Minerva

The American College of Physicians plans to collate two anthologies of previously published great poetry and prose by established writers which it thinks are of special interest to physicians. The associate editor of the Annals of Internal Medicine is asking for recommendations for iconic pieces to be included. Poems should ideally be 75 lines or less and prose should be 5000 words or less. Please send your ideas to mlacombe@mainegeneral.org.

Scientists have discovered a natural barrier to HIV. It's a protein called langerin and it prevents transmission by capturing the virus and targeting it to be broken down. Human epithelial Langerhans cells, which express langerin, are the first cells to encounter the virus; they scavenge invading HIV-1 and prevent dissemination of the virus, says a study in Nature Medicine (online publication 4 March 2007; doi: 10.1038/nm1541). Any strategies that combat the virus must enhance, preserve, or—at the very least—not interfere with the function of this protein.

Penicillin and related antibiotics act on a specific enzyme known to help …