Setting the light conditions for measuring root transparency for age-at-death estimation methods.

Age-at-death estimation is one of the main goals in forensic identification, being an essential parameter to determine the biological profile, narrowing the possibility of identification in cases involving missing persons and unidentified bodies. The study of dental tissues has been long considered as a proper tool for age estimation with several age estimation methods based on them. Dental age estimation methods can be divided into three categories: tooth formation and development, post-formation changes, and histological changes. While tooth formation and growth changes are important for fetal and infant consideration, when the end of dental and skeletal growth is achieved, post-formation or biochemical changes can be applied. Lamendin et al. in J Forensic Sci 37:1373-1379, (1992) developed an adult age estimation method based on root transparency and periodontal recession. The regression formula demonstrated its accuracy of use for 40 to 70-year-old individuals. Later on, Prince and Ubelaker in J Forensic Sci 47(1):107-116, (2002) evaluated the effects of ancestry and sex and incorporated root height into the equation, developing four new regression formulas for males and females of African and European ancestry. Even though root transparency is a key element in the method, the conditions for measuring this element have not been established. The aim of the present study is to set the light conditions measured in lumens that offer greater accuracy when applying the Lamendin et al. method modified by Prince and Ubelaker. The results must be also taken into account in the application of other age estimation methodologies using root transparency to estimate age-at-death.

Efficacy of the retreatment of hepatitis C virus infections after liver transplantation: role of an aggressive approach.

A sustained virological response (SVR) is achieved by 30% of naive liver transplantation (LT) recipients treated with pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV). Almost no data are available about retreatment. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy, tolerability, and SVR predictors of retreatment. Data were collected from 4 centers on the retreatment of prior nonresponders to standard therapy or PEG-IFN (with or without RBV) and relapsers. Seventy-nine of 301 treatment-experienced LT patients (26%), who had a median age of 59 years (range = 35-77 years) and were mostly male (72%) and infected with genotype 1 (87%), were retreated with PEG-IFN and RBV at a median of 6.9 years after LT. During the first course of therapy, 35% were treated with interferon, 49% received tacrolimus, 52% received steroids, and 49.5% were relapsers. Retreatment was started at a median of 1.9 years (range = 45 days to 8.2 years) after the end of the first course. The proportion of patients with cirrhosis increased from 10% to 37% (P < 0.001). In addition, in retreated patients, full initial RBV doses (P = 0.03), growth factors [erythropoietin (P < 0.001) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (P = 0.048)], and transfusions (P = 0.03) were used more frequently, and the treatment duration was longer (P = 0.03). An end-of-treatment response was achieved in 61%, whereas SVR, which was associated with improved survival, occurred in 28 (35%). The variables predicting SVR were age (P = 0.04), disease severity [fibrosis (50% with F0-F2 versus 26% with F3-4), P = 0.03; bilirubin, P = 0.006; platelet count, P = 0.03], adherence, and viral kinetics. None of the patients without an early virological response achieved SVR. There was a trend of prior relapsers achieving higher SVR rates than prior nonresponders. In conclusion, SVR, which was achieved by approximately one-third of the retreated patients, can be predicted with the same variables used for naive LT recipients (age, disease severity, adherence, and viral kinetics) and is associated with enhanced survival.

Anemia is not predictive of sustained virological response in liver transplant recipients with hepatitis C virus who are treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.

In the immunocompetent setting, antiviral therapy-related anemia has recently been shown to be associated with a sustained virological response (SVR). Our goal was to assess whether this is also true for liver transplantation (LT). We included 160 LT patients with recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) who were treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin (RBV) between 2002 and 2010; 76% of the patients were men, the median age of the patients was 56 years (range = 33-75 years), 63% had advanced fibrosis, and 86% were infected with HCV genotype 1a or 1b. The baseline immunosuppression was tacrolimus in 56% of the patients. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was used in 15%. Anemia was defined as a hemoglobin (Hb) level < 10 g/dL. Significant anemia was present when the Hb decline was >5 g/dL. Anemia and significant anemia developed in 67% and 41% of the patients, respectively. Erythropoietin was used in 60%. Factors independently associated with significant anemia included low estimated creatinine clearance [relative risk (RR) = 0.951, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.925-0.978, P = 0.0001], a longer time from LT to therapy (RR = 1.001, 95% CI = 1.000-1.001, P = 0.002), high baseline viremia (RR = 3.2, 95% CI = 1.3-8.1, P = 0.01), cyclosporine A (CSA)-based immunosuppression (RR: 3.472, 95% CI: 1.386-8.695; P = 0.008), and the use of MMF (RR: 5.346, 95% CI: 1.398-20.447; P = 0.014). An SVR occurred in 43% of the patients; the factors associated with an SVR included baseline variables (younger recipient age, younger donor age, infections with non-1 HCV genotypes, body mass index, and mild fibrosis) and on-treatment factors related to adherence or viral kinetics. Anemia resulted in RBV dose reductions but was not associated with the virological response at any time. In conclusion, anemia is a very frequent complication in LT patients during antiviral therapy and is associated with increased RBV dose reduction but not with an SVR. Predictors of anemia include MMF or CSA immunosuppression, high viremia, and renal insufficiency.