Hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus: The Un‐Won Battle
Javier García‐Samaniego, Xavier Forns – 24 August 2007
N‐acetylcysteine for acetaminophen overdose: When enough is enough
Neeral L. Shah, Fredric D. Gordon – 24 August 2007
New therapies for hepatitis C
Apurva A. Modi, Jay H. Hoofnagle – 24 August 2007
Efficient recombinant hepatitis E virus vaccine: Mission accomplished?
Frank Tacke, Christian Trautwein – 24 August 2007
Genetic polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase and thymidylate synthase genes and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma
Jian‐Min Yuan, Shelly C. Lu, David Van Den Berg, Sugantha Govindarajan, Zhen‐Quan Zhang, Jose M. Mato, Mimi C. Yu – 24 August 2007 – Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and thymidylate synthase (TYMS) are known to play a role in DNA methylation, synthesis, and repair. The genetic mutations in MTHFR and TYMS genes may have influences on their respective enzyme activities. Data on the association studies of the MTHFR and TYMS genetic polymorphisms and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are sparse.
Diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging for the assessment of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C
Maïté Lewin, Armelle Poujol‐Robert, Pierre‐Yves Boëlle, Dominique Wendum, Elisabeth Lasnier, Magalie Viallon, Jérôme Guéchot, Christine Hoeffel, Lionel Arrivé, Jean‐Michel Tubiana, Raoul Poupon – 24 August 2007 – Liver biopsy is the gold standard for assessing fibrosis but has several limitations. We evaluated a noninvasive method, so‐called diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWMRI), which measures the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of water, for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibits the suppressive effect of regulatory T cells on the hepatitis B virus–specific immune response
Jeroen N. Stoop, Andrea M. Woltman, Paula J. Biesta, Johannes G. Kusters, Ernst J. Kuipers, Harry L.A. Janssen, Renate G. van der Molen – 24 August 2007 – Chronicity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by a weak immune response to the virus. CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg) are present in increased numbers in the peripheral blood of chronic HBV patients, and these Treg are capable of suppressing the HBV‐specific immune response. The aim of this study was to abrogate Treg‐mediated suppression of the HBV‐specific immune response.
Antiviral activity of telaprevir (VX‐950) and peginterferon alfa‐2a in patients with hepatitis C
Nicole Forestier, Hendrik W. Reesink, Christine J. Weegink, Lindsay McNair, Tara L. Kieffer, Hui‐May Chu, Susan Purdy, Peter L.M. Jansen, Stefan Zeuzem – 24 August 2007 – Telaprevir (VX‐950), an inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease, substantially decreased plasma HCV RNA levels in a prior clinical study. The present study evaluated viral kinetics and safety during dosing with telaprevir alone and in combination with peginterferon alfa‐2a for 14 days.
Should impaired liver function be held responsible for cognitive impairment and poor health‐related quality of life in alcoholic cirrhosis?
Thomas Paparrigopoulos, Elias Tzavellas, Dimitris Karaiskos, Ioannis Liappas – 24 August 2007
Telaprevir and pegylated interferon–alpha‐2a inhibit wild‐type and resistant genotype 1 hepatitis C virus replication in patients
Tara L. Kieffer, Christoph Sarrazin, Janice S. Miller, Martin W. Welker, Nicole Forestier, Hendrik W. Reesink, Ann D. Kwong, Stefan Zeuzem – 24 August 2007 – Telaprevir (VX‐950) is an orally active, specifically targeted antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) that has been shown to profoundly reduce plasma HCV RNA in genotype 1 patients. Using a highly sensitive sequencing assay that detects minor populations of viral variants (≥5%), mutations were identified that conferred low‐level (V36M/A, T54A, or R155K/T) or high‐level (A156V/T and 36/155) resistance to telaprevir in vitro.