Hepatitis Weekly articles from December 2001

Hepatitis Weekly archives from December 2001

Corticosteroids Appropriate For Hepatitis C-Autoimmune Hepatitis Overlap.
December 3, 2001... 2001 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Physicians who treat cases of hepatitis C-autoimmune hepatitis overlap can use steroids, but they should not expect viral eradication, a new study indicates....

Cytokines Join Race, Viral Genotype For Predicting Interferon Resistance.
December 3, 2001... 2001 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Scientists are now calling cytokines a significant determinant for whether or not a patient with chronic hepatitis C responds to interferon. Cytokines,...

Lactoferrin Fights Off Cell-Associated Hepatitis.
December 3, 2001... 2001 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A recombinant form of the human breast milk protein lactoferrin can combat phagocytic liver cells sensitized to produce hepatitis. Thus far, lactoferrin...

Chemical Exposure On List Of Job-Related Factors Causing Liver Cancer.
December 3, 2001... 2001 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Long-term exposure to two carcinogens, xylene and toluene, is on a list of occupational risk factors associated with the formation of primary liver cancer in...

Hepatitis A Epidemic Linked to Child Care Facilities.
December 3, 2001... 2001 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - U.S. government officials have concluded a hepatitis A outbreak that occurred in Arizona was linked to child care facilities. After studying an outbreak of...

Even With Additive, Non-PVC Bags Unsuitable For Storage.
December 3, 2001... 2001 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Blood products should continue to be stored in PVC bags despite the development of improved blood storage solutions, researchers in the United States say. ...

Physician Calls For Universal Hepatitis C Testing In Donations.
December 3, 2001... 2001 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In the hours and days following the September 11 tragedy, hundreds of thousands of Americans lined up at blood banks across the country to give the gift of life. But now thousands of first time donors...

Bio-Rad Test Selected For Nationwide Screening Program.
December 3, 2001... 2001 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will use the Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., bovine spongiform encephalopathy tests in a large-scale screening program. Japan will test all cattle destined for...

Schering-Plough Launches Peg-Intron And Rebetol Combination Therapy in U.S.
December 3, 2001... 2001 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Schering-Plough Corp. has launched combination therapy using Peg-Intron (peginterferon alfa-2b) powder for injection and Rebetol (ribavirin, USP) capsules for treating chronic hepatitis C. Rebetol...

Drug Demonstrates Improved Viral Loads And Liver Function.
December 3, 2001... 2001 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) has announced results from a large, multinational Phase III clinical trial (Study 437) which demonstrated that its investigational agent adefovir dipivoxil 10 mg...

Hepatitis E Recovered From Rats In Los Angeles.
December 3, 2001... 2001 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers from the National Institutes of Health have recovered a virus similar to the hepatitis E virus (HEV) from rats in Los Angeles, California, a finding that may explain high levels of HEV...

Metabasis Awarded SBIR Grant to Discover Novel Agents.
December 3, 2001... 2001 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Metabasis Therapeutics, Inc., has been awarded a $153,103 Phase I grant by the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The grant, titled "Adenosinergic Therapy for...

Chronic Viral Liver Disease Rising Among HIV-Infected Population.
December 10, 2001... 2001 DEC 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - An analysis of HIV cases in Madrid, Spain, has shown a steady rise in the number of patients admitted to the hospital because of chronic viral liver disease...

Ultraviolet B Exposure Has No Bearing On Hepatitis B Vaccine Effectiveness.
December 10, 2001... 2001 DEC 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Ultraviolet radiation exposure, known to suppress immune system response, does not affect the body's response to hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine. It does...

Ribozymes May Hold The Key For Treating Hepatitis B, Virus-Related Cancer.
December 10, 2001... 2001 DEC 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Gene therapy using catalytic forms of RNA, or ribozymes, may offer a way to treat patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections that are resistant to...

Smallpox Vaccinations May Cause High Rate In Older Pakistanis.
December 10, 2001... 2001 DEC 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Pakistan suspect that smallpox vaccinations administered in that country may be partly to blame for the high prevalence of hepatitis C virus...

Oral DNA Vaccines Depend On Macrophages For Hepatitis B Immune Response.
December 10, 2001... 2001 DEC 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Oral DNA vaccines against hepatitis B virus (HBV) depend on professional antigen-presenting cells in order to produce an immune response, investigators have...

Synergy Vaccines Reaches Milestone with SynerVax-HB Hepatitis Vaccine.
December 10, 2001... 2001 DEC 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study published in Vaccine is the first report of the successful use of an antigen that might enable development of simpler, less-expensive vaccines to prevent hepatitis B. The research, led by...

Researchers Identify New Gene Family Linked To Asthma.
December 10, 2001... 2001 DEC 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Asthma has a genetic basis, but the identification of genes that predispose individuals to asthma has proven difficult. In the December 2001 issue of Nature Immunology scientists have isolated a...

SciClone Reports Strong Third Quarter Sales Of Zadaxin.
December 10, 2001... 2001 DEC 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SciClone Pharmaceuticals (SCLN), reported that total revenues for the quarter ended September 30, 2001, from sales of Zadaxin, the company's immune system enhancer, were $3,580,000 compared with...

Infected University Workers Exposes Nearly 500 To Infection.
December 10, 2001... 2001 DEC 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Approximately 500 people who attended catered events at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in October 2001 may have been exposed to hepatitis A by a worker who has been diagnosed with the...

Effectiveness Of Drug Can Now Be Determined Sooner.
December 10, 2001... 2001 DEC 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients being treated for the hepatitis C virus - a blood-borne disease that attacks the liver - now can learn earlier than ever before if they are likely to benefit from an investigational drug...

New Data On Viramidine And Levovirin Presented.
December 10, 2001... 2001 DEC 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New preclinical research on Viramidine, a potential prodrug of ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C, suggests that it might be more effective with fewer side effects than ribavirin. Ribavirin...

Ribozyme Technology Targets Antiviral Treatment And Detection.
December 10, 2001... 2001 DEC 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ribozyme Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (RPI) announced that five papers were presented in the areas of hepatitis C and hepatitis B diagnosis and treatment at the AASLD (American Association for the Study of...

N-Linked Glycosylation Limits Immune Response To Hepatitis C.
December 17, 2001... 2001 DEC 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - For years, scientists have been driven to develop a vaccine for hepatitis C virus (HCV) but have failed. New information about viral N-linked glycosylation...

Lamivudine Suppresses Hepatitis B During Lymphoid Cancer Treatments.
December 17, 2001... 2001 DEC 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A recent study suggests lamivudine, effective for treating hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, represses viral reactivation in patients receiving therapy for...

Underlying Psychiatric Problems Undermine Hepatitis C Treatments.
December 17, 2001... 2001 DEC 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Due to its side effects, interferon is not the most well-tolerated drug in the world. However, underlying psychological problems can complicate treatment...

Trientine Dismantles Growth, Cuts Off Tumor Nourishment In Liver Cancer.
December 17, 2001... 2001 DEC 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A therapeutic alternative for Wilson disease could also benefit patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of primary liver cancer. Doctors in Japan...

Interferon Effective For Hepatitis C Patients With Low Platelet Counts.
December 17, 2001... 2001 DEC 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Doctors can employ the use of interferon therapy to treat patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related thrombocytopenia without risking adverse effects,...

Radiofrequency Energy Sizzles Tumors Without Surgery.
December 17, 2001... 2001 DEC 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Research conducted at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows that by using radiofrequency energy, doctors can now "cook" tumors without actually removing...

MultiCell Signs Collaborative Research Agreement With Pfizer.
December 17, 2001... 2001 DEC 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MultiCell Technologies, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Exten Industries, Inc., (EXTI) has signed a collaborative research agreement with Pfizer, Inc., (PFE). Specific terms were not disclosed. ...

Despite Efforts, Pediatric Hepatitis B Vaccine Rates Don't Meet Goals.
December 17, 2001... 2001 DEC 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Intensive efforts to attain a 90% hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine rate among children has fallen short, according to investigators at the U.S. Centers for...

Preliminary Results From Emtricitabine And Clevudine Trials Presented.
December 17, 2001... 2001 DEC 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (VIRS) reported on the antiviral activity and tolerability of Coviracil (emtricitabine) and clevudine (formerly L-FMAU), its two compounds being separately tested for...

Schering-Plough Announces Rebetol Approval In Japan.
December 17, 2001... 2001 DEC 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Schering-Plough K.K., Schering-Plough Corp.'s subsidiary in Japan, has received marketing approval from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) for Rebetol (ribavirin) capsules for use only in...

Chlorophyllin Shown To Decrease Risk Significantly.
December 17, 2001... 2001 DEC 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Taking chlorophyllin greatly reduces the levels of aflatoxin-DNA damage byproducts in the body, which are indicators of exposure to carcinogenic aflatoxins and increased risk of liver cancer. ...

Modified TheraSphere Treatment Beneficial For Inoperable Liver Cancer.
December 17, 2001... 2001 DEC 17 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cancer specialists at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center (GCC) report that TheraSphere, a new approach used to treat inoperable liver cancer, has resulted in a 38% success rate as...

No Relationship Between Sepsis, Hepatitis B Vaccine Researchers Report.
December 24, 2001... 2001 DEC 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Citing the results of a two and a half year investigation, research collaborators at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente...

Alcohol Consumption Exacerbates Hepatocyte Apoptosis In Chronic Hepatitis C.
December 24, 2001... 2001 DEC 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Hepatitis C virus stimulates Fas-mediated programmed cell death, apoptosis, in the liver cells of infected individuals, and alcohol consumption pushes...

Schistosoma Complicates Liver Disease In Chronic Hepatitis C.
December 24, 2001... 2001 DEC 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Even though liver disease is worse in patients with schistosomiasis and chronic hepatitis C, viral replication is reduced in those patients, according to a new...

Hepatitis E Rate High Among Pregnant Women In United Arab Emirates.
December 24, 2001... 2001 DEC 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Epidemiologists in Saudi Arabia say the rate of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is high among pregnant females living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ...

Cytokine Blocking Advances Angiogenesis, Progression In Murine Liver Cancer.
December 24, 2001... 2001 DEC 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A new study of liver cancer pathogenesis has shown angiogenesis and liver malignancy can be induced by blocking transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-(beta))...

HIV And Hepatitis Rates In The United Kingdom Published.
December 24, 2001... 2001 DEC 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Department of Health of the United Kingdom published the latest (2001) figures on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis prevalence in that country recently. The report estimates...

Kansas Health Officials Say Hepatitis Outbreak Is Over.
December 24, 2001... 2001 DEC 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Kansas state health officials say an outbreak of hepatitis A in the state is over although scattered cases may still be reported. Mike Heideman, spokesman for the Kansas Department of Health and...

Recall Of VAQTA Vaccines Issued.
December 24, 2001... 2001 DEC 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aventis Pasteur MSD is recalling the hepatitis A vaccines VAQTA Paediatric and VAQTA Adult launched originally in 1997 and 1998, respectively. VAQTA products are being withdrawn only because it is...

Chiron Grants Nonexclusive HCV License To Bristol-Myers Squibb.
December 24, 2001... 2001 DEC 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chiron Corp. has granted to Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. a nonexclusive license for the research, development, and commercialization of small molecule therapeutics against a broad spectrum of hepatitis C...

Genetic Mutations Lead To Microvascular Invasion In Hepatocellular Carcinoma.
December 24, 2001... 2001 DEC 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Scientists think mutations in a key gene that usually suppresses tumor growth is the reason behind tumor recurrences in patients with a form of primary liver...

1989 Nobel Laureate Harold Varmus Calls For Global Medical Research Corps.
December 24, 2001... 2001 DEC 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A Nobel medicine laureate has proposed the establishment of a Peace Corps-type international program for medical researchers, saying it would narrow the health care gap between rich and poor nations....

MultiCell Signs Agreement With Pfizer.
December 24, 2001... 2001 DEC 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MultiCell Technologies, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Exten Industries, Inc., (EXTI) has signed a collaborative research agreement with Pfizer, Inc. Specific terms were not disclosed. ...

Liver Stem Cell Program Prepares For Human Clinical Trials.
December 24, 2001... 2001 DEC 24 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Incara Pharmaceuticals Corporation has conducted a preinvestigational new drug (IND) meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding clinical studies of transplantation of a...