No abstract

An elevated hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) has been associated with risk of variceal bleeding, and outcome and survival after variceal bleeding. In this pilot study, we measured HVPG in 40 patients with liver cirrhosis and studied its relationship with etiology of liver disease, esophageal variceal size, history of variceal bleeding or ascites, biochemical liver tests and Child-Pugh class. There was no procedurerelated complication. The mean (SD) HVPG was similar in patients who had history of variceal bleeding as compared to those who did not (15.4 [2.8] mmHg vs. 13.9 [2.7] mmHg, p=0.1); HVPG had no significant association with etiology of cirrhosis (p=0.4). HVPG levels were significantly higher in patients with larger esophageal varices (grade III/IV vs. I/II: 15.2 [2.7] mmHg vs.13.1 [2.8] mmHg, p=0.04), poorer Child-Pugh class (B or C versus A), and presence of ascites (p=0.04). Thus, HVPG correlated with variceal size, Child-Pugh class, and presence of ascites, but not with variceal bleeding status.

Esophageal tuberculosis is rare in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts with advanced pulmonary tuberculosis, even in countries with high prevalence of tuberculosis, e.g., South East Asia. This study presents a case report of esophageal tuberculosis presenting as dysphagia.

Routing and wavelength assignment problem is one of the main problem in optical networks. The foremost problem is the routing problem after which the wavelength assignment is to be decided. In this paper we have proposed a routing strategy for optimization of the performance of the optical network in terms of blocking probability. The strategy proposed is better than the conventional algorithm in terms of blocking.Â

Background: Our data is one of the earliest study from the Indian subcontinent on Velpatasvir/Sofosbuvir (VEL/ SOF) combination in chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The primary end point was to evaluate sustained virologic response (SVR) 12 in CHC-infected patients and to determine its effect in patients with hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis. The secondary end point was to observe any adverse events related to treatment. Methods: All patients with CHC were randomized into two groups: noncirrhotic and cirrhotic. The combination of VEL/SOF was given as recommended. Results: One hundred patients with CHC infection treated with the VEL/SOF regimen were evaluated. A total of 79 (79%) of 100 patients were noncirrhotic, and 21 (21%) were cirrhotic. We achieved SVR12 in 99 (99%) of 100 patients. Among cirrhotics, the mean serum bilirubin (mg/dl), albumin (g/dl), and platelet count (Â10 3 /mL) improved from baseline 1.82 ± 0.87, 3.22 ± 0.69, and 80.19 ± 46.03 to 1.74 ± 0.87, 3.48 ± 0.72, and 85.05 ± 42.50, respectively, at SVR12 (P-value > 0.05). Mean serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (U/L) improved from baseline 71.28 ± 59.17 to 35.38 ± 17.39 at SVR12 (P-value < 0.024). Baseline mean liver stiffness measurement (LSM) in cirrhotic patients was 28.24 ± 10.87 kPa, which decreased to 24.04 ± 9.33 kPa at SVR12 (P-value, 0.02). The baseline Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score was 13.47 ± 3.66, which decreased to 12.33 ± 5.46 at SVR12 (P-value, 0.28). The Child-Turcotte-Pugh score improved by 1 point in 33.33% (7/21) patients and 2 points in 9.52% (2/21) patients, and in the majority, that is, 38.09% (8/21), the score remained as it is. Conclusion: A single daily dose of the tablet SOF/VEL combination is safe and effective in all types of CHC. There was a significant improvement in the mean transaminase level and LSM at SVR12. And the MELD score improved by 1 point at SVR12 among cirrhotics.