Long-Term Study of Hepatitis Delta Virus Infection at Secondary Care Centers: The Impact of Viremia on Liver-Related Outcomes.

Background And Aims: Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection is associated with fast progression to liver cirrhosis and liver complications. Previous studies have, however, been mainly from tertiary care centers, with risk for referral bias toward patients with worse outcomes. Furthermore, the impact of HDV viremia per se on liver-related outcomes is not really known outside the human immunodeficiency virus co-infection setting.

Management of hepatitis B virus infection, updated Swedish guidelines.

Despite access to effective antiviral drugs and vaccines, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major health issue worldwide. HBV is highly infectious and may cause chronic infection, progressive liver damage, hepatocellular cancer (HCC) and death. Early diagnosis, proper management and timing of treatment are crucial.

Antibiotic prescription and clinical management of common infections among general practitioners in Latvia, Lithuania, and Sweden: a pilot survey with a simple protocol.

Comparative information on diagnosis-related antibiotic prescribing patterns are scarce from primary care within and between countries. To describe and compare antibiotic prescription and routine management of infections in primary care in Latvia (LV), Lithuania (LT) and two study sites in Sweden (SE), a cross-sectional observational study on patients who consulted due to sypmtoms compatible with infection was undetraken. Infection and treatment was detected and recorded by physicians only.

Early outbreak detection by linking health advice line calls to water distribution areas retrospectively demonstrated in a large waterborne outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Sweden.

Background: In the winter and spring of 2011 a large outbreak of cryptosporidiosis occurred in Skellefteå municipality, Sweden. This study summarizes the outbreak investigation in terms of outbreak size, duration, clinical characteristics, possible source(s) and the potential for earlier detection using calls to a health advice line.

Methods: The investigation included two epidemiological questionnaires and microbial analysis of samples from patients, water and other environmental sources.

Randomized Trial Evaluating the Impact of Ribavirin Mono-Therapy and Double Dosing on Viral Kinetics, Ribavirin Pharmacokinetics and Anemia in Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 1 Infection.

In this pilot study (RibaC), 58 hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infected treatment-naïve patients were randomized to (i) 2 weeks ribavirin double dosing concomitant with pegylated interferon-α (pegIFN-α), (ii) 4 weeks ribavirin mono-therapy prior to adding pegIFN-α, or (iii) standard-of-care (SOC) ribavirin dosing concurrent with pegIFN-α. Four weeks of ribavirin mono-therapy resulted in a mean 0.46 log(10) IU/mL HCV RNA reduction differentially regulated across IL28B genotypes (0.

Daclatasvir combined with sofosbuvir or simeprevir in liver transplant recipients with severe recurrent hepatitis C infection.

Daclatasvir (DCV) is a potent, pangenotypic nonstructural protein 5A inhibitor with demonstrated antiviral efficacy when combined with sofosbuvir (SOF) or simeprevir (SMV) with or without ribavirin (RBV) in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Herein, we report efficacy and safety data for DCV-based all-oral antiviral therapy in liver transplantation (LT) recipients with severe recurrent HCV. DCV at 60 mg/day was administered for up to 24 weeks as part of a compassionate use protocol.

Susceptibility to infections, without concomitant hyper-IgE, reported in 1976, is caused by hypomorphic mutation in the phosphoglucomutase 3 (PGM3) gene.

Phosphoglucomutase 3 (PGM3) is an enzyme converting N-acetyl-glucosamine-6-phosphate to N-acetyl-glucosamine-1-phosphate, a precursor important for glycosylation. Mutations in the PGM3 gene have recently been identified as the cause of novel primary immunodeficiency with a hyper-IgE like syndrome. Here we report the occurrence of a homozygous mutation in the PGM3 gene in a family with immunodeficient children, described already in 1976.

Risk factors and potential preventive measures for nephropatia epidemica in Sweden 2011-2012: a case-control study.

Introduction: Nephropatia epidemica (NE), a relatively mild form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome caused by the Puumala virus (PUUV), is endemic in northern Sweden. We aim to study the risk factors associated with NE in this region.

Methods: We conducted a matched case-control study between June 2011 and July 2012.

Post-infection symptoms following two large waterborne outbreaks of Cryptosporidium hominis in Northern Sweden, 2010-2011.

Background: In 2010-2011, two large waterborne outbreaks caused by Cryptosporidium hominis affected two cities in Sweden, Östersund and Skellefteå. We investigated potential post-infection health consequences in people who had reported symptoms compatible with cryptosporidiosis during the outbreaks using questionnaires.

Methods: We compared cases linked to these outbreaks with non-cases in terms of symptoms present up to eleven months after the initial infection.

Distinct roles of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species to control infection with the facultative intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis.

Reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important mediators of the bactericidal host response. We investigated the contribution of these two mediators to the control of infection with the facultative intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis. When intradermally infected with the live vaccine strain F.

Transfer of specific antibodies results in increased expression of TNF-alpha and IL12 and recruitment of neutrophils to the site of a cutaneous Francisella tularensis infection.

This study demonstrates that passive transfer of Francisella tularensis-specific antibodies before experimental cutaneous infection with the live vaccine strain of F. tularensis has profound effects. Recipient mice showed stronger staining for TNF-alpha and IL12, and larger numbers of neutrophils in skin samples after infection than control mice.

Specific antibodies contribute to the host protection against strains of Francisella tularensis subspecies holarctica.

T cells are crucial to the control and eradication of the facultative intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis. A contributory role of humoral antibodies in the host defence remains to be assessed. We used B-cell-deficient mice to study the possible contribution of antibodies to the defence against the live vaccine strain (LVS) or a clinical isolate of F.