The Convoluted Road of the Communist Party of Albania: 1941-1948

The Communist Party of Albania, later converted into the Labor Party and subsequently into the Socialist Party, was the only political party ever in Albania until the end of the Cold War leading it upon extreme isolation. As such, it stirs up special consideration. Precisely, this paper is focused on tracing the road accomplished by the Communist Party of Albania from its foundation in 1941 to its derogation into the Labor Party of Albania in 1948. It deals with factors which determined its foundation, its role in the National Liberation movement, its legitimacy, its relations with the Communist Party of Yugoslavia and their implications upon Albanian people. Moreover, the analysis of relations with the Communist Party of Yugoslavia places a significant role in the history of the Communist Party of Albania given that it was founded and controlled through the Yugoslav emissaries in line with the goals, interests and policies of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. Yet, the journey of the Communist Party of Albania cannot be considered detached from national and international situation, namely the other resistance groups, the influence of international factor, strategic importance and attention paid to this country in the context of the Second World War and evolution following the developments both at national and international level in the course of the war years and beyond. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n6p11

Genetic Diagnosis of Chromosomal Congenital Anomalies in Albanian Pediatric Patients by Array CGH

AIM: The aim of our study was to identify chromosomal imbalances by whole-genome microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) in DNA samples of children in which karyotype results cannot be obtained. The present paper describes the first Albanian experience of an array CGH application.MATERIAL AND METHODS: The cohort included seven children with developmental delay or intellectual disability, facial dysmorphism and congenital anomalies according to clinical criteria, suggestive of chromosomal anomalies. The age range was from newborn to five years old. The cytogenetic analysis determined by a standard method of G-banding according to the International System for Human Cytogenetic Nomenclature (ISCN 2005) was performed for all our patients, while array CGH was performed on genomic DNA isolated from the blood of 7 cases.RESULTS: Among the seven patients analysed with array CGH, three patients resulted in duplication and one deletion, one patient with a microdeletion and three patients with duplication. Array CGH facilitated the recognition of submicroscopic deletions and duplications as risk factors for genetic diagnosis in all our patients.CONCLUSIONS: Our case series with congenital chromosomal anomalies confirms the high diagnostic value of the method, as suggested by previous studies. The technique must be available also in less developed countries, to significantly improve the genetic diagnosis of paediatric patients with developmental delay or intellectual disability, congenital anomalies and dysmorphic features. The identification of chromosomal abnormalities in these patients and the genetic counselling will provide family members with an explanation for their child’s developmental disability or birth defect, allowing better information about recurrence risks, and permit the anticipation of certain medical problems that require intervention

Predictive Value of the Model of End-Stage Liver Disease in Cirrhotic Patients with and without Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis

Objective. We aimed to assess the predictive value of the model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) in hospitalized cirrhotic patients with and without spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) and fatal outcome. Methods. A cross-sectional study included 256 consecutive patients (199 men and 57 women) diagnosed with cirrhosis and ascites who were hospitalized at the University Hospital Center in Tirana from January 2008 to December 2009. SBP was defined as a neutrophil count of ≥250 cells/mm3 in ascitic fluid. MELD score was based on laboratory parameters determined by UNOS Internet site MELD calculator. Results. In multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models controlling for age, sex, diabetes, and etiology, there was evidence of a positive association of SBP with MELD score: the odds ratio (OR) for SBP for one unit increment of MELD score was 1.06 (95% Cl = 1.02–1.09). MELD score was significantly higher in fatal cases than nonfatal patients (mean age-adjusted score was 32.7 versus 18.4 overall; 34.8 versus 18.0 in SBP patients, and 32.0 versus 18.5 in non-SBP patients; all P < 0.001). Conclusions. In this Albanian sample of hospitalized cirrhotic patients, MELD score was confirmed as a significant predictor of both SBP and fatal outcome

Faktorët etiologjikë, diagnoza dhe terapia e cirrozës hepatike të avancuar në Shqipëri në krahasim me të dhëna europiane

Qëllimi i studimit Nuk ka të dhëna për epidemiologjinë e cirrozës hepatike në Shqipëri. Qëllimi i këtij studimi është të vlerësohet roli i faktorëve kryesorë shkaktarë të cirrozës, në pacientët e shtruar në spital për t'u fokusuar në fushën e parandalimit dhe mjekimit të saj. Metodat Të dhënat etiologjike, klinike si dhe të terapisë së pacientëve të shtruar në departamentin e gastro-hepatologjisë së Qendrës Spitalore Universitare në Tiranë u mblodhën në mënyrë konsekutive gjatë vitit 2019-2020. Rezultatet Nga 120 pacientë të shtruar në spital: 19% për ascit, 4% për hemoragji digjestive, 22% për encefalopati hepatike, 3% për HCC, 24% për diagnozë të parë të insuficiencës hepatike, 28% më shumë se një komplikacion të cirrozës. 56% ishin me cirrozë alkolike, 18% HBV, 7% HCV, 12% me etiologji virale dhe alkoolike, 7% me etiologji të tjera. Nga 11 pacientë me karcinomë hepatoqelizore (HCC), 73% kishin cirrozë HBV. Nga pacientët me cirrozë HBV, 19% mjekoheshin me tenofovir (mungonte testimi i HBV-DNA), 34% raportuan një trajtim të mëparshëm me lamivudine, pa mjekim aktual, 47% nuk raportonin mjekim antiviral. Nga 13 pacientë HCV+, 70% ishin HCV-RNA+, nga të cilët 23% nuk patën efekt nga trajtimet antivirale, 31% ishin HCV-RNA-.8 Konkluzione Abuzimi i alkoolit është shkaktari kryesor i cirrozës në Shqipëri që kërkon një rritje të sensibilitetit për parandalimin e saj. Infeksioni nga HBV luan një rol të rëndësishëm, fakt që kërkon rritjen e vaksinimit dhe përdorimin efektiv të antiviralëve anti HBV. Është e nevojshme një screening për infeksionin nga HCV në popullatën me faktorë risku dhe në momentin e diagnozës duhet të fillohet mjekimi antiviral pavarësisht nga grada e dëmtimit të heparit

Results of Turner Syndrome Treatment with Recombinant Human Growth Hormone in Albania

Background: There is no doubt that the use of rhGH in patients with TS brings satisfactory results regarding the improvement of height growth, realizing the improvement of the final adult height. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of the type/characteristic of the genetic anomaly on sex chromosome X on the outcome of treatment with rhGH among Albanian children diagnosed with TS. Methods and Results: This analytical-observational study was conducted at the Pediatric Endocrine Unit at University Hospital Centre Mother Teresa in Tirana, the only one of its kind treating TS pediatrics in Albania. Only TS patients who had attained near-adult height (NAH) by December 2023 were included in the analysis of this study. Near-adult height was obtained for 44(72.1%) patients. The mean age of starting treatment was 12.68±3.03 years. After a treatment duration of 3.60±2.26 years, the patients recovered 0.88±0.56 in height-for-age Z-score (HAZ), resulting in HAZ at the end of treatment of -2.73±0.87. They achieved their NAH of 144.56±6.53cm. Conclusion: Despite starting treatment late, our patients managed to gain 17.70±12.53cm in length. The progression of height improvement under rhGH treatment showed differences between chromosomal groups. The non-monosomy group had better results regarding NAH and HAZ at the treatment's end than the monosomy group

Adjusted estimate of the prevalence of hepatitis delta virus in 25 countries and territories

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a satellite RNA virus that requires the hepatitis B virus (HBV) for assembly and propagation. Individuals infected with HDV progress to advanced liver disease faster than HBV-monoinfected individuals. Recent studies have estimated the global prevalence of anti-HDV antibodies among the HBV-infected population to be 5-15%. This study aimed to better understand HDV prevalence at the population level in 25 countries/territories. METHODS: We conducted a literature review to determine the prevalence of anti-HDV and HDV RNA in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive individuals in 25 countries/territories. Virtual meetings were held with experts from each setting to discuss the findings and collect unpublished data. Data were weighted for patient segments and regional heterogeneity to estimate the prevalence in the HBV-infected population. The findings were then combined with The Polaris Observatory HBV data to estimate the anti-HDV and HDV RNA prevalence in each country/territory at the population level. RESULTS: After adjusting for geographical distribution, disease stage and special populations, the anti-HDV prevalence among the HBsAg+ population changed from the literature estimate in 19 countries. The highest anti-HDV prevalence was 60.1% in Mongolia. Once adjusted for the size of the HBsAg+ population and HDV RNA positivity rate, China had the highest absolute number of HDV RNA+ cases. CONCLUSIONS: We found substantially lower HDV prevalence than previously reported, as prior meta-analyses primarily focused on studies conducted in groups/regions that have a higher probability of HBV infection: tertiary care centers, specific risk groups or geographical regions. There is large uncertainty in HDV prevalence estimates. The implementation of reflex testing would improve estimates, while also allowing earlier linkage to care for HDV RNA+ individuals. The logistical and economic burden of reflex testing on the health system would be limited, as only HBsAg+ cases would be screened. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the prevalence of hepatitis delta virus among people living with hepatitis B virus at the population level. In this study, we aimed to better understand the burden in 25 countries and territories, to refine techniques that can be used in future analyses. We found a lower prevalence in the majority of places studied than had been previously reported. These data can help inform policy makers on the need to screen people living with hepatitis B virus to find those coinfected with hepatitis delta virus and at high risk of progression, while also highlighting the pitfalls that other researchers have often fallen into

The dynamic Black-Litterman approach to asset allocation

We generalise the Black-Litterman (BL) portfolio management framework to incorporate time-variation in the conditional distribution of returns in the asset allocation process. We evaluate the performance of the dynamic BL model using both standard performance ratios as well as other measures that are designed to capture tail risk in the presence of non-normally distributed asset returns. We find that the dynamic BL model outperforms a range of different benchmarks. Moreover, we show that the choice of volatility model has a considerable impact on the performance of the dynamic BL model

Incorporating value and momentum into the Black-Litterman optimisation framework

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