This report was produced for the HSE project on 'Assessment of Software Components for use in IEC 61508-Compliant Safety-Related Applications'. The main focus for this project is 'software of uncertain pedigree' (SOUP) used in safety-related applications. This document reviews current assessment methods for SOUP and summarises the evidence required for their use according to IEC 61508 and other...

Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) is a life-threatening complication of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. Acyclovir (ACV) is the antiviral treatment of choice, but may lead to emergence of ACV-resistant (ACVR) HSV due to mutations in the viral UL23 gene encoding for the ACV-targeted thymidine kinase (TK) protein. Here, we determined the prevalence of intrathecal ACVR-associated HSV TK mutat...

Central nervous system (CNS) specimens from 10 immunocompetent patients with herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) and 3 infants with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) encephalitis were analyzed to determine whether apoptosis is a feature of CNS injury in these patients. Apoptotic neurons and glia were detected in significant numbers in acute HSE and CMV encephalitis. Occurring predominantly in area...