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The development of new methods for age estimation has become with time an urgent issue because of the increasing immigration, in order to estimate accurately the age of those subjects who lack valid identity documents. Methods of age estimation are divided in skeletal and dental ones, and among the latter, Olze's method is one of the most recent, since it was introduced in 2010 with the aim to identify the legal age of 18 and 21 years by evaluating the different stages of development of the periodontal ligament of the third molars with closed root apices. The present study aims at verifying the applicability of the method to the daily forensic practice, with special focus on the interobserver repeatability. Olze's method was applied by three different observers (two physicians and one dentist without a specific training in Olze's method) to 61 orthopantomograms from subjects of mixed ethnicity aged between 16 and 51 years. The analysis took into consideration the lower third molars. The results provided by the different observers were then compared in order to verify the interobserver error. Results showed that interobserver error varies between 43 and 57 % for the right lower third molar (M48) and between 23 and 49 % for the left lower third molar (M38). Chi-square test did not show significant differences according to the side of teeth and type of professional figure. The results prove that Olze's method is not easy to apply when used by not adequately trained personnel, because of an intrinsic interobserver error. Since it is however a crucial method in age determination, it should be used only by experienced observers after an intensive and specific training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biological age difference among twins is frequently an issue in studies of genetic influence on various dental features, particularly dental development. The timing of dental development is a crucial issue also for many clinicians and researchers. The aim of this study was therefore to verify within groups of twins how dental development differs, by applying Demirjian's method, Mincer's charts of development of third molars and two of Cameriere's methods for dental age estimation, which are among the most popular methods both in the clinical and the forensic scenario. The sample consisted of 64 twin pairs: 21 monozygotic, 30 dizygotic same-sex and 13 dizygotic opposite-sex with an age range between 5.8 and 22.6 years. Dental age was determined from radiographs using the mentioned methods. Results showed that dental age of monozygotic twins is not identical even if they share all their genes. The mean intra-pair difference of monozygotic pairs was low and similar to the difference in dizygotic same-sex twins; the maximum difference between monozygotic twins, however, was surprisingly large (nearly two years). This should lead to some circumspection in the interpretation of systematic estimations of dental age both in the clinical and forensic scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive technique that is emerging as a prospective therapy for different neurologic disorders. Previous studies have demonstrated that anodal and cathodal stimulation can improve motor performance in terms of dexterity and manual force. The objective of this study was to determine whether different electrodes' setups (anodal, cathodal, and simultaneous bilateral tDCS) provide different motor performance and which montage was more effective. As secondary outcome, we have asked to the patients about their satisfaction, and to determine if the bilateral tDCS was more uncomfortable than unilateral tDCS. Nine patients with stroke in subacute phase were enrolled in this study and randomly divided in three groups. Our results showed that tDCS was an effective treatment if compared to Sham stimulation (P = 0.022). In particular, anodal stimulation provided the higher improvement in terms of manual dexterity. Cathodal stimulation seemed to have a little effect in terms of force improvement, not observed with other setups. Bipolar stimulation seemed to be the less effective. No significant differences have been noted for the different set-ups for patients' judgment. These results highlight the potential efficacy of tDCS for patients with stroke in subacute phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding infectious disease dynamics and the effect on prevalence and incidence is crucial for public health policies. Disease incidence and prevalence are typically not observed directly and increasingly are estimated through the synthesis of indirect information from multiple data sources. We demonstrate how an evidence synthesis approach to the estimation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence in England and Wales can be extended to infer the underlying HIV incidence. Diverse time series of data can be used to obtain yearly “snapshots” (with associated uncertainty) of the proportion of the population in 4 compartments: not at risk, susceptible, HIV positive but undiagnosed, and diagnosed HIV positive. A multistate model for the infection and diagnosis processes is then formulated by expressing the changes in these proportions by a system of differential equations. By parameterizing incidence in terms of prevalence and contact rates, HIV transmission is further modeled. Use of additional data or prior information on demographics, risk behavior change and contact parameters allows simultaneous estimation of the transition rates, compartment prevalences, contact rates, and transmission probabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Injecting drug use is the main route of transmission for the hepatitis C virus in the developed world. Knowledge about the characteristics of the past and current injecting drug user (IDU) population is therefore vital in order to understand the epidemiology of hepatitis C. The IDU population is 'hard to reach' and hence most epidemiological studies have concentrated on estimating current IDU prevalence, whilst little is known about the potentially large pool of ex-injectors. We demonstrate a method for estimating the proportion of ex-users in the population, by considering injecting drug use as a time-to-event process. We show how unbiased estimates of injecting duration and historical patterns in injecting initiation can be derived from a sample of ex-IDUs obtained from a population survey, and how such data lead to estimates of the proportion of ex-IDUs in the population. Finally, we show how to obtain estimates of the prevalence of ex-IDUs by using additional information on the prevalence of current IDUs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In England and Wales, routine monitoring has been consistently showing an increase in mortality and morbidity due to infection with the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). However, the magnitude of the underlying epidemic is still the subject of debate. In this paper we present estimates of the number of individuals aged 15-59 chronically infected with HCV in 2003, derived from a Bayesian synthesis of information available from multiple sources on the size of the groups at risk for HCV and the risk specific anti-HCV prevalence. Results show that the number of chronic infections is of the order of 142,000 (95% CrI: 90,000, 231,000), with the majority (85%, 95% CrI: 74%, 93%) in injecting drug users and about 80% (95% CrI: 74%, 84%) in the age group 15-44. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The role that tannins play in tannery wastewater treatment has been evaluated employing a pilot Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) plant and a full scale Conventional Activated Sludge Process (CASP) plant conducted in parallel. The proposed methodology has established the preliminary use of respirometry to examine the biodegradability of a selection of commercial products (synthetic and natural tannins); the subsequent analysis, by means of spectrophotometric reading and RP-IPC (Reverse-Phase Ion-Pair) liquid chromatography, estimates the concentrations of natural tannins and naphthalenesulfonic tanning agents in the influent and effluent samples. The results show that a consistent percentage of the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) in the effluent of the biological phase of the plants is attributable to the presence of natural and synthetic (Sulfonated Naphthalene-Formaldehyde Condensates, SNFC) tannins (17% and 14% respectively). The titrimetric tests that were aimed at evaluating the levels of inhibition on the nitrifying biomass samples did not allow a direct inhibiting effect to be associated with the concentration levels of the tannin in the effluent. Nonetheless, the reduced specific growth rates of ammonium and nitrite oxidising bacteria imply that a strong environmental pressure is present, if not necessarily due to the concentration of tannins, due to the wastewater as a whole. The differences that have emerged by comparing the two technologies (CASP and MBR), in regards to the role that tannins play in terms of biodegradability, did not appear to be significant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In England, a large number of individuals are infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and may develop future liver complications, such as decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Estimates of the magnitude of this future burden are required to plan healthcare resources. We have estimated past incidence of HCV infection in England and predict future burden of end-stage liver disease in the HCV-infected population. A model of the natural history of HCV as a series of disease stages was constructed. A back-calculation approach was performed, using the natural history model and data on annual HCC deaths in England from 1996 to 2004 with mention of HCV and hospital episode statistics for end-stage liver disease with HCV. The number of HCV-infected people living with compensated cirrhosis is predicted to rise from 3705 [95% credible interval (CrI): 2820–4975] in 2005 to 7550 (95% CrI: 5120–11 640) in 2015. The number of decompensated cirrhosis and/or HCC cases is also predicted to rise, to 2540 (95% CrI: 2035–3310) by 2015. HCV incidence increased during the 1980s, with an annual incidence of 12 650 (95% CrI: 6150–26 450) by 1989. HCV-related cirrhosis and deaths from HCC in England are likely to increase dramatically within the next decade. If patients are left undiagnosed and untreated, the future burden of the disease on healthcare resources will be substantial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses analytic approximations based on Edgeworth expansion of estimator distribution and the use of bootstrap in estimation of the sampling distribution of the L1 estimator. Description of bootstrap approximations; Development of the asymptotic theory for the L1 regression estimator.

The author reflects on a study conducted by Giraudon and colleagues regarding the presence of herpes C virus (HCV) among HIV positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in South East England. He argues that there is a need for further explanation on the HCV risk among HIV positive MSM. The author suggests that the key to HCV prevention lies in understanding the requisite coverage and interventions to lessen injecting risk and HCV transmission.

In many chronic diseases it is important to understand the rate at which patients progress from infection through a series of defined disease states to a clinical outcome, e.g. cirrhosis in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected individuals or AIDS in HIV-infected individuals. Typically data are obtained from longitudinal studies, which often are observational in nature, and where disease state is observed only at selected examinations throughout follow-up. Transition times between disease states are therefore interval censored. Multi-state Markov models are commonly used to analyze such data, but rely on the assumption that the examination times are non-informative, and hence the examination process is ignorable in a likelihood-based analysis. In this paper we develop a Markov model that relaxes this assumption through the premise that the examination process is ignorable only after conditioning on a more regularly observed auxiliary variable. This situation arises in a study of HCV disease progression, where liver biopsies (the examinations) are sparse, irregular, and potentially informative with respect to the transition times. We use additional information on liver function tests (LFTs), commonly collected throughout follow-up, to inform current disease state and to assume an ignorable examination process. The model developed has a similar structure to a hidden Markov model and accommodates both the series of LFT measurements and the partially latent series of disease states. We show through simulation how this model compares with the commonly used ignorable Markov model, and a Markov model that assumes the examination process is non-ignorable. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present-day situation, the clinical forensic documentation of an asylum seeker's narrative and his or her examination, together with the physical and psychological findings, may have very important effects on the outcome of the request for political asylum. Since 2012, the Municipality of Milan, the University Institute of Legal Medicine, and other institutions have assembled a team with the task of examining vulnerable asylum seekers and preparing a medical report for the Territorial Commission for International Protection (Prefecture, Ministry of Interiors), who will assess the application. We compared medico-legal reports and outcomes of 57 cases which were evaluated by the Commission after having undergone a medico-legal evaluation through the Istanbul Protocol criteria and examined, in particular, which medico-legal variables seem associated to the outcome. The results show that forensic assessment seems to have a significant and interesting correlation with the final assessment given by the Commission. For example, the higher the level of consistency, according to the Istanbul Protocol, the more frequently protection is granted. These data show how important clinical forensic medicine can be in such scenarios and how the presence of clinical forensic experts should be encouraged in such evaluations, as has been recently enshrined in Italy in the guidelines of a Ministerial Decree of April 3rd, 2017 for the assistance and the rehabilitation as well as the treatment of psychiatric disorders in refugees and asylum seekers who have undergone torture, rape, and other severe forms of psychological, physical, or sexual violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The GALILEO array is a high-efficiency γ -ray spectrometer, resident at the Legnaro National Laboratory (LNL)in Italy, and it is currently used in combination with the Si-ball EUCLIDES for the detection of charged-particles. The combined setup was used in the 6 Li+89Y experiment with incident energies of 22 MeV and 34 MeV to investigate the influence of breakup and transfer of weakly bound projectile on the fusion process. Using the coincidence by the charged particles and γ -rays, the different reaction channels can be clearly identified and the different reaction mechanisms can be clearly studied. It is shown that this facility can be used well to explore the fusion reaction mechanisms induced by weakly bound nuclei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Our objective was to present recent trends in the UK HIV epidemic (2007–2016) and the public health response. Methods: HIV diagnoses and clinical markers were extracted from the HIV and AIDS Reporting System; HIV testing data in sexual health services (SHS) were taken from GUMCAD STI Surveillance System. HIV data were modelled to estimate the incidence in men who have sex with men (MSM) and post‐migration HIV acquisition in heterosexuals. Office for National Statistics (ONS) data enabled mortality rates to be calculated. Results: New HIV diagnoses have declined in heterosexuals as a result of decreasing numbers of migrants from high HIV prevalence countries entering the UK. Among MSM, the number of HIV diagnoses fell from 3570 in 2015 to 2810 in 2016 (and from 1554 to 1096 in London). Preceding the decline in HIV diagnoses, modelled estimates indicate that transmission began to fall in 2012, from 2800 [credible interval (CrI) 2300–3200] to 1700 (CrI 900–2700) in 2016. The crude mortality rate among people promptly diagnosed with HIV infection was comparable to that in the general population (1.22 vs. 1.39 per 1000 aged 15–59 years, respectively). The number of MSM tested for HIV at SHS increased annually; 28% of MSM who were tested in 2016 had been tested in the preceding year. In 2016, 76% of people started antiretroviral therapy within 90 days of diagnosis (33% in 2007). Conclusions: The dual successes of the HIV transmission decline in MSM and reduced mortality are attributable to frequent HIV testing and prompt treatment (combination prevention). Progress towards the elimination of HIV transmission, AIDS and HIV‐related deaths could be achieved if combination prevention, including pre‐exposure prophylaxis, is replicated for all populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age estimation is a relevant field of application in archaeology, which is often limited by the fragmentation of recovered skeletal remains. There is therefore an urgent need for the development of novel methods. A potentially useful bone district is the sella turcica. The aim of this study was to evaluate the metrical standards of three different measurements of the sella turcica (length, depth and diameter) in 177 lateral cephalometric radiograms belonging to male and female individuals aged between 7 and 13 years, in order to find standards useful for age estimation. The results were evaluated by two-way ANOVA. There was no significant interaction between sex and age in any variable. The linear regression model fitted to the age and diameter measurements yielded the following equation: age (years) = 4.14*diameter (cm) + 5.76. Slope and intercept 95% CIs were, respectively, 4.64-7.61 years per centimetre and 2.34-5.28 years. The relevant coefficient of determination was R2 = 0.15, while the root mean square error was 1.74 years. The present results provide a novel method that is useful for the age estimation of skeletal remains recovered in archaeological contexts: further studies are needed in order to improve the method on a larger sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New direct-acting antivirals have the potential to transform the hepatitis C ( HCV) treatment landscape, with rates of sustained viral response in excess of 90%. As these new agents are expensive, an important question is whether to focus on minimizing the consequences of severe liver disease, or reducing transmission via 'treatment as prevention'. A back-calculation model was used to estimate the impact of treatment of mild, moderate and compensated cirrhosis on incident cases of HCV-related end-stage liver disease/hepatocellular carcinoma ( ESLD/ HCC). In addition, a dynamic model was used to determine the impact on incidence and prevalence of chronic infection in people who inject drugs ( PWID), the main risk group in England. Treating 3500 cirrhotics per year was predicted to reduce ESLD/ HCC incidence from 1100 (95% CrI 970-1240) cases per year in 2015 to 630 (95% CrI 530-770) in 2020, around half that currently expected, although treating moderate-stage disease will also be needed to sustain this reduction. Treating mild-stage PWID was required to make a substantial impact on transmission: with 2500 treated per year, chronic prevalence/annual incidence in PWID was reduced from 34%/4.8% in 2015 to 11%/1.4% in 2030. There was little overlap between the two goals: treating mild stage had virtually no impact on ESLD/ HCC within 15 years, but the long timescale of liver disease means relatively few PWID reach cirrhosis before cessation of injecting. Strategies focussing on treating advanced disease have the potential for dramatic reductions in severe morbidity, but virtually no preventative impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personal identification in the forensic context commonly concerns unknown decedents. However, recently there has been an increase in cases which require identification of living persons, especially from surveillance systems. These cases bring about a relatively new challenge for forensic anthropologists and pathologists concerning the selection of the most suitable methodological approaches with regard to the limitations of the photographic representation of a given person for individualization and identity. Facial features are instinctively the primary focus for identification approaches. However, other body parts (e.g. hands), and body height and gait (on videos) have been considered in cases of personal identification. This review aims at summarizing the state-of-the-art concerning the identification of the living on images and videos, including a critical evaluation of the advantages and limitations of different methods. Recommendations are given in order to aid forensic practitioners who face cases of identification of living persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C virus ( HCV) antiviral treatment for people who inject drugs ( PWID) could prevent onwards transmission and reduce chronic prevalence. We assessed current PWID treatment rates in seven UK settings and projected the potential impact of current and scaled-up treatment on HCV chronic prevalence. Data on number of PWID treated and sustained viral response rates ( SVR) were collected from seven UK settings: Bristol (37-48% HCV chronic prevalence among PWID), East London (37-48%), Manchester (48-56%), Nottingham (37-44%), Plymouth (30-37%), Dundee (20-27%) and North Wales (27-33%). A model of HCV transmission among PWID projected the 10-year impact of (i) current treatment rates and SVR (ii) scale-up with interferon-free direct acting antivirals ( IFN-free DAAs) with 90% SVR. Treatment rates varied from <5 to over 25 per 1000 PWID. Pooled intention-to-treat SVR for PWID were 45% genotypes 1/4 [95% CI 33-57%] and 61% genotypes 2/3 [95% CI 47-76%]. Projections of chronic HCV prevalence among PWID after 10 years of current levels of treatment overlapped substantially with current HCV prevalence estimates. Scaling-up treatment to 26/1000 PWID annually (achieved already in two sites) with IFN-free DAAs could achieve an observable absolute reduction in HCV chronic prevalence of at least 15% among PWID in all sites and greater than a halving in chronic HCV in Plymouth, Dundee and North Wales within a decade. Current treatment rates among PWID are unlikely to achieve observable reductions in HCV chronic prevalence over the next 10 years. Achievable scale-up, however, could lead to substantial reductions in HCV chronic prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the conference paper "The role of transvaginal ultrasound during resectoscopic myomectomy," by P. Casadio and colleagues, is presented

Abstract: The identification of cadavers (the main activity of forensic odontologists and anthropologists) is a crucial issue in forensic pathology, but the official entity of this problem is still poorly known in most countries, apart from a few American reports. In this article the authors present a descriptive study of unidentified decedents over a 14-year period (1995–2008) in Milan. The number of cadavers or human remains arriving at the morgue with no identity amounts to 454 – 3.1% of all autopsies at the Institute of Legal Medicine, with a mean of 32 unidentified subjects every year; 62% reached a positive identification in a period of time ranging from a few days to 10 years. 17% on an average remain unidentified. Most identification processes involved forensic odontology and anthropology. This study aims at revealing the problem and hopefully may provide some food for thought for forensic pathologists, anthropologists and odontologists so that they may focus on this issue and on possible solutions in their countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Control of gait is usually altered following stroke, and it may be further compromised by overexertion and fatigue. This study aims to quantitatively assess patients' gait stability during six-minute walking, measuring upper body accelerations of twenty patients with stroke (64 ± 13 years old) and ten age-matched healthy subjects (63 ± 10 years old). Healthy subjects showed a steady gait in terms of speed and accelerations over the six minutes. Conversely, the patients unable to complete the test (n = 8) progressively reduced their walking speed (-22±11%, confidence interval CI95%: -13, -29%, P = 0.046). Patients able to complete the test (n = 12) did not vary their walking speed over time (P = 0.493). However, this ability was not supported by an adequate capacity to maintain their gait stability, as shown by a progressive increase of their upper body accelerations (+5±11%, CI95%: -1; +12%, P = 0.010).Walking endurance and gait stability should be both quantitatively assessed and carefully improved during the rehabilitation of patients with stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability for adults in industrialized societies. Rehabilitation's efforts are tended to avoid long-term impairments, but, actually, the rehabilitative outcomes are still poor. Novel tools based on new technologies have been developed to improve themotor recovery. In this paper, we have taken into account seven promising technologies that can improve rehabilitation of patients with stroke in the early future: (1) robotic devices for lower and upper limb recovery, (2) brain computer interfaces, (3) noninvasive brain stimulators, (4) neuroprostheses, (5) wearable devices for quantitative humanmovement analysis, (6) virtual reality, and (7) tablet-pc used for neurorehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence from 1992 to 2006 were examined by using 24,311 records from unlinked anonymous surveillance of injecting drug users in England and Wales. Bayesian logistic regression was used to estimate annual prevalence, accounting for changing recruitment patterns (age, gender, injecting duration, geographic region, interactions) and the sensitivity and specificity of different oral fluid testing devices. After controlling for these differences, the authors found that the adjusted HCV prevalence decreased from 70% (95% credible interval: 62, 78) in 1992 to 47% (95% credible interval: 43, 51) in 1998 before rising again to 53% (95% credible interval: 48, 58) in 2006. Women injecting drug users had a higher HCV risk than did men (odds ratio = 1.50, 95% credible interval: 1.31, 1.73). Two regions (London and North West) had a markedly higher HCV prevalence than did the rest of England and Wales. Among individuals who had injected for less than 1 year, the adjusted HCV prevalence in 2006 was higher than that in 1992 (28% vs. 19%, respectively). HCV infection can be prevented. The public health challenge in England and Wales is to increase action in order to regain a downward trend in HCV risk and the benefit that has been lost since 1998. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence for efficacy of established treatment guidelines for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) disease is based on multinational randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Strategies for managing HCV, however, require an assessment of the effectiveness of intervention in routine clinical practice. We report the outcomes of combination therapy in a large cohort of HCV-infected individuals in the UK. A total of 347 (113 genotype 1, 234 genotype non-1) patients were treated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin according to current guidelines. Forty-two (37.2%) of those with genotype 1 infection and 164 (70.1%) with genotype non-1 infection achieved sustained viral response (SVR). Thirty-nine (11%) patients withdrew from treatment. In addition to viral genotype, factors predictive of a response to therapy were age at start of treatment and disease stage on pretreatment liver biopsy. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that the effects of age [odds ratio 0.5; 95% confidence interval (0.31–0.82) per 10-year increment ( P = 0.006)] were confined to genotype 1 disease. In order to further inform the management of the individual patient, a multivariate logistic model was used to predict the probability of SVR for subgroups defined by disease stage, genotype and age at commencement of therapy. This model revealed striking differences in predicted response rates between subgroups and provided a strong rationale for early treatment, particularly for those with genotype 1 disease. Our study demonstrates that results comparable with those of RCTs can be achieved in clinical practice, and suggests that prediction of response rates based on probability modelling will provide a valuable adjunct to individual patient management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the impact of the sexual component of AIDS and HIV campaigns on transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).Design: Comparison of time series data.Setting: England, 1971-1999.Outcome Measures: HIV transmission and diagnoses among men who have sex with men (MSMs), rates of attendances and specific STI diagnoses (per 100 000 total population) at genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics.Results: Awareness of AIDS and campaigns in 1983-4 among homosexual men coincided with substantial declines in transmission of HIV and diagnoses of syphilis among MSMs. During general population campaigns in 1986-7 new GUM clinic attendances requiring treatment fell by 117/10(5) in men and 42/10(5) in women. Rates for gonorrhoea fell by 81/10(5) and 43/10(5) and genital herpes by 6/10(5) and 4/10(5), respectively. Previous rises in genital wart rates were interrupted, while rates of attendances not requiring treatment (the "worried well") increased by 47/10(5) and 58/10(5) for men and women, respectively. Since 1987 diagnoses of HIV among MSMs have not declined, averaging 1300-1400 annually. Following a period of unchanging rates there have been substantial increases in GUM attendances requiring treatment, notably for gonorrhoea, syphilis, and viral STIs since 1995.Conclusions: Self help initiatives and awareness among homosexual men in 1983-4 contributed significantly to a fall in HIV transmission among MSMs, and the general campaigns of 1986-7 were associated with similar effects on all STI transmission. Both effects seem to have occurred through changing sexual behaviour, and probably contributed to the UK's low national HIV prevalence. Bacterial STI incidence has increased significantly since 1995 and there is no evidence that recent prevention initiatives have reduced HIV transmission among MSMs, hence sexual health initiatives need to be comprehensively reinvigorated in England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An improved version of the Random Path Length algorithm is used to simulate the time response of Separate Absorption and Multiplication Avalanche PhotoDiodes (SAM-APDs) in the linear regime. The model takes into account both the diffusion and the drift of carriers in the absorption region as well as impact ionization scattering events in the multiplication region. An extended formulation of Ramo's theorem is used to determine the current waveforms. The new algorithm has been used to extract the jitter of the time response of avalanche photodiodes to photons, which is a relevant figure of merit for time of flight applications of SAM-APDs. It is found that an electric field in the absorption region small enough to avoid unwanted carrier multiplication or band-to-band tunneling, is beneficial to reduce the jitter. Furthermore, we have found that, in APDs working in the linear regime, the stochastic duration of the current pulse makes difficult the use of circuit techniques, such as crossover timing, with constant delay lines aimed at detecting the individual pulses. The problem is partly mitigated when SAM-APDs are used for the detection of high energy photons, such as X-rays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cover image, by Helen E Harris et al., is based on the Original Article New treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV): scope for preventing liver disease and HCV transmission in England, DOI: 10.1111/jvh.12529. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on a study related to pandemic A/H1N1 influenza in England. The study provides a complete overview of severity of the influenza in England. Case severity ratios were highest in children and older adults and were higher in the second wave of influenza. Possible reasons for the estimated increase in severity across the two influenza waves include potential biases for which the model has not accounted, behavior change, and effect modifiers.

Abstract: Identification from video surveillance systems is becoming more and more frequent in the forensic practice. In this field, different techniques have been improved such as height estimation and gait analysis. However, the most natural approach for identifying a person in everyday life is based on facial characteristics. Scientifically, faces can be described using morphological and metric assessment of facial features. The morphological approach is largely affected by the subjective opinion of the observer, which can be mitigated by the application of descriptive atlases. In addition, this approach requires one to investigate which are the most common and rare facial characteristics in different populations. For the metric approach further studies are necessary in order to point out possible metric differences within and between different populations. The acquisition of statistically adequate population data may provide useful information for the reconstruction of biological profiles of unidentified individuals, particularly concerning ethnic affiliation, and possibly also for personal identification. This study presents the results of the morphological and metric assessment of the head and face of 900 male subjects between 20 and 31 years from Italy, Germany and Lithuania. The evaluation of the morphological traits was performed using the DMV atlas with 43 pre-defined facial characteristics. The frequencies of the types of facial features were calculated for each population in order to establish the rarest characteristics which may be used for the purpose of a biological profile and consequently for personal identification. Metric analysis performed in vivo included 24 absolute measurements and 24 indices of the head and face, including body height and body weight. The comparison of the frequencies of morphological facial features showed many similarities between the samples from Germany, Italy and Lithuania. However, several characteristics were rare or significantly more or less common in one population compared to the other two. On the other hand, all measurements and indices, except for labial width and intercanthal-mouth index showed significant differences between the three populations. As far as comparisons with other samples are concerned, the three European Caucasian samples differed from North American Caucasian, African and Asian groups as concerns the frequency of the morphological traits and the mean values of the metric analysis. The metric and morphological data collected from three European populations may be useful for forensic purposes in the construction of biological profiles and in screening for personal identification. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]