Plos One
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Hepatic decompensation is a severe on-treatment adverse event for chronic hepatitis C treated with paritaprevir/ritonavir/ombitasvir and dasabuvir (PrOD). Till now, few papers regarding on-treatment hepatic decompensation have been reported. The study aims to analyze the general feature and predictive factors of on-treatment hepatic decompensation in hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1b-infected patients with advanced fibrosis and compensated cirrhosis who receive treatment with PrOD. ⋯ PrOD is an effective direct-acting antiviral agent for antiviral therapy in HCV genotype 1b patients with advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis. Hyperbilirubinemia is possibly the early warning feature of on-treatment hepatic decompensation. This serious adverse event of on-treatment hepatic decompensation is not common. Older age and low baseline albumin level may be predictive factors.
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The CRISPR/Cas9 system is an RNA guided nuclease system that evolved as a mechanism of adaptive immunity in bacteria. This system has been adopted for numerous genome engineering applications in research and recently, therapeutics. The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been largely implemented by delivery of Cas9 as protein, RNA, or plasmid along with a chimeric crRNA-tracrRNA guide RNA (gRNA) under the expression of a pol III promoter, such as U6. ⋯ To augment the capability and accessibility of multiplexed genome engineering, we developed an efficient golden gate based method to assemble gRNAs linked by optimal Csy4 ribonuclease sequences to deliver up to 10 gRNAs as a single gRNA array transcript. Here we report the optimal expression of our guide RNA array under a strong pol II promoter. This system can be implemented alongside the myriad of CRISPR applications, allowing users to model complex biological processes requiring numerous gRNAs.
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Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an important tool for pre-surgical evaluation of eloquent cortex. Classic task-based paradigms require patient participation and individual imaging sequence acquisitions for each functional domain that is being assessed. Resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI), however, enables functional localization without patient participation and can evaluate numerous functional domains with a single imaging session. ⋯ In conclusion, at Washington University in St. Louis, rs-fMRI has become an integral part of standard imaging for neurosurgical planning. Resting state fMRI can be used in all patients, and due to its lower failure rate than task-based fMRI, it is useful for patients who are unable to cooperate with task-based studies.
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India has a high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) as well as diabetes mellitus (DM). DM is a chronic disease caused by deficiency of insulin production by the pancreas. The risk of TB amongst DM patients is three times higher than those without. The estimated national prevalence of DM is 7.3%. Despite the growing burden of DM, there are limited studies describing the prevalence of TB-DM in India. ⋯ Our study found a higher prevalence of TB-DM than the national average. TB-DM co-prevalence was significantly associated with age, type of TB and undernutrition. As India's DM prevalence is expected to rise, TB-DM will become an increasingly important part of the TB epidemic requiring specialized study and care.
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Jaw correction surgery can cause significant psychosocial impacts on patients. This prospective study investigated the longitudinal changes of psychosocial characteristics of patients with dentofacial deformities after jaw correction surgery and the factors that predict the psychological resilience in Hong Kong Chinese undergoing jaw correction surgery. ⋯ Most patients were resilient to dentofacial deformities jaw correction surgery. About 15% exhibited a chronic distress pattern. An optimistic view about the surgery may enhance resilience. Pre-surgical counselling or educational sessions to facilitate a realistic positive outlook about the operation would be beneficial.