\n\nResults. The cell concentration was significantly higher in BSs located inside (1189 +/- 378 cell/mm(2)) than outside (740 +/- 124 cell/mm(2)) MRI-defined abnormalities (P = .0003). The edema fraction was significantly higher in BSs located inside (mean, 45% +/- 23%) than outside (mean, 5% +/- 9%) MRI-defined abnormalities (P < .0001). At borders of the MRI-defined abnormalities, 20% of the tissue surface area was occupied by edema and only 3% by tumor cells. The cycling cell concentration was significantly higher in BSs located inside (10 +/-

12 cell/mm(2)), compared with outside (0.5 +/- 0.9 cell/mm(2)), MRI-defined abnormalities (P = .0001).\n\nConclusions. We showed that the margins of T2-weighted signal changes are mainly correlated with the edema fraction. In 62.5% of patients, the cycling tumor cell fraction (defined as the ratio of the cycling tumor Go 6983 supplier cell concentration to the total number of tumor cells) was higher at the limits of the MRI-defined abnormalities than closer to the center of the tumor. In the remaining patients, the cycling tumor cell fraction increased towards

the center of the tumor.”
“The Taormina Consensus Conference defined ‘occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection’ (OBI) as the ‘presence of HBV DNA in the liver of individuals testing HBsAg-negative with currently available assays’. Most occult is the so-called Veliparib order ‘window period’ after exposure before HBV DNA appears in the blood. We identified two blood donors whose donations tested HBsAg-and HBV DNA-negative, but transmitted HBV. Both subsequently developed HBsAg and acute hepatitis. However, such cases are not considered as true OBI. A true transient OBI remains HBsAg-negative during the entire course. One case of acute OBI showed a peak viremia of 15,000 IU/ml HBV DNA and sub-borderline HBsAg, suggesting a ratio of virions to subviral particles

of 1:10, whereas ‘normal’ cases show at peak viremia a ratio of 1:3,000. Blood donors with OBI may transmit HBV. We studied 5 blood donors with OBI and 55 of their recipients. In 22 recipients, transmission was probable, but they remained healthy. Volasertib Cell Cycle inhibitor However, in 3 recipients, who were immunosuppressed at the time of transfusion, fatal fulminant hepatitis B developed. The majority of anti-HBc-positive healthy individuals have HBV DNA in the liver which may start replication under severe immunosuppression. Nine such cases are described here. OBI or reactivated HBV infections often lead to selection of HBsAg escape mutations as we could show in 11 of 14 cases. Infection of vaccinated individuals favors development of OBI as we observed in 6 blood donors. HB vaccination may solve the problem of overt HBV infection but may favor OBI. Copyright (C) 2010 S.