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Peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma of 113 patients with neurological disorders and 150 blood donors were analyzed for HHV-6 and HHV-7 sequences by PCR. The prevalence of HHV-6 was significantly higher in patients with multiple sclerosis ( P < 0.01) than in cases of nondemyelinating diseases of the central and demyelinating diseases of the peripheral nervous systems and blood donors. HHV-6 viremia was found only in patients with multiple sclerosis, predominantly in the active phase of the disease. A significantly higher frequency of HHV-7 reactivation in patients with demyelinating diseases of the peripheral nervous system suggests also its association with demyelinating processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oropharynx is one of the most common localizations for malignant neoplasms in the head and neck region. HPV-positive OPSCCs are the most common subtypes in Western countries with tobacco and alcohol use, remaining the major risk factors for cancer development in this region. The study aims to address the significance of smoking and alcohol abuse in OPSCC cases and perform a survival analysis of the patients with OPSCC treated over a 10-year period in a single hospital in Latvia, correlating these data with patients' hazardous habits (smoking and alcohol abuse). Out of 247 patients, the majority were smokers (75.95%, n = 180), approximately one third were habitual drinkers (35.19%, n = 82) or were exposed to both aforementioned major risk factors (31.47%, n = 73). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed significantly better survival for the patients without the aforementioned hazardous habits. Cox regression analysis proved a higher early death rate when both factors (smoking and alcohol abuse) were present. It seems that smoking has a higher predictive value than alcohol abuse.

Research is performed in framework of COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action 15111 EUROMENE (European Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Research Network) to investigate the opportunities for evaluation of economic impact of ME/CFS to patients. To achieve the objectives of this research, a study based on patient-reported survey has been carried out in Latvia, Italy and the United Kingdom (UK). [Extracted from the article]