Search results for "VIRUS"
showing 10 items of 5024 documents
Combined treatment of relapse of chronic hepatitis C with high-dose α2b interferon plus ribavirin for 6 or 12 months
2000
Abstract Background/Aims: Retreatment of relapses of chronic hepatitis C with a standard regimen of interferon plus ribavirin for 6 months obtains a sustained response in a minority of patients with high viraemia and genotype 1b . We aimed to assess whether increasing the interferon dose and prolonging the time of combined treatment may enhance the effectiveness, and also to evaluate the tolerability, and to identify the determinants of sustained response. Methods: Fifty subjects with chronic hepatitis C who had relapsed after one or more courses of α-interferon monotherapy were randomised to receive α 2 b interferon (6 MU tiw) plus ribavirin (1000–1200 mg daily) for 6 or 12 months. ALT nor…
Long-Term Efficacy of Tenofovir Monotherapy for Hepatitis B Virus-Monoinfected Patients After Failure of Nucleoside/Nucleotide Analogues
2010
Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) has demonstrated high antiviral efficacy in treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection but experience in nucleoside/nucleotide analogue (NA)-experienced patients is limited. In this retrospective multicenter study we therefore assessed the long-term efficacy of TDF monotherapy in patients with prior failure or resistance to different NA treatments. Criteria for inclusion were HBV DNA levels >4.0 log(10) copies/mL at the start and a minimum, period of TDF therapy for at least 6 months. In all, 131 patients (mean age 42 +/- 12 years, 95 male, 65% hepatitis B e antigen [HBeAg]-positive) were eligible. Pretreatment consisted of…
The HEP-NET B/C co-infection trial: A prospective multicenter study to investigate the efficacy of pegylated interferon-α2b and ribavirin in patients…
2008
Background/Aims The efficacy of pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin in HBV/HCV co-infected patients is unknown. Methods Nineteen patients with chronic HBV/HCV co-infection (HBsAg and HCV-RNA positive; 10 HCV-genotype 1; 9 HCV-genotype 2 or 3) were included in this prospective multicenter pilot study. Baseline HBV-DNA was negative in 13 individuals. All patients received weight-adjusted PEG-IFN-α2b and ribavirin for 48 weeks. Results In the intent-to-treat analysis, a biochemical and an HCV-RNA response were observed in 12 and 14 patients, respectively (63% and 74%). At the end of the treatment as well as at the end of the follow-up the HCV-RNA response was 93% (14/15) in patients adher…
The aetiology of chronic hepatitis in Italy: results from a multicentre national study
2004
Background: No recent national-level data on the aetiology of chronic hepatitis are available in Italy. Aim: To evaluate the current aetiology of chronic hepatitis in Italy. Patients: A total of 6210 chronic hepatitis patients (both prevalence and incident cases) consecutively admitted to 79 hospitals located throughout Italy were enrolled over a 6-month period in 2001. The hospitals were randomly selected through systematic cluster sampling. Results: The main agent associated with chronic hepatitis was hepatitis C virus, which was found in 76.5% of the patients (in 62.6% it was the only aetiologic factor). Hepatitis B surface antigen was present in the serum of 12.2% of the cases (in 9.2% …
Role of a 48-week pegylated interferon therapy in hepatitis B e antigen positive HIV-co-infected patients on cART including tenofovir: EMVIPEG study.
2014
In hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive-HIV co-infected patients treated with combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), including tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), the rate of HBe seroconversion remains low. Whether adding pegylated interferon alfa (PegIFN) could increase the likelihood of HBeAg loss and HBe seroconversion has not been assessed.A 48-week PegIFN therapy was added to HBeAg positive-HIV co-infected patients on TDF and emtricitabine, or lamivudine for at least 6 months. The primary endpoint was HBV sustained response: HBe seroconversion with undetectable HBV DNA levels 24 weeks after completing PegIFN therapy (W72).Fifty-one patients (49 men, median age 46 years, range: 32-6…
Predictive factors of severe multilobar pneumonia and shock in patients with influenza
2014
PurposeTo identify risk factors present at admission in adult patients hospitalised due to influenza virus infection during the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons—including whether infection was from pandemic or seasonal influenza A infections—that were associated with the likelihood of developing severe pneumonia with multilobar involvement and shock.MethodsProspective cohort study. Patients hospitalised due to influenza virus infection were recruited. We collected information on sociodemographic characteristics, pre-existing medical conditions, vaccinations, toxic habits, previous medications, exposure to social environments, and EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D). Severe pneumonia with multilobar involvement a…
Changes in plasma and urine globotriaosylceramide levels do not predict Fabry disease progression over 1 year of agalsidase alfa.
2013
Globotriaosylceramide concentrations were assessed as potential predictors of change from baseline after 12 months by estimated glomerular filtration rate and left-ventricular mass index using pooled data from three randomized, placebo-controlled agalsidase alfa trials and open-label extensions of patients with Fabry disease.Males (aged 18 years or older) with Fabry disease received agalsidase alfa (0.2 mg/kg every other week for 12 months). A backward-elimination approach evaluated potential predictors (baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate and left-ventricular mass index; age at first dose; baseline and change from baseline at 12 months of globotriaosylceramide (urine, plasma); ur…
Pegylated alpha-interferon-2a plus ribavirin compared with pegylated alpha-interferon-2b plus ribavirin for initial treatment of chronic hepatitis C …
2008
Background and aim We assessed whether the two regimens of pegylated alpha-interferon-2b (PEG-IFN-alpha2b) plus ribavirin and pegylated alpha-interferon-2a (PEG-IFN-alpha2a) plus ribavirin showed differences in terms of sustained virological response, withdrawal due to side-effects and dose adjustment requirements in the treatment of naive chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients. Methods A prospective non-randomized, open-label comparison was made of naive HCV-infected patients undergoing standard 24- or 48-week treatment with two PEG-IFN combined with weight-based dosing regimen of ribavirin (PEG-IFN-alpha2a/ribavirin, n = 91; PEG-IFN-alpha2b/ribavirin, n = 92). Results Sustained virologi…
Incidence of HAV and HBV infections and vaccination rates in patients with autoimmune liver diseases.
2007
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV) superinfection is associated with an increased mortality in patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD). Despite official recommendations, it was reported that the vaccination rate against HAV is low in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection. To evaluate the situation in patients with autoimmune liver diseases, we conducted a retrospective cohort study.Susceptibility to HAV and HBV infections, course of HAV and HBV infections, vaccination rates against HAV and HBV, and efficacy of hepatitis A/B vaccines were evaluated by antibody testing in 225 patients with autoimmune liver diseases during 1,677 person-years.Susceptibility to HAV/HBV i…
Reliability of the bright liver echo pattern in diagnosing steatosis in patients with cryptogenic and HCV-related hypertransaminasaemia.
2008
Aim To evaluate the reliability of the bright liver (BL) echo pattern on ultrasound to detect histological steatosis in chronic cryptogenic hypertransaminasaemia (CCH) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related forms of hypertransaminasaemia. Materials and methods One hundred and fifty patients, 54 with CCH and 96 with HCV hypertransaminasaemia (76 genotype 1/2 and 20 genotype 3), were enrolled. Histological steatosis was measured as the percentage of hepatocytes involved. The reliability of the BL sign was estimated using the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values. Results Histological steatosis was present in 102/150 patients (68%) divided into 59/96 (62%) in the HCV g…