Experience with direct-acting antivirals in genotype 1-5 infected chronic hepatitis C patients in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) can cause chronic liver disease, hepatic cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, liver transplantation, and death. Early diagnosis and treatment are thus vital. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the sustained virological response (SVR) rates in chronic hepatitis C patients infected with different genotypes, receiving different direct-acting antiviral treatments (DAAs). DESIGN: Retrospective, observational SETTING: Clinic for infectious diseases and clinical microbiology PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C who applied to our outpatient clinic between January 2016 and November 2022 and were treated with a DAA were included in the study. Treatment responses were evaluated after each patient was treated with either ledipasvir plus sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF), LDV/SOF + ribavirin (RBV), SOF+RBV, ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir plus dasabuvir (OBV/PTV/r±DSV) ±RBV, or glecaprevir plus pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sustained virological response (SVR) rates at 12 weeks (SVR12) post-treatment. SAMPLE SIZE: 360 patients. RESULTS: Of 360 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 218 (60.6%) were male and 142 (39.4%) were female with no statistically significant differences in SVR between sexes (P=.252). Nearly all had a SVR (n=353, 98.1%). The median (IQR) age of the patients was 56 (30.3) years. There were 42 (11.7%), 199 (55.3%), 4 (1.1%), 106 (29.4%), 8 (2.2%) and 1 (0.3%) patient with genotypes 1a, 1b, 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively, and SVR12 did not differ significantly between genotypes (P=.066). SVR12 response was higher in 246 (68.3%) non-injecting drug users compared to 114 (31.7%) injecting drug users (P=.005). The SVR12 response was achieved in 100% of patients with genotypes 1a, 2, 4, and 5. SVR12 response could not be obtained in 1 of 199 genotype 1b patients and 6 of 106 genotype 3 patients. The common feature of 6 reinfection patients with genotype 3 was that they were using intravenous drugs. These 6 patients were reinfected due to their continued intravenous drug use. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, DAAs provide high SVR12 rates in cirrhotic/non-cirrhotic, pegylated interferon-naive/experienced patient groups and in patients infected with all genotypes. DAAs have a high SVR12 rate in patients with chronic hepatitis C. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective, single-center.

Patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip shows higher digit ratio (2D:4D).

BACKGROUND: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) encompasses a range of hip disorders, from dysplasia to dislocation. One key factor is sex, with women being four to eight times more susceptible to DDH than men. However, there have been no studies investigating the second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D), a biomarker of prenatal sex steroid exposure, in DDH patients. This study aimed to explore whether there is an association between the 2D:4D ratio and DDH. METHODS: Digital calipers were used to measure the second and fourth finger lengths of 250 patients treated for DDH and 200 patients in the healthy control group between January 2020 and January 2023. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for non-normally distributed variables and two-way analysis of variance to assess differences in measurements between DDH patients based on sex, side, and the interaction of sex and side. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess measurement repeatability. RESULTS: The median (min-max) age was 10.00 (6-16) years in the DDH group, 12.00 (6-16) years in the control group, and 10 (6-16) years for the whole cohort. There was no significant difference in terms of age between the patient and control groups (p = 0.083). When comparing the DDH group with controls the former showed higher right 2D:4D and Δ2D:4D and these differences were significant in both males and females. Among the patients, controlling for side of dysplasia did not affect right 2D:4D, left 2D:4D or Δ2D:4D. CONCLUSION: There was a significant association between higher 2D:4D ratios (both right and left hands) and DDH in both men and women. This indicates that the 2D:4D ratio, a marker of intrauterine estrogen/testosterone balance, is associated with DDH.

Investigation into the relationship between fatal work accidents, national income, and employment rate in developed and developing countries.

OBJECTIVES: Industrial advances, as a result of globalization, causes many threats to the working life. These threats are generally associated with the level of economic development of countries. While threats from industrialization are decreasing in developed countries, developing countries are still faced with these threats. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationship between fatal work accidents (FWA), and independent variables which are national income (NI) and employment rate (ER) in a number of selected countries. METHODS: In this study the relationship between FWA and independent variables which are NI and ER of 18 developed and developing countries and a region, between 2006 and 2015, was analyzed by applying panel data analysis. RESULTS: According to panel data analysis, whilst a 1% increase in the NI reduces the FWA rate by 1.1%, a 1% increase in the ER results in an increase of approximately 4% in the rate of FWA. CONCLUSIONS: As a result, there was a negative relationship between the FWA and NI growth and a positive relationship with the ER.