Evaluation of Simplified HCV Diagnostics in HIV/HCV Co-Infected Patients in Myanmar

To evaluate a decentralised testing model and simplified treatment protocol of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection to facilitate treatment scale-up in Myanmar, this prospective, observational study recruited HIV-HCV co-infected outpatients receiving sofosbuvir/daclatasvir in Yangon, Myanmar. The study examined the outcomes and factors associated with a sustained virological response (SVR). A decentralised "hub-and-spoke" testing model was evaluated where fingerstick capillary specimens were transported by taxi and processed centrally. The performance of the Xpert HCV VL Fingerstick Assay in detecting HCV RNA was compared to the local standard of care ( plasma HCV RNA collected by venepuncture). Between January 2019 and February 2020, 162 HCV RNA-positive individuals were identified; 154/162 (95%) initiated treatment, and 128/154 (84%) returned for their SVR12 visit. A SVR was achieved in 119/154 (77%) participants in the intent-to-treat population and 119/128 (93%) participants in the modified-intent-to-treat population. Individuals receiving an antiretroviral therapy were more likely to achieve a SVR (with an odds ratio (OR) of 7.16, 95% CI 1.03-49.50), while those with cirrhosis were less likely (OR: 0.26, 95% CI 0.07-0.88). The sensitivity of the Xpert HCV VL Fingerstick Assay was 99.4% (95% CI 96.7-100.0), and the specificity was 99.2% (95% CI 95.9-99.9). A simplified treatment protocol using a hub-and-spoke testing model of fingerstick capillary specimens can achieve an SVR rate in LMIC comparable to well-resourced high-income settings.

Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancers from Myanmar Women: A Study of 91 Cases at Two Pathology Centers

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Myanmar women. Revealing the hormonal receptor status, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and Ki-67 expression is useful for estimating patient prognosis as well as determination of treatment strategy. However, immunohistochemical features and classification of molecular subtypes in breast cancers from Myanmar remain unknown. Methods: The clinicopathological features of 91 breast cancers from Myanmar women were examined. Immunohistochemistry was performed on tissue specimens with antibodies to estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), HER2, Ki-67, cytokeratin (CK)5/6 and CK14. Immunohistochemistry-based molecular subtyping was conducted. Results: Breast cancers in Myanmar women were relatively large, high grade with frequent metastatic lymph nodes. Of the 91 patients, tumors with ER positive, PgR positive, and HER2 positive were 57.1%, 37.4%, and 28.6%, respectively. The most prevalent subtype was luminal B (HER2-) (39.6%), followed by HER2 (22.0%), triple negative (TN)-basal-like (12.1%), luminal A (11.0%), TN-null (8.8%) and luminal B (HER2+) (6.6%). The mean Ki-67 expression of 91 cases was 33.9% (33.9% ± 19.2%) and the median was 28% (range; 4%-90%). The mean Ki-67 expression of luminal A, luminal B, HER2 and TN-basal-like/ null was 7%, 30%, 40%, and 57%/43%, respectively. A higher Ki-67 expression significantly correlated with a higher grade, larger size and higher stage of malignancy. Conclusions: We, for the first time, investigated the histopathological features of breast cancers from Myanmar women. Myanmar breast cancers appeared to be aggressive in nature, as evidenced by high frequency of poor-prognosis subtypes with high level of Ki-67 expression.

Charge order driven by Fermi-arc instability in Bi2Sr(2-x)La(x)CuO(6+δ)

The understanding of the origin of superconductivity in cuprates has been hindered by the apparent diversity of intertwining electronic orders in these materials. We combined resonant x-ray scattering (REXS), scanning-tunneling microscopy (STM), and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to observe a charge order that appears consistently in surface and bulk, and in momentum and real space within one cuprate family, Bi2Sr(2-x)La(x)CuO(6+δ). The observed wave vectors rule out simple antinodal nesting in the single-particle limit but match well with a phenomenological model of a many-body instability of the Fermi arcs. Combined with earlier observations of electronic order in other cuprate families, these findings suggest the existence of a generic charge-ordered state in underdoped cuprates and uncover its intimate connection to the pseudogap regime.