Occult hepatitis B virus infection: diagnosis, implications and management?

Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is generally defined as the detection of HBV-DNA in the serum or liver tissue of patients who test negative for hepatitis B surface antigen. In most cases, occult HBV infection is related to low level HBV infection with subdetectable levels of HBsAg and not infection with HBV variants that cannot express S proteins or produce S proteins with aberrant epitopes that are not detected by conventional serological assays. Prevalence of occult HBV infection is related to the overall prevalence of HBV infection in that country, being more common in persons with prior exposure to HBV. Occult HBV infection has been found in a substantial proportion of patients with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma but other causes of liver disease are frequently present. Future studies should focus on delineating the pathogenic role of occult HBV infection and the basis for failure to detect circulating hepatitis B surface antigen.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75344/1/j.1440-1746.2004.03657.x.pd

Increasing responsiveness of the Army Rapid Acquisition Process: the Army Rapid Equipping Force

This Joint Applied Project examines the U.S. Army Rapid Equipping Force (REF) processes, practices and lessons learned for fulfilling emerging urgent needs in the current Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). It compares Army rapid acquisition policies and processes to the execution of a traditional Urgent Materiel Release (UMR) program to identify opportunities to improve the responsiveness of rapid acquisition programs executed by traditional program management offices. The project establishes a baseline and analyzes the implications of existing policies, processes, and practices for executing rapid acquisition programs. It draws conclusions and offers recommendations for continuing improvements towards a more modern and responsive rapid acquisition process. The findings indicate that the Army REF is adapting and evolving processes to better respond to the urgent needs of its operational commanders and the warfighter that can be applied by traditional acquisition organizations.http://archive.org/details/increasingrespon109451075