[EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE ULTIMATE STRENGTH OF SAMPLES OF MATERIAL BASED ON POLYLACTIDE AND TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, PRODUCED BY 3D PRINTING WITH DIFFERENT POROSITIES, DEPENDING ON THE TIME OF HYDRATION].

The advantage of polylactide-based implants is their rapid and complete biodegradation, followed by replacement of the defect with bone tissue. The disadvantage of materials with a high biodegradation rate is their low support ability. The admixture of ceramic materials increases the strength of the implants and reduces the rate of biodegradation. 3D printing technology allows you to reduce the negative factors of ceramic impurities through the manufacture of implants of various porosities. Target. Determine the ultimate strength of a composite material based on PLA and TCP, manufactured by 3D printing with different porosity options, depending on the duration of hydration. Were made 9 samples of material with a size of 10x10x10 mm with different porosity 40%, 30%, 20%. Samples of the material were hydrated in saline. Strength tests were carried out on days 2, 10, and 20 after hydration, 3 samples of material of each porosity. All samples were tested for compression. The carried out comparative analysis indicates that the tested samples are statistically significant (at the level of p <0.05) differ from each other depending on the value of porosity at all periods of hydration. Although the average values of the ultimate strength of samples of the same porosity tend to decrease depending on the period of their hydration, these changes do not acquire statistical significance even between the extreme periods of observation. This is confirmed by the values of the indicator of the statistical significance of the differences p equal to 0.07; 0.759 and 0.124 for specimens with porosity of 20%, 30% and 40%, respectively. The tensile strength of samples of material based on polylactide and tricalcium phosphate, made using 3D printing, directly depends on their porosity, the smaller the pore volume, the stronger the samples. The hydration of the samples in saline solution for 20 days does not entail statistically significant changes in their strength regardless of the pore volume, although the average values of the ultimate strength for all tested samples tend to decrease.

Durability of virologic response, risk of de novo hepatocellular carcinoma, liver function and stiffness 2 years after treatment with ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir±dasabuvir±ribavirin in the AMBER, real-world experience study.

We followed for 2 years patients treated with direct-acting agents (DAA) to assess long-term durability of virologic response, improvement of liver function, reduction in liver stiffness (LS) and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The study included patients from 16 hepatologic centres involved in the AMBER, investigator-initiated study on treatment of chronic hepatitis C patients within a programme preceding EU registration of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir±dasabuvir±ribavirin. A total of 204 patients among 209 from the primary study were enrolled, 200 with available testing at 2-year follow-up (2yFU) with undetectable HCV RNA (198 responders and 2 nonresponders retreated). During 2yFU, 4 patients died, 17 had hepatic decompensation and 3 needed liver transplantation. De novo hepatocellular carcinoma was diagnosed in 4 and its recurrence in 3 patients. Significant decreases in bilirubin, MELD, Child-Pugh scores and liver stiffness, and increases in albumin level were observed during 2yFU. Strengths of the study were a fixed period of post-treatment follow-up, prospective character of the study and high proportion of available patients from the primary study. The major weaknesses were lack of a comparative arm and relatively insufficient number of patients for subsets analysis. In conclusion, 2-year follow-up confirmed durability of virologic response after treatment of HCV infection with ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir±dasabuvir±ribavirin. It was accompanied by significant improvement of major measures of hepatic function and reduction of hepatic stiffness. Successful therapy did not prevent hepatic decompensation, HCC or death in cirrhotics that support the need for longer than 2-year monitoring for possible disease progression.

Real-world effectiveness and safety of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir ± dasabuvir ± ribavirin in hepatitis C: AMBER study.

BACKGROUND: Virologic and safety outcomes of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir ± dasabuvir ± ribavirin (OBV/PTV/r ± DSV ± RBV) therapy have shown high sustained virologic response (SVR) rates and good tolerability in most patient populations in pre-registration studies. AIM: To confirm these clinical trial findings in the treatment of genotype 1 and 4 hepatitis C under real-world conditions. METHODS: Patients enrolled for treatment with OBV/PTV/r ± DSV ± RBV based on therapeutic guidelines were included, and the regimen was administered according to product characteristics. Clinical and laboratory data, including virologic response, were collected at baseline, end of treatment (EOT) and 12 weeks after EOT. RESULTS: A total of 209 patients with chronic hepatitis C were enrolled, most were genotype 1b-infected (84.2%) and 119 (56.9%) had liver cirrhosis. Among these, 150 (71.7%) had failed previous anti-viral therapies and 84 (40.2%) were null-responders. At 12 weeks after EOT, SVR was achieved by 207 (99.0%) patients, ranging from 96.4% to 100.0% across subgroups. All Child-Pugh B and post-orthotopic liver transplantation patients achieved SVR. Adverse events occurred in 151 (72.2%) patients and were mostly mild and associated with the use of RBV. Serious adverse events, including hepatic decompensation, renal insufficiency, anaemia, hepatotoxicity and diarrhoea, were reported in eight (3.8%) patients. In five (2.4%) patients, adverse events led to treatment discontinuation. On-treatment decompensation was experienced by seven (3.3%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study confirm previous findings. They demonstrate excellent effectiveness and a good safety profile of OBV/PTV/r± DSV±RBV in HCV genotype 1-infected patients treated in the real-world setting.

Risk score based PEG Interferon alpha 2b and Ribavirin treatment response estimation model for genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C patients.

PURPOSE: Attempt to create simple practical algorithm for prospective assessment of PEG interferon/ribavirin related treatment response in individuals with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) basing on the risk factors defined prior to the treatment initiation. MATERIAL/METHODS: Retrospective assessment of 45 female and 39 male previously untreated CHC patients aged 20 to 73 years, with genotype 1, undergoing standard treatment with PEG-IFNa2b+RBV was performed. For the final analysis 78 patients were included (38 effectively treated and 40 treatment failures). Thirty-six sustained virological response (SVR) related factors, which were routinely measured before treatment initiation were compared (including physical, biochemical, serologic and histopathologic). From this group the risk factors of the highest predictive value for treatment failure were selected. Cut-off values for statistical significance were defined for each parameter, with risk score (RS) calculated and compared in the group with and without SVR. RESULTS: Seven factors related to treatment failure were identified: HCV>600000 IU/L, blood platelet count <150000/ul, GGTP>45 IU/ml, total serum protein<7.8 g/dl, glycaemia>105 mg/dl, detectable HBc IgG antibodies and cirrhosis. In the group with RS 1 the likelihood of SVR was 70% (p<0.028), while in patients with RS 3 the response was reduced to 23.8% (p<0.016), with no SVR achieved among patients with RS >3. CONCLUSIONS: Low risk score (0-2) is associated with high probability of treatment success with scores >3 predictive for treatment failure. The presented model is a simple tool for prediction of treatment success for clinical use before PegIFN/RBV treatment initiation among genotype 1 CHC patients.

Ultrastructural study of the submandibular gland of the rat after 6-month exposure to cadmium and zinc in drinking water.

PURPOSE: Cadmium toxicity in the exposure of the general, professional and cigarette smoking populations has been well known. From the dental point of view, it is important to find out whether and how separate and joint exposures to cadmium and zinc affect the structure and function of the submandibular gland, which is the major saliva-releasing gland. Cadmium, a particularly active xenobiotic, damages cellular metabolism at the level of various enzymatic systems of the cell, which may disturb functioning of the salivary glands. Mutual interactions of cadmium and zinc suggest a protective role of zinc through the induction of metallothionein which inactivates cadmium effect. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The aim of the study was to assess the ultrastructural picture of chosen cell organelles of the submandibular salivary gland of the rat exposed to cadmium and zinc. The study used 90 male Wistar rats, of the initial b.w. 150-180 g. The animals were exposed to cadmium and/or zinc for 6 months. Cadmium was received in aqueous solutions of cadmium chloride with drinking water at a concentration of 5 mg Cd/dm3 or 50 mg Cd/dm3. Zinc was also given in aqueous solutions of zinc chloride ad libitum at concentrations of 30 mg Zn/dm3 and 60 mg Zn/dm3. RESULTS: The ultrastructural changes in the mucous and serous cells of the submandibular salivary gland were most pronounced at cadmium concentration of 50 mg Cd/dm3 and were mainly observed in the cell nucleus, Golgi Apparatus and secretory granules of the salivary gland cells. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Exposure to cadmium induces ultrastructural changes in the submandibular gland, which are dose and time of exposure. 2. Exposure to zinc did not affect significantly the ultrastructural picture of cells of the submandibular gland. 3. Zinc administered together with cadmium reduces the intensity of ultrastructural changes in the submandibular gland.

Antioxidant enzymes activity and lipid peroxidation in liver and kidney of rats exposed to cadmium and ethanol.

The oxidative status of liver and kidney of rats co-exposed to cadmium (50 mg Cd/l in drinking water) and ethanol (5 g EtOH/kg body weight/24 h, intragastrically) for 12 weeks was studied. The activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) as well as the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), as an indicator of lipid peroxidation, were measured in homogenates of the liver and kidney. Concentrations of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and Cd in the serum or blood, and their content in the liver and kidney as well as EtOH concentration in the whole blood were assayed. Daily Cd intake in the Cd and Cd+EtOH groups was similar and ranged from 2.39 to 4.88 mg/kg body weight/24 h and from 2.64 to 4.14 mg/kg body weight/24 h, respectively. After the administration of EtOH alone, the activity of SOD increased in the kidney and decreased in the liver, whereas the activity of CAT decreased in both these organs, and MDA concentration increased in the liver and was unchanged in the kidney. The exposure to 50 mg Cd/l led to a decrease in the activities of SOD in the liver and CAT in the liver and kidney, and an increase in the kidney activity of SOD and MDA concentration in both these organs. In the rats co-exposed to Cd and EtOH, the kidney activity of SOD and the liver concentration of MDA were lower, whereas the kidney activity of CAT was higher compared to the Cd group. The concentration of Fe in the serum and its content in the liver of rats treated with EtOH increased, whereas the concentrations of Zn and Cu in the serum and the content of Zn, Cu and Fe in the kidney and that of Zn and Cu in the liver were unchanged. In the liver and kidney of rats treated with Cd alone, the content of Fe was decreased and that of Zn and Cu was enhanced. After EtOH administration to Cd-exposed rats, a decrease in Cu serum concentration and its liver content and an increase in Fe concentration in the serum and its content in the liver and kidney, compared to the group exposed to Cd alone, were noted. Moreover, EtOH decreased the blood Cd concentration and its accumulation in the liver and kidney of these animals. EtOH alone decreased Cd content in the liver and increased in the kidney, however the whole content of Cd in these organs was unchanged compared with control. The results of this study indicate that despite the ability of Cd and EtOH to induce the oxidative stress the effect in the liver and kidney is not intensified at simultaneous exposure to both substances. The changes in the studied indicators of oxidative stress (SOD, CAT and MDA) observed in the kidney and especially in the liver of the rats co-exposed to Cd and EtOH may result from an independent effect of Cd and/or EtOH and also from their interaction. The interactive effect may involve, among others, changes in Cd accumulation and content of Zn, Cu and Fe in these organs and their concentration in serum. Since the rats treated with Cd and Cd+EtOH had reduced drinking fluids intake that might result in dehydratation, the effect of the both xenobiotics on the oxidative status of the body may be not solely due to Cd and/or EtOH, but also the modyfing influence of accompanying alterations such as reduced water intake and dehydratation. The results of the study allow us to hypothesize that Cd-exposed alcohol misusers are not at enhanced risk of liver and kidney damage due to lipid peroxidation.

Isolation of a new serotype of avian reovirus associated with malabsorption syndrome in chickens.

This paper describes the isolation and identification of a novel class of reoviruses, the so-called enteric reovirus strains (ERS). The pathogenicity, dissemination, induction of malabsorption syndrome (MAS), reaction pattern with different monoclonal antibodies, and serotype properties are reported. Upon screening of reoviruses in the field, it was observed that these reovirus strains were also present in other countries and were usually isolated from birds with MAS. Based on the data presented here, it is proposed that the so-called ERS are associated with MAS.

Parasitic cysts of the liver - practical approach to diagnosis and differentiation.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of parasitic liver cysts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 1996-2000 at the Department of Infectious Diseases parasitic liver cysts were diagnosed in 31 patients. The diagnosis was based on imaging examinations (ultrasound, computerised tomography), serological reactions (ELISA, IHA) and histopathological investigation of the specimens obtained through fine-needle aspiration biopsy. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The latter followed the pre-treatment with antiparasitic drug and no significant complications were observed. On the basis of the criteria developed by our team (evident, highly probable and probable diagnosis), hydatid disease of the liver was diagnosed in 8 patients (25.8%). The remaining subjects, excluding one patient who underwent surgical treatment, received repeated treatment with imidazole derivatives (Zentel or Vermox).

Hospital-treated infectious diseases in Western Pomeranian region in a 5-year surveillance: importance for travellers.

Retrospective analysis of the incidence of infectious diseases in the five-year period 1994-1998 as recorded by the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Pomeranian Medical School, has been presented. In this period contagious diseases were diagnosed in 3,863 adults with mean age of 42.8 +/- 33.5 y. Most patients still had viral liver diseases, but we observe some major changes in the epidemiology of infectious diseases in our region. There is an increased number of hospitalisations due to chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis as well as due to symptomatic HIV infections, whereas some acute diseases namely acute hepatitis B and infectious intoxication show decreasing tendency.

Co-circulation of four types of infectious bronchitis virus (793/B, 624/I, B1648 and Massachusetts).

Eighteen isolates of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) from Italy and Poland in 1997 to 1998 were comprehensively analysed by serum haemagglutination inhibition and virus neutralization tests, and by type-specific polymerase chain reactions and spike protein S1 gene sequencing. Four types of IBV (793/B, 624/I, B1648 and Massachusetts) were detected in Italy, while the presence of 793/B was confirmed in Poland. This showed that not only were four types of IBV co-existing within a single year, but also that several types of IBV have persisted in Europe for many years (at least 13 to 14 years for types B1648 and 793/B). Sequencing of the S1 gene of the 624/I isolate confirmed this as a unique type of IBV.