Acta Crystallogr B Struct Sci Cryst Eng Mater 2017 Jun 12;73(Pt 3):377-388. Epub 2017 May 12.

Dpto de Física de la Materia Condensada, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Apdo 644, Bilbao 48080, Spain.

A mullite single crystal with composition Al4.84Si1.16O9. Read More

Anal Chim Acta 2017 Apr 24;963:44-52. Epub 2017 Feb 24.

Laboratory of Analytical, Bioanalytical Sciences and Miniaturization (LSABM), UMR CBI 8231, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR CBI 8231, Paris, France. Electronic address:

For the first time, an ion imprinted polymer (IIP) able to selectively extract simultaneously all the lanthanide ions was successfully synthesized in acetonitrile using Nd(3+) as a template ion, methacrylic acid as a complexing monomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker. A non-imprinted polymer (NIP) was synthesized under the same conditions as those of the IIP, but in the absence of the template ion. After the removal of the template ions, grounding and sieving, the IIP particles were packed in solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridges. Read More

Protein Sci 2017 Apr 23;26(4):847-856. Epub 2017 Mar 23.

Department of Microbiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, 75390.

The spirochete Treponema pallidum is the causative agent of syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection of major global importance. Other closely related subspecies of Treponema also are the etiological agents of the endemic treponematoses, such as yaws, pinta, and bejel. The inability of T. Read More

Chemosphere 2017 Apr 8;173:452-459. Epub 2017 Jan 8.

Université Clermont Auvergne, INSERM, U1240 Imagerie Moléculaire et Stratégies Théranostiques, F-63000 Clermont Ferrand, France. Electronic address:

Phthalic acid esters have been widely used to improve the plasticity of PVC medical devices. They carry a high exposure risk for both humans and the environment in clinical situations. Our study focuses on the cytotoxicity of alternative plasticizers. Read More

Tumori 2016 Nov 11;102(Suppl. 2). Epub 2016 Nov 11.

Colorectal Cancer Unit, Division of Medical Oncology 1, San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Città della Salute e della Scienza, Turin - Italy.

Introduction: The antiangiogenic monoclonal antibody aflibercept in association with fluorouracil and irinotecan improves the survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treated previously with oxaliplatin-based therapy. Multiple reports raised the hypothesis that the concomitant use of antiresorptive drugs and antiangiogenic drugs may increase the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). Some reports have been published regarding cases of ONJ during treatment with bevacizumab for mCRC. Read More

Clin Microbiol Infect 2016 Nov 4;22(11):916-921. Epub 2016 Aug 4.

Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Germany. Electronic address:

Treponema pallidum infections causing yaws disease and venereal syphilis are globally widespread in human populations, infecting hundreds of thousands and millions annually respectively; endemic syphilis is much less common, and pinta has not been observed in decades. We discuss controversy surrounding the origin, evolution and history of these pathogens in light of available molecular and anthropological evidence. These bacteria (or close relatives) seem to affect many wild African nonhuman primate (NHP) species, though to date only a single NHP Treponema pallidum genome has been published, hindering detection of spillover events and our understanding of potential wildlife reservoirs. Read More

Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2016 Sep 18;95(9):1063-9. Epub 2016 May 18.

Department of Surgery, Vaasa Central Hospital, Vaasa, Finland.

Introduction: The success of the primary repair of obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI) is paramount in maintaining adequate fecal continence after childbirth. The factors determining the success or failure of primary repair are unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate modifiable factors determining the success or failure of the primary sphincter repair after OASI. Read More

PLoS One 2015 4;10(11):e0140513. Epub 2015 Nov 4.

Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.

This paper reports the first find of pika remains in the Iberian Peninsula, at a site in central Spain. A fragmented mandible of Ochotona cf. pusilla was unearthed from Layer 3 (deposited some 63. Read More

Mitochondrial DNA A DNA Mapp Seq Anal 2016 Nov 21;27(6):4416-4418. Epub 2015 Oct 21.

a Department of Biological Sciences , Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California Polytechnic State University , San Luis Obispo , CA , USA.

The speckled dace Rhinichthys osculus (order Cypriniformes), also known as the carpita pinta, is a small cyprinid minnow native to western North America. Here, we report the sequencing of the full mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of R. osculus from a male fish collected from the Amargosa River Canyon in eastern California, USA. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015 5;9(10):e0004110. Epub 2015 Oct 5.

Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.

Background: Pathogenic uncultivable treponemes comprise human and animal pathogens including agents of syphilis, yaws, bejel, pinta, and venereal spirochetosis in rabbits and hares. A set of 10 treponemal genome sequences including those of 4 Treponema pallidum ssp. pallidum (TPA) strains (Nichols, DAL-1, Mexico A, SS14), 4 T. Read More

Breast 2015 Oct 3;24(5):661-6. Epub 2015 Sep 3.

Breast Center -Department of Surgery, San Giovanni-Addolorata Hospital Rome, Via Amba Aradam, 9, 00184 Rome, Italy. Electronic address:

Background: Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) has been recently implemented to improve cosmetic outcome after mastectomy, but it is rarely considered today after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCH).

Patients And Methods: Among 275 NSMs performed from January 2007 to January 2015, 186 cases, with a minimum follow-up of 12 months, were carried out for invasive or intraductal carcinoma. Patients were considered for NSM if there were no clinical and radiological evidence of invasion or close proximity (<1 cm) to the nipple-areola complex (NAC). Read More

Am J Trop Med Hyg 2015 Nov 24;93(5):901-3. Epub 2015 Aug 24.

Program in Infectious Diseases, Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Hooker Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Pinta is a neglected, chronic skin disease that was first described in the sixteenth century in Mexico. The World Health Organization lists 15 countries in Latin America where pinta was previously endemic. However, the current prevalence of pinta is unknown due to the lack of surveillance data. Read More

Int J Pharm 2015 Oct 13;494(1):136-45. Epub 2015 Aug 13.

CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Pôle Pharmacie, rue Montalembert, 63003 Clermont-Ferrand, France; Clermont Université, Université d'Auvergne, EA 4676C-BIOSENSS, BP 10448, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Alternatives to DEHP plasticizers are used in various PVC medical devices (MD) for infusion. As they are able to migrate from these MDs into infused solutions, they may come into contact with patient. Different and specific clinical parameters influence their migration in at-risk situations such as infusion. Read More

Chemistry 2015 Aug 15;21(34):12112-20. Epub 2015 Jul 15.

Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMol), Universidad de Valencia, 46980 Paterna, Valencia (Spain).

[Fe(tvp)2 (NCS)2 ] (1) (tvp=trans-(4,4'-vinylenedipyridine)) consists of two independent perpendicular stacks of mutually interpenetrated two-dimensional grids. This uncommon supramolecular conformation defines square-sectional nanochannels (diagonal≈2.2 nm) in which inclusion molecules are located. Read More

J Dual Diagn 2015 ;11(2):97-106

Objective: Many individuals receiving methadone maintenance receive their treatment through their primary care provider. As many also drink alcohol excessively, there is a need to address alcohol use to improve health outcomes for these individuals. We examined problem alcohol use and its treatment among people attending primary care for methadone maintenance treatment, using baseline data from a feasibility study of an evidence-based complex intervention to improve care. Read More

N Engl J Med 2015 May 28;372(22):2087-96. Epub 2015 Apr 28.

The authors' affiliations are listed in the Appendix.

Background: In previous phase 1-2 clinical trials involving older adults, a subunit vaccine containing varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E and the AS01B adjuvant system (called HZ/su) had a clinically acceptable safety profile and elicited a robust immune response.

Methods: We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study in 18 countries to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HZ/su in older adults (≥50 years of age), stratified according to age group (50 to 59, 60 to 69, and ≥70 years). Participants received two intramuscular doses of the vaccine or placebo 2 months apart. Read More

J Comput Biol 2015 Apr;22(4):313-23

1 Department of Computer Science, Illinois Institute of Technology , Chicago, Illinois.

Identifying high-confidence candidate genes that are causative for disease phenotypes, from the large lists of variations produced by high-throughput genomics, can be both time-consuming and costly. The development of novel computational approaches, utilizing existing biological knowledge for the prioritization of such candidate genes, can improve the efficiency and accuracy of the biomedical data analysis. It can also reduce the cost of such studies by avoiding experimental validations of irrelevant candidates. Read More

Int J Pharm 2015 May 18;485(1-2):341-7. Epub 2015 Mar 18.

CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Pôle Pharmacie, rue Montalembert, 6300 Clermont-Ferrand, France; Clermont Université, Université d'Auvergne, EA 467 C-BIOSENSS, BP 10448, F-6300 Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Medical devices (MD) for infusion and artificial nutrition are essentially made of plasticized PVC. The plasticizers in the PVC matrix can leach out into the infused solutions and may enter into contact with the patients. In order to assess the risk of patient exposure to these plasticizers we evaluated the migration performance of DEHP, DEHT, DINCH, and TOTM using a model adapted to the clinical use of the MDs. Read More

Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2015 Jul 13;62:168-73. Epub 2015 Feb 13.

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.

CRAL_TRIO domain proteins are known to bind small lipophilic molecules such as retinal, inositol and Vitamin E and include such gene family members as PINTA, α-tocopherol transfer (ATT) proteins, retinoid binding proteins, and clavesins. In insects, very little is known about either the molecular evolution of this family of proteins or their ligand specificity. Here we characterize insect CRAL_TRIO domain proteins and present the first insect CRAL_TRIO protein phylogeny constructed by performing reciprocal BLAST searches of the reference genomes of Drosophila melanogaster, Anopheles gambiae, Apis mellifera, Tribolium castaneum, Bombyx mori, Manduca sexta and Danaus plexippus. Read More

Am J Psychiatry 2015 Feb;172(2):202

From the Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Am J Psychiatry 2015 Feb;172(2):201-2

From the Department of Psychiatry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2014 Oct 25;108(10):601-7. Epub 2014 Aug 25.

Clinical Research Department, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK Hospital for Tropical Diseases, University College London Hospitals NHS Trust, London, WC1E 6JB, UK.

The endemic treponemal diseases, consisting of yaws, bejel (endemic syphilis) and pinta, are non-venereal infections closely related to syphilis, and are recognized by WHO as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Despite previous worldwide eradication efforts the prevalence of yaws has rebounded in recent years and the disease is now a major public health problem in 14 countries. Adequate data on the epidemiology of bejel and pinta is lacking. Read More

Am J Psychiatry 2014 Jul;171(7):797

Am J Psychiatry 2014 Jul;171(7):796-7

Rev Esp Quimioter 2014 Jun;27(2):98-101

Maria Luisa Rodríguez de la Pinta. Servicio de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales. Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda, Calle Joaquín Rodrigo Nº 2, 28220 Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.

Background: The vaccination of health workers has a large repercussion on the health of the workers, the patients and the population in general. Due to this, we proposed to discover the serological status for varicella, rubella, mumps and measles in the workers of a tertiary hospital in Madrid.

Methods: We have conducted a retrospective epidemiological study of 1060 health workers, obtaining information such as age, sex, service area, employment status, pre-exposure vaccination and post-vaccination serology and vaccination status. Read More

Int J Clin Pharm 2014 Apr 31;36(2):287-90. Epub 2014 Jan 31.

Virgen Macarena University Hospital, C/La Pinta, 94, CP 41927, Seville, Spain,

Background: Complete control of emesis during chemotherapy remains to be achieved. This could be improved by increasing adherence to medicines and recommendations.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of pharmaceutical care on the incidence of delayed chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in adult cancer outpatients. Read More

Clin Microbiol Rev 2014 Jan;27(1):89-115

Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.

The agents of human treponematoses include four closely related members of the genus Treponema: three subspecies of Treponema pallidum plus Treponema carateum. T. pallidum subsp. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2014 Oct 30;14:551. Epub 2014 Oct 30.

GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines, Wavre, Belgium.

Background: More information is needed about time between sexual initiation and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and development of cervical precancer.

Methods: The objectives were to investigate the time between first sexual activity and detection of first cervical HPV infection or development of first cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and associated factors in women from the double-blind, multinational, 4-year PATRICIA trial. PATRICIA enroled women aged 15-25 years with no more than 6 lifetime sexual partners. Read More

Clin Colorectal Cancer 2014 Mar 13;13(1):62-7. Epub 2013 Nov 13.

Colorectal Cancer Unit, Medical Oncology 1 Division, San Giovanni Battista Hospital, Turin, Italy.

Background: Cetuximab is an effective option for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer in the first and subsequent lines of treatment; among its side effects, acneiform skin rash is one of the major causes of treatment delay, reduction, or interruption, with a negative effect on quality of life. No effective strategy to prevent skin rash induced by epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors is available; however, encouraging results have come from vitamin K1, phytomenadione, applied as a topical formulation. Available studies have been conducted in heterogeneous populations and are mainly focused on the use of vitamin K1-based cream for the treatment, rather than the prophylaxis, of acneiform rash. Read More

PLoS One 2013 19;8(11):e79260. Epub 2013 Nov 19.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Background: The control arm of PATRICIA (PApilloma TRIal against Cancer In young Adults, NCT00122681) was used to investigate the risk of progression from cervical HPV infection to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or clearance of infection, and associated determinants.

Methods And Findings: Women aged 15-25 years were enrolled. A 6-month persistent HPV infection (6MPI) was defined as detection of the same HPV type at two consecutive evaluations over 6 months and clearance as ≥2 type-specific HPV negative samples taken at two consecutive intervals of approximately 6 months following a positive sample. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2013 24;7(10):e2283. Epub 2013 Oct 24.

Barcelona Centre for International Health Research, Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain ; Lihir Medical Centre-InternationalSOS, Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea.

Improved understanding of the differential diagnosis of endemic treponematoses is needed to inform clinical practice and to ensure the best outcome for a new global initiative for the eradication of yaws, bejel, and pinta. Traditionally, the human treponematoses have been differentiated based upon their clinical manifestations and epidemiologic characteristics because the etiologic agents are indistinguishable in the laboratory. Serological tests are still considered standard laboratory methods for the diagnosis of endemic treponematoses and new rapid point-of-care treponemal tests have become available which are extremely useful in low-resource settings. Read More

JMIR Res Protoc 2013 Aug 2;2(2):e26. Epub 2013 Aug 2.

Centre for Interventions in Infection, Immunity and Inflammation (4i) and Graduate Entry Medical School, Faculty of Education & Health Sciences, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.

Background: Alcohol use is an important issue among problem drug users. Although screening and brief intervention (SBI) are effective in reducing problem alcohol use in primary care, no research has examined this issue among problem drug users.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine if a complex intervention including SBI for problem alcohol use among problem drug users is feasible and acceptable in practice. Read More

J Infect Dis 2013 Dec 31;208(12):1953-61. Epub 2013 Jul 31.

Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Military Health Sciences, University of Defence, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.

Background: An adjuvanted varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein E (gE) subunit vaccine candidate for herpes zoster is in development. In this trial we compared the safety, reactogenicity, and immunogenicity of the vaccine antigen combined with different adjuvant doses.

Methods: This was a phase II, observer-blind, randomized, multinational study. Read More

Conserv Biol 2013 Aug 26;27(4):701-9. Epub 2013 Mar 26.

State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA.

Loss of key plant-animal interactions (e.g., disturbance, seed dispersal, and herbivory) due to extinctions of large herbivores has diminished ecosystem functioning nearly worldwide. Read More

Endeavour 2013 Mar 17;37(1):13-20. Epub 2013 Jan 17.

Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria, Facultad de Medicina, Edificio B. 6to. piso, Copilco el Alto, CP 04510, México DF, Mexico.

Mal del pinto is a dermatological disease characterized by discoloured patches of skin on the face and body. It has been present in what is now the territory of Mexico from before the Spanish conquest up to recent times. Though early concerns for mal del pinto as a public health problem can be traced back to the late 19th century, no campaign to combat the disease was undertaken until the second half of the 20th. Read More

Am Fam Physician 2013 Jan;87(2):80

Crit Care Med 2012 Dec;40(12):3189-95

Service d'Anesthésie et de Réanimation, Hôpital Nord, Aix-Marseille Univ, Marseille, France.

Objective: Clinical guidelines should provide a framework for managing patients hospitalized in intensive care units. Little is known about guideline compliance in real-life practice. To evaluate compliance rates for a large bundle of intensive care unit practice guidelines and determine factors associated with noncompliance to these guidelines. Read More

Interv Cardiol Clin 2012 Oct 6;1(4):xiii-xiv. Epub 2012 Sep 6.

Lumen Foundation, 55 Pinta Road, Miami, FL 33133, USA. Electronic address:

Interv Cardiol Clin 2012 Oct 5;1(4):623-629. Epub 2012 Oct 5.

Lumen Foundation, 55 Pinta Road, Miami, FL 33133, USA.

Telemedicine is an innovative tool in the setting of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), because it addresses the greatest challenge-delivering optimal reperfusion therapies in a timely manner. Telemedicine targets delays related to geography, distance, and stated prehospital systems of care. Integration of telemedicine into prehospital STEMI management has been shown to yield cost-effective improvements in patient care. Read More

Interv Cardiol Clin 2012 Oct 5;1(4):521-557. Epub 2012 Oct 5.

Departamento de Neurocirugia, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Avenida Club de Golf#3 Torre A Dep. 1501, Lomas Country, Huixquilucan Edo de Mexico 52779.

ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) intervention comprises 2 components, the STEMI procedure and the STEMI process, which have unique aspects that can be modified and improved, ultimately affecting patient outcome. The 15 illustrated cases in this article highlight suggested improvements mainly in the STEMI procedure, with some references as to how the authors practically improved the STEMI process for the described procedure. The illustrated procedures have been meticulously selected from more than 1000 short door-to-balloon STEMI interventions recorded in the Single Individual Community Experience Registry (SINCERE) database, and are aimed at educating the reader about unique STEMI skills. Read More

Interv Cardiol Clin 2012 Oct 1;1(4):485-505. Epub 2012 Sep 1.

Ross University School of Medicine, 786 Seneca Meadows Road, Winter Springs, FL 32708, USA.

Thrombus is a fundamental concept in the pathophysiology of ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). Distal embolization and no reflow are associated with less angiographic success, reduced myocardial blush, less ST resolution after primary percutaneous coronary intervention, larger enzymatic infarct size, lower left ventricular ejection fraction at discharge, and higher long-term mortality. We believe that with the use of thrombectomy devices, these shortcomings can be minimized. Read More

Interv Cardiol Clin 2012 Oct 1;1(4):479-484. Epub 2012 Sep 1.

Lumen Foundation, 55 Pinta Road, Miami, FL 33133, USA.

The goal in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) intervention is achieving a door-to-balloon time of less than 90 minutes. Challenges in North America and Europe include patient education and implementing legislative mandates for STEMI guidelines. Globally, hurdles for primary percutaneous coronary intervention include limitations of access and financial constraints to providing STEMI care to vast populations. Read More

Interv Cardiol Clin 2012 Oct 1;1(4):421-428. Epub 2012 Sep 1.

Ross University School of Medicine, 786 Seneca Meadows Road, Winter Springs, FL 32708, USA.

Bivalirudin is a direct thrombin inhibitor. It is a new recommendation for the treatment of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Bivalirudin combined with aspirin and P2Y12 inhibitors has proved to be an effective and safe choice for the management of thrombus in coronary artery disease. Read More

J Med Virol 2012 Nov;84(11):1710-8

Laboratory of Virology, AP-HP, CHU Saint-Antoine, UPMC University Paris 06, INSERM U943, Paris, France.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the virological efficacy of a 3-month short-course intensification with enfuvirtide (ENF) associated with an optimized background regimen (OBR) in treatment-experienced patients infected with HIV-1 with multiple therapeutic failures. This was a prospective, randomized, open-label multicenter trial including patients infected with HIV-1 and harboring a multi-resistant virus that was still susceptible to at least 2 active compounds. Patients were randomized (1:1) to receive OBR + ENF or OBR alone. Read More

Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim 2012 Apr 28;59(4):210-6. Epub 2012 Apr 28.

Servicio de Anestesiología, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid, España.

We present this document as a guide to preparing a specific institutional pre-anaesthesia checklist, as recommended in the Helsinki declaration on patient safety in anaesthesiology. Also, the recently recommended WHO "safe surgery check-list" includes a check-list for anaesthesia. A working group was established in accordance with the charter of the Spanish Society of Anaesthesiology and Resuscitation (Sociedad Española de Anestesiología y Reanimación [SEDAR]). Read More

J Neurogenet 2012 Jun 27;26(2):216-37. Epub 2012 Jan 27.

Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, 915 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054, USA.

Our objective is to present a comprehensive view of the PDA (prolonged depolarizing afterpotential)-defective Drosophila mutants, nina's and ina's, from the discussion of the PDA and the PDA-based mutant screening strategy to summaries of the knowledge gained through the studies of mutants generated using the strategy. The PDA is a component of the light-evoked photoreceptor potential that is generated when a substantial fraction of rhodopsin is photoconverted to its active form, metarhodopsin. The PDA-based mutant screening strategy was adopted to enhance the efficiency and efficacy of ERG (electroretinogram)-based screening for identifying phototransduction-defective mutants. Read More

Antivir Ther 2012 ;17(1):101-10

Service d'Hépato-Gastroentérologie, Hôpital Saint-Joseph, Marseille, France.

Background: The aim of this study was to document in real life the characteristics and management of hepatitis C patients treated with pegylated interferon-α2a and ribavirin, and the efficacy of treatment (sustained virological response [SVR]).

Methods: This observational study enrolled hepatitis C patients initiating pegylated interferon-α2a and ribavirin treatment.

Results: A total of 2,066 patients were included, of which 70% were treatment-naive, 53% had genotype (G) 1 and 38% G2 or G3 infection, and 35% had an F3-F4 Metavir score. Read More

J Viral Hepat 2012 Feb 30;19(2):e143-53. Epub 2011 Oct 30.

Liver-Gastroenterology Department, University Hospital, Angers, France.

We evaluated whether quantitative measurements of liver fibrosis with recently developed diagnostics outperform histological staging in detecting natural or interferon-induced changes. We compared Metavir staging, morphometry (area and fractal dimension) and six blood tests in 157 patients with chronic hepatitis C from two trials testing maintenance interferon for 96 weeks. Paired liver biopsies and blood tests were available for 101 patients, and there was a significant improvement in Metavir activity and a significant increase in blood tests reflecting fibrosis quantity in patients treated with interferon when compared with controls - all per cent changes in histological fibrosis measures were significantly increased in F1 vs F2-4 stages only in the interferon group. Read More

Infect Genet Evol 2012 Mar 15;12(2):191-202. Epub 2011 Dec 15.

Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Building A6, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic.

Pathogenic uncultivable treponemes, similar to syphilis-causing Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum, include T. pallidum ssp. pertenue, T. Read More