18 research outputs found

    Successful Pre- and Posttransplant Sofosbuvir-Based Anti-Hepatitis C Virus Treatment in Persons Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

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    This retrospective study reports the data of sofosbuvir-based anti-hepatitis C virus treatment in 24 candidates and 24 recipients of liver transplantation coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus. Sustained virologic response was cumulatively 85% (90% and 100% in those treated with optimal schedules pre- and posttransplant, respectively).This retrospective study reports the data of sofosbuvir-based anti-hepatitis C virus treatment in 24 candidates and 24 recipients of liver transplantation coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus. Sustained virologic response was cumulatively 85% (90% and 100% in those treated with optimal schedules pre- and posttransplant, respectively)

    Analysis of the current world biofuel production under a water–food–energy nexus perspective

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    This paper assesses the sustainability of bioenergy production under a nexus perspective through a new efficiency type index. The index describes 1st generation biofuel production under the perspective of the implied consumption of natural resources. We consider the sustainability of energy production as a sequence of steps, each characterised by its efficiency, and propose an index which returns an overall efficiency value describing the adequacy or inadequacy of the considered processes under a nexus perspective. The direct application of the nexus index entails an indication of the possible improvements needed to move production towards most sustainable processes or places. Moreover, it allows evaluating the efficiency of the main crops currently used in biofuel production with respect to the water–food–energy nexus. The results depict countries presently capable of performing sustainable production of 1st generation biofuel from particular crops. Furthermore, the analysis of the single components of the nexus index allows understanding the effects of possible improvements (e.g. soil and water management, new generation biofuels) on the overall production efficiency under a nexus perspectiv

    Discordant Liver Fibrosis Predictors in Virologically Suppressed People Living with HIV without Hepatitis Virus Infection

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    Severe liver fibrosis (LF) is associated with poor long-term liver-related outcomes in people living with HIV (PLWH). The study aimed to explore the prevalence and predictors of LF and the concordance between different non-invasive methods for the estimation of LF in HIV-infected individuals without hepatitis virus infection. We enrolled PLWH with HIV-1-RNA <50 copies/mL for >12 months, excluding individuals with viral hepatitis. LF was assessed by transient elastography (TE) (significant >6.65 kPa), fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) (significant >2.67), and AST-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) (significant >1.5). We included 234 individuals (67% males, median age 49 years, median time from HIV diagnosis 11 years, 38% treated with integrase strand transfer inhibitors). In terms of the TE, 13% had ≥F2 stage; FIB-4 score was >1.5 in 7%; and APRI > 0.5 in 4%. Higher body mass index, diabetes mellitus, detectable baseline HIV-1 RNA and longer atazanavir exposure were associated with higher liver stiffness as per TE. Predictors of higher APRI score were CDC C stage and longer exposure to tenofovir alafenamide, while HBcAb positivity and longer exposure to tenofovir alafenamide were associated to higher FIB-4 scores. Qualitative agreement was poor between FIB-4/TE and between APRI/TE by non-parametric Spearman correlation and kappa statistic. In our study, in the group of PLWH without viral hepatitis, different non-invasive methods were discordant in predicting liver fibrosis

    Viral Interference Between Hepatitis B, C, and D Viruses in Dual and Triple Infections in HIV-Positive Patients

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    Objective: To investigate the reciprocal inhibitory effects of hepatitis B virus (HBV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV)/hepatitis D virus (HDV) infections in naive and previously antiretroviral-experienced HIV-positive patients. Design: This retrospective Study involved 72 consecutive patients of the Italian Cohort Naive Antiretroviral cohort: 21 coinfected with HBV/HCV (group IBC), 18 infected with HBV (group 2B), and 33 infected with HCV (group 3C). Methods: Viral interference between HBV and HCV was assessed by means of the qualitative detection, quantification, and genotyping of each virus; HDV infection was assessed by means of genomic amplification. Results: Univariate analysis showed that HBV DNA was less frequently detected in group I BC than in group 213 (16 of 21 vs 18 of 18; P = 0.02), their HBV load was significantly lower (median 3.9 vs 5.4 log(10) HBV DNA copies/mL; P = 0.002), and they more frequently carried HBV genotype D (12 of 13 vs 4 of 11; P = 0.0071). HCV RNA was less frequently detected in group I BC than in group 3C (12 of 21 vs 33 of 33; P 0.0001), and HDV RNA was more frequently detected in group IBC than in group 213 (9 of 21 vs 2 of 18; P = 0.028). Multivariate analysis of the, HBV-infected subjects showed that the risk of HCV coinfection was associated with older age [relative risk 0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09 to 0.90; P = 0.033 for every 10 years older] and intravenous drug use (relative risk 73, 95% CI: 2.4 to >999.999; P = 0.013). The only predictor of HBV coinfection in HCV-infected individuals was a lower HCV load (relative risk 0.30, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.79 for every additional log(10) HCV RNA; P = 0.015). Conclusion: HBV and HCV showed alternative dominant replication in the I.Co.N.A. cohort, with HBV having a more unfavorable effect on HCV replication

    James Baldwin and American Identity

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    James Baldwin’s nonfiction work—primarily The Fire Next Time— seeks to define the concept of the American identity by exploring the influence of racial relations within the United States on both black and white Americans’ perceptions of the American identity. My research involves the use of academic journals and literary criticism regarding Baldwin’s nonfiction work, as well as a thorough study of The Fire Next Time. In my project on The Fire Next Time, I articulate Baldwin’s argument that the creation and development of the American identity is determined by one’s race and perpetuated by American society
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