Increase in transmitted resistance to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors among newly diagnosed HIV-1 infections in Europe

Background: One out of ten newly diagnosed patients in Europe was infected with a virus carrying a drug resistant mutation. We analysed the patterns over time for transmitted drug resistance mutations (TDRM) using data from the European Spread program.Methods: Clinical, epidemiological and virological data from 4317 patients newly diagnosed with HIV-1 infection between 2002 and 2007 were analysed. Patients were enrolled using a pre-defined sampling strategy.Results: The overall prevalence of TDRM in this period was 8.9% (95% CI: 8.1-9.8). Interestingly, significant changes over time in TDRM caused by the different drug classes were found. Whereas nucleoside resistance mutations remained con…

Ramucirumab in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and elevated alpha fetoprotein (AFP): An exposure-response analysis

CONDENSATION OF REFRACTORY METALS IN ASYMPTOTIC GIANT BRANCH AND OTHER STELLAR ENVIRONMENTS

The condensation of material from a gas of solar composition has been extensively studied, but less so condensation in the environment of evolved stars, which has been mainly restricted to major compounds and some specific element groups such as the Rare Earth elements. Also of interest, however, are refractory metals like Mo, Ru, Os, W, Ir, and Pt, which may condense to form refractory metal nuggets (RMNs) like the ones that have been found in association with presolar graphite. We have performed calculations describing the condensation of these elements in the outflows of s-process enriched AGB stars as well as from gas enriched in r-process products. While in carbon-rich environments (C …

Transmission of HIV Drug Resistance and the Predicted Effect on Current First-line Regimens in Europe

Transmitted human immunodeficiency virus drug resistance in Europe is stable at around 8%. The impact of baseline mutation patterns on susceptibility to antiretroviral drugs should be addressed using clinical guidelines. The impact on baseline susceptibility is largest for nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

Refractory metal nuggets in different types of cosmic spherules

Abstract Out of the three basic cosmic spherule types collected from the seafloor, RMNs (refractory metal nuggets) have been reported from I-type spherules commonly, rarely from S-type spherules and never from the G-type spherules. Nuggets in the I-type cosmic spherules have formed by melting and complete oxidation during atmospheric entry, whereas no clear understanding emerged so far regarding the formation of the rare nuggets in S-type spherules. We collected cosmic spherules by raking the deep seafloor with magnets, and carried out systematic and sequential grinding, polishing and electron microscopic investigations on 992 cosmic spherules to identify RMNs. Fifty-four nuggets (RMNs) are…

Measurement of the92,93,94,100Mo(γ,n) reactions by Coulomb Dissociation

6th Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics Conference (NPA), Lisbon, Portugal, 19 May 2013 - 24 May 2013; Journal of physics / Conference Series 665, 012034 (2016). doi:10.1088/1742-6596/665/1/012034

DIRECT EVIDENCE FOR CONDENSATION IN THE EARLY SOLAR SYSTEM AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NEBULAR COOLING RATES

We have identified in an acid resistant residue of the carbonaceous chondrite Murchison a large number (458) of highly refractory metal nuggets (RMNs) that once were most likely hosted by Ca,Al-rich inclusions (CAIs). While osmium isotopic ratios of two randomly selected particles rule out a presolar origin, the bulk chemistry of 88 particles with sizes in the submicron range determined by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy shows striking agreement with predictions of single-phase equilibrium condensation calculations. Both chemical composition and morphology strongly favor a condensation origin. Particularly important is the presence of structurally incompatible elements in particl…

Treatment-associated polymorphisms in protease are significantly associated with higher viral load and lower CD4 count in newly diagnosed drug-naive HIV-1 infected patients

Background: The effect of drug resistance transmission on disease progression in the newly infected patient is not well understood. Major drug resistance mutations severely impair viral fitness in a drug free environment, and therefore expected to revert quickly. Compensatory mutations, often already polymorphic in wild-type viruses, do not tend to revert after transmission. While compensatory mutations increase fitness during treatment, their presence may also modulate viral fitness and virulence in absence of therapy and major resistance mutations. We previously designed a modeling technique that quantifies genotypic footprints of in vivo treatment selective pressure, including both drug …

Formation of refractory metal nuggets and their link to the history of CAIs

Abstract Ca, Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) often contain numerous refractory metal nuggets (RMNs), consisting of elements like Os, Ir, Mo, Pt and Ru. The nuggets are usually thought to have formed by equilibrium condensation from a gas of solar composition, simultaneously with or prior to oxide and silicate minerals. However, the exact mechanisms responsible for their extremely variable compositions, small sizes and associations with CAI minerals remain puzzling. Expanding on previous work on chemically separated RMNs, we have studied a large number of RMNs within their host CAIs from three different meteorite types, i.e., the highly primitive chondrite Acfer 094 (C2-ungrouped), Allende (CV3 ox…

Limited cross-border infections in patients newly diagnosed with HIV in Europe

Background: International travel plays a role in the spread of HIV-1 across Europe. It is, however, not known whether international travel is more important for spread of the epidemic as compared to endogenous infections within single countries. In this study, phylogenetic associations among HIV of newly diagnosed patients were determined across Europe.Results: Data came from the SPREAD programme which collects samples of newly diagnosed patients that are representative for national HIV epidemics. 4260 pol sequences from 25 European countries and Israel collected in 2002-2007 were included.We identified 457 clusters including 1330 persons (31.2% of all patients). The cluster size ranged bet…

Nondestructive full-field imaging XANES-PEEM analysis of cosmic grains

For chemical analysis of submicron particles, mass spectrometric methods have the disadvantage of being destructive. Thus, a nondestructive elemental and chemical mapping with a high spatial resolution prior to mass analysis is extremely valuable to precharacterize the sample. Here, first results are presented of combined XANES (x-ray absorption near-edge structure) and PEEM (photoemission electron microscopy) measurements on a cosmic grain fraction from the Murchison meteorite. This nondestructive full-field imaging method is well suited for a quantitative analysis and for a preselection prior to detailed mass spectrometric investigations with isotopic resolution/selectivity. A spectral un…

FibroTest is an independent predictor of virologic response in chronic hepatitis C patients retreated with pegylated interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin in the EPIC³ program

EPIC-3 is a prospective, international study that has demonstrated the efficacy of PEG-IFN alfa-2b plus weight-based ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C and significant fibrosis who previously failed any interferon-alfa/ribavirin therapy. The aim of the present study was to assess FibroTest (FT), a validated non-invasive marker of fibrosis in treatment-naive patients, as a possible alternative to biopsy as the baseline predictor of subsequent early virologic (EVR) and sustained virologic response (SVR) in previously treated patients.Of 2312 patients enrolled, 1459 had an available baseline FT, biopsy, and complete data. Uni- (UV) and multi-variable (MV) analyses were performed us…

Statistical mechanics of fullerene coalescence growth

Among the different carbon allotropes fullerenes are exceptionally intriguing for their spheroidal topology out of pentagons and hexagons. However, the dominant formation mode is still ambiguous. Here, we analyze the fullerene formation process by the statistical analysis of fullerene sizes produced in a laser-induced microplasma finding that a simple two-parameter lognormal distribution describes impressively well the cluster frequencies under various conditions. Our findings clearly reveal coalescent growth following a classical collision dynamics and disagree with several earlier assumptions.

Composition and clues to the origin of refractory metal nuggets extracted from chondritic meteorites

Refractory metal nuggets (RMNs) contain elements, such as Os, Ir, Mo, and Ru, which are predicted to condense from a cooling gas of solar composition simultaneously with CAI-minerals. Berg et al. (2009) identified a large number of RMNs in acid-resistant residues of the Murchison meteorite and suggested that they are pristine condensates. In extending the work of these authors, we have improved the chemical extraction process to enrich the concentration of RMNs in the residue sample and prepared three additional RMN-rich residues from the chondritic meteorites Murchison, Allende, and Leoville. The results show that, while their origin is clearly solar, the compositions in detail of RMNs fro…

A laser desorption/resonance enhanced photoionisation TOF-system for the spatially resolved trace analysis of elements

Abstract A novel method for direct and spatially resolved elemental trace analysis with high sensitivity and elemental selectivity is presented. The concept is based on the combination of a commercial MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer with a pulsed laser system for resonant postionisation of neutrals. While the MALDI method is usually applied for investigations of large organic compounds and biomolecules, the technique discussed here concerns the low mass range around 1 ⩽ A ⩽ 300. The analytical performances of the setup with respect to mass analysis, spatial resolution and overall detection efficiency are discussed.