The new paradigm of hepatitis C therapy: integration of oral therapies into best practices

SUMMARY. Emerging data indicate that all-oral antiviral treatments for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) will become a reality in the near future. In replacing interferon-based therapies, all-oral regimens are expected to be more tolerable, more effective, shorter in duration and simpler to administer. Coinciding with new treatment options are novel methodologies for disease screening and staging, which create the possibility of more timely care and treatment. Assessments of histologic damage typically are performed using liver biopsy, yet noninvasive assessments of histologic damage have become the norm in some European countries and are becoming more widespread in the United States. Also in place are new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiatives to simplify testing, improve provider and patient awareness and expand recommendations for HCV screening beyond risk-based strategies. Issued in 2012, the CDC recommendations aim to increase HCV testing among those with the greatest HCV burden in the United States by recommending one-time testing for all persons born during 1945–1965. In 2013, the United States Preventive Services Task Force adopted similar recommendations for risk-based and birth-cohort-based testing. Taken together, the developments in screening, diagnosis and treatment will likely increase demand for therapy and stimulate a shift in delivery of care related to chronic HCV, with increased involvement of primary care and infectious disease specialists. Yet even in this new era of therapy, barriers to curing patients of HCV will exist. Overcoming such barriers will require novel, integrative strategies and investment of resources at local, regional and national levels

‘NOT A RELIGIOUS STATE’ A study of three Indonesian religious leaders on the relation of state and religion

This article explores the concept of a ‘secular state’ offered by three Indonesian religious leaders: a Catholic priest, Nicolaus Driyarkara (1913–1967), and two Muslim intellectuals who were also state officials, Mukti Ali (1923–2004) and Munawir Sjadzali (1925–2004). All three, who represented the immediate generation after the revolution for Indonesian independence from the Dutch (1945), defended the legitimacy of a secular state for Indonesia based on the state ideology Pancasila (Five Principles of Indonesia). In doing so, they argued that a religious state, for example an Islamic state, is incompatible with a plural nation that has diverse cultures, faiths, and ethnicities. The three also argued that the state should remain neutral about its citizens’ faith and should not be dominated by a single religion, i.e. Islam. Instead, the state is obliged to protect all religions embraced by Indonesians. This argument becomes a vital foundation in the establishment of Indonesia’s trajectory of unique ‘secularisation’. Whilst these three intellectuals opposed the idea of establishing a religious or Islamic state in Indonesia, it was not because they envisioned the decline of the role of religion in politics and the public domain but rather that they regarded religiosity in Indonesia as vital in nation building within a multi-religious society. In particular, the two Muslim leaders used religious legitimacy to sustain the New Order’s political stability, and harnessed state authority to modernise the Indonesian Islamic community

The role of Wilm’s Tumor1 immunohistochemical marker in surface epithelial ovarian tumors

Background: Wilms’ tumor 1 is a tumor suppressor gene. The gene is located in chromosome 11p13. And its expression was found in many solid tumors (including ovarian tumor) and also expressed in hematologic malignancies, Recent studies found that WT1 to be involved in angiogenesis. Objectives: To evaluate the expression of WT1 in surface epithelial ovarian tumorand study the possibility of using WT1 as replacement of both;ovarian tumor marker CA125 and a endothelial cell phenotypic marker CD34. Patients and methods: This is a study of a retrospective ( cross sectional ) of sixty cases with total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo - oopherectomy collected from department of Histopathology – Teaching Laboratories / Medical City Teaching Hospital , as well as Al alwya hospital and Al Habibia hospital in Baghdad during the period of study from December 2007 to December 2012. Thirty cases diagnosed as surface epithelial ovarian tumors and thirty cases of histologically normal ovarian tissue which were included as a control group. Formalin - fixed, paraffin - embedded ovarian tissue blocks from 60 cases were used . Three section of 4 micron for each taken and stained with WT1, CD34, and CA125 immunohistochemical marker on positively charged slides. Results: there were a significant correlation between expression of WT1 and histological types of surface epithelial ovarian tumor with a higher expression in serous tumors among other cancer types (P-value < 0.001).There was a significant positive correlation between the expression of WT1 and CA125 scores ( p-value < 0.001).There was a significant correlation between WT1microvessel density (MVD) expression and CD34- microvessel density (MVD) expression in ovarian tumors (P-value = 0.05).On the other hand, there were no significant correlation of WT1 with the age of cases (P-value = 0.9) and with the grade of ovarian tumors ( P-value = 0.23) . Conclusions: The present study demonstrates high expression of WT1 in both tumor and endothelial cells in surface epithelial ovarian tumors, and it had dual usages in evaluation of both ovarian tumor cells and the vascular density. That was proved by demonstrating a significant correlation between WT1 and CA125 expression, and between WT1-MVD and CD34- MVD . There was no statistically significant association between WT1 expression and different tumor grades. There was significance differences in WT1expression among different histological subtypes of primary ovarian carcinomas, with serous carcinoma as the most frequent type

Effects of hydroxyapatite and PDGF concentrations on osteoblast growth in a nanohydroxyapatite-polylactic acid composite for guided tissue regeneration

The technique of guided tissue regeneration (GTR) has evolved over recent years in an attempt to achieve periodontal tissue regeneration by the use of a barrier membrane. However, there are significant limitations in the currently available membranes and overall outcomes may be limited. A degradable composite material was investigated as a potential GTR membrane material. Polylactic acid (PLA) and nanohydroxyapatite (nHA) composite was analysed, its bioactive potential and suitability as a carrier system for growth factors were assessed. The effect of nHA concentrations and the addition of platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) on osteoblast proliferation and differentiation was investigated. The bioactivity was dependent on the nHA concentration in the films, with more apatite deposited on films containing higher nHA content. Osteoblasts proliferated well on samples containing low nHA content and differentiated on films with higher nHA content. The composite films were able to deliver PDGF and cell proliferation increased on samples that were pre-absorbed with the growth factor. nHA-PLA composite films are able to deliver active PDGF. In addition the bioactivity and cell differentiation was higher on films containing more nHA. The use of a nHA-PLA composite material containing a high concentration of nHA may be a useful material for GTR membrane as it will not only act as a barrier, but may also be able to enhance bone regeneration by delivery of biologically active molecules

Antifungal activity of olive cake extracts

Powdered, dried olive (Olea europaea) cake was extracted with hexane, methanol and butanol. Six phenolic compounds, coumaric acid, ferulic acid, oleuropein, caffeic acid, protocatechuic acid and cinnamic acid, were isolated from these extracts after fractionation. The fractions were tested for their antifungal activity against Verticillium sp., Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizopus sp., Penicillium italicum, Rhizoctonia solani, Stemphylium solani, Cladosporium sp., Mucor sp., Colletotrichum sp. and Pythium sp. Strongest activity was reported against Fusarium oxysporum and Verticillium sp. No effect was observed against Alternaria sp

The association between different blood group systems and susceptibility to COVID-19: a single center cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia

Background: Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, many associated factors have been investigated to clarify the susceptibility and severity among the affected individuals. Biological markers can play an important role in identification of individual susceptibility to such pandemic. Growing evidence suggest the influence of different blood group systems on susceptibility to COVID-19 virus, with a particular blood type conferring selection advantage. Objectives: The study aimed to determine the association of ABO, Rhesus (D) and P1 blood groups with COVID-19 susceptibility in Taif city, Western Saudi Arabia. Methods: ABO, D and P1 blood antigens were determined in 104 blood samples of COVID-19 patients versus 100 control samples using either automated immunohematology analyser or test tube method. Statistical differences between patients and control samples were calculated based on p-value where results of ≤ 0.05 were considered significant. Results: O+ve blood group constituted the predominant type among the studied samples. Determination of P1 antigen showed significant association where Anti-P1 was positive in 76.9% of patients compared to 61.0% of controls with a P value of 0.01 conferring the susceptibility of P1+ve patients to COVID-19. Conclusion: Although our study showed no significant association between ABO and D, and susceptibility to COVID-19, there was a significant association between P1+ve and COVID-19. P1+ve participants were 2.131 times more associated with the risk of COVID-19 infection than those with Anti P1-ve. Thus, P1 antigen can be used as a biological marker for identification of individuals susceptibility to COVID-19. It is strongly advised that such individuals should consider extra protective measures.Further studies on other contributing factors should also be considered for more scientific clarity. Keywords: ABO Blood group; Rh(D); P1 antigen, COVID-19

A case study for developing eco-efficient street lighting system in Saudi Arabia

It is now well-known phenomenon that energy efficiency has highest short-term pay out period to decrease overall energy consumption. The replacement of conventional lighting technology with innovative lighting solutions can save up to 40 % of lighting energy. The ecological evaluation of street light provision system in King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah is carried out using Sustainable Process Index (SPI) methodology. This study is carried out selecting three commonly used street illuminating devices i.e. High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lamps, Compact Fluorescent (CF) lamp and Light Emitting Diode (LED). The results show that energy consumption can be decreased by a factor of 1 to 4 by replacing HPS lamp with high efficiency LED lamp. Similarly, environmental assessment results reveal that ecological footprint as well as carbon footprint caused by lighting service can also be lowered by replacing HPS and CF lamps with LED lamps

The REFUGE-ED Dialogic Co-Creation Process : working with and for REFUGE-ED children and minors

A growing body of literature suggests that involving end-users in intervention research, including design, implementation, and evaluation, is associated with numerous positive outcomes. These outcomes include improved intervention efficacy, sustainability, and psychological growth among collaborators. The value of this approach and the recommendation for researchers to embrace co-creation in implementation and policies have also been recognised within the EU Framework of Research Innovation. Furthermore, it has been suggested that this approach may be particularly relevant for working with individuals from marginalised groups, whose voices are often absent from research and policy discussions. However, there has been limited attention given to how co-creation unfolds in practice. In this article, we provide a review of the methodological framework implemented by the H2020 REFUGE-ED (2021-2023), which was conducted in collaboration with migrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking communities. The project implemented the 'REFUGE-ED Dialogic Co-Creation Process (RDCP)' in 46 educational settings across six European countries. Considering the need for evidence-based approaches in education and mental health and psychosocial support practices, we suggest that the RDCP has the potential for sustainability and replicability in diverse contexts

Overview on Juvenile Primary Fibromyalgia Syndrome

JPFS (juvenile primary fibromyalgia syndrome) is a musculoskeletal pain illness that affects children and adolescents. The intricacy of the clinical picture in JPFS has not been adequately characterized in the literature. JFMS symptoms are sometimes difficult to compare to adult fibromyalgia syndrome since many of them are "medically unexplained" and frequently overlap with other medical disorders.&nbsp; The etiology of the illness is multifaceted, with impaired central pain processing being a significant contributor. Musculoskeletal pain that is severe and pervasive is the defining symptom. Other signs and symptoms include headaches, stiffness, subjective joint swelling, sleep and mood disorders, and headaches. Multiple sensitive spots might be found during a physical examination. The diagnosis has certain criteria and is clinical. Early detection and treatment are crucial. The gold standard of care combines a variety of modalities, but most significantly, exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy. The outlook varies, and symptoms might last well into adulthood. Discussing the epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, and management of JPFS is the goal of the review

Sugarcane Biomass as a Source of Biofuel for Internal Combustion Engines (Ethanol and Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol): A Review of Economic Challenges

The objective of this review is to provide a deep overview of liquid biofuels produced from sugarcane bagasse and to address the economic challenges of an ethanol and acetone-butanol-ethanol blend in commercial processes. The chemistry of sugarcane bagasse is presented. Pretreatment technologies such as physical, chemical pretreatment, biological, and combination pretreatments used in the fermentation process are also provided and summarised. Different types of anaerobic bacteria Clostridia (yeast) are discussed to identify the ingredient best suited for sugarcane bagasse, which can assist the industry in commercializing ethanol and acetone-butanol-ethanol biofuel from biomass sugarcane. The use of an acetone-butanol-ethanol mixture and ethanol blend in internal combustion engines is also discussed. The literature then supports the proposal of the best operating conditions for fermentation to enhance ethanol and acetone-butanol-ethanol plant efficiency in the sugar waste industry and its application in internal combustion engines