Efficacy of HCV treatment in Poland at the turn of the interferon era - the EpiTer study.

The Aim Of The Study: Was to analyze the efficacy achieved with regimens available for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in Poland between 2013 and 2016.

Material And Methods: Data were collected from 29 centers and included 6786 patients with available sustained virologic response (SVR) data between 1 January 2013 and 31 March 2016.

Results: The sustained virologic response rate for genotypes (G) 1a, 1b, 2, 3 and 4 was 62%, 56%, 92%, 67% and 56% respectively; 71% patients ( = 4832) were treated with pegylated interferon α (Peg-IFNα) and ribavirin (RBV), with SVR rates of 58%, 49%, 92%, 67% and 55% respectively.

Effect of zinc and polyphenols supplementation on antioxidative defense mechanisms and the frequency of microsatellite instability in chemically-induced mammary carcinogenesis in the rat.

The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of dietary supplementation (with zinc or zinc and polyphenolic compounds - resveratrol or genistein) on antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase - GPx, catalase - CAT and superoxide dismutase - SOD) and the frequency of microsatellite instability (MSI) in a widely used model of mammary carcinogenesis induced in the rat by treatment with 7,12-dimethyl-1,2-benz[a]anthracene (DMBA). The impact of selected compounds on the intensity of DMBA-induced carcinogenesis was also assessed. Sixty four Sprague-Dawley female rats were divided into study groups which, apart from the standard diet and DMBA, were treated with zinc, zinc and resveratrol or zinc and genistein via gavage for a period ranging from 40 days to 20 weeks of age.

Copper and resveratrol attenuates serum catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and element values in rats with DMBA-induced mammary carcinogenesis.

In this paper, a hypothesis was assessed whether or not the intoxication with copper and supplementation with copper plus resveratrol would result in changes in the activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase and moreover if the characteristic changes would appear in concentrations of copper, iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc in the serum of rats with chemically induced carcinogenesis. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into study groups which, apart from the standard diet, were treated with copper (42.6 mg Cu/kg food as CuSO4·5H2O) or copper plus resveratrol (0.

Major infection after pediatric cardiac surgery: external validation of risk estimation model.

Background: A multivariable risk estimation model, in which the primary outcome was major infection, was recently developed and published using The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Congenital Heart Surgery Database. We have applied this risk estimation model to our congenital heart surgery program over a 16-year time interval to validate this risk estimation model and verify its specific risk factors for major infection.

Methods: Using complete and verified data, we selected patients in whom major procedures had been classified using both Aristotle Basic Score and Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery (RACHS-1) and created a multivariable model in which primary outcome was major infection (septicemia, mediastinitis, or endocarditis).

Hydrogen-induced defects in austenite and ferrite of a duplex steel.

The influence of hydrogen on the microstructure of two types of austeno-ferritic duplex stainless steel (Cr26-Ni6 model steel and Cr22-Ni5-Mo3 commercial steel), each of them after two thermo-mechanical treatments, was investigated. The aim of this study was to reveal microstructural changes appearing during the hydrogen charging and particularly to clarify the occurrence of phase transformations induced by hydrogen. The specific microstructural changes in the ferrite (alpha) and austenite (gamma) of both types of steel were observed.

Modulated structures in Ni-Al-Cr alloy.

The crystal structures of the different modulated and layered martensites in Ni-Al-Cr alloy have been observed. The layered martensite can be well described by the L1(0) lattice with seven-layered or five-layered long-period stacking of {110} close-packed planes of the parent phase. Modulated martensite is considered as a lattice oscillation by shuffling of atoms.

Single pretransplant bolus of recombinant activated factor VII ameliorates influence of risk factors for blood loss during orthotopic liver transplantation.

Large blood loss and transfusions during liver transplantation (LTx) may lead to serious complications and have a negative impact on post-transplant mortality and morbidity. In the retrospective study we compared two groups of recipients of primary cadaveric liver transplantation: group I (study group), consisted of 28 patients with preoperative risk of high intraoperative blood loss, including severe uncorrected coagulopathy. This group was given a bolus of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) just before LTx.

CBED and LACBED: characterization of antiphase boundaries.

Convergent-beam electron diffraction (CBED) and large-angle convergent-beam electron diffraction (LACBED) techniques are well adapted to the characterization of several types of crystal defects. In fact, dislocations, grain boundaries and stacking faults have already been successfully characterized with these methods. In the present paper, we describe the CBED and LACBED characterization of another type of crystal defect showing a special interest in materials science: antiphase boundaries (APBs).