Hepatitis Weekly articles from August 2001

Hepatitis Weekly archives from August 2001

Internet Survey Studies HBV Risk-Factors In At-Risk Males.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Access to the Internet has made information gathering easier, even for public health officials. Using an Internet survey, investigators at the University of...

Tumor Recurrence Best Survival Predictor After PEI Therapy.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Individuals with cirrhosis who do not develop cancer recurrence after percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) therapy for primary liver cancer tend to survive...

Interferon/Ribavirin Combination Therapy More Effective At Reducing HCV Load In HIV(+).
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A clinical study has revealed that interferon/ribavirin combination therapy is more effective than interferon monotherapy at reducing hepatitis C viral load in HIV infected persons in the first 12...

Gene Transfer System Specifically Targets Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A research group in Hong Kong has developed a gene delivery system that specifically targets hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Patients stricken by liver...

Factors Predict Transplant Candidates At Risk For Alcoholic Recidivism.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Researchers at the University of Illinois have identified several psychosocial factors that can predict those most at risk for alcoholic recidivism among...

Few Young Gay Males Avail Themselves of Hepatitis B Vaccine.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Even though a hepatitis B vaccine has been available for almost 20 years, the vaccination rate in young gay males is still falling short, researchers at the...

Cyclosporin A An Effective Alternative To Corticosteroid Therapy.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A limited study of patients with autoimmune hepatitis suggests cyclosporin A, an immunosuppressant, might be more effective than corticosteroid therapy,...

Ontario Judge Approves Red Cross Settlement For Tainted-Blood.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A judge in Ontario, Canada, has approved a $79 million (Canadian dollars) Red Cross-led settlement for people infected by hepatitis C through tainted blood. Justice Warren Winkler, who rejected...

Laparoscopic Ultrasound Superior For Evaluating Primary Liver Cancer.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Laparoscopy with laparoscopic ultrasound (L-LUS) is superior to other imaging methods for evaluating lesions in patients with liver cirrhosis and...

Coupling Phospholipids With Existing Drugs Increases Effectiveness.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Buoyed by continued successes of a novel method for targeting drugs inside the body, Louis S. Kucera, PhD, has formed Kucera Pharmaceutical Co. as a spinoff from Wake Forest University School of...

Outbreak Of Hepatitis B In Correctional Facility Highlights Value Of Immunization.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis B vaccination would prevent ongoing transmission in correctional facilities, as well as infection in inmates after they are released into the community, the U.S. Centers for Disease...

Radioactive Glass Beads To Be Evaluated For Efficacy.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Doctors are evaluating the effectiveness of treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with TheraSphere(R), a system which delivers millions of microscopic glass beads embedded with the radioactive...

ACE Inhibitor Captopril Diminishes Fibrotic Progression In Rodents.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Someday, the same drugs used for treating patients with hypertension, ACE inhibitors, might also be prescribed for treating chronic hepatitis C patients...

EMS Workers Reduce Injury Risk With Switch To Self-Retracting Device.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A University of Arizona investigator proposes that by switching to self-retracting lancets, emergency medical system (EMS) workers can reduce their risk for...

Laboratory-Based Surveillance Might Detect HBV Outbreaks Faster.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The authors of a new study about HBV outbreaks caused by injection drug use in Denmark suggest that laboratory-based surveillance may be useful for...

Phase I Trial Of Monoclonal Antibody Initiated.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- XTL Biopharmaceuticals, Ltd. (XTL) announced the commencement of Phase I clinical studies with XTL-002, its human monoclonal antibody (MAb) being developed for the treatment of hepatitis C virus...

Second-Generation Drug Sets New Standards In Hepatitis C Treatment.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Roche and ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ICN) announced that Roche has licensed the rights to the developmental compound levovirin, a promising second-generation drug for the treatment of hepatitis C,...

Adventure Racing, Exotic Tourism Increases Exposure To Unusual Bacteria.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The recent growth in popularity of adventure racing and exotic tourism has increased the number of people exposed to unusual infections, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...

Collaboration Targets Three Oncogenic Viruses.
August 6, 2001... 2001 AUG 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genencor International, Inc. (GCOR) and Epimmune Inc. (EPMN) announced that the two companies have initiated a 30-month collaboration focused on the development of therapeutic vaccines for three...

Study Finds Prognosis Good But Long-Term Therapy Should Be Expected.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Autoimmune hepatitis, which primarily affects women, is difficult to treat, but remission can be achieved with long-term immunosuppressive therapies. ...

Longer Regimens Linked To Interferon Responsiveness In Dialysis Group.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Limited response to interferon alpha therapy has been observed in hemodialysis patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Now, however, a study performed in...

Malnutrition Predicts Survival In Liver Cirrhosis.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Scientists believe malnutrition is a predictive indicator for long-term outcomes in patients with liver cirrhosis, based on a study of more than 200...

Study Looks At Genomic Variability Of Hepatitis C In Patients Coinfected With HCV/HIV.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine has received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the U.S. National Institutes of Health to...

Interferon Alpha Suppresses Key Enzyme In HCV Patients.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Interferon (IFN) alpha, known to cause depressive symptoms in some patients, decreases serum levels of an important enzyme, new research has found. ...

Interferon Response Rate Lower In African-Americans, Genotype A Factor.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Interferon, minimally effective for treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients infected with a certain classification of the virus, is even more ineffective...

Ascorbic Acid Can't Prevent Interferon-Induced Retinopathy In HCV.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) cannot prevent the onset of interferon-induced retinopathy in patients being treated for chronic hepatitis C, doctors in Japan...

Researchers Say Illegal-Drug Users Should Not Be Denied Treatment For Hepatitis C.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- University of California, San Francisco, researchers are recommending that illicit-drug users should be eligible to receive treatment for the hepatitis C virus. The recommendation, published...

Promising Results From Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Leading researchers from around the world presented data on many aspects of the turnaround time, sensitivity, and specificity of the Chiron Procleix(TM) HIV-1/HCV Assay, for the detection of human...

First Tests To Detect Hepatitis C Virus RNA Approved.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Roche's qualitative Amplicor(R) hepatitis C virus (HCV) tests could bring more accurate identification of liver disease to the clinical setting. Roche Diagnostics Corporation announced that...

Toxin Exposure, Hepatitis B Are Primary Liver Cancer Factors In China.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Although exposure to aflatoxin and infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) are two major risk factors for primary liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma...

Most HCV Eliminated From Scopes With Glutaraldehyde.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A comparison between different concentrations of disinfectant shows manual cleaning and disinfecting with 3% glutaraldehyde is more effective for removing...

Factors For Multi-Organ System Failure After Liver Failure Vary.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Researchers in Germany have cataloged a list of factors that are significant causes of multi-organ system failure in pediatric patients following liver...

Mexico Approves Immune System Enhancer.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SciClone Pharmaceuticals (SCLN) announced that its immune system enhancer Zadaxin(R) has been approved for expanded indications in Mexico. Zadaxin may now be marketed for the treatment of hepatitis...

Long-Term Lamivudine Regimen Safe, Effective In Hepatitis B Patients.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Although long-term use of lamivudine therapy in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) may encourage the emergence of resistant viral mutants, the therapy...

FDA OKs Ribavirin Sold Separately.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis C patients will soon be able to buy a popular treatment separately instead of packaged with another drug. Schering-Plough Corp. (SGP) markets the top-selling treatment, Rebetron, a...

Interferon/Ribavirin Combination Therapy Effective In HIV Patients.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A clinical study has revealed that interferon/ribavirin combination therapy is more effective than interferon monotherapy at reducing hepatitis C viral load in HIV infected persons in the first 12...

Five-Year Follow-Up Of Hepatitis C Contamination Victims Reported.
August 13, 2001... 2001 AUG 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Between 1993 and 1994, 25 patients in the United Kingdom with severe immune system deficiencies were inadvertently infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV)...

Rise In Obesity Raises Concerns About Frequency, Progression Of NASH.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A Mayo Clinic study has raised concerns about the extent to which nonalcoholic steatohepatitis affects the liver, particularly in light of the rising...

Murine Model Produces Chance For More In-Depth Study Of HCV.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Mice bearing chimeric human livers should afford researchers more information about hepatitis C virus pathogenesis, according to the developers of a new...

HCV Patients In Drug Program Limit Alcohol, But Awareness Still Needed.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Individuals infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) may know they need to limit alcohol use but do not always do so, according to a survey of people...

Despite Needle-Exchange Program, HCV Prevalence Persists.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Epidemiologists in San Francisco, California, report needle exchange programs directed at injection drug users (IDUs) have proved fruitful in some aspects,...

Ribavirin OK For Dialysis Patients With Hepatitis C, But Close Monitoring Is Needed.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Ribavirin can be used in conjunction with interferon (IFN)-alpha to combat hepatitis C virus (HCV) in dialysis patients, but close patient monitoring for...

Hepatitis B X Protein Displays High Functional Significance In Nucleus.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A London, England, research group says the hepatitis B virus (HBV) X protein (HBx) can be identified in nuclear material as well as cytoplasm, and nuclear...

HBV Transmission Due To Transfusion Low In Japanese Study.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - In the late 1990s, before new blood donor screening procedures were adopted, blood transfusions were the cause of very few cases of hepatitis B virus...

Clinical Trial Of "Artificial Liver" Uses Albumin Dialysis In Treatment.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Adding albumin to a dialysis solution may help patients wake up faster from coma due to chronic liver failure, according to researchers at Northwestern University Medical School, Illinois. ...

Ultrasensitive Quantitative Test For HCV Hits Market.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Quest Diagnostics, Inc. (DGX) announced the availability of a new ultra-sensitive viral load test for hepatitis C virus (HCV) that is approximately 10 times more sensitive than any other...

Hepatitis C Outbreak Traced To Gynecological Surgery.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Four women in Italy appear to have contracted the hepatitis C virus (HCV) while undergoing gynecological surgical procedures in the same operating room on the same day in 1998. The cases,...

Intranasal Delivery Of Interferon Achieves Promising Blood Levels.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nastech Pharmaceutical Company, Inc. (NSTK) announced results from a Phase I pharmacokinetic, safety, and tolerance study in the United States demonstrating therapeutic blood levels of intranasally...

South Oregon Streams Contaminated With Bacteria Associated With Hepatitis Virus Infection.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- State health officials in Oregon are asking people to stay out of Ashland Creek and several other streams in southern Oregon because the water tested positive for high levels of Escherichia coli...

Hepatitis C Virus Primary Cause Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Egypt.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Researchers have identified hepatitis C virus (HCV) as the number one cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a form of primary liver cancer, in Egypt....

Vancouver, BC, At High Risk Of Hepatitis A Outbreak.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In Vancouver, British Columbia, recurrent outbreaks of hepatitis A virus (HAV) among injection drug users and men who have sex with men (MSM) have contributed to a HAV rate of up to three times the...

Recurrent HBV Lowers Survival In Asians.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The results of a U.S. study comparing survival and morbidity in Asian and white patients after hepatitis B virus (HBV) related liver transplantations...

Liver Disease Worse In Hepatitis C Virus Patients Who Smoke.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Smoking has long been associated with lung disease, heart disease, and cancer and with low birth weight and prematurity in the infants of pregnant women...

Immune System Enhancer Patented As Part Of Combination Therapy.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SciClone Pharmaceuticals (SCLN) announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for use of the company's lead drug, Zadaxin(R) plus lamivudine and famciclovir...

Phase Ib/II Study Of L-Nucleoside Initiated.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Achillion Pharmaceuticals announced it has begun a Phase Ib/II clinical study of the compound ACH-126,443 (beta-LFd4C), an L-nucleoside, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (HBV) infection....

Ribavirin Now Available For Use With Interferon Alfa-2b Recombinant.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Schering-Plough Corporation (SGP) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval to Rebetol(R) (ribavirin, USP) capsules as a separately marketed product...

HIV And Coinfected Patients Not Rejected As Often For Procedure.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- When Belynda's health maintenance organization rejected her request for a liver transplant because of her HIV infection, she felt like she had been slapped across the face. "I think it just...

Yellow Fever Vaccine May Have Caused Cases Of Severe Illness.
August 20, 2001... 2001 AUG 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A report from the U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says that the 17D-derived yellow fever vaccine may be responsible...