320 research outputs found
Annealed lower tails for the energy of a polymer
We consider the energy of a randomly charged polymer. We assume that only
charges on the same site interact pairwise. We study the lower tails of the
energy, when averaged over both randomness, in dimension three or more. As a
corollary, we obtain the correct temperature-scale for the Gibbs measure.Comment: 27 page
Review article: emerging insights into the immunopathology, clinical and therapeutic aspects of hepatitis delta virus
BACKGROUND: Hepatitis delta virus (HDV), which causes the most severe form of viral hepatitis, is an obligated hepatitis B (HBV) satellite virus that can either infect naïve subjects simultaneously with HBV (co‐infection), or chronically infect HBV carriers (super‐infection). An estimated 12 million people are infected by HDV worldwide. AIMS: To summarise the most relevant aspects of the molecular biology of HDV, and to discuss the latest understanding of the induced pathology, interactions with the immune system, as well as both approved and investigational treatment options. METHODS: References for this review were identified through searches of PubMed with the terms “HDV” “viral hepatitis” “co‐infection” and “super‐infection,” published between 1980 and October 2021 RESULTS: The limited access to the HDV‐infected liver has hampered the investigation of the intrahepatic compartment and our understanding of the mechanisms of HDV pathogenesis. In the absence of standardised and sensitive diagnostic tools, HDV is often underdiagnosed and owing to its strong dependence on host cellular factors, the development of direct antiviral agents has been challenging. New therapeutic agents targeting different steps of the viral cycle have recently been investigated, among which bulevirtide (which was conditionally approved by EMA in July 2020) and lonafarnib; both drugs having received orphan drug designation from both the EMA and FDA. CONCLUSIONS: The HBV cure programme potentially offers a unique opportunity to enhance HDV treatment strategies. In addition, a more comprehensive analysis of the intrahepatic compartment is mandated to better understand any liver‐confined interaction of HDV with the host immune system
Dynamical aspects of mean field plane rotators and the Kuramoto model
The Kuramoto model has been introduced in order to describe synchronization
phenomena observed in groups of cells, individuals, circuits, etc... We look at
the Kuramoto model with white noise forces: in mathematical terms it is a set
of N oscillators, each driven by an independent Brownian motion with a constant
drift, that is each oscillator has its own frequency, which, in general,
changes from one oscillator to another (these frequencies are usually taken to
be random and they may be viewed as a quenched disorder). The interactions
between oscillators are of long range type (mean field). We review some results
on the Kuramoto model from a statistical mechanics standpoint: we give in
particular necessary and sufficient conditions for reversibility and we point
out a formal analogy, in the N to infinity limit, with local mean field models
with conservative dynamics (an analogy that is exploited to identify in
particular a Lyapunov functional in the reversible set-up). We then focus on
the reversible Kuramoto model with sinusoidal interactions in the N to infinity
limit and analyze the stability of the non-trivial stationary profiles arising
when the interaction parameter K is larger than its critical value K_c. We
provide an analysis of the linear operator describing the time evolution in a
neighborhood of the synchronized profile: we exhibit a Hilbert space in which
this operator has a self-adjoint extension and we establish, as our main
result, a spectral gap inequality for every K>K_c.Comment: 18 pages, 1 figur
Новое в развитии пластической хирургии носа
Рассмотрены проблемы, возникающие при реконструктивных вмешательствах на структурах наружного носа и его внутренних полостях, характеристики трансплантатов и условия, способствующие возникновению осложнений. На основании собственных наблюдений сделан вывод о практической целесообразности использования гомо− и гетеротрансплантатов с учетом конкретных медико−социальных показаний.The problems arising at reconstructive surgery on the external structures of the nose and its inner cavities as well as characteristics of the implants and the conditions promoting complication development are featured. Basing on the original research the authors conclude about practical expediency of application of homo− and heterotransplants with the account of definite medical−social parameters
Final analysis of the international observational S-Collate study of peginterferon alfa-2a in patients with chronic hepatitis B
Background and aims Sustained off-treatment immune control is achievable in a proportion of patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with peginterferon alfa-2a. We evaluated on-treatment predictors of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance 3 years after peginterferon alfa-2a treatment and determined the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods A prospective, international, multicenter, observational study in patients with chronic hepatitis B who have been prescribed peginterferon alfa-2a (40KD) in a real-world setting. The primary endpoint was HBsAg clearance after 3 years' follow-up. Results The modified intention-to-treat population comprised 844 hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)positive patients (540 [64%] completed 3 years' follow-up), and 872 HBeAg-negative patients (614 [70%] completed 3 years' follow-up). At 3 years' follow-up, HBsAg clearance rates in HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative populations, respectively, were 2% (16/844) and 5% (41/872) in the modified intention-to-treat population and 5% [16/328] and 10% [41/ 394] in those with available data. In HBeAg-positive patients with data, Week 12 HBsAg levels <1500, 1500-20,000, and >20,000 IU/mL were associated with HBsAg clearance rates at 3 years' follow-up of 11%, 1%, and 5%, respectively (Week 24 predictability was similar). In HBeAg-negative patients with available data, a 6510% decline vs a <10% decline in HBsAg at Week 12 was associated with HBsAg clearance rates of 16% vs 4%. Hepatocellular carcinoma incidence was lower than REACH-B (Risk Estimation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Chronic Hepatitis B) model predictions. Conclusions Sustained off-treatment immune control is achieved with peginterferon alfa-2a in a real-world setting. HBsAg clearance 3 years after completion of peginterferon alfa-2a can be predicted on the basis of on-treatment HBsAg kinetics
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