Search results for "Polyethylene"
showing 10 items of 809 documents
Effects of Smoking on Pegylated Interferon alpha 2a and First Generation Protease Inhibitor-based Antiviral Therapy in Naïve Patients Infected with H…
2016

 
 
 
 
 
 Background & Aims: Smoking has multiple effects on factors influencing hepatitis C and antiviral therapy, including lipid metabolism, fibrosis, platelet count and adherence aspects. The aim of this analysis was to determine the impact of smoking on hepatitis C virus antiviral therapy.
 Methods: Data of two cohorts of an observational multicenter study including therapy-naïve patients infected with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) treated with dual antiviral therapy (n=7,796) with pegylated interferon alpha 2a in combination with ribavirin, or triple antiviral therapy (n=1,122) containing telaprevir or boceprevir, were analysed.
 Resu…
Anemia during treatment with peginterferon Alfa-2b/ribavirin and boceprevir: Analysis from the serine protease inhibitor therapy 2 (SPRINT-2) trial
2013
International audience; Boceprevir (BOC) added to peginterferon alfa-2b (PegIFN) and ribavirin (RBV) significantly increases sustained virologic response (SVR) rates over PegIFN/RBV alone in previously untreated adults with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1. We evaluate the relationship of incident anemia with triple therapy. A total of 1,097 patients received a 4-week lead-in of PegIFN/RBV followed by: (1) placebo plus PegIFN/RBV for 44 weeks (PR48); (2) BOC plus PegIFN/RBV using response-guided therapy (BOC/RGT); and (3) BOC plus PegIFN/RBV for 44 weeks (BOC/PR48). The management of anemia (hemoglobin [Hb]<10 g/dL) included RBV dose reduction and/or erythropoietin (EPO) use. A total of 1,080…
SUPRAMOLECULAR ASSOCIATION OF RECOMBINANT HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE WITH HYDROPHOBIZED POLYHYDROXYETHYLASPARTAMIDES
2008
Abstract The protein delivery properties of polymer supramolecular assemblies were investigated by using recombinant human growth hormone (rh-GH) and two polyhydroxyethylaspartamide (PHEA) derivatives: (a) PHEA-C 16 obtained by PHEA random grafting with hexadecylalkylamine; (b) PHEA-PEG 5000 -C 16 obtained by PHEA random co-grafting with hexadecylalkylamine and 5 kDa poly(ethylene glycol). The two polymers possessed similar self-assembling properties: critical micelle concentration (CMC) and particle size. The protein loading (protein/polymer, w/w, %) was 12.1 ± 1.3% and 8.5 ± 0.4% with PHEA-C 16 and PHEA-PEG 5000 -C 16 , respectively. The rh-GH/polymer association constant calculated by Sc…
Management of chronic hepatitis C in childhood: The impact of therapy in the clinical practice during the first 2 decades
2011
Background and aim: Treatment of chronic hepatitis C in children is controversial and its role in the clinical practice is unknown. We retrospectively investigated the impact of treatment in a large cohort of children with chronic hepatitis C over the past 20years. Methods: 376 hepatitis C virus RNApositive children were recruited consecutively in five Italian centres since 1990and followed for1–17years. Results: 86 (23%)subjects were treated: 73 with recombinant interferon alone and 13 with pegylated-interferon and ribavirin. Sustained clearance of hepatitis C virus RNA was observed in 25%of the former, in 92%of the latter and in 9% of untreated cases(p < 0.001). Loss of viraemia was re…
High sustained virologic response rates in children with chronic hepatitis C receiving peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin
2010
Pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) alfa-2b plus ribavirin (RBV) is the standard of care for adults with chronic hepatitis C but was not approved for the treatment of children at the time of this study. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PEG-IFN alfa-2b plus RBV in children.Children and adolescents ages 3-17 years were treated with PEG-IFN alfa-2b (60microg/m(2)/week) plus RBV (15mg/kg/day). The duration of therapy was 24 weeks for genotype (G) 2 and G3 patients with low viral load (600,000IU/ml) and 48 weeks for G1, G4, and G3 with high viral load (or=600,000IU/ml). The primary end point was sustained virologic response (SVR), defined as undetectable hepatitis C vi…
Which patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C can benefit from prolonged treatment with the 'accordion' regimen?
2007
The on-treatment virological response to pegylated interferon plus ribavirin therapy is a useful tool in the management of patients with chronic hepatitis C. The time at which hepatitis C virus RNA becomes undetectable by a sensitive PCR assay has a huge impact on the probability of achieving a sustained virological response, particularly in genotype 1 patients, and may be useful in selecting patients for prolonged therapy. Indiscriminate extension of treatment in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 is not beneficial. However, there is a subgroup of patients – the so-called ‘slow responders’ – who benefit from extending treatment from 48 to 72 weeks and can be readily identified afte…
Re-treatment of Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Who Do Not Respond to Peginterferon-[alpha]2b: A Randomized Trial
2009
BACKGROUND Many patients with chronic hepatitis C have not responded to therapy with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin. OBJECTIVE To evaluate use of peginterferon-alpha2a plus ribavirin to re-treat nonresponders to peginterferon-alpha2b plus ribavirin. DESIGN Randomized, parallel-group trial conducted between September 2003 and February 2007. Patients and researchers were not blinded to intervention assignment. Random assignment was centralized, computer-generated, and stratified by geographic region, hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype, and histologic diagnosis. SETTING 106 international centers. PATIENTS 950 nonresponders to 12 or more weeks of therapy with peginterferon-alpha2b plus ribav…
Peginterferon alfa-2b and Ribavirin: Effective in Patients With Hepatitis C Who Failed Interferon alfa/Ribavirin Therapy
2009
Treatment with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin produces a sustained virologic response (SVR) in approximately 60% of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. Alternate options are needed for patients who relapse or do not respond to therapy.This prospective, international, multicenter, open-label study evaluated efficacy and safety of peginterferon alfa-2b (1.5 microg/kg/wk) plus weight-based ribavirin (800-1400 mg/day) in 2333 chronic HCV-infected patients with significant fibrosis/cirrhosis whose previous interferon alfa/ribavirin therapy failed. Patients with undetectable HCV-RNA at treatment week (TW) 12 received 48 weeks of therapy; patients with detectable HCV-RNA at TW12 could ent…
Permanent stenting in “unextractable” common bile duct stones in high risk patients. A prospective randomized study comparing two different stents
2007
BACKGROUND: Endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) and stone extraction is the treatment of choice for bile duct stones. Therefore, if ES and conventional stone extraction fail, further treatment is mandatory. Insertion of a biliary endoprosthesis is an effective option. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We treated 30 high-risk patients (17 women and 13 men, mean age 82 years) affected by difficult common bile duct stones. The patients were randomly assigned preoperatively using closed envelopes (blind randomization) into two groups to receive insertion of polyethylene or hydrophilic hydromer-coated polyurethane stent, respectively. Follow-up was achieved by contacting referring physicians and patient's relat…
Assessment of hepatitis C virus-RNA clearance under combination therapy for hepatitis C virus genotype 1: performance of transcription-mediated ampli…
2007
Monitoring of HCV-RNA in blood during antiviral therapy is performed mostly by commercially available reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction-based (RT-PCR) assays, with a lower detection limit of 30-50 IU/mL of HCV-RNA. Use of different tests in the pivotal trials of combination therapy has generated some discordance, in terms of predictive value of the early virological response (EVR). To evaluate whether the use of a more sensitive test, as a qualitative assay based on transcription mediated amplification (TMA) with a lower detection limit of 5-10 IU/mL of HCV-RNA, may obtain a better prediction of EVR and of the ultimate virological outcome, we retrospectively evaluated serial s…