Hepatitis Weekly articles from August 2000

Hepatitis Weekly archives from August 2000

Hepatitis C Rate in Hospitalized Veterans Affairs Patients High.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- The rate of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients hospitalized at US Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities may be higher than previously believed, scientists at the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Atlanta,...

Antibodies for Anticardiolipin More Prevalent in Some Hepatitis C Patients.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Anticardiolipin antibodies show up at a higher rate in some patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, but researchers do not know why, according to a report in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases....

Heteroduplex Mobility Analysis Can Identify Mixed Virus and Mixed-Strain Samples.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- As the international community turns its attention to the upcoming Olympics in Sydney, Australia, laboratory researchers at the Prince of Wales Hospital in that same city have developed a novel technique that...

Prevalence of New GB Virus-C/Hepatitis G Virus Studied in Taiwanese Population.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- An epidemiological study of GB virus-C/hepatitis G virus (HGV) in a small village in Taiwan was recently reported in the journal Liver. According to the report, low educational attainment was a significant...

Study Suggests Blacks with Hepatitis C Less Likely to Become Free of Virus.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Studies have shown that many hepatitis C patients recover from the liver-threatening disease, but new research suggests black people are much less likely to become free of the virus than whites. A study by...

Novel Therapeutic Approaches Explored.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Scientists in Canada believe new strategies for the treatment of hemophilia are promising. "The life-long episodic bleeding associated with inherited deficiencies of blood coagulation Factor VIII (FVIII)...

p21 Protein Expression Linked to p53 Status.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Altered expression of the p53 protein has been associated with cancer activity for some time. Now medical researchers at the University of Tokyo in Japan show p21 (WAF1/CIP1) expression is linked to p53 status...

Cell Binding Doesn't Necessarily Predict Hepatitis C Infection.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Scientists in Italy propose that the binding which occurs between the E2 glycoprotein on the hepatitis C virus and the CD81 cell receptor molecule is not limited to just one species, and does not predict...

Autohemotherapy Resulted in Hepatitis B Infection Outbreak.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- A study in the July 29, 2000, issue of The Lancet emphasizes the continuing risk of transmission of bloodborne viruses in health care settings where skin-piercing procedures are used. In more developed...

HBsAg Positive Blood Donors Followed for Hepatitis.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Turkey recommend that asymptomatic , hepatitis B surface antigen postive (HBsAg) blood donors should be followed-up for signs of hepatitis. A. Mert and colleagues at the University of...

Hepatitis A Disease Rate Remains High Among Populations in Atlanta, Georgia.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- In Atlanta, Georgia, the site for this year's major conference on emerging infectious diseases, a subset of the metropolitan population continues to have high hepatitis A virus infection rates, despite...

South Carolina is Site for Hepatitis C Exposure Risk Survey.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- One of the few studies to conduct an analysis of source patient seroprevalence for hepatitis C virus was reported recently at the CDC 2000 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases that was held...

Vietnam, Neighbors Struggle to Rein in Hepatitis B.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Hepatitis B infection is rampant in much of Asia and in sub-Saharan Africa, taxing the medical resources of impoverished nations that also are struggling with the spread of HIV. Chronic carriers can go...

Lipiodol/Adenovirus Gene Therapy Vector Interactions Evaluated in vivo.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Japan have evaluated the interactions between Lipiodol and adenovirus vector for gene delivery to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells both in vitro and in vivo. "In gene therapy for cancer,...

Milestone Received in Anti-Hepatitis C Ribozyme Collaboration.
August 7, 2000... 2000 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com) -- Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (RPI) (RZYM), Boulder, Colorado, reported the receipt of a $1 million milestone payment from partner Eli Lilly and Company as a result of meeting a clinical development milestone...

Vitamin E Therapy Decreases Serum Aminotransferase Levels in Obese Children.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Overweight children with weight-related nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) could reduce their serum aminotransferase levels, which are indicators for liver inflammation, by taking vitamin E supplements,...

Study Will Look at Affects of Long-Term Antiviral Therapy in Hepatitis C Patients.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- The University of Michigan Health System is one of a select group of clinical centers launching a new study for patients with chronic hepatitis C. The study - the longest and largest ever for hepatitis C -...

CH-100 Therapy Modifies T-cell Response to Induced Liver Inflammation in Rats.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Patients are increasingly turning to alternative therapies to treat a variety of diseases and disorders. Recently, research on the use of the Chinese herbal supplement CH-100 in treating rats with acute...

Liver Biopsies Should be Frozen Soon After Collection for Best Analysis.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- A variety of factors may delay medical personnel in freezing liver biopsy samples after they are collected. New evidence from a study conducted in Spain, however, suggests that the sooner these samples are...

Famciclovir Dosage for Hepatitis B Patients Optimized.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Medical investigators in France have determined the optimal dosage for using famciclovir to treat chronic hepatitis B. The results of their drug study were published in the Journal of Hepatology. ...

Hepatitis C Infection and Simultaneous Polymyositis Difficult to Treat.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Polymyositis, a painful inflammation of the muscles that control voluntary movement, sometimes occurs in patients with hepatitis C virus infection. Such a concurrent assault on the body's defenses can be...

Hepatitis A Infection Spread Within Family Despite Child's Vaccination.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Germany recently described a case in which the family of a young girl who had been vaccinated against the hepatitis A virus subsequently became infected. In a letter to the New England...

Mothers Who Have C-Sections Lessen Risk of Transmitting GBV/Hepatitis G.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- GB virus type C (GBV-C)/HGV can be vertically transmitted from mother to infant the way other types of hepatitis viruses can be. A report published in the journal Transfusion states that cesarean section...

Hepatitis C Registry Provides More Accurate View of New Mexico Infection Rate.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- After four years of collecting data, public health officials have a better picture of the hepatitis C infection rate in the state of New Mexico thanks to a new hepatitis C registry. Data from this...

Could Mosquitoes Be a Vector for Hepatitis C Virus?
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- It is a generally-held assumption that mosquitoes cannot transmit some types of viruses, including hepatitis virus. Researchers in France, however, have been able to grow hepatitis C virus (HCV) in mosquito...

Lamivudine Resistance Explored in HBV and HIV-1 Coinfected Patients.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Data from a study in England suggest that drug resistance to lamivudine monotherapy is a likely occurrence in hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HIV-1 coinfected patients. "Lamivudine has potent activity against...

Antisense Technology May Reduce Liver Injury in Hepatitis Patients.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Scientists at Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ISIP), Carlsbad, California, published results from a study that explored the role of the Fas gene in a mouse model of two cellular pathways of hepatitis using the...

HIV Coinfection Does Not Affect Interferon Treatment for Hepatitis C.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Clinical data from a French multicenter trial show that HIV coinfection does not adversely affect antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. "The aim of this prospective study was to compare...

Zadaxin Prevents Formation of Lung Tumors in NIH Study.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- SciClone Pharmaceuticals (SCLN) announced the publication of results of a U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) preclinical study indicating that its Zadaxin immunotherapy may decrease formation of lung...

HIV Patients in Macedonia Often Coinfected with Hepatitis B and C.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- HIV patients in Macedonia are often coinfected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV). Because the diseases are transmitted similarly, V. Grunevska and colleagues from the Clinic of...

HCV Group Wants Safe Injecting Facilities in Australia; National Party Says No.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- A hepatitis C activist group and the National Party in Australia are at odds over the issue of a trial to investigate the impact of heroin injecting rooms on injecting safety. Ian Comben, of the Rural...

Blood Exposures Reduced By Using Safety Device for Subcutaneous Injections.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Risk of exposure to blood can be reduced if safety devices are used to provide subcutaneous injections of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), researchers in France say. "Subcutaneous injections account...

First Responders at Low-Risk for Hepatitis C Virus Infection.
August 14, 2000... 2000 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com) -- Study results should reassure firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics that they are at low risk for hepatitis C infection (HCV) as a result of needlestick injury or other exposure to...

Vaccine Program in Pacific Islands Leads to Lower Hepatitis B Rates in Children.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- In 1995, several countries in the Pacific Islands began hepatitis B virus vaccine programs to immunize infants. A subsequent follow-up study of these children indicates that they remain protected against the...

Hepatitis C Patients at Higher Risk after Liver Transplantation.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to scientists in Canada, hepatitis C virus infection has been linked to the onset of diabetes mellitus. Research results produced by these scientists suggest that patients who must have liver...

Study Finds High Hepatitis C Virus Infection Rate in Southern Italian Town.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- A recent epidemiological investigation has shown that residents of a southern town in Italy are at a particularly high risk for being infected with the virus that causes hepatitis C. In fact, the older...

First Response to Interferon-(alpha) Predicts Subsequent Response.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Additional evidence that response to interferon (IFN)-(alpha) monotherapy can predict subsequent response to combination therapy in hepatitis c virus (HCV) patients was recently reported by researchers in...

Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 3 Associated with Fatty Liver Syndrome.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Contrary to popular opinion, the sequence for the nucleocapsid protein on the hepatitis C virus (HCV) does not correlate with hepatocyte steatosis, scientists in Switzerland say. However, HCV genotype 3...

Urban Paramedics have Higher Hepatitis C Infection Rate than General Population.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Recent findings presented at the Frontline Healthcare Workers Safety Foundation National Conference indicate that pre-hospital care providers, and more specifically, urban paramedics, have a higher hepatitis...

Molecular Interactions a Key to Hepatitis B Infection Risk in Men.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- A study presented at the Endo 2000 conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, indicated that significant differences in certain key receptors may play a role in men's risk for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection....

Red Cross Offers $53 million to Tainted Blood Victims.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Thousands of people who sued the Canadian Red Cross over a tainted blood scandal that left more than 11,000 infected with HIV or hepatitis C will vote on whether to accept a $53 million compensation package....

Risk of Transfusion-Transmitted Diseases Reduced in Croatia.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Croatia have determined that the risk of being infected with a virus from a blood transfusion in that country has been reduced significantly. In evaluating the risk, D. Grgicevic and...

Zadaxin Receives Expanded Approval in Argentina.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- SciClone Pharmaceuticals (SCLN), San Mateo, California, announced that Zadaxin has received expanded marketing approval in Argentina for the treatment of both hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Zadaxin...

Hepatitis C is More Severe in HIV Infected Drug Users.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to a study from Italy, infections resulting from hepatitis C virus are more severe in drug abusers coinfected with HIV. "Drug users with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are frequently...

Agreement Signed to Evaluate Pressure Cycling Technology.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Boston Biomedica, Inc. (BBI), West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, announced the signing of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the U.S. National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (NIHCC) to...

U.S. Government Considers Research Finance Rules.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new era of biotechnology economics that promises some scientists great wealth may cause conflicts of interest that affect patient safety and undermine medical research, experts say. At a U.S. National...

Phase III Trials Begin for Thymitaq in Liver Cancer.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Zarix, Inc., Berwyn, Pennsylvania, announced progress on its Thymitaq (nolatrexed dihydrochloride) clinical trial program following recent correspondence with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ...

Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens Studied at Teaching Hospital.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in the United States evaluated healthcare workers' (HCW) risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens at a community teaching hospital. "Because occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens can...

Journal Article Suggests Prescribing Clean Needles.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Doctors should consider prescribing sterile syringes for patients who use injected drugs, according to an article in a recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. The reuse and sharing of syringes...

Enrollment for Phase II Interferon Therapy Trial Announced.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- Viragen, Inc. (VRA), Plantation, Florida, reported that it expects to commence enrollment of an additional 100 patients by the end of 2000, which would mark the beginning of the final stage of its Phase II...

Infected Fast Food Worker Exposes Hundreds to Hepatitis A.
August 28, 2000... 2000 AUG 28 - (NewsRx.com) -- A fast-food worker infected with hepatitis A may have exposed hundreds of people to the virus over a seven-day period, the Tennessee Health Department said. The employee worked at the Waffle House...