1.The Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Dynamics of Influenza B Virus in Two Italian Regions during 2010-2015: The Experience of Sicily and Liguria.
Tramuto F1,2, Orsi A3,4, Maida CM5, Costantino C6, Trucchi C7, Alicino C8, Vitale F9,10, Ansaldi F11,12. Int J Mol Sci. 2016 Apr 13;17(4). pii: E549.
Molecular epidemiology of influenza B virus remained poorly studied in Italy, despite representing a major contributor to seasonal epidemics. This study aimed to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships and genetic diversity of the hemagglutinin gene sequences of 197 influenza B strains circulating in both Southern (Sicily) and Northern (Liguria) Italy between 2010 and 2015. Upper respiratory tract specimens of patients displaying symptoms of influenza-like illness were screened by real-time RT-PCR assay for the presence of influenza B virus. PCR-positive influenza B samples were further analyzed by sequencing. Neighbor-joining phylogenetic trees were constructed and the amino-acid alignments were analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis showed clusters in B/Victoria clade 1A/1B (n = 29, 14.7%), and B/Yamagata clades 2 (n = 112, 56.8%) and 3 (n = 56, 28.4%). Both influenza B lineages were found to co-circulate during the study period, although a lineage swap from B/Victoria to B/Yamagata occurred in Italy between January 2011 and January 2013.
2.Irinotecan Plus Gemcitabine and Fluorouracil in Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer: A Retrospective Study.
Endlicher E1, Schnoy E, Troppmann M, Rogler G, Messmann H, Klebl F, Gelbmann C, Kullmann F. Digestion. 2016 Apr 19;93(3):229-233. [Epub ahead of print]
BACKGROUND: Since 2010, combination therapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin is the standard treatment for patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) based on the ABC-02 trial. However, treatment after first-line progression is less clearly defined. We therefore retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of a 3-drug chemotherapy regimen in patients with advanced BTC.
3.Long-Term Weight Change after Initiating Second-Generation Antidepressants.
Arterburn D1, Sofer T2, Boudreau DM3, Bogart A4, Westbrook EO5, Theis MK6, Simon G7, Haneuse S8. J Clin Med. 2016 Apr 13;5(4). pii: E48.
(1) Objective: To examine the relationship between the choice of second-generation antidepressant drug treatment and long-term weight change; (2) Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to investigate the relationship between choice of antidepressant medication and weight change at two years among adult patients with a new antidepressant treatment episode between January, 2006 and October, 2009 in a large health system in Washington State. Medication use, encounters, diagnoses, height, and weight were collected from electronic databases. We modeled change in weight and BMI at two years after initiation of treatment using inverse probability weighted linear regression models that adjusted for potential confounders. Fluoxetine was the reference treatment; (3) Results: In intent-to-treat analyses, non-smokers who initiated bupropion treatment on average lost 7.1 lbs compared to fluoxetine users who were non-smokers (95% CI: -11.3, -2.
4.A Rutile Chevron Modulation in Delafossite-Like Ga3-xIn3TixO9+x/2.
Rickert K1,2, Boullay P2, Malo S2, Caignaert V2, Poeppelmeier KR1. Inorg Chem. 2016 Apr 18. [Epub ahead of print]
The structure solution of the modulated, delafossite-related, orthorhombic Ga3-xIn3TixO9+x/2 for x = 1.5 is reported here in conjunction with a model describing the modulation as a function of x for the entire system. Previously reported structures in the related A3-xIn3TixO9+x/2 (A = Al, Cr, or Fe) systems use X-ray diffraction to determine that the anion lattice is the source of modulation. Neutron diffraction, with its enhanced sensitivity to light atoms, offers a route to solving the modulation and is used here, in combination with precession electron diffraction tomography (PEDT), to solve the structure of Ga1.5In3Ti1.5O9.75. We construct a model that describes the anion modulation through the formation of rutile chevrons as a function of x. This model accommodates the orthorhombic phase (1.5 ≤ x ≤ 2.1) in the Ga3-xIn3TixO9+x/2 system, which transitions to a biphasic mixture (2.2 ≤ x ≤ 2.3) with a monoclinic, delafossite-related phase (2.
