Impact of disease severity on healthcare costs in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) virus infection

Stuart C. Gordon, Paul J. Pockros, Norah A. Terrault, Robert S. Hoop, Ami Buikema, David Nerenz, Fayez M. Hamzeh – 18 May 2012 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection increases total healthcare costs but the effect of the severity of liver disease associated with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) on healthcare costs has not been well studied. We analyzed the demographics, healthcare utilization, and healthcare costs of CHC patients in a large U.S. private insurance database (January, 2002 to August, 2010), with at least 1 year of baseline enrollment and 30 days of continuous follow‐up.

Hepatitis C virus‐induced up‐regulation of microRNA‐155 promotes hepatocarcinogenesis by activating Wnt signaling

Yiliang Zhang, Wei Wei, Na Cheng, Kaihui Wang, Bin Li, Xiaoqing Jiang, Shuhan Sun – 18 May 2012 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection usually induces chronic hepatic inflammation, which favors the initiation and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Moreover, microRNA‐155 (miR‐155) plays an important role in regulating both inflammation and tumorigenesis. However, little is known about whether and how miR‐155 provides the link between inflammation and cancer. In this study we found that miR‐155 levels were markedly increased in patients infected with HCV.

Boceprevir dosing for late responders and null responders: The role of bridging data between treatment‐naïve and ‐experienced subjects

Jeffry Florian, Pravin R. Jadhav, Shashi Amur, Ruben Ayala, Patrick Harrington, Poonam Mishra, Jules O'Rear, Michael Pacanowski, Sarah Robertson, Mary Singer, Greg Soon, Wen Zeng, Jeffrey Murray – 18 May 2012

Vitamin D binding protein gene polymorphisms and baseline vitamin D levels as predictors of antiviral response in chronic hepatitis C

Edmondo Falleti, Davide Bitetto, Carlo Fabris, Giovanna Fattovich, Annarosa Cussigh, Sara Cmet, Elisa Ceriani, Ezio Fornasiere, Michela Pasino, Donatella Ieluzzi, Mario Pirisi, Pierluigi Toniutto – 18 May 2012 – Vitamin D deficiency seems to predict the unsuccessful achievement of sustained viral response (SVR) after antiviral treatment in hepatitis C virus (HCV) difficult‐to‐treat genotypes. Vitamin D binding protein (GC) gene polymorphisms are known to influence vitamin D levels.

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells contribute to CD8 T cell tolerance toward circulating carcinoembryonic antigen in mice

Bastian Höchst, Frank A. Schildberg, Jan Böttcher, Christina Metzger, Sebastian Huss, Andreas Türler, Markus Overhaus, Andreas Knoblich, Berthold Schneider, Dimitrios Pantelis, Christian Kurts, Jörg C. Kalff, Percy Knolle, Linda Diehl – 18 May 2012 – Immunity against cancer is impeded by local mechanisms promoting development of tumor‐specific T cell tolerance, such as regulatory T cells, myeloid‐derived suppressor cells, or immunosuppressive factors in the tumor microenvironment.

Resection of hepatocellular cancer ≤2 cm: Results from two Western centers

Sasan Roayaie, Khaled Obeidat, Carlo Sposito, Luigi Mariani, Sherrie Bhoori, Alessandro Pellegrinelli, Daniel Labow, Josep M. Llovet, Myron Schwartz, Vincenzo Mazzaferro – 11 May 2012 – Asian series have shown a 5‐year survival rate of ≈70% after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ≤2 cm. Western outcomes with resection have not been as good. In addition, ablation of HCC ≤2 cm has been shown to achieve competitive results, leaving the role of resection in these patients unclear.

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