual-core chips on a single piece of silicon, AMD focused on developing what it calls a native quad-core. “Intel got a nearly yearlong jump on the quad-core market when AMD slipped its delivery…

‘The use of acacia gum in end stage renal failure’
Objective: To describe a new model for the management of end-stage renal failure (ESRF) associated with longest period of dialysis freedom (4-year) achieved with this novel form of renal replacement therapy (RRT).The research was done in accordance with Helsinki declaration and approved the scientific committee in the hospital. Conservative management of chronic renal failure (CRF) can only be successful in nonterminal CRF, and patients with ESRF cannot sustain life in the absence of renal replacement therapy. A new regimen combining the traditional conservative management of CRF (dietary and pharmacologic) with addition of Acacia gum (AG) 1 g kg–1 per day has been reported to provide patients with ESRF dialysis freedom. An 11-year-old girl with ESRF initially required four sessions of intermittent peritoneal dialysis to control uremic symptoms despite conservative measures. The parents refused further treatment by dialysis. Thereafter, she was managed with a new regimen combining the traditional conservative management of CRF with addition of AG. Four year dialysis and improved well-being was achieved. The chronicity of her illness was confirmed by the presence of small contracted kidneys, a finding that has not changed during the subsequent follow-up. During these 4 years she continued experiencing improved well-being and good participation in outdoor activities, had never been acidotic or experienced significant uremic symptoms. Conclusion: This is the longest period of dialysis freedom reported in children with ESRF.

A Reverse Transcriptase Assay for Early Diagnosis of Infant HIV Infection in Resource-limited Settings
Early diagnosis of pediatric HIV infection is confounded by persistence of maternal antibodies until 18 months, necessitating the use of expensive assays such as HIV-1 DNA PCR, an untenable option in resource-limited settings. This is the first report of a low-cost, commercial, reverse transcriptase (RT) assay for the diagnosis of HIV-1 infection in infants. RT assays were performed on 42 samples from 30 HIV-exposed Kenyan infants under 15 months of age. When correlated with serologic testing conducted after 18 months, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the RT assay were 92%, 93%, 87% and 96%. A low-cost assay for infant HIV diagnosis is urgently needed, and these results merit further evaluation.

Risk Factors Associated with Stillbirth in Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam
We investigated risk factors associated with stillbirths using personal interviews and medical records abstraction in a hospital-based case-control study in Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam. There were 47 stillbirth cases and 365 controls in this study. Maternal education (≤12 years) (Odds Ratio, OR = 3.07; 95% CI = 1.19–7.96), from rural communities (OR = 2.42; 95% CI = 1.16–5.03), primiparous (OR = 3.83; 95% CI = 1.10–13.40) and lack of prenatal care vitamins (OR = 2.56; 95% CI = 1.25–5.23) were statistically significant risk factors associated with stillbirth in an age-adjusted multivariable model. Our findings suggest that improved maternal health education and care in all communities may reduce the burden of fetal loss in this province.

Montelukast vs. Inhaled Low-Dose Budesonide as Monotherapy in the Treatment of Mild Persistent Asthma: A Randomized Double Blind Controlled Trial
Background: Guidelines recommend daily controller therapy for mild persistent asthma. Montelukast has demonstrated consistent benefit in controlling symptoms of asthma and may be an alternative, orally administered, nonsteroidal agent for treating mild asthma. Aim: To determine whether montelukast is as effective as budesonide in controlling mild persistent asthma as determined by FEV1. Methods: Between November 2003 to October 2005, participants aged 5–15 years with recently diagnosed mild persistent asthma (n = 62) were randomized to oral montelukast (5 mg daily) [N1 = 30] or inhaled budesonide (400 g per day in two doses) [N2 = 32] in a single center, double-blind study. Results: Baseline demographic and spirometric parameters were comparable. The median (95% confidence interval) percentage predicted FEV1 was similar in the two groups after 12 weeks of treatment (budesonide: 76.70 (67.96–90.53%), montelukast: 75 (67.40–88.47)%; p = 0.44). There was similar improvement in spirometric parameters and clinical symptom scores in both the groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in the need for rescue drugs as well as side effects reported by parents. Conclusion: Montelukast is as effective as inhaled budesonide in the treatment of mild persistent asthma in children aged 5–15 years. Montelukast may be used as an alternative to low dose inhaled corticosteroids for management of mild persistent asthma.

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