Monitoring of hepatitis B virus surface antigen escape mutations and concomitantly nucleos(t)ide analog resistance mutations in Turkish patients with chronic hepatitis B

SummaryBackgroundThe hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase gene completely overlaps with the envelope gene. In the present study we aimed to monitor the prevalence and pattern of the typical mutations for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) escape, and concomitantly nucleos(t)ide analog (NUC) resistance mutations, in Turkish patients undergoing different antiviral therapies and in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).MethodsThe investigation was undertaken between March 2007 and August 2009 and involved a total of 142 patients under NUC therapy (88 males; mean age 42 years (range 13–68); hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) negativity in 94 patients; HBV DNA median log 4.3 log10 IU/ml (range 2.0–>6.0); alanine aminotransferase (ALT) median level 76.1 IU/ml (range 12–1082)) and 185 treatment-naïve CHB patients (120 males; mean age 39 years (range 1–76 years); HBeAg negativity in 132 patients; HBV DNA median log 3.5 log10 IU/ml (range 2.0–6.0); ALT median level 60.7 IU/l (range 8–874)).ResultsThe overall prevalence of typical HBsAg escape mutations found in the CHB patients was 8.3% (27/327). In the NUC therapy group the prevalence was 8.5% (12/142), with the following patterns: sY100C+sI110V, sL109I, sP120T, sP127T, sG130R+sG145X, sS132A+sY134N, sY134N+sG145R, sC137G, sD144E, sG145R. In the treatment-naïve group the prevalence was 8.1% (15/185), with the following patterns: sL109I, sI110V, sS117INST, sP120T, sP127T, sM133I, sC137L+sG145R, sS143L. However, NUC resistance mutations were found in 7.7% (11/142) of the patients on NUC therapy and 3.8% (7/185) of the treatment-naïve group patients. Interestingly, the treatment-naïve patients had preexisting drug resistance mutations related to lamivudine (rtL180M+rtM204I), adefovir (rtA181V, rtQ215S, rtI233V), entecavir (intermediate susceptibility with rtL180M+rtM204IHBV variant), telbivudine (rtL180M+rtM204I), and tenofovir (rtA194T).ConclusionsThe findings of this study show preexisting typical HBsAg escape and NUC resistance mutations are possible. The genetic arrangement of the HBV genome with polymerase and surface genes overlapping has substantial public health and diagnostic implications and relevance

Construction of dual-generalized complex Fibonacci and Lucas quaternions

The aim of this paper is to construct dual-generalized complex Fibonacci and Lucas quaternions. It examines the properties both as dual-generalized complex number and as quaternion. Additionally, general recurrence relations, Binet's formulas, Tagiuri's (or Vajda's like), Honsberger's, d'Ocagne's, Cassini's and Catalan's identities are obtained. A series of matrix representations of these special quaternions is introduced. Finally, the multiplication of dual-generalized complex Fibonacci and Lucas quaternions are also expressed as their different matrix representations

Investigation of arenesulfonyl-2-imidazolidinones as potent carbonic anhydrase inhibitors

Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University [RGP-VPP-163

A combined estimator using TEC and b-value for large earthquake prediction

[EN] Ionospheric anomalies have been shown to occur a few days before several large earthquakes. The published works normally address examples limited in time (a single event or few of them) or space (a particular geographic area), so that a clear method based on these anomalies which consistently yields the place and magnitude of the forthcoming earthquake, anytime and anywhere on earth, has not been presented so far. The current research is aimed at prediction of large earthquakes, that is with magnitude M-w 7 or higher. It uses as data bank all significant earthquakes occurred worldwide in the period from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2018. The first purpose of the research is to improve the use of ionospheric anomalies in the form of TEC grids for earthquake prediction. A space-time TEC variation estimator especially designed for earthquake prediction will show the advantages with respect to the use of simple TEC values. Further, taking advantage of the well-known predictive abilities of the Gutenberg-Richter law's b-value, a combined estimator based on both TEC anomalies and b-values will be designed and shown to improve prediction performance even more.Baselga Moreno, S. (2020). A combined estimator using TEC and b-value for large earthquake prediction. Acta Geodaetica et Geophysica Hungarica. 55(1):63-82. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40328-019-00281-5S6382551Abordán A, Szabó NP (2018) Metropolis algorithm driven factor analysis for lithological characterization of shallow marine sediments. Acta Geod Geophys 53:189–199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40328-017-0210-zAkhoondzadeh M, Saradjian MR (2011) TEC variations analysis concerning Haiti (January 12, 2010) and Samoa (September 29, 2009) earthquakes. 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Acta Geod Geophys 53:579–606. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40328-018-0221-4Pulinets S, Boyarchuk K (2004) Ionospheric precursors of earthquakes. Springer, BerlinPulinets SA, Legen’ka AD, Gaivoronskaya TV, Depuev VKh (2003) Main phenomenological features of ionospheric precursors of strong earthquakes. J Atmos Sol Terr Phys 65:1337–1347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2003.07.011Reyes J, Morales-Esteban A, Martínez-Álvarez F (2013) Neural networks to predict earthquakes in Chile. Appl Soft Comput 13:1314–1328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2012.10.014Şentürk E, Çepni MS (2018a) A statistical analysis of seismo ionospheric TEC anomalies before 63 Mw ≥ 5.0 earthquakes in Turkey during 2003–2016. Acta Geophys 66:1495–1507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-018-0214-2Şentürk E, Çepni MS (2018b) Ionospheric temporal variations over the region of Turkey: a study based on long-time TEC observations. Acta Geod Geophys 53:623–637. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40328-018-0233-0Şentürk E, Çepni MS (2019) Performance of different weighting and surface fitting techniques on station-wise TEC calculation and modified sine weighting supported by the sun effect. J Spat Sci 64(2):209–220. https://doi.org/10.1080/14498596.2017.1417169Şentürk E, Livaoğlu H, Çepni MS (2019) A comprehensive analysis of ionospheric anomalies before the mw 7.1 Van earthquake on 23 October 2011. J Navig 72(3):702–720. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0373463318000826Shiuly A, Roy N (2018) A generalized VS–N correlation using various regression analysis and genetic algorithm. Acta Geod Geophys 53:479–502. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40328-018-0220-5U.S. Geological Survey (2019) Earthquake catalog. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/search/. Accessed 5 May 2019Warwick JW, Stoker C, Meyer TR (1982) Radio emission associated with rock fracture: possible application to the Great Chilean Earthquake of May 22, 1960. 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Impact of foot-and-mouth disease on mastitis and culling on a large-scale dairy farm in Kenya

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly transmissible viral infection of cloven hooved animals associated with severe economic losses when introduced into FMD-free countries. Information on the impact of the disease in FMDV-endemic countries is poorly characterised yet essential for the prioritisation of scarce resources for disease control programmes. A FMD (virus serotype SAT2) outbreak on a large-scale dairy farm in Nakuru County, Kenya provided an opportunity to evaluate the impact of FMD on clinical mastitis and culling rate. A cohort approach followed animals over a 12-month period after the commencement of the outbreak. For culling, all animals were included; for mastitis, those over 18 months of age. FMD was recorded in 400/644 cattle over a 29-day period. During the follow-up period 76 animals were culled or died whilst in the over 18 month old cohort 63 developed clinical mastitis. Hazard ratios (HR) were generated using Cox regression accounting for non-proportional hazards by inclusion of time-varying effects. Univariable analysis showed FMD cases were culled sooner but there was no effect on clinical mastitis. After adjusting for possible confounders and inclusion of time-varying effects there was weak evidence to support an effect of FMD on culling (HR = 1.7, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.88-3.1, P = 0.12). For mastitis, there was stronger evidence of an increased rate in the first month after the onset of the outbreak (HR = 2.9, 95%CI 0.97-8.9, P = 0.057)

Rejoinder: Time-dynamic profiling with application to hospital readmission among patients on dialysis.

Standard profiling analysis aims to evaluate medical providers, such as hospitals, nursing homes, or dialysis facilities, with respect to a patient outcome. The outcome, for instance, may be mortality, medical complications, or 30-day (unplanned) hospital readmission. Profiling analysis involves regression modeling of a patient outcome, adjusting for patient health status at baseline, and comparing each provider's outcome rate (e.g., 30-day readmission rate) to a normative standard (e.g., national "average"). Profiling methods exist mostly for non time-varying patient outcomes. However, for patients on dialysis, a unique population which requires continuous medical care, methodologies to monitor patient outcomes continuously over time are particularly relevant. Thus, we introduce a novel time-dynamic profiling (TDP) approach to assess the time-varying 30-day readmission rate. TDP is used to estimate, for the first time, the risk-standardized time-dynamic 30-day hospital readmission rate, throughout the time period that patients are on dialysis. We develop the framework for TDP by introducing the standardized dynamic readmission ratio as a function of time and a multilevel varying coefficient model with facility-specific time-varying effects. We propose estimation and inference procedures tailored to the problem of TDP and to overcome the challenge of high-dimensional parameters when examining thousands of dialysis facilities

Investigation of antimicrobial activity and morphological properties of metal coated textile surfaces

The results of investigation antimicrobial and surface properties of the textiles metal coated by means of magnetron or the cleaning-deposition system, which is based on sequentially arranged DC anode layer accelerator and hollow cathode, are presented. The antimicrobial properties against bacteria E. coli and S. aureus of cotton and polyester/cotton textiles coated by Cu, Ti and Ag with the use of two different systems were examined and compared.Представлены результаты исследования антимикробных и поверхностных свойств тканей с металлическими напылениями, созданными при помощи магнетрона или чистяще-распылительного устройства на базе последовательно расположенных ускорителя с анодным слоем и полого катода. Определены и сопоставлены антимикробные свойства тканей из хлопка и смеси хлопок/полиэстер с напылениями из Cu, Ti и Ag, созданными с использованием двух этих устройств, против бактерий E. coli и S. aureus.Представлено результати досліджень антимікробних і поверхневих властивостей тканин з металевими напиленнями, створеними за допомогою магнетрона та чистяче-розпилювального пристрою на базі послідовно розташованих прискорювача з анодним шаром та порожнистого катода. Визначені та співставлені антимікробні властивості тканин з бавовни та суміші бавовна/поліестер з напиленнями з Cu, Ti та Ag, створених за допомогою цих пристроїв, проти бактерій E. coli та S. aureus

Aortic distensibility and coronary artery bypass graft patency

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Aortic distensibility is an elasticity index of the aorta, and reflects aortic stiffness. Coronary artery disease has been found to be substantially associated with increased aortic stiffness. In this study we aimed to retrospectively analyze the association of angiographically determined aortic distensibility with the patency rates of coronary bypass grafts</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was conducted in the Cardiology department of the Applied Research Centre for Health of Uludağ University. The coronary angiograms of 53 consecutive coronary bypass patients were analysed retrospectively. Aortic distensibility was calculated using the formula: 2 × (change in aortic diameter)/(diastolic aortic diameter) × (change in aortic pressure). The number of stenosed and patent bypass grafts and the patient characteristics like age, risk factors were noted.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 44 male (83%) and 9 female (17%) cases. Eighteen cases had only one saphenous vein grafting. The number of cases with two, three and four saphenous grafting were 18, 11 and 1; respectively. In the control angiograms the number of cases with one, two, three and four saphenous vein graft obstruction were 15 (31.3%), 7 (14.6%), 1 (2.1%) and 1 (2.1%) respectively. The aortic distensibility did not differ in cases with and without saphenous graft occlusion (p > 0.05). Also left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft patency was not related to the distensibility of the aorta (p > 0.05). We also evaluated the data for cut-off values of 50 and 70 mmHg of pulse pressure and did not see any significant difference between the groups in terms of saphenous or LIMA grafts.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this study we failed to show association of angiographically determined aortic distensibility with coronary bypass graft patency in consecutive 53 patients with coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).</p

Performance Characteristics of Profiling Methods and the Impact of Inadequate Case-mix Adjustment.

Profiling or evaluation of health care providers involves the application of statistical models to compare each provider's performance with respect to a patient outcome, such as unplanned 30-day hospital readmission, adjusted for patient case-mix characteristics. The nationally adopted method is based on random effects (RE) hierarchical logistic regression models. Although RE models are sensible for modeling hierarchical data, novel high dimensional fixed effects (FE) models have been proposed which may be well-suited for the objective of identifying sub-standard performance. However, there are limited comparative studies. Thus, we examine their relative performance, including the impact of inadequate case-mix adjustment