Search results for "Alpha"

Clinical Trial Results of Peginterferons in Combination with Ribavirin

2003

Of the large number of patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), only about one third have progressive liver disease, and will eventually develop cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. These are the patients for whom effective antiviral treatment is most needed. Therapy is currently recommended for patients with chronic hepatitis C who have abnormal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, detectable hepatitis C virus ribonucleic acid (HCV RNA) in the blood, and significant necroinflammatory changes and/or fibrosis on liver biopsy. The current gold standard in terms of treatment efficacy is the combination of peginterferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin. The overall sustained viro…

Effectiveness of interferon alfa on incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma and decompensation in cirrhosis type C

1997

Background/Aims: The role of interferon alfa treatment in improving morbidity endpoints in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection is currently under debate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of interferon in preventing hepatocellular carcinoma and decompensation in cirrhosis type C. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was carried out on 329 consecutive Caucasian patients with cirrhosis followed for a mean period of 5 years at seven tertiary care university hospitals. Inclusion criteria were biopsy-proven cirrhosis, anti-HCV positivity, abnormal serum aminotransferase levels and absence of complications of cirrhosis. Results: The yearly incidence of hepatocellula…

Pegylated-interferon-α(2a) in clinical practice: how to manage patients suffering from side effects

2011

Introduction: The goal of antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C is to slow or halt the progression of fibrosis and prevent the development of cirrhosis. Accordingly, antiviral treatment is proposed for a large population of patients with chronic hepatitis. Areas covered: The standard-of-care for chronic hepatitis C is the combination of pegylated IFN (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin. The use of these drugs has been correlated with a range of adverse effects, including influenza-like symptoms, hematological changes and neuropsychiatric disturbances. The effects of these adverse events associated with PEG-IFN therapy are manifold and are a major reason why patients decline or stop the…

Identification of α2-adrenoceptors and non-adrenergic idazoxan binding sites in rabbit colon epithelial cells

1990

alpha 2-Adrenoceptors are possibly involved in the regulation of the hydroelectrolytic flux across the digestive mucosa. As no data are available concerning the existence of these receptors in colon epithelial cells, we aimed to investigate the existence of alpha 2-adrenoceptors in this tissue using tritiated antagonists. [3H]Yohimbine and [3H]rauwolscine were not usable to label colonic alpha 2-adrenoceptors because of their very high level of non-specific binding. In contrast, the methoxy derivative of idazoxan, [3H]RX821002, appeared a convenient radioligand for the purpose. [3H]RX821002 bound with high affinity (KD = 6.2 +/- 0.8 nM) to a single population of non-interacting sites (Bmax …

Oral administration of taurolidine ameliorates chronic DSS colitis in mice.

2007

Taurolidine (TRD) has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the anti-inflammatory effects of TRD in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have not been investigated. Here, we have analyzed the toxicity of TRD after oral long-term application in mice and examined the impact of oral TRD in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) model of experimental colitis. Female C57/BL6 mice received TRD in various concentrations (0.1% to 0.4%) for 60 days. Toxicity was evaluated by use of a disease activity index (DAI) and histological examination of major metabolic organs. Furthermore, the impact of 0.2% TRD on a chronic DSS colitis was examined by daily DAI, histological crypt damage score (CDS),…

An update on medical management on Crohn's disease.

2014

The management of Crohn's disease (CD) is continuously evolving. New issues emerging from more recent studies could influence the decision-making process in clinical practice.The aim of this review article is to highlight critical issues on the management of CD, new evidence from clinical trials, long-term prospective studies and real life experience, beyond the current guidelines.The role of mucosal healing in clinical practice is uncertain, clinical remission remains the primary end point. The timing for the definition of steroid-resistant CD should be considered between 2 and 4 weeks. Early treatment strategy with immunomodulators is effective for inducing remission but no controlled dat…

Response to "The combination therapy with cytapheresis plus vedolizumab in a corticosteroid-dependent patient with ulcerative colitis and previous An…

2018

Cost effectiveness of peginterferon α-2b plus ribavirin versus interferon α-2b plus ribavirin for initial treatment of chronic hepatitis C

2003

Background: Peginterferon α-2b plus ribavirin therapy in previously untreated patients with chronic hepatitis C yields the highest sustained virological response rates of any treatment strategy but is expensive. Aims: To estimate the cost effectiveness of treatment with peginterferon α-2b plus ribavirin compared with interferon α-2b plus ribavirin for initial treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C. Methods: Individual patient level data from a randomised clinical trial with peginterferon plus ribavirin were applied to a previously published and validated Markov model to project lifelong clinical outcomes. Quality of life and economic estimates were based on German patient data. We u…

Variants translating reduced expression of the beta estrogen receptor gene were associated with increased carotid intima media thickness : a cross-se…

2021

Abstract Background There is debate on the role of estrogens in modulating the risk for atherosclerosis in women. Our purpose was to investigate whether the size of the estrogenic impact was independently associated with variation of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in healthy late postmenopausal women. The levels of circulating estrogens have been used in previous studies but the influence of SNPs of the estrogen receptors (ER) α and β has not been investigated.Methods We performed a crossed-sectional study of 91 women in a university hospital. We used a double approach in which, in addition to the measurement of estradiol levels by ultrasensitive methods, genetic variants (SNPs) assoc…

Knowledge and attitudes towards smoking cessation counselling: an Italian cross-sectional survey on tertiary care nursing staff

2021

Background One of the most effective smoking cessation strategies involves care and advice from nurses due to their role in the front line of treatment. Lack of education on smoking cessation counselling may be detrimental, and adequate smoking cessation training during healthcare studies is needed. Objectives The study aimed to examine nurses’ attitudes, belief, and knowledge of smoking cessation counselling; knowledge of the health risks associated with smoking was also assessed. Design A cross-sectional survey on 77 nurses from the nursing staff of Cardiology, Cardiac Intensive Care and Surgical Oncology Units of two tertiary hospitals. Methods Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to assess …