OBJECTIVE To assess possible differences in the frequency of HLA-DQB1 risk genotypes and the emergence of signs of beta-cell autoimmunity among three geographical regions in Finland. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The series comprised 4,642 children with increased HLA-DQB1-defined genetic risk of type 1 diabetes from the Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) study: 1,793 (38.6%) born in Turk...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Interferon (IFN) induced hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion is durable in 80-90% of chronic hepatitis B patients. Preliminary reports on the durability of HBeAg seroconversion following lamivudine are contradictory. We investigated the durability of response following IFN, lamivudine, or IFN-lamivudine combination therapy in a meta-analysis of individual patient da...

To determine the prevalence of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection, the rate of HHV-8 seroconversion, and the presence of serum HHV-8 DNA after bone marrow transplantation (BMT), we evaluated sera from 187 Italian BMT donor-recipient pairs. Antibodies to lytic and latent HHV-8 antigens were detected by immunofluorescence. Sera of donor-recipient pairs who seroconverted were examined by real-t...

OBJECTIVE To study the contribution of the humoral response to HIV-I at seroconversion to disease outcome after 84 months. DESIGN A retrospective longitudinal study. SETTING Two haemophilia centres in the United Kingdom. PATIENTS 88 Haemophiliac patients infected with HIV-I for whom sera were available from before seroconversion and in whom clinical follow up data were available. RESULT...

INTRODUCTION: Geographical, epidemiological, and environmental differences associated with therapeutic response to Chagas etiological treatment have been previously discussed. This study describes high seroconversion rates 72 months after benznidazole treatment in patients under 16 years from a project implemented by Doctors without Borders in Guatemala. METHODS: An enzyme-linked immunosorb...

Outbreaks of sexually transmitted hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections have been recently reported in HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in Europe, Australia, and North America. Little is known concerning whether this also occurs in other Asia-Pacific countries. Between 1994 and 2010, a prospective observational cohort study was performed to assess the incidence of recent HCV seroconver...

Serological studies are the gold standard method to estimate influenza infection attack rates (ARs) in human populations. In a common protocol, blood samples are collected before and after the epidemic in a cohort of individuals; and a rise in haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibody titers during the epidemic is considered as a marker of infection. Because of inherent measurement errors, a 2...

BACKGROUND The clinical efficacy of nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) combined with interferon (IFN) therapy vs. NAs monotherapy for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remains inconclusive. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine whether the NAs plus IFN regimen offers synergistic efficacy that justifies the cost and burden of such a combination therapy in CHB patients. METHODS Related publications...

To determine the frequency and duration of antibody-negative human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among heterosexually exposed African women, 56 HIV-seronegative female prostitutes in Nairobi were studied. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect HIV DNA in peripheral blood at enrollment, and women were followed prospectively with serologic testing to determine HIV seroinciden...