Cumulative Probability (cumulative + probability)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Adefovir dipivoxil for wait-listed and post,liver transplantation patients with lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B: Final long-term results

LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 3 2007
Eugene Schiff
Wait-listed (n = 226) or post,liver transplantation (n = 241) chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) were treated with adefovir dipivoxil for a median of 39 and 99 weeks, respectively. Among wait-listed patients, serum HBV DNA levels became undetectable (<1,000 copies/mL) in 59% and 65% at weeks 48 and 96, respectively. After 48 weeks, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), albumin, bilirubin, and prothrombin time normalized in 77%, 76%, 60%, and 84% of wait-listed patients, respectively. Among posttransplantation patients, serum HBV DNA levels became undetectable in 40% and 65% at weeks 48 and 96, respectively. After 48 weeks, ALT, albumin, bilirubin, and prothrombin time normalized in 51%, 81%, 76%, and 56% of posttransplantation patients, respectively. Among wait-listed patients who underwent on-study liver transplantation, protection from graft reinfection over a median of 35 weeks was similar among patients who did (n = 34) or did not (n = 23) receive hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIg). Hepatitis B surface antigen was detected on the first measurement only in 6% and 9% of patients who did or did not receive HBIg, respectively. Serum HBV DNA was detected on consecutive visits in 6% and 0% of patients who did or did not receive HBIg, respectively. Treatment-related adverse events led to discontinuation of adefovir dipivoxil in 4% of patients. Cumulative probabilities of resistance were 0%, 2%, and 2% at weeks 48, 96, and 144, respectively. In conclusion, adefovir dipivoxil is effective and safe in wait-listed or posttransplantation CHB patients with lamivudine-resistant HBV and prevents graft reinfection with or without HBIg. Liver Transpl 13:349-360, 2007. © 2007 AASLD. [source]


Azathioprine without oral ciclosporin in the long-term maintenance of remission induced by intravenous ciclosporin in severe, steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis

ALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 12 2002
E. Domènech
Summary Background : Intravenous ciclosporin is considered to be the only alternative to avoid surgery in severe, steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis. In responders, some authors recommend a switch to oral ciclosporin to act as a ,bridge' until the therapeutic action of azathioprine is achieved for maintenance treatment. Aim : To report the short- and long-term outcome of intravenous ciclosporin-responsive ulcerative colitis patients treated with oral azathioprine without oral ciclosporin. Methods : The records of all patients treated with intravenous ciclosporin for severe, steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis were reviewed. Responders following treatment with azathioprine but without oral ciclosporin as maintenance therapy were included. Patients with colonic cytomegalovirus infection and/or follow-up of less than 1 year were excluded. Results : Twenty-seven patients were included. Steroids were discontinued in 24 (89%). The median follow-up was 36 months. Eighteen (75%) patients presented mild or moderate relapses, which were easily managed with salicylates or steroids. Cumulative probabilities of relapse were 42%, 72% and 77% at 1, 3 and 5 years, respectively. Eleven (40.7%) patients underwent elective colectomy. Cumulative probabilities of colectomy were 29%, 35% and 42% at 1, 3 and 5 years, respectively. No opportunistic infections were observed. Conclusions : Oral azathioprine seems to be enough to maintain long-term remission induced by intravenous ciclosporin in patients with steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis. The ,bridging step' with oral ciclosporin may not be necessary in this subset of patients, although a randomized controlled trial is warranted to confirm this hypothesis. [source]


Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: Analysis of survival according to the intention-to-treat principle and dropout from the waiting list

LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 10 2002
Francis Y. Yao MD
A major obstacle for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) as treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is tumor growth resulting in dropout from the waiting list for OLT. There is a paucity of data on survival according to intention-to-treat analysis and the rate of dropout from the waiting list for OLT among patients with HCC. To further evaluate these issues, we analyzed the outcome of 46 consecutive patients with HCC listed for OLT between January 1998 and January 2001. Exclusion criteria for OLT were tumor size greater than 5 cm for one to three lesions or four lesions or greater of any size. Twenty-one patients underwent OLT. There were 11 dropouts because of tumor progression and six deaths, including three deaths after dropout. Kaplan-Meier 1- and 2-year intention-to-treat survival rates were 91.7% and 72.6%, respectively. Monthly dropout rates were 0% from 0 to 3 months, 1.5% from 3 to 6 months, 1.0% from 6 to 9 months, 4.9% from 9 to 12 months, and 5.6% from 12 to 15 months. One dropout occurred beyond 15 months among 4 patients remaining at risk. Cumulative probabilities for dropout at 6, 12, and 24 months were 7.3%, 25.3%, and 43.6%, respectively. Predictors for dropout included two or three tumor nodules or a solitary lesion greater than 3 cm at initial presentation and previous hepatic resection. Our results support recent changes in the scheme of organ allocation aimed at reducing the dropout rate and improving outcome for patients with HCC awaiting OLT. [source]


Lamivudine monoprophylaxis and adefovir salvage for liver transplantation in chronic hepatitis B: A seven-year follow-up study,,

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 2 2009
Jenny L. Limquiaco
Abstract In Asia Pacific countries, lamivudine is used frequently as the sole prophylaxis for hepatitis B virus (HBV) recurrence after liver transplantation due to financial consideration. The aim was to evaluate the long-term outcome of lamivudine monoprophylaxis with adefovir salvage for liver transplantation in chronic hepatitis B. Consecutive chronic hepatitis B patients who received liver transplantation from 1999 to 2003 and with at least 12 months follow up were studied. Lamivudine monotherapy was used for antiviral prophylaxis and adefovir was added as salvage treatment for recurrence of HBV. Twenty-four patients were followed up for 272 (76,372) weeks post-liver transplantation. HBV recurrence developed in seven patients with cumulative probabilities of 8%, 13%, 28%, 35%, 35%, and 49% in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 years. At the time of recurrence of HBV, the HBV DNA level was 910,244 (363 to 9,×,108) copies/ml. On direct sequencing, four patients had rtM204I mutation and three patients HBV DNA levels were too low for sequencing. Six patients had elevated ALT (two patients had ALT >1,000 IU/L and jaundice) but none had hepatic encephalopathy. After adefovir treatment for 150 (91,193) weeks, six (86%) patients had normal ALT. HBV DNA was undetectable in two (29%) patients, 100,1,000 copies/ml in two (29%) patients and 10,000,100,000 copies/ml in three (43%) patients on last visit. No genotypic resistance to adefovir was detected. Lamivudine followed by adefovir salvage is effective for prophylaxis of recurrence of HBV after liver transplantation up to 7 years. J. Med. Virol. 81:224,229, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Valuing credit derivatives using Gaussian quadrature: A stochastic volatility framework

THE JOURNAL OF FUTURES MARKETS, Issue 1 2004
Nabil Tahani
This article proposes semi-closed-form solutions to value derivatives on mean reverting assets. A very general mean reverting process for the state variable and two stochastic volatility processes, the square-root process and the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, are considered. For both models, semi-closed-form solutions for characteristic functions are derived and then inverted using the Gauss-Laguerre quadrature rule to recover the cumulative probabilities. As benchmarks, European call options are valued within the following frameworks: Black and Scholes (1973) (represents constant volatility and no mean reversion), Longstaff and Schwartz (1995) (represents constant volatility and mean reversion), and Heston (1993) and Zhu (2000) (represent stochastic volatility and no mean reversion). These comparisons show that numerical prices converge rapidly to the exact price. When applied to the general models proposed (represent stochastic volatility and mean reversion), the Gauss-Laguerre rule proves very efficient and very accurate. As applications, pricing formulas for credit spread options, caps, floors, and swaps are derived. It also is shown that even weak mean reversion can have a major impact on option prices. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 24:3,35, 2004 [source]


The ratification of ILO conventions: A hazard rate analysis

ECONOMICS & POLITICS, Issue 3 2001
Bernhard Boockmann
There are over 180 ILO conventions in many areas of labour law, industrial relations and social security, but they are not ratified universally: for the conventions adopted between 1975 and 1995, the cumulative probability of ratification is about 13 percent 10 years after their adoption. In this paper, the ratification decision is understood as a transition between two states. Using duration analysis, we identify circumstances which are favourable to this transition. For industrialized countries, the ratification of ILO conventions is shown to depend on internal political factors such as government preferences or the power of left-wing parties in parliament. For developing countries, economic costs of ratification have a significant impact. There is no evidence for external pressure in favour of ratification. Among industrialized member states, there is a clear downward trend in estimated ratification probabilities over the last two decades. [source]


Non-Monotonicity of the Tversky-Kahneman Probability-Weighting Function: A Cautionary Note

EUROPEAN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2008
Jonathan Ingersoll
C91; D10; D81; G19 Abstract Cumulative Prospect Theory has gained a great deal of support as an alternative to Expected Utility Theory as it accounts for a number of anomalies in the observed behavior of economic agents. Expected Utility Theory uses a utility function and subjective or objective probabilities to compare risky prospects. Cumulative Prospect Theory alters both of these aspects. The concave utility function is replaced by a loss-averse utility function and probabilities are replaced by decision weights. The latter are determined with a weighting function applied to the cumulative probability of the outcomes. Several different probability weighting functions have been suggested. The two most popular are the original proposal of Tversky and Kahneman and the compound-invariant form proposed by Prelec. This note shows that the Tversky-Kahneman probability weighting function is not increasing for all parameter values and therefore can assign negative decision weights to some outcomes. This in turn implies that Cumulative Prospect Theory could make choices not consistent with first-order stochastic dominance. [source]


Identifying the Potential Loss of Monitoring Wells Using an Uncertainty Analysis

GROUND WATER, Issue 6 2005
Vicky L. Freedman
From the mid-1940s through the 1980s, large volumes of waste water were discharged at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State, causing a large-scale rise (>20 m) in the water table. When waste water discharges ceased in 1988, ground water mounds began to dissipate. This caused a large number of wells to go dry and has made it difficult to monitor contaminant plume migration. To identify monitoring wells that will need replacement, a methodology has been developed using a first-order uncertainty analysis with UCODE, a nonlinear parameter estimation code. Using a three-dimensional, finite-element ground water flow code, key parameters were identified by calibrating to historical hydraulic head data. Results from the calibration period were then used to check model predictions by comparing monitoring wells' wet/dry status with field data. This status was analyzed using a methodology that incorporated the 0.3 cumulative probability derived from the confidence and prediction intervals. For comparison, a nonphysically based trend model was also used as a predictor of wells' wet/dry status. Although the numerical model outperformed the trend model, for both models, the central value of the intervals was a better predictor of a wet well status. The prediction interval, however, was more successful at identifying dry wells. Predictions made through the year 2048 indicated that 46% of the wells in the monitoring well network are likely to go dry in areas near the river and where the ground water mound is dissipating. [source]


Cold tolerance and cold hardening strategy of the Japanese pine sawyer Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

INSECT SCIENCE, Issue 4 2008
Jing Tian
Abstract The Japanese pine sawyer, Monochamus alternatus, is an important pine forest pest and vector transmitting the pine wilt nematode that causes pine wilt disease. Low temperatures in autumn, winter and spring often differentially affect mortality of M. alternatus larvae. In this paper, we mainly compared the differences of mortality and cold hardening of larvae from different seasons, based on supercooling point (SCP) and cumulative probability of individuals freezing (CPIF). The cold hardening of the larvae from autumn, winter and spring seasons were largely different. Correlations between mortality and CPIF of autumn and spring larvae were highest on day 1/4, and gradually decreased with prolonged exposure duration. This beetle's death mainly resulted from freezing in short exposure duration. However, the correlation between mortality and CPIF of winter larvae increased gradually with the prolonged exposure duration. Death did not mainly result from freezing in long exposure duration. Autumn larvae are more susceptible and adaptable than winter and spring larvae. Winter larvae have a slight freeze-tolerance trend. Our research showed that M. alternatus came into complex cold-hardening strategies under natural selection. Freeze avoidance is the primary strategy; with prolonged exposure duration to above SCP or < 0 °C, chill tolerance is more important; this is followed by freeze tolerance during harsh winters. [source]


Home Monitoring in Patients with Implantable Cardiac Devices: Is There a Potential Reduction of Stroke Risk?

JOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 11 2009
Results from a Computer Model Tested Through Monte Carlo Simulations
Introduction: Patients with pacemakers and implantable defibrillators (ICD) may experience asymptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF), detected with a delay depending on the in-person follow-up schedule. Home monitoring (HM) remote control with automatic alerts for AF may drive early anticoagulation, potentially reducing stroke risk. Methods and Results: A sample of 136 pacemaker (103) and ICD (33) patients with or without cardiac resynchronization therapy not taking anticoagulation at implant were monitored remotely with HM. Upon HM alerts for AF, patients were recalled to update therapy. Two-year data were entered in a computer Monte Carlo model, simulating 4,000 virtual subjects with the same AF and CHADS2 stroke risk distribution of our real population. Simulations reproduced a 2-year follow-up. Two thousand subjects were supposed to be followed with HM (HM group) and 2,000 with standard in-person follow-up (SF group) at 3, 6, 9, or 12 months. Two-year Kaplan-Meier cumulative probability of ,24-hour AF was 15.6% (95%CI 8.5,23.3%); the AF-related symptom rate was 27% and the median CHADS2 score was 2. As a result of simulations, stroke incidence in case of AF was 2.3 ± 1.1% in the HM group and 2.4 ± 1.1%, 2.5 ± 1.2%, 2.7 ± 1.2%, and 2.9 ± 1.3% in the SF group with 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-up programs, with odds ratios of 0.97 (95%CI 0.93,1.01), 0.91 (0.88,0.95), 0.87 (0.84,0.90), and 0.82 (0.79,0.85) (HM better if odds ratios <1), respectively. Conclusions: Daily HM potentially reduces the stroke risk by 9% to 18% with respect to SF with intervisit intervals of 6 to 12 months. [source]


Clinical Course and Risk Stratification of Patients Affected with the Jervell and Lange-Nielsen Syndrome

JOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 11 2006
ILAN GOLDENBERG M.D.
Introduction: Data regarding risk factors and clinical course of patients affected with Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome (JLNS), an autosomal recesssive form of the congenital long-QT syndrome (LQTS), are limited to several reported cases and a retrospective analysis. Methods and Results: We prospectively followed-up 44 JLNS patients from the U.S. portion of the International LQTS Registry and compared their clinical course with 2,174 patients with the phenotypically determined dominant form of LQTS (Romano-Ward syndrome [RWS]) and a subgroup of 285 patients with type 1 LQTS (LQT1). Mean (±SD) corrected QT interval (QTc) in the JLNS, RWS, and LQT1 groups were 548 ± 73, 500 ± 48, and 502 ± 46 msec, respectively (P < 0.001). The cumulative rates of cardiac events from birth through age 40 among JLNS and RWS patients were 93% (mean [±SD] age: 5.0 ± 7.0 years) and 54% (mean [±SD] age: 14.2 ± 9.3 years), respectively (P < 0.001). The JLNS:RWS and JLNS:LQT1 adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for cardiac events were highest among patients with a baseline QTc ,550 msec (HR = 15.83 [P < 0.001] and 13.80 [P < 0.001], respectively). Among JLNS patients treated with beta-blockers, the cumulative probability of LQTS-related death was 35%; defibrillator therapy was associated with a 0% mortality rate during a mean (±SD) follow-up period of 4.9 ± 3.4 years. Conclusions: Patients with JLNS experience a high rate of cardiac and fatal events from early childhood despite medical therapy. Defibrillator therapy appears to improve outcome in this high-risk population, although longer follow-up is needed to establish its long-term efficacy. [source]


Role of hepatitis B virus genotypes and quantitative HBV DNA in metastasis and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 4 2008
Yuehua Huang
Abstract Identification of risk factors for recurrence and metastasis of HCC is important for the prognosis of HCC surveillance in chronic HBV infection. In this article, 125 HCC patients recruited were followed up prospectively for tumor metastasis and recurrence for a median of 104 (10,130) weeks. HBV DNA level was detected by LightCycler-based real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction-restriction system. HBV genotypes were determined by using PCR restriction-fragment length polymorphism. BCP and PC mutations were performed by PCR and direct sequencing of amplified products. Among 125 HCC patients, 19 patients were excluded because of the lack of follow-up data and the remaining 106 patients were followed up of 2 years and entered into analysis. Sixty-nine patients had tumor metastasis or recurrence during the follow-up and the cumulative probability of HCC metastasis or recurrence was 65.1%. On multivariate analysis, genotype C and HBV DNA level were the risk factors for HCC recurrence or metastasis. The incidence of recurrence or metastasis increased with baseline HBV DNA level in a dose-response relationship ranging from 22% for HBV DNA level of less than 3 log10 copies/ml to 80% for HBV DNA level of 5 log10 copies/ml or greater (P,=,0.012). Fifty-seven (74.0%) and 12 (41.4%) patients had metastasis or recurrence in patients with genotype C and B, respectively. The adjusted OR of recurrence or metastasis for genotype C compared with genotype B was 9.755 (P,=,0.009). In conclusion, elevated HBV DNA level and genotype C are strong risk predictors of HCC metastasis or recurrence. J. Med. Virol. 80:591,597, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Direct parametric inference for the cumulative incidence function

JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY: SERIES C (APPLIED STATISTICS), Issue 2 2006
Jong-Hyeon Jeong
Summary., In survival data that are collected from phase III clinical trials on breast cancer, a patient may experience more than one event, including recurrence of the original cancer, new primary cancer and death. Radiation oncologists are often interested in comparing patterns of local or regional recurrences alone as first events to identify a subgroup of patients who need to be treated by radiation therapy after surgery. The cumulative incidence function provides estimates of the cumulative probability of locoregional recurrences in the presence of other competing events. A simple version of the Gompertz distribution is proposed to parameterize the cumulative incidence function directly. The model interpretation for the cumulative incidence function is more natural than it is with the usual cause-specific hazard parameterization. Maximum likelihood analysis is used to estimate simultaneously parametric models for cumulative incidence functions of all causes. The parametric cumulative incidence approach is applied to a data set from the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project and compared with analyses that are based on parametric cause-specific hazard models and nonparametric cumulative incidence estimation. [source]


Liver transplantation for HCV cirrhosis: Improved survival in recent years and increased severity of recurrent disease in female recipients: Results of a long term retrospective study

LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 5 2007
Luca S. Belli
In recent years, a worsening outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive recipients and a faster progression of recurrent disease to overt cirrhosis has been reported. Our aims were to 1) assess patient survival and development of severe recurrent disease (Ishak fibrosis score > 3) in different transplant years; and 2) model the effects of pre- and post-liver transplantation (LT) variables on the severity of recurrent disease. A multicenter retrospective analysis was conducted on 502 consecutive HCV-positive transplant recipients between January 1990 and December 2002. Protocol liver biopsies were obtained at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 yr post-LT in almost 90% of the patients. All 502 patients were included in the overall survival analysis, while only the 354 patients with a follow-up longer than 1 yr were considered for the analysis of predictors of disease progression. The overall Kaplan,Meier survival rates were 78.7%, 66.3%, and 58.6%, at 12, 60, and 120 months, respectively, and a trend for a better patient survival over the years emerged from all 3 centers. The cumulative probability of developing HCV-related recurrent severe fibrosis (Ishak score 4-6) in the cohort of 354 patients who survived at least 1 yr remained unchanged over the years. Multivariate analysis indicated that older donors (P = 0.0001) and female gender of recipient (P = 0.02) were the 2 major risk factors for the development of severe recurrent disease, while the adoption of antilymphocytic preparations was associated with a less aggressive course (P = 0.03). Two of these prognostic factors, donor age and recipient gender, are easily available before LT and their combination showed an important synergy, such that a female recipient not only had a much higher probability of severe recurrent disease than a male recipient but her risk increased with the increasing age of the donor, reaching almost 100% when the age of the donor was 60 or older. In conclusion, a trend for a better patient survival was observed in more recent years but the cumulative probability of developing severe recurrent disease remained unchanged. The combination of a female recipient receiving an older graft emerged as a strong risk factor for a severe recurrence. Liver Transpl, 2007. © 2007 AASLD. [source]


Cerebral metastasis and other central nervous system complications of pleuropulmonary blastoma,,

PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER, Issue 3 2007
John R. Priest MD
Abstract Background Pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) is a rare tumor of pleura and lung in young children. Central nervous system (CNS) complications, particularly cerebral parenchymal metastases, occur in aggressive forms of PPB: Types II and III PPB. This article evaluates cerebral and meningeal metastases, cerebrovascular events (CVA) caused by tumor emboli, spinal cord complications, and intracranial second malignancies in PPB. Procedure International PPB Registry and literature cases were evaluated for CNS events. Cerebral metastasis patients were evaluated for gender, side of origin of PPB, PPB Type, interval from diagnosis to metastasis, status of chest disease, treatment, and outcome. Standard statistical methods were used to calculate the cumulative probability of cerebral metastasis and survival following metastasis. Results Thirty-nine cases of cerebral metastasis were identified in 5/53 Registry Type II cases, 15/44 Registry Type III cases, and 19/143 literature Type II/III cases. Metastases occurred 1,60, median 11.5 months after diagnosis. Chest disease was controlled in 50% of children at time of metastasis. The cumulative probability of cerebral metastasis by 5 years from diagnosis was 11% for Type II patients (95%CI (confidence interval): 2,20%) and 54% for Type III patients (95%CI: 31,76%). Seven children survive cerebral metastasis. Other CNS complications were post-operative CVA (five cases), spinal cord invasion or compression (six), leptomeningeal disease (three), and second intracranial malignancies (two). Conclusions Cerebral metastasis is more frequent in PPB than in other childhood sarcomas. Clinicians should screen for this complication. Diverse other CNS complications are less common and require careful diagnosis. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2007;49:266,273. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Semiparametric Models for Cumulative Incidence Functions

BIOMETRICS, Issue 1 2004
John Bryant
Summary. In analyses of time-to-failure data with competing risks, cumulative incidence functions may be used to estimate the time-dependent cumulative probability of failure due to specific causes. These functions are commonly estimated using nonparametric methods, but in cases where events due to the cause of primary interest are infrequent relative to other modes of failure, nonparametric methods may result in rather imprecise estimates for the corresponding subdistribution. In such cases, it may be possible to model the cause-specific hazard of primary interest parametrically, while accounting for the other modes of failure using nonparametric estimators. The cumulative incidence estimators so obtained are simple to compute and are considerably more efficient than the usual nonparametric estimator, particularly with regard to interpolation of cumulative incidence at early or intermediate time points within the range of data used to fit the function. More surprisingly, they are often nearly as efficient as fully parametric estimators. We illustrate the utility of this approach in the analysis of patients treated for early stage breast cancer. [source]


Mortality in childhood progressive encephalopathy from 1985 to 2004 in Oslo, Norway: a population-based study

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 1 2008
Petter Strømme
Abstract Aims: The aims were to estimate case fatality and survival rates, standardized mortality ratio (SMR), and independent prognostic factors for survival, in a population-based cohort of progressive encephalopathy (PE) patients. Methods: We divided onset of disease into neonatal and postneonatal groups and aetiology into metabolic (n = 55), neurodegenerative (n = 27) and HIV encephalopathy (n = 2) groups. Case fatality was the number of deaths divided by the number of patients. Cumulative survival probability at 10 years of follow-up and independent risk factors for mortality were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier survival curve and the Cox model. Results: Case fatality was 36.9% and the mean and median follow-up times were 3109 and 2887 days. At 1 and 10 years, the cumulative probability of survival was 81% and 66%. Neonatal onset showed increased risk of death compared to postneonatal onset (RR 3.0; 95% CI 1.4,6.2). Metabolic aetiology showed increased risk of death compared to other aetiology (RR 1.25; 95% CI 1.10,1.46). The SMR of 37.7 for boys and 23.8 for girls was significantly increased (p < 0.001) compared to the total Norwegian population stratified by gender and age. Conclusions: Children with PE showed a vast excess in mortality compared to the general population stratified by gender and age. Neonatal presentation and metabolic aetiology were the most significant factors for increased risk of death. [source]


Outcome of lamivudine resistant hepatitis B virus mutant post-liver transplantation on lamivudine monoprophylaxis

CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 3 2004
Henry Lik-Yuen Chan
Abstract:, Background:, We aimed to investigate the clinical outcome of patients who develop lamivudine resistant hepatitis B virus mutants (YMDD mutants) after liver transplantation. Methods:, Patients who received liver transplantation for hepatitis B-related liver diseases from 1999 to 2002 were studied. All patients received lamivudine monotherapy before and after liver transplantation. HBsAg and HBV DNA were regularly monitored, and YMDD mutation was detected by direct sequencing. Results:, Twenty patients were followed up for median 94 wk (range: 15,177 wk) post-liver transplantation. Six patients developed YMDD mutants, and the cumulative probability of developing YMDD mutations post-liver transplantation was 21% in 1 yr and 34% in 2 yr. One patient developed YMDD mutants before liver transplantation and died of hepatitis reactivation and liver failure 15 wk post-transplantation. The other five patients developed YMDD mutants 32,72 wk after liver transplantation. Two of them developed severe hepatitis which responded promptly to adefovir dipivoxil. The remaining three patients with YMDD mutants had minimal to mild hepatitis. The cumulative survival for patients with YMDD mutants was 83% and 28% at 1 and 2 yr, respectively. Only one patient who did not develop YMDD mutants died at week 119 due to chronic rejection. The post-transplant survival for patients with YMDD mutants was significantly poorer than those without YMDD mutants (log rank test p = 0.083). Conclusions:, The emergence of YMDD mutants after liver transplantation on lamivudine monoprophylaxis had wide range of clinical presentations and was associated with increased mortality. [source]