AIM To prospectively evaluate the efficacy of sofobuvir(SOF) in hepatitis C patients infected with hepatitis C virus(HCV) genotype 3 in Pakistan.METHODS The present study was performed with the coordination of gastroe...AIM To prospectively evaluate the efficacy of sofobuvir(SOF) in hepatitis C patients infected with hepatitis C virus(HCV) genotype 3 in Pakistan.METHODS The present study was performed with the coordination of gastroenterology and pathology departments of Shalamar Hospital Lahore from August 2014 to May 2016. The total number of patients included in this study was 1375 and all of them were infected with HCV genotype 3. On the basis of drug combinations, all the patients were separated into two groups. The first group of patients was treated for 24 wk with SOF(Sovaldi? by Gilead Sciences) plus ribavirin(RBV) [Ribazol? by Getz Pharma Pakistan(PVT) Ltd], while the patients of the second group were treated with SOF + RBV + pegylatedinterferon(peg IFN) alfa-2 a(Ropegra by Roach) for 12 wk. HCV genotyping and viral load measurement were performed on fully automated Abbott Real-Time PCR system(Abbott m24 sp automated nucleic acid extraction system and Abbott m2000 rt amplification system; abbott Molecular, Des Plaines, IL, United States). For the assessment of sustained virological response(SVR), all HCV RNA negative patients were followed for 12weeks after the treatment completion. Any patient with less than 12 IU/m L viral load after 12 wk of treatment completion was considered as a sustained virological responder(SVR-12).RESULTS A total of 1375 patients chronically infected with HCV genotype 3 were treated with two drug combinations SOF + RBV and SOF + RBV + peg IFN alfa-2 a. On the basis of these drug combinations, patients were divided into two groups(first and second). Overall SVR-12 was excellent in both groups(99.17% and 97.91%). Older patients(> 40 years) of second group showed lower SVR-12(93.46%) compared to first group older patients(98.79%), while in the younger patients of both groups, the SVR-12 rate was almost the same(99.54% in first group and 99.05% in second group). No such difference regarding SVR-12 rate was seen in males and females of first group patients(99.68% and 98.88%, respectively), while in second group the males were found to be better responders compared to females(98.96% and 95%). The SVR-12 rate in previously treated patients of first group was better(99.34%) than second group(93.70%), while na?ve patients of second group were marginally better responders(99.25%) than first group(97.80%). Rapid viral response at week-4 was found to be a very effective predictor for assessing the SVR rate at this stage of therapy in both groups. Headache, anemia and fatigue were common side effects in both groups either treated with SOF + RBV or SOF + RBV + peg IFN alfa-2 a, while the overall percentage of the side effects was higher in second group.CONCLUSION The remarkable SVR response rate of HCV genotype 3 infected patients to SOF provided a new way to look forward to eliminate hepatitis C from our region.展开更多
This paper reports the findings regarding morphology, DNA markers and fruit quality of Solanum muricatum L., a newly introduced fruit in Hazara University, Pakistan, and other locally grown members of the Solanaceae f...This paper reports the findings regarding morphology, DNA markers and fruit quality of Solanum muricatum L., a newly introduced fruit in Hazara University, Pakistan, and other locally grown members of the Solanaceae family. In this study, RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic NA) based PCR report on phylogenetic affinities of pepino with brinjal, chilies, potato and tomato was also included. Total genomic DNA was isolated and 120 arbitrary decamers were applied to the genomic DNA of all these species. Only five out of the 120 decamers produced 27 polymorphic loci with the range of 400 - 1400 bp. We observed the specificity of markers, and primer B-08 amplified 700 bp locus linked to Solanum muricatum L., (Pepino), which could be used to identify this particular species of this family. Cluster analysis was also performed using the DNAMAN software (version 5.2.2.0) against the bivariate data collected from the products of several decamers. The UPGMA (Unweighted pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean) analyses depicted three distinct groups, i.e. group I sorted out brinjal-tomato, group II sorted out chili-potato and pepino sorted out into its independent group III. Though on the basis of morphological traits pepino clustered with tomato, its DNA analyses proved it as a distinct species, far more related to the tomato. Moreover a total six parameters in biochemical analysis were studied, which revealed that pepino is a juicy fruit with maximum 93.25% moisture. This study could be helpful to maximize the new crop pepino in Pakistan.展开更多
文摘AIM To prospectively evaluate the efficacy of sofobuvir(SOF) in hepatitis C patients infected with hepatitis C virus(HCV) genotype 3 in Pakistan.METHODS The present study was performed with the coordination of gastroenterology and pathology departments of Shalamar Hospital Lahore from August 2014 to May 2016. The total number of patients included in this study was 1375 and all of them were infected with HCV genotype 3. On the basis of drug combinations, all the patients were separated into two groups. The first group of patients was treated for 24 wk with SOF(Sovaldi? by Gilead Sciences) plus ribavirin(RBV) [Ribazol? by Getz Pharma Pakistan(PVT) Ltd], while the patients of the second group were treated with SOF + RBV + pegylatedinterferon(peg IFN) alfa-2 a(Ropegra by Roach) for 12 wk. HCV genotyping and viral load measurement were performed on fully automated Abbott Real-Time PCR system(Abbott m24 sp automated nucleic acid extraction system and Abbott m2000 rt amplification system; abbott Molecular, Des Plaines, IL, United States). For the assessment of sustained virological response(SVR), all HCV RNA negative patients were followed for 12weeks after the treatment completion. Any patient with less than 12 IU/m L viral load after 12 wk of treatment completion was considered as a sustained virological responder(SVR-12).RESULTS A total of 1375 patients chronically infected with HCV genotype 3 were treated with two drug combinations SOF + RBV and SOF + RBV + peg IFN alfa-2 a. On the basis of these drug combinations, patients were divided into two groups(first and second). Overall SVR-12 was excellent in both groups(99.17% and 97.91%). Older patients(> 40 years) of second group showed lower SVR-12(93.46%) compared to first group older patients(98.79%), while in the younger patients of both groups, the SVR-12 rate was almost the same(99.54% in first group and 99.05% in second group). No such difference regarding SVR-12 rate was seen in males and females of first group patients(99.68% and 98.88%, respectively), while in second group the males were found to be better responders compared to females(98.96% and 95%). The SVR-12 rate in previously treated patients of first group was better(99.34%) than second group(93.70%), while na?ve patients of second group were marginally better responders(99.25%) than first group(97.80%). Rapid viral response at week-4 was found to be a very effective predictor for assessing the SVR rate at this stage of therapy in both groups. Headache, anemia and fatigue were common side effects in both groups either treated with SOF + RBV or SOF + RBV + peg IFN alfa-2 a, while the overall percentage of the side effects was higher in second group.CONCLUSION The remarkable SVR response rate of HCV genotype 3 infected patients to SOF provided a new way to look forward to eliminate hepatitis C from our region.
文摘This paper reports the findings regarding morphology, DNA markers and fruit quality of Solanum muricatum L., a newly introduced fruit in Hazara University, Pakistan, and other locally grown members of the Solanaceae family. In this study, RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic NA) based PCR report on phylogenetic affinities of pepino with brinjal, chilies, potato and tomato was also included. Total genomic DNA was isolated and 120 arbitrary decamers were applied to the genomic DNA of all these species. Only five out of the 120 decamers produced 27 polymorphic loci with the range of 400 - 1400 bp. We observed the specificity of markers, and primer B-08 amplified 700 bp locus linked to Solanum muricatum L., (Pepino), which could be used to identify this particular species of this family. Cluster analysis was also performed using the DNAMAN software (version 5.2.2.0) against the bivariate data collected from the products of several decamers. The UPGMA (Unweighted pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean) analyses depicted three distinct groups, i.e. group I sorted out brinjal-tomato, group II sorted out chili-potato and pepino sorted out into its independent group III. Though on the basis of morphological traits pepino clustered with tomato, its DNA analyses proved it as a distinct species, far more related to the tomato. Moreover a total six parameters in biochemical analysis were studied, which revealed that pepino is a juicy fruit with maximum 93.25% moisture. This study could be helpful to maximize the new crop pepino in Pakistan.
