Current Management Strategies in Hepatitis B During Pregnancy

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major health problem worldwide and a major risk factor for end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Notable differences of chronic hepatitis B prevalence were observed in geographic area. In highly endemic areas, at least 50 % of HBV infections are most commonly acquired either perinatally or in early childhood, during the first 5 years of life. The prevalence of chronic HBV infection in pregnant women is expected to mirror those in the general populations of each geographic area. Chronic hepatitis B during pregnancy is associated with high risk of maternal complications and an increased risk of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). Thus, chronic hepatitis B during pregnancy can now be considered an important contributor to new HBV infections and to the global burden of disease. As a result, HBV infection during pregnancy requires management strategies for both the mother and the fetus/neonate, including prevention/elimination of MTCT and lessening the HBV effects on maternal and fetal health. This chapter will review current management strategies for hepatitis B in the pregnancy and the postpartum period, including special considerations on the effects of pregnancy on the course of HBV infection, MTCT, and antiviral therapy during the pregnancy

Adaptive Multilooking for Long Term Monitoring of Critical Infrastructure

Efficient long term monitoring of critical infrastructure is a difficult task, due to the presence of decorrelation artifacts, especially in non-urban areas. This tends to be an important drawback, given the errors that appear during the unwrapping phase, leading to unreliable deformation maps. The minimization of the artifacts’ influence is performed by enhancing the phase estimate using a spatially adaptive multi-looking algorithm. Subsequently, a deformation estimation of linear motions is performed using a stacking-based approach. Results are presented on a database of 32 SLC SM TerraSAR-X images acquired over the area of Bucharest, Romania

Multi-set analysis Of platform influence on density and quality of Persistent Scatterers: A case study for Bucharest area

During the past years, SAR techniques like Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSInSAR) have provided hyper-precision sensing at very large spatial scales. The continuous improvement in the quality of PS measurements comes from the constant development of new acquisition geometries embedded in various platforms. In this study we make a comparative assessment of the quality, number and density of Persistent Scatterers obtained using data acquired in different geometric configurations implemented on three platforms - ERS, ENVISAT, TerraSAR-X. All results were obtained by considering individual datasets of the same urban area (Bucharest), with a combined period of acquisitions of 22 years. The analysis is performed in terms of incidence angles, baseline, orbit type, look direction and PS dynamic range

Dynamic Ultrasound Assessment of the Anterior Tibial Translation for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears Diagnostic

The aim of our study was to investigate the accuracy of dynamic ultrasound assessment of the anterior tibial translation, in diagnosing anterior cruciate ligament tears, and to assess its test–retest reliability. Twenty-three patients (32 ± 8.42 years; 69.56% males) with a history of knee trauma and knee instability participated in the study. Knee ultrasound was performed by an experienced orthopedic surgeon. The anterior tibial translation was measured in both knees and differences between the injured and uninjured knee were calculated. Side-to-side differences > 1 mm were considered a positive diagnosis of an ACL tear. The anterior tibial translation values were 3.34 ± 1.48 mm in injured knees and 0.86 ± 0.78 mm in uninjured knees. Side-to-side differences > 1 mm were found in 22 cases (95.65%). The diagnosis accuracy was 91.30% (95%CI: 71.96–98.92%) and sensitivity 95.45% (95%CI: 77.15–99.88%). The intraclass correlation coefficient showed an excellent test–retest reliability (ICC3,1 = 0.97 for the side-to-side difference in anterior tibial translation). The study highlights the accuracy and reliability of the dynamic ultrasound assessment of the anterior tibial translation in the diagnosis of unilateral anterior cruciate ligament tears. Ultrasound assessment is an accessible imaging tool that can provide valuable information and should be used together with physical examination in suspected cases of ACL injuries

Facile Electrochemical Sensor for Sensitive and Selective Determination of Guaifenesin, Phenylephrine and Paracetamol on Electrochemically Pretreated Pencil Graphite Electrode

Guaifenesin (GFS), phenylephrine (PHE) and paracetamol (PAR), drugs used in combination for the relief of cold and flu symptoms, were determined at electrochemically pretreated pencil graphite electrode. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was used for the first time for the concomitant determination of the target compounds based on the electro-oxidation of PAR at 0.43 V, PHE at 0.74 V and GFS at 1.14 V in Britton–Robinson buffer pH 6.0. Under optimized experimental conditions, two linear ranges were obtained for PAR (2.50 × 10−6 M–1.00 × 10−5 M and 1.00 × 10−5 M–1.00 × 10−4 M) and for PHE and GFS linearity was proved between 5.00 × 10−6 M–2.00 × 10−4 M and 2.50 × 10−6 M–2.00 × 10−4 M, respectively. The detection limits were 8.12 × 10−7 M for PAR, 1.80 × 10−6 M for PHE and 8.29 × 10−7 M for GFS. The selective and sensitive DPV method and the electrochemically treated electrode were employed for simultaneous analysis of the analytes in pharmaceutical samples with good recoveries