AIM The development of direct-acting oral agents has dramatically changed the treatment strategy of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Here we aimed to reveal the efficacy and safety of daclatasvir (DCV) and asunaprevir (ASV) for recurrent HCV genotype 1 infection after liver transplantation (LT). METHODS A retrospective study was undertaken on nine patients who underwent a 24-week DCV/ASV tr...

BACKGROUND Systolic heart failure (HF) is frequently accompanied by diastolic dysfunction and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). OBJECTIVES The objective of this subset analysis was to determine effect sizes of auto-servo ventilation (ASV and biphasic positive airway pressure ASV) on echocardiographic measures of diastolic function in patients with systolic HF and SDB. METHODS Thirty-two pat...

INTRODUCTION Despite the advent of biological therapies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, there is a compelling need to develop alternative therapeutic targets for nonresponders to existing treatments. Soluble receptors occur naturally in vivo, such as the splice variant of the cell surface receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)--a key regulator of angiogenesis in rheum...

Arsine is one of the most potent hemolytic agents. It is important to clarify arsine metabolism as well as its chemical interactions with biological components. The aim of the present study was to clarify arsine metabolism by arsenic speciation analysis in serum and urine from an acute poisoning patient with hematuria, anemia, and renal and liver dysfunction. Speciation analysis of arsenics in ...

The relationship between bacterial ability in arsenic transformation, siderophore production, and P uptake was investigated using six arsenic-resistant bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere of arsenic-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata. Bacterial strains of PG5 and 12 were better arsenite (AsIII) oxidizers (31-46 vs. 6.2-21% of 1 mM AsIII) whereas PG 6, 9, 10 and 16 were better arsenate (AsV) red...

BACKGROUND Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) therapy is expected to be novel nonpharmacotherapy with hemodynamic effects on patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), but sufficient evidence has not been obtained. METHODS AND RESULTS A 24-week, open-label, randomized, controlled study was performed to confirm the cardiac function-improving effect of ASV therapy on CHF patients. At 39 instituti...

BACKGROUND Exercise oscillatory ventilation (EOV) is a common pattern of breathing in heart failure (HF) patients, and indicates a poor prognosis. AIM To investigate the effects of adaptive servoventilation (ASV) on ventilatory response during exercise. METHODS We studied 39 HF patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) £ 45. Cardiorespiratory polygraphy, cardiopulmonary exerci...

A high prevalence of nocturnal Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) has been documented in patients with heart failure with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (HFNEF). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of adaptive servoventilation (ASV) for treatment of CSR in these patients. In 60 patients with HFNEF, defined according to current European Society of Cardiology guide...

Snake bites poisoning is considered as one of the most common causes of death in Saudi Arabia annually. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of administration of high doses of anti-snake venom (ASV) versus low doses in adult patients with severe Viperidae envenoming. Cases were collected retrospectively from Dammam poisoning center, Saudi Arabia throughout the years: 2010 and 2012. Low dos...

We tested the hypotheses that in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and sleep disordered breathing (SDB) auto-servoventilation (ASV) improves cardiac function and quality of life. Between March 2007 and September 2009, patients with stable CHF (left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 40%) and SDB (apnoea/hypopnoea index ≥ 20 events · h(-1)) were randomised to receive either ASV (B...