The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the outcome of an unscheduled change in national Egyptian policies for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV), which was transpired as a result of a reduction in interferon supplies, and to manage patients who already started interferon-based therapy. After completing a priming 4-weeks course of sofosbuvir/pegylated interferon/ribavirin (SOF/PEG IFN/RBV), a 12-weeks course of sofosbuvir/daclatasvir (SOF/DCV) combination was initiated. We evaluated the sustained virologic response at 12 weeks posttreatment (SVR12) for 2 groups of patients; Group 1, which included patients who had the previous regimen with IFN priming, and group 2, which included the first consecutive group of patients who received SOF/DCV for 12 weeks from the start without IFN priming. All group 1 patients (1,214 patients) achieved SVR12 (100%) and this was statistically significant when compared with the overall SVR12 in group 2 [8,869 patients with sustained virologic response [SVR] of 98.9%] (P value <0.001). No serious adverse events were reported in both groups. In this real-life treatment experience, interferon-based directly acting antiviral treatment with SOF/PEG IFN/RBV as a priming for 4 weeks, followed by SOF/DCV combination for 12 weeks, led to HCV viral suppression in all treated patients.

Abstract Metal halide perovskite semiconductors have demonstrated remarkable progress not only in photovoltaics and X-ray detection but also in laser technologies. Particularly appealing is the simplicity with which micro-crystallites can be epitaxially grown, thereby forming micro-resonators suitable for lasing. Here, the laser threshold is optimized by selecting excitation laser parameters and by improving material quality. The latter process is conducted for formamidinium lead tribromide, emitting in the green spectral range. Depending on the growth method and parameters, the sizes of the micro-resonators can be tuned between ≈3 and 23 micrometers. Under laser excitation systematically lower thresholds are observed for micro-resonators in the 4?7 micrometer size range, than for larger ones, irrespective of growth method. Among three optimized growth methods, epitaxial growth via antisolvent vapor-assisted crystallization exhibits the smallest threshold powers, indicating the highest material quality. This conclusion is supported by hyperspectral microscopic luminescence imaging and by transient photoluminescence. The best laser structures exhibit record threshold powers for epitaxially grown perovskites, indicating that the selected antisolvent vapor epitaxial growth holds great promises also for other perovskite materials.

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