Impact of previous hepatitis B infection on the clinical outcomes from chronic hepatitis C? A population-level analysis

Chronic coinfection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) is associated with adverse liver outcomes. The clinical impact of previous HBV infection on liver disease in HCV infection is unknown. We aimed at determining any association of previous HBV infection with liver outcomes using antibodies to the hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAb) positivity as a marker of exposure. The Scottish Hepatitis C Clinical Database containing data for all patients attending HCV clinics in participating health boards was linked to the HBV diagnostic registry and mortality data from Information Services Division, Scotland. Survival analyses with competing risks were constructed for time from the first appointment to decompensated cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver‐related mortality. Records of 8513 chronic HCV patients were included in the analyses (87 HBcAb positive and HBV surface antigen [HBsAg] positive, 1577 HBcAb positive and HBsAg negative, and 6849 HBcAb negative). Multivariate cause‐specific proportional hazards models showed previous HBV infection (HBcAb positive and HBsAg negative) significantly increased the risks of decompensated cirrhosis (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.01‐1.65) and HCC (HR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.09‐2.49), but not liver‐related death (HR: 1.02, 95% CI: 0.80‐1.30). This is the largest study to date showing an association between previous HBV infection and certain adverse liver outcomes in HCV infection. Our analyses add significantly to evidence which suggests that HBV infection adversely affects liver health despite apparent clearance. This has important implications for HBV vaccination policy and indications for prioritization of HCV therapy

Reaping New Harvests: Collaboration and Communication through Field Experiences

Created under the auspices of the field experience offices at two public, four-year institutions of higher education, and in conjunction with a local urban school district, the Teaching and Learning Collaborative (TLC) and Communities of Practice (COMPRAC) were constructed to support a year-long experience (practicum and student teaching) at the undergraduate and postbaccalaureate levels. These programs, structured to help preservice teachers junction effectively in an urban classroom, included clustering groups in the same school and providing additional support through course work, seminars, and interactive small and whole-group meetings. What began as two separate programs evolved into a reconceptualization of a model for field experiences that has transferability to any type of school district. Multiple face-to-face and electronic communication fora within and across triad roles are proposed for creating a community for professional development that celebrates talking about issues germane to teaching and learning

Events with a rapidity gap between jets in (p)over-bar-p collisions at root s=630 GeV

We report a measurement of the fraction of dijet events with a rapidity gap between jets produced by color-singlet exchange in (p) over bar p collisions at root s = 630 GeV at the Fermilab Tevatron. In events with two jets of transverse energy E-T(jet) > 8 GeV, pseudorapidity in the range 1.8 < \n(jet)\ < 3.5 and eta(1)eta(2) < 0, the color-singlet exchange fraction is found to be R = [2.7 +/- 0.7(stat) +/- 0.6(syst)]%. Comparisons are made with results obtained at root s = 1800 GeV and with theoretical expectations