Factors Associated With Rates of HBsAg Seroclearance in Adults With Chronic HBV Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background & Aims: Seroclearance of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is a marker for clearance of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but reported annual incidence rates of HBsAg seroclearance vary. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide more precise estimates of HBsAg seroclearance rates among subgroups and populations.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library for cohort studies that reported HBsAg seroclearance in adults with chronic HBV infection with more than 1 year of follow-up and at least 1 repeat test for HBsAg.

Poor Adherence to Guidelines for Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection at Primary Care and Referral Practices.

Background & Aims: The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) guidelines for treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection have changed with time. We assessed rates of treatment evaluation and initiation in patients with chronic HBV infection from different practice settings in the past 14 years.

Methods: Treatment-naive patients with chronic HBV infection were recruited from different practice settings in California from January 2002 through December 2016.

Novel Random Triblock Copolymers for Sustained Delivery of Macromolecules for the Treatment of Ocular Diseases.

The objective of this study is to design, develop, and synthesize novel random triblock (RTB) copolymers for sustained delivery of macromolecules. RTB copolymers have not been utilized for the delivery of macromolecules for ocular diseases. RTB copolymers comprising of polyethylene glycol, glycolide, and ɛ-caprolactone blocks were synthesized and assessed for their molecular weights and purity using H-NMR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, FTIR (functionality), and XRD (crystallinity).

Racial/ethnic- and county-specific prevalence of chronic hepatitis B and its burden in California.

Background: In the United States, the highest burden of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and CHB-related liver cancer is in the state of California, primarily in the San Francisco (SF) Bay and Los Angeles (LA) areas. The aim of this study was to estimate county-specific hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) prevalence and quantify CHB cases by age, race/ethnicity, nativity, and disease activity status.

Methods: Twelve counties in SF Bay Area and three large counties in LA area were included for this analysis.

[Metastatic stomach cancer: Clinical trials in Asia and in Occident].

Although cytotoxic chemotherapy is the main therapeutic option to treat gastric cancer in the metastatic setting, molecular targeted agents have recently been introduced in an effort to improve survival outcomes which in average do not exceed 1 year. Trastuzumab and ramucirumab, antibodies directed against HER2 and VEGFR2, respectively, may provide clinical benefit for some patients. Results of clinical studies show that Asian patients have increased survival compared to Caucasian patients.

A Comparison Between Community and Academic Practices in the USA in the Management of Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Receiving Entecavir: Results of the ENUMERATE Study.

Background And Aims: The management of chronic hepatitis B patients is not well characterized in real-world practice. We compared baseline characteristics of CHB patients on entecavir, the frequency of on-treatment monitoring, and the effectiveness of ETV treatment between academic and community practices.

Methods: Treatment-naïve CHB patients ≥18 years old, treated with ETV for ≥12 months from 2005 to 2013, in 26 community and academic practices throughout the USA were retrospectively evaluated.

Epithelial folliculin enhances airway inflammation in aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease.

Background: Clinical features of aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) are characterized by overproduction of cysteinyl leukotrienes (LT) and eosinophil activation, in which epithelial cells contribute to eosinophilic airway inflammation. Folliculin (FLCN) helps maintain the integrity of epithelial barrier, but little is known about FLCN in AERD.

Objective: We investigated the role of FLCN in the pathogenic mechanisms of AERD.

Perceptions of mental health and mental health services among college students in Vietnam and the United States.

The global burden of mental health disorders is a significant public health issue. One population that has a risk for mental health issues is college students. Little is known about perceptions of mental illness and mental health services among college students in Vietnam.

Phase-shifting differential interference contrast microscope with Savart shear prism and rotatable analyser.

A novel differential interference contrast microscope (DICM) is proposed in this research. It is constituted by inserting a Savart shear prism between the objective and sample of a polarising microscope having a rotatable analyser as the phase-shifter, and it is with the ability to enhance image contrast using the principle of shearing interferometry. This letter is to introduce the configuration, interpret the interference patterns and present the experimental setup of the DICM.

Stability Analysis of Neural Networks With Time-Varying Delay by Constructing Novel Lyapunov Functionals.

This paper presents two novel Lyapunov functionals for analyzing the stability of neural networks with time-varying delay. Based on our newly proposed Lyapunov functionals and a relaxed Wirtinger-based integral inequality, new stability criteria are derived in the form of linear matrix inequalities. A comprehensive comparison of results is given to illustrate the newly proposed stability criteria from both the conservative and computational complexity point of views.

Reduced Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Cirrhotic and Noncirrhotic Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B Treated With Tenofovir-A Propensity Score-Matched Study.

Background: The effect of newer oral anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) medication, tenofovir disoproxil (TDF), on liver-related outcomes among Asians is limited. We examined the effect of TDF on the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in an Asian population with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 6914 adults with chronic HBV monoinfection and no history of transplantation who were recruited from 6 US referral, community medical centers and a community based Taiwan cohort for a total of 774 patients who received TDF and 6140 who were not treated.

Liposome-Encapsulated Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 gp120 Induces Potent V1V2-Specific Antibodies in Humans.

Background: In the RV144 trial, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 gp120 V1V2 antibodies correlated inversely with risk of HIV-1 infection; however, the titers waned quickly. We hypothesized that a more potent adjuvant might enhance the magnitude and durability of V1V2 antibodies.

Methods: We examined archived sera from a phase I randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial, conducted in HIV-1-uninfected individuals, vaccinated with HIV-1SF-2 rgp120 either adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide (aluminum hydroxide arm) or encapsulated in liposomes containing monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL®) and then adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide (liposomal arm).

Establishing and validating noninvasive prenatal testing procedure for fetal aneuploidies in Vietnam.

Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for fetal aneuploidies has been widely adopted in developed countries. Despite the sharp decrease in the cost of massively parallel sequencing, the technical know-how and skilled personnel are still one of the major limiting factors for applying this technology to NIPT in low-income settings. Here, we present the establishment and validation of our NIPT procedure called triSure for detection of fetal aneuploidies.

Control of Heterologous Simian Immunodeficiency Virus SIV Infection by DNA and Protein Coimmunization Regimens Combined with Different Toll-Like-Receptor-4-Based Adjuvants in Macaques.

We developed a method of simultaneous vaccination with DNA and protein resulting in robust and durable cellular and humoral immune responses with efficient dissemination to mucosal sites and protection against simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection. To further optimize the DNA-protein coimmunization regimen, we tested a SIV-based vaccine formulated with either of two Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) ligand-based liposomal adjuvant formulations (TLR4 plus TLR7 [TLR4+7] or TLR4 plus QS21 [TLR4+QS21]) in macaques. Although both vaccines induced humoral responses of similar magnitudes, they differed in their functional quality, including broader neutralizing activity and effector functions in the TLR4+7 group.

Atomic structures of TDP-43 LCD segments and insights into reversible or pathogenic aggregation.

The normally soluble TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is found aggregated both in reversible stress granules and in irreversible pathogenic amyloid. In TDP-43, the low-complexity domain (LCD) is believed to be involved in both types of aggregation. To uncover the structural origins of these two modes of β-sheet-rich aggregation, we have determined ten structures of segments of the LCD of human TDP-43.

HIV vaccine candidate activation of hypoxia and the inflammasome in CD14 monocytes is associated with a decreased risk of SIV acquisition.

Qualitative differences in the innate and adaptive responses elicited by different HIV vaccine candidates have not been thoroughly investigated. We tested the ability of the Aventis Pasteur live recombinant canarypox vector (ALVAC)-SIV, DNA-SIV and Ad26-SIV vaccine prime modalities together with two ALVAC-SIV + gp120 protein boosts to reduce the risk of SIV acquisition in rhesus macaques. We found that the DNA and ALVAC prime regimens were effective, but the Ad26 prime was not.

Ancient genomes document multiple waves of migration in Southeast Asian prehistory.

Southeast Asia is home to rich human genetic and linguistic diversity, but the details of past population movements in the region are not well known. Here, we report genome-wide ancient DNA data from 18 Southeast Asian individuals spanning from the Neolithic period through the Iron Age (4100 to 1700 years ago). Early farmers from Man Bac in Vietnam exhibit a mixture of East Asian (southern Chinese agriculturalist) and deeply diverged eastern Eurasian (hunter-gatherer) ancestry characteristic of Austroasiatic speakers, with similar ancestry as far south as Indonesia providing evidence for an expansive initial spread of Austroasiatic languages.

96 weeks treatment of tenofovir alafenamide vs. tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for hepatitis B virus infection.

Background & Aims: Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) is a new prodrug of tenofovir developed to treat patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection at a lower dose than tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) through more efficient delivery of tenofovir to hepatocytes. In 48-week results from two ongoing, double-blind, randomized phase III trials, TAF was non-inferior to TDF in efficacy with improved renal and bone safety. We report 96-week outcomes for both trials.

Risk Associated with Cumulative Oral Glucocorticoid Use in Patients with Giant Cell Arteritis in Real-World Databases from the USA and UK.

Introduction: Treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA) involves immediate initiation of high-dose glucocorticoid therapy with slow tapering of the dose over many months. Chronic exposure to glucocorticoids is associated with serious comorbidities. The objective of this analysis was to determine the glucocorticoid exposure and risk of glucocorticoid-related adverse events (AEs) in real-world patients with GCA.

Viable spores of Coccidioides posadasii Δcps1 are required for vaccination and provide long lasting immunity.

Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic fungal infection for which a vaccine has been sought for over fifty years. The avirulent Coccidioides posadasii strain, Δcps1, which is missing a 6 kb gene, showed significant protection in mice. These studies explore conditions of protection in mice and elucidate the immune response.

Role of clusterin/progranulin in toluene diisocyanate-induced occupational asthma.

Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) exposure induces oxidative stress and epithelial cell-derived inflammation, which affect the pathogenesis of TDI-induced occupational asthma (TDI-OA). Recent studies suggested a role for clusterin (CLU) and progranulin (PGRN) in oxidative stress-mediated airway inflammation. To evaluate CLU and PGRN involvement in airway inflammation in TDI-OA, we measured their serum levels in patients with TDI-OA, asymptomatic exposed controls (AECs), and unexposed healthy normal controls (NCs).

Generation and characterization of a bivalent protein boost for future clinical trials: HIV-1 subtypes CR01_AE and B gp120 antigens with a potent adjuvant.

The RV144 Phase III clinical trial with ALVAC-HIV prime and AIDSVAX B/E subtypes CRF01_AE (A244) and B (MN) gp120 boost vaccine regime in Thailand provided a foundation for the future development of improved vaccine strategies that may afford protection against the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Results from this trial showed that immune responses directed against specific regions V1V2 of the viral envelope (Env) glycoprotein gp120 of HIV-1, were inversely correlated to the risk of HIV-1 infection. Due to the low production of gp120 proteins in CHO cells (2-20 mg/L), cleavage sites in V1V2 loops (A244) and V3 loop (MN) causing heterogeneous antigen products, it was an urgent need to generate CHO cells harboring A244 gp120 with high production yields and an additional, homogenous and uncleaved subtype B gp120 protein to replace MN used in RV144 for the future clinical trials.