Factors associated with non-compliance with breastfeeding recommendation: a retrospective survey in hepatitis B virus-infected mothers who had taken Nucleos(t)ide analogs during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: We encourage Hepatitis B virus-infected mothers to breastfeed postpartum, even when continuing pregnancy category B nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) treatment. However, a large proportion of the Hepatitis B virus-infected mothers were noncompliant with this breastfeeding recommendation. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with noncompliance with breastfeeding recommendation in Hepatitis B virus-infected mothers who had received NAs treatment during pregnancy. METHODS: A total of 155 mothers with chronic hepatitis B receiving NAs treatment for preventing mother-to-child transmission during the late gestation period were included and divided into exclusive breastfeeding (n = 63), mixed feeding (n = 34), and artificial feeding (n = 58) groups according to the postpartum feeding methods. Independent variables associated with feeding methods were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Compared to the breastfeeding and mixed feeding groups, the artificial feeding group had significantly more multiparity, later postpartum timing of stopping NAs treatment, and a lower proportion of having knowledge of NAs medications (all P < 0.05). In addition, multivariable logistic regression analysis confirmed that multiparity, later postpartum timing of stopping NAs treatment, and lacking knowledge of medication were independent factors associated with noncompliance with breastfeeding recommendation. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatitis B virus-infected mothers who stopped NAs treatment at late postpartum period or had less knowledge of medication were more likely to be noncompliant with breastfeeding recommendation. Strengthening health education for participants taking NAs may be an important method to improve compliance with breastfeeding recommendation.

The safety of antiviral therapy and drug withdrawal for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HBV during pregnancy.

The efficacy of prenatal antiviral therapy (AVT) for preventing the vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is well demonstrated. However, data are limited regarding the safety of postpartum cessation of AVT, which may induce alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation. We aimed to investigate the necessity of prolonging maternal AVT after delivery. Chronic hepatitis B mothers at the immune-tolerant phase with HBV DNA levels >6 log10 IU/mL were prospectively enrolled and received AVT during the third trimester until delivery. Patients were offered to discontinue AVT either at delivery or postpartum week (PPW) 6. In addition, mothers who deferred AVT during pregnancy served as the control group. All mothers were followed until PPW 52 for clinical and virological parameters of hepatitis flares. Among 118 mothers recruited, 91 received AVT with 53 (group A) and 24 (group B) discontinue their treatment at delivery and PPW 6, respectively. Twenty-seven mothers who deferred AVT during pregnancy were followed as the control (group C). A total of 104 of 118 mothers who completed the study, 50% (52/104) had postpartum-elevated ALT levels, which were mild and moderate except 6 of 104 (5.77%) of patients had levels ≥5 times the upper limit of normal; 70% (36/52) of the ALT flares occurred within 12 weeks after delivery. In subgroup analyses, the frequency of ALT elevation was similar among the groups A vs B vs C (50.9% [27/53] vs 58.3% [14/24] vs 40.7% [11/27], respectively; P = .447), as well as the mean peak ALT level (108.4/74.1/126.7 U/L in groups A/B/C, respectively; P = .291). Although postpartum ALT flares were common for mothers with or without AVT during pregnancy, most cases of ALT elevation were mild to moderate. Our study observed that extending AVT to PPW 6 did not affect maternal outcomes and ATV should be discontinued at birth. Close monitoring is warranted as severe flares rarely occurred.

[Organic solar cell based on alkylthiol/Au self-assembly film as buffer layer].

The interface modification between the organic active layer and the inorganic electrode affects the performance of organic solar cell (OSC). A buffer layer of alkylthiol (ethanethiol, hexanethiol, dodecanethiol)/Au self-assembly layer was introduced into OSC to substitute Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) : poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT : PSS) layer, in order to improve the organic/inorganic interface. We fabricated devices with structure of "ITO/Au (annealed Au film of 2 nm)-thiol self assembly layer/poly(3-hexylthiophene) : 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl) -propyl-1-phenyl-(6,6)C61(P3HT : PCBM) /LiF/Al". After alkanethiol self-assembling, the alkanethiol prevented exciton quenching owe to direct contact between the Au NPs and the active layer. We studied the impact of alkanethiol with different chain length on device performance. With? the? growth? of? the? alkyl chain, the coverage of the thiol on Au NPs got better, and the device performance become better. In the OSC with dodecane-thiol/Au (2 nm Au film annealed) self-assembly film, the short-circuit current increases from 5.19 mA x cm(-2) to 6.24 mA x cm(-2).

[Enhanced V(oc) in photovoltaic cell by electrodeposited polythiophene thin film].

Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) thin films were electrochemically deposited directly on indium tin oxide (ITO)/poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT : PSS) substrates. Its optical absorption peak is located at about 410 nm and tailing to 610 nm, corresponding to 2.04 eV of bandgap. Its highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy is -5.21 eV, while the HOMO energy of the chemically synthesized P3HT is -5.02 eV. The lower HOMO energy of the electrodeposited P3HT may be attributed to the enhancement of regularity. The morphology of the P3HT thin film characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicates that the molecules contact firmly. The cyclic voltammetry results show that its electrochemical property is stable. The authors prepared photovoltaic cell with the P3HT and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as the active layer. Because of the lower HOMO of the electrodeposited P3HT, the open circuit voltage (V(oc)) of the device is up to 0.76 V, indicating a new way to enhance the V(oc) of the organic photovoltaic cells.

[Improvement of the power conversion efficiency in organic solar cells].

Energy is most important issue in the world now because the chemical energy (oil, natural gas, coal et al) is on the edge of depleting. Many Countries are now paying attention to the use of sun power. Photovoltaic device is the most important way to make use of sun energy. Organic solar cell is one promising kind of photovoltaic device, though it's low power conversion efficiency hampers its commercialization. This paper briefly reviewed two ways to improve the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells and pointed out the unsolved problems.

The improvement of bulk-heterojunction order in polymer photovoltaic device.

The blend morphology and vertical arrangement are critical to the performance of organic bulk-heterojunction photovoltaic devices. In the present paper, the authors proposed a new annealing method that controls the blend morphology and vertical arrangement of two materials by means of simultaneously applying external electrical field and violet irradiation on the active layer of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) during annealing process. By using this annealing method, the power conversion efficiency increased by 36%, which was caused by vertical phased-separated blend of crystalline P3HT and PCBM and better charge extraction of electrodes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was measured to prove more fullerene derivatives at the organic/cathode interfaces by using this annealing method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and UV-Vis absorption spectrum analysis also revealed more ordered polymer crystallization.

[Study of photochemically converted PPV films].

The authors present photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectra of PPV converted in vacuum by ultraviolet(UV) irradiation which indicate partial conjugation similar to thermally converted poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV). The authors have fabricated OLEDs based on photo-converted PPV. Though the electroluminescence (EL) spectra are poor, doped PPV-based OLED devices are achieved.

[Clinical research of thread-dragging through fistula method in treating patients with simple anorectal fistula].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of thread-dragging through fistula method in treating patients with simple anorectal fistula. METHODS: In this multi-centered, prospective, and randomized controlled clinical trial, 244 patients with simple low or high anorectal fistula were randomly divided into study group (with the method of thread-dragging through fistula) and control group (with the method of incision or thread-drawing). The healing time and curative rate of anorectal fistula, and the integral calculus of clinical symptom and life quality evaluations before and after treatment were all examined. The maximal anal canal squeeze pressure was measured to compare the therapeutic safety between these two groups. The health economical benefits were also assessed to determine which therapeutic method was more economical. RESULTS: The curative rate of simple low and high anorectal fistula were of no significant differences between the study group and the control group. The healing time of simple low anorectal fistula in the study group and the control group were (22.26+/-8.67) d and (31.41+/-11.39) d respectively, while the healing time of simple high anorectal fistula in the study group and the control group were (24.73+/-8.15) d and (32.20+/-12.60) d respectively, and there revealed significant differences between these two groups. Each integral calculus of clinical symptom evaluation in the study group was not obviously different from those in the control group besides the integral calculus of anal sphincter function. The integral calculus of life quality between the study group and the control group of simple low anorectal fistula had no significant differences. The integral calculus of anal sphincter function and confidence in treatment in the study group of high anorectal fistula were better than those in the control group. The hospitalization expense of the study group was remarkably lower than that of the control group. The maximal anal canal squeeze pressure in the study group after treatment was not reduced obviously as compared with that in the same group before treatment, while it was decreased significantly in the control group after treatment as compared with those in the same group before treatment and in the study group after treatment. CONCLUSION: The method of thread-dragging through fistula in treating simple low and high anorectal fistula can shorten the course of the disease, save the hospitalization expenses, improve the life quality of the patients, and protect the anal sphincter function.

Tolerability and efficacy of gamma knife radiosurgery on hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombosis.

This is a retrospective study on the safety and efficacy of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKR) in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT). Patients with confirmed HCC and PVTT were allocated into two groups based on the treatments they received (palliative or GKR). A total of 138 patients were included (74 in the palliative group, 64 in GKR group). No significant differences in baseline characteristics existed between the two groups. Treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were recorded and compared between groups. The majority of AEs were mild to moderate and subsided naturally or after medication. There was no AE-induced death. The influences of baseline characteristics and treatment options on patients' OS were analyzed. The median OS of patients in the palliative and GKR group were 3.0 months (95% CI: 2.719-3.281) and 6.1 months (95% CI: 4.706-7.494) respectively (p = 0.003). Multivariate analysis revealed that GKR treatment, performance status 0-1, Child A, smaller tumor diameter and monolobar distribution were significant favorable prognosticators. Subgroup analyses showed OS benefit of GKR regardless of PVTT location (main or branch of PVTT). In conclusion, GKR is well tolerated in selected HCC-PVTT patients and can confer OS benefit, which needs validation in future prospective studies.

[Treatment of moderate-grade and high-grade malignant lymphoma with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: High dose chemotherapy (HDCT) supported by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is one of the most effective approaches for the chemo-sensitive lymphoma. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of HDCT combined with radiotherapy supported by HSCT in treatment of poor- prognostic moderate-grade and high-grade malignant lymphoma. METHODS: Eleven patients [11 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and 2 cases of recurrent Hodgkin's lymphoma (HD)] were enrolled from December 1995 to May 2001. Status on ASCT was 8 cases with 1st complete remission (CR(1)), 4 cases with second complete remission (CR2), 1 case with second partial remission (PR2). The preparative regimens consisted of HDCT alone (4 patients), HDCT with involved-field (IF) radiotherapy (6 patients), total body irradiation (TBI) with HDCT (3 patients). Two patients were supported by bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) and 11 by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (APBSCT). RESULTS: The numbers of mono-nuclear cell (MNC) and granulocyte- macrophage colony-forming cells (CFU-GM) reinfused were 2.55 (range, 2.07-3.31) x 10(9)/L, 1.43 (range, 0.6-2.36) x 10(9)/L in this study, respectively. Hematopoietic reconstitution was observed in all patients when they were followed-up on October 2001. WBC>or=1.0 x 10(9)/L and Platelet >50 x 10(9)/L were at day 6 (range,7-35) and day 8 (range,6-32), respectively. The median CR duration was 16 months (range, 4-57 months). The 1- and 3-year survival rates were 76.9% and 46.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: HDCT with ASCT is valuable to treatment in patients with chemo-sensitive moderate-grade and high-grade NHL and recurrent HD.