0 mu g per kilogram per week, plus ribavirin at a dose of 800 to 1400 mg per day, or peginterferon alfa-2a at a dose of 180 mu g per week plus ribavirin at a dose of 1000 to 1200 mg per day. We compared the rate of sustained virologic response and the safety and adverse-event profiles between the peginterferon alfa-2b regimens and between the standard-dose peginterferon alfa-2b regimen and the peginterferon
alfa-2a regimen.
RESULTS
Among 3070 patients, rates of sustained virologic response were similar among the regimens: 39.8% with standard-dose peginterferon alfa-2b, 38.0% with low-dose peginterferon alfa-2b, and 40.9% with peginterferon alfa-2a (P = 0.20 for standard-dose vs. low-dose peginterferon alfa-2b; P = 0.57 for standard-dose LCZ696 research buy peginterferon alfa-2b vs. peginterferon alfa-2a). Estimated differences in response rates were 1.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], -2.3 to 6.0) between standard-dose and low-dose peginterferon alfa-2b and -1.1% (95% CI, -5.3 to 3.0) between standard-dose peginterferon alfa-2b and peginterferon alfa-2a. Relapse rates were 23.5% (95% CI, 19.9 to 27.2) for standard-dose peginterferon alfa-2b, 20.0% (95% CI, 16.4 to 23.6) for low-dose peginterferon alfa-2b, and 31.5% (95% CI, 27.9 to 35.2) for peginterferon alfa-2a. The safety profile
was similar among the three groups; serious adverse events were observed in 8.6 to 11.7% of patients. Among the patients with undetectable HCV RNA levels at treatment weeks 4 and 12, a sustained virologic response MX69 cell line Nutlin-3a mw was achieved in 86.2% and 78.7%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
In patients infected with HCV genotype 1, the rates of sustained virologic response and tolerability did not differ significantly between the two available peginterferon ribavirin regimens or between the two doses of peginterferon alfa-2b. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00081770.)”
“X-ray
crystal interferometer-based X-ray phase-contrast microtomography (phase-contrast microtomography) is able to image microstructures within soft tissue without the use of a contrast agent. Here we determined the feasibility of using this technique in the non-destructive inspection of formalin-fixed kidney tissue from certain hamsters that spontaneously develop mesangial thickening with focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis, and from age-matched Syrian hamsters. We used a triple Laue-case X-ray interferometer with a 40 mu m-thick analyzer, a sample cell, and an X-ray charge-coupled-device camera with a 4.34 mu m pixel size. Images of glomeruli and tubular structures were similar to those seen using 40-100 x magnification on an optical microscope. In samples from two female glomerulosclerotic hamsters, seven scattered lesions were detected. The wedge-shaped pathological lesions included mild atrophic tubular walls, markedly dilated tubular lumen, high-density glomeruli, and widening of Bowman’s space. The microvasculature was distinctly visualized in the specimens without any contrast agents.