1,997 research outputs found
Impact of social determinants on antiretroviral therapy access and outcomes entering the era of universal treatment for people living with HIV in Italy
Background: Social determinants are known to be a driving force of health inequalities, even in high income countries. Aim of our study was to determine if these factors can limit antiretroviral therapy (ART) access, outcome and retention in care of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Italy. Methods: All ART naĂŻve HIV+ patients (pts) of Italian nationality enrolled in the ICONA Cohort from 2002 to 2016 were included. The association of socio-demographic characteristics (age, sex, risk factor for HIV infection, educational level, occupational status and residency area) with time to: ART initiation (from the first positive anti-HIV test), ART regimen discontinuation, and first HIV-RNA < 50 cp/mL, were evaluated by Cox regression analysis, Kaplan Meier method and log-rank test. Results: A total of 8023 HIV+ pts (82% males, median age at first pos anti-HIV test 36 years, IQR: 29-44) were included: 6214 (77.5%) started ART during the study period. Women, people who inject drugs (PWID) and residents in Southern Italy presented the lowest levels of education and the highest rate of unemployment compared to other groups. Females, pts aged > 50 yrs., unemployed vs employed, and people with lower educational levels presented the lowest CD4 count at ART initiation compared to other groups. The overall median time to ART initiation was 0.6 years (yrs) (IQR 0.1-3.7), with a significant decrease over time [2002-2006 = 3.3 yrs. (0.2-9.4); 2007-2011 = 1.0 yrs. (0.1-3.9); 2012-2016 = 0.2 yrs. (0.1-2.1), p < 0.001]. By multivariate analysis, females (p < 0.01) and PWID (p < 0.001), presented a longer time to ART initiation, while older people (p < 0.001), people with higher educational levels (p < 0.001), unemployed (p = 0.02) and students (p < 0.001) were more likely to initiate ART. Moreover, PWID, unemployed vs stable employed, and pts. with lower educational levels showed a lower 1-year probability of achieving HIV-RNA suppression, while females, older patients, men who have sex with men (MSM), unemployed had higher 1-year risk of first-line ART discontinuation. Conclusions: Despite median time to ART start decreased from 2002 to 2016, socio-demographic factors still contribute to disparities in ART initiation, outcome and durability
Development and validation of a risk score for chronic kidney disease in HIV infection using prospective cohort data from the D:A:D study.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health issue for HIV-positive individuals, associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Development and implementation of a risk score model for CKD would allow comparison of the risks and benefits of adding potentially nephrotoxic antiretrovirals to a treatment regimen and would identify those at greatest risk of CKD. The aims of this study were to develop a simple, externally validated, and widely applicable long-term risk score model for CKD in HIV-positive individuals that can guide decision making in clinical practice
Regulatory-Optimal Funding
Funding is a cost to trading desks that they see as an input. Current
FVA-related literature reflects this by also taking funding costs as an input,
usually constant, and always risk-neutral. However, this funding curve is the
output from a Treasury point of view. Treasury must consider
Regulatory-required liquidity buffers, and both risk-neutral (Q) and physical
measures (P). We describe the Treasury funding problem and optimize against
both measures, using the Regulatory requirement as a constraint. We develop
theoretically optimal strategies for Q and P, then demonstrate a combined
approach in four markets (USD, JPY, EUR, GBP). Since we deal with physical
measures we develop appropriate statistical tests, and demonstrate highly
significant (p<0.00001), out-of-sample, improvements on hedged funding with a
combined approach achieving 44% to 71% of a perfect information criterion. Thus
regulatory liquidity requirements change both the funding problem and funding
costs.Comment: 20 pages; 8 figures; 2 tables, Risk, April 201
Hydrogen enhanced thermal fatigue of y-titanium aluminide
A study of hydrogen enhanced thermal fatigue cracking was carried out for a gamma-based Ti-48Al-2Cr alloy by cycling between room temperature and 750 or 900 °C. The results showed that hydrogen can severely attack the gamma alloy, with resulting lifetimes as low as three cycles, while no failures were observed in helium for test durations of over 4000 cycles. The severity of hydrogen attack strongly depends on the upper limit of the temperature cycled and the cleanliness of the hydrogen. Specifically, the large scatter of life times at 750 °C (ranging from 36 to more than 3000 cycles) have resulted from the competition between surface oxidation and hydrogen attack. The results suggest that an understanding of the combined actions of thermal cycling and hydrogen degradation is needed for assessing materials for high temperature applications in hydrogen
Optimizing HIV therapy. A consensus project on differences between cytidine analogues and regime compactness
The identification of the most effective HAART regimens in different clinical settings is still an issue. The aim of the study was to analyze how the compactness of HAART regimens is perceived and if differences between lamivudine (3TC) and emtricitabine (FTC) do exist according to a panel of Italian HIV/AIDS clinicians, using the Delphi method
Illustrating a problem in the self-financing condition in two 2010-2011 papers on funding, collateral and discounting
We illustrate a problem in the self-financing condition used in the papers
"Funding beyond discounting: collateral agreements and derivatives pricing"
(Risk Magazine, February 2010) and "Partial Differential Equation
Representations of Derivatives with Counterparty Risk and Funding Costs" (The
Journal of Credit Risk, 2011). These papers state an erroneous self-financing
condition. In the first paper, this is equivalent to assuming that the equity
position is self-financing on its own and without including the cash position.
In the second paper, this is equivalent to assuming that a subportfolio is
self-financing on its own, rather than the whole portfolio. The error in the
first paper is avoided when clearly distinguishing between price processes,
dividend processes and gain processes. We present an outline of the derivation
that yields the correct statement of the self-financing condition, clarifying
the structure of the relevant funding accounts, and show that the final result
in "Funding beyond discounting" is correct, even if the self-financing
condition stated is not.Comment: added references, a footnote and updated abstrac
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