Search results for "Hepaciviru"
showing 10 items of 358 documents
Phylogenetic analysis of an epidemic outbreak of acute hepatitis C in HIV-infected patients by ultra-deep pyrosequencing.
2017
Abstract Background The incidence of acute hepatitis C (AHC) among HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) has increased significantly in the last 10 years. Several studies point to a social and sexual network of HIV-positive MSM that extends internationally. Objectives The aim of our study was to investigate the dynamics of HCV transmission in an outbreak of AHC in HIV-infected MSM in Barcelona by ultra-deep pyrosequencing. Study design Between 2008 and 2013, 113 cases of AHC in HIV-infected MSM were diagnosed in the Infectious Diseases Unit, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona. Massive sequencing was performed using the Roche 454 GS Junior platform. To define possible transmission networks, m…
Hepatitis C Virus Eradication by Direct Antiviral Agents Improves Carotid Atherosclerosis in patients with Severe Liver Fibrosis.
2018
Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIM: Recent studies suggest an association between HCV infection and cardiovascular damage, including carotid atherosclerosis, with a possible effect of HCV clearance on cardiovascular outcomes. We aimed to examine whether HCV eradication by direct antiviral agents (DAA) improves carotid atherosclerosis in HCV-infected patients with advanced fibrosis/compensated cirrhosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred eighty-two consecutive HCV patients with advanced fibrosis or compensated cirrhosis were evaluated by virological, anthropometric and metabolic measurements. All patients underwent DAA-based antiviral therapy according to AISF/EASL guidelines. Intima-media thickne…
IFNL3/4 genotype is associated with altered immune cell populations in peripheral blood in chronic hepatitis C infection
2016
Single-nucleotide polymorphisms near the interferon lambda 3 (IFNL3) gene predict outcomes to infection and anti-viral treatment in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. To identify IFNL3 genotype effects on peripheral blood, we collected phenotype data on 400 patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The IFNL3 responder genotype predicted significantly lower white blood cells (WBCs), as well as lower absolute numbers of monocytes, neutrophils and lymphocytes for both rs8099917 and rs12979860. We sought to define the WBC subsets driving this association using flow cytometry of 67 untreated CHC individuals. Genotype-associated differences were seen in the ratio of CD4CD45RO+ to CD4CD4…
Viral resistance in HCV infection.
2018
The introduction of new multi-genotypic direct acting antivirals (DAA) in clinical practice has revolutionized HCV treatment, permitting the achievement of >95% rates of sustained virological response in many patients. However, virological failures can occur particularly if the treatments are sub optimal and/or with too short duration. Failure is often associated with development of resistance. The wide genetic variability in terms of different genotypes and subtypes, together with the natural presence and/or easy development of resistance during treatment, are intrinsic characteristics of HCV that may affect the treatment outcome and the chances of achieving a virological cure. This review…
Clinical significance of detectable and quantifiable HCV RNA at the end of treatment with ledipasvir/sofosbuvir in GT1 patients
2018
Background & aims AASLD/IDSA treatment guidelines for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection state that testing for quantitative HCV RNA can be considered at the end of antiviral treatment (EOT) with interferon-free regimens. However, it remains unclear how to respond to a detectable or even quantifiable HCV RNA result. The aim of this study was to analyse the frequency and predictive value of detectable and quantifiable HCV RNA results at the EOT in patients with HCV genotype 1 infection treated with ledipasvir (LDV) and sofosbuvir (SOF) ± ribavirin (RBV) in a large real-world cohort. Methods A retrospective analysis of the DHC-R (Deutsches Hepatitis C-Register, German Hepatitis C-Registry) coh…
Association between Leptin and Complement in Hepatitis C Patients with Viral Clearance: Homeostasis of Metabolism and Immunity
2016
Background The association between leptin and complement in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains unknown. Methods A prospective study was conducted including 474 (250 genotype 1, 224 genotype 2) consecutive chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients who had completed an anti-HCV therapy course and undergone pre-therapy and 24-week post-therapy assessments of interferon λ3-rs12979860 and HCV RNA/genotypes, anthropometric measurements, metabolic and liver profiles, and complement component 3 (C3), C4, and leptin levels. Results Of the 474 patients, 395 had a sustained virological response (SVR). Pre-therapy leptin levels did not differ between patients with and without an SVR. Univariate and mul…
Decreasing role of HCV and HBV infections as aetiological factors of hepatocellular carcinoma in Italy
2019
Background: The epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by a dynamical temporal trend of well-established and emerging risk factors. Methods: We evaluated the temporal trend of aetiological factors of HCC over the last two decades in Italy. HCC cases were recruited from two previously published national studies in 1996 and in 2008 and HCC cases were also enlisted from two national surveys in 2001 and in 2014 enrolling consecutive subjects with chronic liver disease (CLD) referring to more than 80 liver units scattered all over the country for a 6-monthperiod. Results: Out of the 9997 subjects with CLD recruited in 2001 and the 2408 recruited in 2014, 3.3% and 5.7% (P…
Impact of virus eradication in patients with compensated hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis: competing risks and multistate model
2016
BACKGROUND & AIMS No published study to date has provided a careful analysis of the effects of a sustained viral response (SVR) on the outcomes of patients with compensated hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis in relation to the degree of portal hypertension. Therefore, we estimated the impact of achieving SVR on disease progression, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and mortality in a large cohort of HCV patients with cirrhosis with or without oesophageal varices (OVs) at the start of antiviral therapy. METHODS A total of 535 Caucasian patients were prospectively recruited to this study. All patients had a clinical or histological diagnosis of compensated HCV-related cirrhosi…
Hepatitis C virus intrinsic molecular determinants may contribute to the development of cholestatic hepatitis after liver transplantation
2018
Cholestatic hepatitis C (CHC) is a severe form of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection recurrence that leads to high graft loss rates early after liver transplantation (LT). To investigate the pathogenic mechanisms of CHC, we analysed HCV quasispecies in CHC patients compared to a control group (mild hepatitis C recurrence) by deep pyrosequencing. At the time of LT, NS5B quasispecies complexity was similar between the two groups but, after LT, it decreased more sharply in CHC patients than in the control group. Interestingly, the major variant before LT propagated efficiently and remained as the dominant sequence after LT in 62 % of CHC patients versus 11 % of controls (P=0.031). Sequence anal…
Highly heterogeneous mutation rates in the hepatitis C virus genome.
2016
Spontaneous mutations are the ultimate source of genetic variation and have a prominent role in evolution. RNA viruses such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) have extremely high mutation rates, but these rates have been inferred from a minute fraction of genome sites, limiting our view of how RNA viruses create diversity. Here, by applying high-fidelity ultradeep sequencing to a modified replicon system, we scored >15,000 spontaneous mutations, encompassing more than 90% of the HCV genome. This revealed >1,000-fold differences in mutability across genome sites, with extreme variations even between adjacent nucleotides. We identify base composition, the presence of high- and low-mutation clusters a…