Hepatitis C prevalence in Denmark in 2016—An updated estimate using multiple national registers

Background: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) can be eliminated as a public health threat by meeting the WHO targets: 90% of patients diagnosed and 80% treated by 2030. To achieve and monitor progress towards elimination, an updated estimate of the size of the CHC population is needed, but Denmark has no complete national CHC register. By combining existing registers in 2007, we estimated the population living with CHC to be 16,888 (0.38% of the adult population). Aim: To estimate the population living with diagnosed and undiagnosed CHC in Denmark on 31 December 2016. Among additional aims were to estimate the proportion of patients attending specialised clinical care. Methods: People with diagnosed CHC were identified from four national registers. The total diagnosed population was estimated by capture-recapture analysis. The undiagnosed population was estimated by comparing the register data with data from two cross-sectional surveys. Results: The population living with diagnosed CHC in Denmark was 7,581 persons (95%CI: 7,416–12,661) of which 6,116 (81%) were identified in the four registers. The estimated undiagnosed fraction was 24%, so the total CHC infected population was 9,975 corresponding to 0.21% of the adult population (95%CI: 9,758–16,659; 0.21%-0.36%). Only 48% of diagnosed patients had received specialised clinical care. Conclusion: CHC prevalence in Denmark is declining and 76% of patients have been diagnosed. Linking diagnosed patients to care and increasing efforts to test people with former or current drug use will be necessary to achieve CHC elimination

Quantum mechanical polar surface area

A correlation has been established between the absorbed fraction of training-set molecules after oral administration in humans and the Quantum Mechanical Polar Surface Area (QMPSA). This correlation holds for the QMPSA calculated with structures where carboxyl groups are deprotonated. The correlation of the absorbed fraction and the QMPSA calculated on the neutral gas phase optimized structures is much less pronounced. This suggests that the absorption process is mainly determined by polar interactions of the drug molecules in water solution. Rules are given to derive the optimal polar/apolar ranges of the electrostatic potential

Mortality among Patients with Cleared Hepatitis C Virus Infection Compared to the General Population: A Danish Nationwide Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: The increased mortality in HCV-infected individuals partly stems from viral damage to the liver and partly from risk-taking behaviours. We examined mortality in patients who cleared their HCV-infection, comparing it to that of the general population. We also addressed the question whether prognosis differed according to age, substance abuse (alcohol abuse and injection drug use) and comorbidity. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Patients with cleared HCV-infection were categorized into one of 8 groups according to age (20-39 years or 40-69 years) and patient characteristics (no substance abuse/no comorbidity; substance abuse/no comorbidity; no substance abuse/comorbidity; and substance abuse/comorbidity). For each patient, 4 age- and gender-matched individuals without substance abuse or comorbidity were selected from the general population, comprising a total of 8 comparison cohorts. We analyzed 10-year survival and used stratified Cox Regression analysis to compute mortality rate ratios (MRRs), comparing mortality between the 8 patient groups and the comparison cohorts, adjusting for personal income. Among patients without substance abuse or comorbidity, those aged 40-69 years had the same mortality as the comparison cohort (10-year survival: 95% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 93%-97%), MRR: 1.3 (95% CI: 0.8-2.3)), whereas those aged 20-39 years had higher mortality than the comparison cohort (10-year survival: 93% versus 99%, MRR: 5.7 (95% CI: 2.3-14.0). For both age categories, substance abuse and comorbidity decreased survival and increased MRRs. Patients aged 40-69 years with substance abuse and comorbidity suffered from substantial mortality (MRR: 12.5 (95% CI: 5.1-30.6)). CONCLUSIONS: Mortality in patients aged 40-69 years with cleared HCV-infection is comparable to individuals without HCV, provided they have no substance abuse or comorbidity. Any substance abuse and/or comorbidity not captured in the registries used for our study could explain the increased mortality in patients aged 20-39 years without documented substance abuse or comorbidity

3D superimposition of craniofacial imaging—The utility of multicentre collaborations

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149360/1/ocr12281.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149360/2/ocr12281_am.pd

Evaluation of young smokers and non-smokers with Electrogustometry and Contact Endoscopy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Smoking is the cause of inducing changes in taste functionality under conditions of chronic exposure. The objective of this study was to evaluate taste sensitivity in young smokers and non-smokers and identify any differences in the shape, density and vascularisation of the fungiform papillae (fPap) of their tongue.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sixty-two male subjects who served in the Greek military forces were randomly chosen for this study. Thirty-four were non-smokers and 28 smokers. Smokers were chosen on the basis of their habit to hold the cigarette at the centre of their lips. Taste thresholds were measured with Electrogustometry (EGM). The morphology and density of the fungiform papillae (fPap) at the tip of the tongue were examined with Contact Endoscopy (CE).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was found statistically important difference (<it>p </it>< 0.05) between the taste thresholds of the two groups although not all smokers presented with elevated taste thresholds: Six of them (21%) had taste thresholds similar to those of non-smokers. Differences concerning the shape and the vessels of the fungiform papillae between the groups were also detected. Fewer and flatter fPap were found in 22 smokers (79%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The majority of smokers shown elevated taste thresholds in comparison to non-smokers. Smoking is an important factor which can lead to decreased taste sensitivity. The combination of methods, such as EGM and CE, can provide useful information about the vascularisation of taste buds and their functional ability.</p

Computational approaches for modeling human intestinal absorption and permeability

Human intestinal absorption (HIA) is an important roadblock in the formulation of new drug substances. Computational models are needed for the rapid estimation of this property. The measurements are determined via in vivo experiments or in vitro permeability studies. We present several computational models that are able to predict the absorption of drugs by the human intestine and the permeability through human Caco-2 cells. The training and prediction sets were derived from literature sources and carefully examined to eliminate compounds that are actively transported. We compare our results to models derived by other methods and find that the statistical quality is similar. We believe that models derived from both sources of experimental data would provide greater consistency in predictions. The performance of several QSPR models that we investigated to predict outside the training set for either experimental property clearly indicates that caution should be exercised while applying any of the models for quantitative predictions. However, we are able to show that the qualitative predictions can be obtained with close to a 70% success rate

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease