Pangenotypic and Genotype-Specific Antivirals in the Treatment of HCV Genotype 4 Infected Patients with HCV Monoinfection and HIV/HCV Coinfection

The introduction of the direct-acting antivirals (DAA) has substantially improved the effectiveness of the therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C. We aimed to compare the efficacy of pangenotypic and genotype-specific DAA in the cohort of genotype (GT) four patients with HCV monoinfection and HIV coinfection. A total of 662 GT4-infected patients treated in 2015–2020—of whom 168 (25.3%) were coinfected with HIV, selected from the retrospective EpiTer-2 database—were enrolled in the analysis. Among HIV-coinfected patients, 54% (90) were treated with genotype-specific regimens and 46% (78) with pangenotypic options, while among HCV-monoinfected patients, the rates were 72% and 28%, respectively. Significantly higher rate of males (67.9% vs. 57.7%, p = 0.01), a lower rate of liver cirrhosis (10.2% vs. 18.1%, p = 0.02), and higher of treatment-naïve patients (87.5% vs. 76.7%, p = 0.003) were documented in the HIV coinfected population. The overall sustained virologic response after exclusion of non-virologic failures was achieved in 98% with no significant difference between HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients, 96.2% vs. 98.5%, respectively. While the genotype-specific regimens resulted in a similar cure rate regardless of the HIV status, the pangenotypic options were more efficacious in patients with HCV monoinfection (99.3% vs. 94.4%, p = 0.05). Hereby, we demonstrated the high effectiveness and good safety profile of the DAA therapy in the population of HCV GT4 infected patients with HIV coinfection supporting the current recommendations to treat HCV/HIV coinfected patients with the same options as those with HCV monoinfection

Obowiązek to nie przymus — o tym, dlaczego jakość prawa jest równie ważna co edukacja na temat skuteczności oraz bezpieczeństwa szczepień przeciwko COVID-19

In December 2021, the Minister of Health in Poland announced via Tweeter that vaccination is not compulsory. Such a message from a public authority, to a significant extent responsible for organising the process of preventing and combating infections caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, seems to have a negative impact on the public perception of the role of vaccination in combating this disease. The impossibility of direct enforcement of vaccination, in the sense that there is no legal basis for its compulsory administration, should not weaken the sense of obligation towards the socially necessary attitude which should be promoted by public authorities in order to promote the idea of vaccination as a means of protecting the population against the disease. An auxiliary role in shaping this type of message should be played by the law of appropriate quality, regulating the rules related to vaccination in a way that implements the idea of citizens’ trust in the state and law.In December 2021, the Minister of Health in Poland announced via Twitter that vaccination is not compulsory. Such a message from a public authority, to a significant extent responsible for organising the process of preventing and combating infections caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, seems to have a negative impact on the public perception of the role of vaccination in combating this disease. The impossibility of direct enforcement of vaccination, in the sense that there is no legal basis for its compulsory administration, should not weaken the sense of obligation towards the socially necessary attitude which should be promoted by public authorities to promote the idea of vaccination as a means of protecting the population against the disease. An auxiliary role in shaping this type of message should be played by the law of appropriate quality, regulating the rules related to vaccination in a way that implements the idea of citizens’ trust in the state and law

Rapid serological tests for SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM – not worth attention?

ObjectivesCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) had spread worldwide since December 2019 and became a pandemic in March 2020. The diagnosis of an active infection is based on the real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from the nasopharyngeal swab specimen. The aim of the current analysis was to assess the usefulness of the rapid serological tests for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infections.Material and MethodsThe rapid serological tests detecting IgG/IgM antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 were voluntarily performed in asymptomatic employees of 2 companies. The examination was conducted at the date and time selected online by the study participants. The testing team consisted of 2 nurses collecting the samples and 1 doctor who interpreted the results. Each positive rapid test result was verified by an RT-PCR examination from a nasopharyngeal swab. The testing kits named Vazyme: 2019-nCoV IgG/IgM Detection Kit (Colloidal Gold-Based) were provided by the employer along with the manual and certificates.ResultsThe overall interest in testing among employees was below the employer’s expectations and reached 30% and 20% in each of the 2 companies, respectively. A total of 516 participants were included in the analysis. Ten positive results of the rapid tests were documented, including 7 for IgM and 3 for IgG antibodies. No positive result was confirmed by the detection of the genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 by the RT-PCR examination.ConclusionsHerein, the authors demonstrated the uselessness of rapid serological tests performed in asymptomatic volunteers for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infections

Updates in Management of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide since the beginning of 2020 [...