Search results for "hepatitis C viru"
showing 10 items of 408 documents
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% …
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…
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…
High liver RBP4 protein content is associated with histological features in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C and with nonalcoholic steato…
2011
Abstract Background and aim To investigate the hepatic expression of retinol-binding protein-4 (RBP4) in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients, and its association with biochemical and histological patterns of liver damage. Materials and methods Sixty-six genotype 1 CHC and 32 NASH patients were tested for hepatic RBP4 expression. Liver expression at immunostaining was scored as 0 (slight), 1 (mild), 2 (moderate), and 3 (intense). In addition, the mRNA and the quantitative protein expressions of RBP4 were tested by PCR and by western blot, respectively, in 12 NASH and 28 CHC patients. Twelve subjects undergoing elective cholecystectomy served as controls…
Current practice of hepatitis C treatment in Southern Italy.
2010
Abstract Background Only a small proportion of subjects referring to hospitals for hepatitis C virus (HCV) positivity receives antiviral therapy. Aim To evaluate the rate of antiviral treatment and the causes for no treatment in HCV-RNA positive subjects seen in hospital settings. Patients and methods A prospective study enrolling over a 6-month period (February–July 2009) all consecutive anti-HCV positive subjects initially referred (naive patients) to 12 liver units in Southern Italy for HCV treatment. Results Out of 608 subjects evaluated, 74 (12.2%) had no detectable HCV-RNA in the serum and thus were excluded. Of the remaining 534 HCV-RNA positive subjects, 357 (66.9%) were not treated…
Inverse correlation between plasma oxysterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in hepatitis C virus-infected patients
2012
Background: Hepatitis C virus infection is characterised by enhanced oxidative stress, which can be measured quantitatively by plasma oxysterol concentration. These molecules may affect lipid metabolism through the activation of Liver X Receptors. Hepatitis C virus exploits host lipid metabolism to facilitate its replication and diffusion. In our study we aimed to evaluate and highlight the potential pathogenetic role of oxysterols, 7-ketocholesterol and 7-β-hydroxycholesterol, in hepatitis C virus-related lipid dysmetabolism. Methods: The study was performed in 42 patients with chronic hepatitis C (93% genotype 1b) and 38 non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients. Plasma oxysterols 7-keto…
Impact of liver steatosis on the antiviral response in the hepatitis C virus-associated chronic hepatitis.
2006
: Background/Aim: Liver steatosis (LS) has been variably associated with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) but whether it affects sustained virological response to antiviral treatment and by what mechanisms is a question still under debate, at least for some genotypes. The aim of this work was to assess the frequency of LS, its relationship with host and viral factors and to what extent it can influence the response to antiviral combination therapy with pegylated interferon (INF)+ribavirin in a group of patients with CHC from a single center. Patients: One hundred and twelve patients with histologically proven CHC were treated with Peg INF-α 2a 180 μg a week subcutaneously for 48 weeks plus ribavir…
Ultrasound detection of abdominal lymphadenomegaly in subjects with hepatitis C virus infection and persistently normal transaminases: a predictive i…
1998
The indications for liver biopsy in anti-HCV-positive patients with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase levels are not clearly established. Recent studies have correlated the presence of abdominal lymphoadenomegaly with disease severity in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Our study aimed to evaluate the frequency of abdominal lymphoadenomegaly in an anti-HCV positive blood donor population with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase and the relationship of abdominal lymphoadenomegaly with the severity of liver changes.Eighty-six anti-HCV positive blood donors (58 M, 28 F) with normal alanine aminotransferase were followed up for a median of 31 months (range 12-50). To evalu…
Posttransfusional, LKM-1-autoantibody-positive hepatitis C virus infection, cryoglobulinemia, and aplastic anemia.
1995
Aplastic anemia is occasionally caused by viral hepatitis, hepatitis C virus being the most important factor. Pathogenetically, decreased bone marrow function, abnormalities of the bone marrow microenvironment, and immune-mediated suppression of hematopoiesis are important. Hepatitis C virus infection is associated with a variety of extrahepatic manifestations including autoimmune features like cryoglobulinemia, Sjogren's syndrome, and autoimmune hepatitis. Here we report the case of a 42-year-old man with aplastic anemia due to posttransfusional hepatitis C virus infection associated with cryoglobulinemia and LKM-1 autoantibodies. Following a triple immunosuppressive therapy, there was a c…
Different doses of consensus interferon plus ribavirin in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 relapsed after interferon monotherapy: a randomi…
2006
AIM: To assess the efficacy of different schedules of consensus interferon (CIFN) plus ribavirin in retreating chronic hepatitis C patients who relapsed after recombinant interferon (rIFN) monotherapy. METHODS: Forty-five patients (34 males and 11 females) with chronic hepatitis due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 who relapsed after a previous course of rIFN monotherapy were randomized to receive 9 μg CIFN three times per week for 52 wk (group A, n = 22) or 18 μg CIFN three times per week for 52 wk (group B, n = 23) in combination with ribavirin 800 to 1200 mg daily for 52 wk (according to body weight). Virological response was evaluated at week 24 (EVR), at the end of treatment (ETR)…