Hepatitis Weekly articles from December 2004

Hepatitis Weekly archives from December 2004

Hepatitis C infection encourages liver cancer recurrence after resection.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis C infection encourages liver cancer recurrence after resection. "Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is closely associated with chronic hepatitis B or C virus (HBV, HCV) infection. Tumor...

Accelerated hepatitis B vaccine schedules protect prisoners better.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Accelerated hepatitis B vaccine schedules protect prisoners better. According to published research from Denmark, "a randomized study of injecting drug users in a Danish prison comparing vaccination...

Drug selection has little impact on hepatitis C severity after liver grafts.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Drug selection has little impact on hepatitis C severity after liver grafts. According to a study from the United States, "hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced cirrhosis is the commonest indication for...

A new transfection protocol improves the study of hepatitis B virus mutants.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new transfection protocol improves the study of hepatitis B virus mutants. According to recent research from Australia, "high throughput studies of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication are limited...

Biopsies done a year after liver transplantation predict fibrosis progression.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biopsies done a year after liver transplantation predict fibrosis progression. "Determinants of progression to cirrhosis in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have been well described in the...

Rare cutaneous reactions arise following hepatitis B vaccine immunization.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Rare cutaneous reactions arise following hepatitis B vaccine immunization. According to researchers in Brazil, "we report two cases of adverse cutaneous reactions following hepatitis B vaccination....

Intracellular SAH removal may be therapeutic option in alcoholic liver disease.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Intracellular S-adenosylhomocysteine removal may be a therapeutic option in alcoholic liver disease. According to a study from the United States, "In alcoholic liver disease, tumor necrosis...

Immunization may have long-term effects on cognitive performance.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Immunization may have long-term effects on cognitive performance. According to recent research from Italy, "to investigate the possible influence of stimulation of the immune system on cognitive...

Computed tomography can identify HSV-related hepatitis in pregnant women.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Computed tomography can identify HSV-related hepatitis in pregnant women. According to published research from the United States, "fulminant hepatitis due to herpes simplex virus (HSV) is rare in...

Diagnostics products company announces reagent for common respiratory viruses.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nanogen, Inc., (NASDAQ:NGEN) announced that it is developing new analyte specific reagents (ASRs) for clinical reference laboratories to develop and validate a single test to detect six of the most...

Venesection improves bilirubin in a Dubin-Johnson syndrome and hepatitis C case.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Venesection improves bilirubin in a Dubin-Johnson syndrome and hepatitis C case. According to a study from Japan, "direct-type hyperbilirubinemia in Dubin-Johnson syndrome is due to the genetic...

Lipophilicity influences polyphenol interactions with CYP3A4.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Lipophilicity influences polyphenol interactions with CYP3A4. "Resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red wine, was recently suggested to act as an irreversible, mechanism-based inactivator of...

PinX1 may regulate telomere length in human hepatocellular carcinoma.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- PinX1 may regulate telomere length in human hepatocellular carcinoma. "PinX1 is located at 8p23, a region with frequent loss of heterozygosity in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). Overexpression of...

Immune-focused company announces Q3 net loss of $4M.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Dynavax Technologies Corp. (DVAX) reported financial results for the third quarter 2004. Dynavax reported a net loss of $4.0 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2004, or $0.16 share,...

Graft survival is lower in live donor liver transplant recipients.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Grafts survival is lower in live donor liver transplant recipients. According to published research from the United States, "live donor liver transplantation (LDLT) has become increasingly common in...

Data involving Combivir presented at recent meeting.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A significant number of abstracts that include Combivir (lamivudine 150 mg and zidovudine 300 mg) Tablets were presented at the 44th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in...

Positive results reported from phase I/II trial of ANA380 (LB80380).
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (ANDS) and LG Life Sciences, Ltd., (KOSPI: 68870) reported results from a recently completed phase I/II clinical trial of ANA380 (LB80380), an orally available compound for...

Data on HCV protease inhibitor drug candidates presented at AASLD meeting.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- InterMune, Inc., (ITMN) announced the presentation of preclinical data on the discovery and characterization of a number of potent and selective small molecule inhibitors of the hepatitis C (HCV) NS3/4...

Payment received from GlaxoSmithKline relating to HEV vaccine.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genelabs Technologies, Inc., (GNLB) has received a $750,000 payment from GlaxoSmithKline biologicals (GSK) based on a milestone relating to clinical trial results for GSK's investigational vaccine...

Pharmaceuticals advances to phase 1b trial for drug treatment of hepatitis C.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX) announced the initiation of a phase 1b clinical trial for VX-950, an investigational oral protease inhibitor for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV)...

Improved dose calculation method devised for yttrium-90 microspheres.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An improved dose calculation method has been developed for yttrium-90 microsphere treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. In a recent study, scientists in the United States "implemented a...

NO-mediated S-nitrosylation inhibits flavin-containing monooxygenase.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nitric oxide (NO)-mediated S-nitrosylation inhibits flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) activity. NO "modifies the functions of a variety of proteins containing cysteine thiols or...

Arsenic exposure increases the risk for liver cancer in females.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Arsenic exposure increases the risk for liver cancer in females. "Arsenic has been well documented as the major risk factor for development of blackfoot disease (BFD), a unique peripheral vascular...

Company presents new immunomodulatory research at liver disease conference.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Enzo Biochem, Inc., (ENZ), a biotechnology company, announced that its scientists presented five papers at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, including three...

Histopathologic findings of acute rejection after liver grafts can be wrong.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Histopathologic findings of acute rejection after liver grafts can be wrong. According to recent research published in the journal Liver Transplantation, "histopathologic assessment is considered...

Positive HIV status is not a strict contraindication for liver transplantation.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Positive HIV status is not a strict contraindication for liver transplantation. "Until recently, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was considered an absolute contraindication for liver...

Sirolimus is suited for patients given liver transplants due to liver cancer.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sirolimus is suited for patients given liver transplants due to liver cancer. "An increasing number of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are undergoing evaluation for listing for liver...

Hepatitis C virus infection elevates one's risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis C virus infection elevates one's risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. "Although a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients had been...

The Shc protein is involved in a continuum leading to liver cancer.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Shc protein is involved in a continuum leading to liver cancer. According to a study from Japan, "Shc protein is known to be related to cell proliferation and carcinogenesis. However, the...

Oncology-focused pharmaceutical names new heads of biologics, regulatory affairs.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (SPPI) has appointed Kolli Prasad, PhD, the former head of R&D for Shantha Biotechnics Pvt. Ltd., director of R&D, biologics. The company also appointed Paul Vilk,...

The N-terminal A domain of hepatitis B virus X protein is a negative regulator.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The N-terminal A domain of hepatitis B virus X protein is a negative regulator. According to recent research published in the journal Virus Research, "the X protein of hepatitis B virus or HBx is a...

Hepatitis C treatment receives new indication in Europe.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has approved Pegasys for the treatment of hepatitis C patients with persistently normal liver enzymes. The...

Functional liver cells developed from bone marrow-derived stem cells.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Functional liver cells have been developed from bone marrow-derived stem cells. According to published research from the United States, "Both stem cell plasticity and cell fusion have been...

Salvage liver transplants aid patients without proven residual liver cancer.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Salvage liver transplants aid patients without proven residual liver cancer. According to a study from Spain, "surgical resection and liver transplantation offer a 5-year survival greater than 70%...

Vectors expressing hepatitis C virus E1 proteins display antigenicity.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vectors expressing hepatitis C virus E1 proteins display antigenicity. "We have evaluated in C57[1316 and HLA-A2.1 transgenic mice the immunogenicity of three MVA vectors expressing either native...

Internal controls enhance the detection of waterborne enteric viruses.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Internal controls enhance the detection of waterborne enteric viruses. According to a study from the United States, "enteric viruses often contaminate water sources causing frequent outbreaks of...

Recurrent HCV does not worsen fibrosis in living donor liver graft recipients.
December 6, 2004... 2004 DEC 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Recurrent HCV does not worsen fibrosis in living donor liver graft recipients. "Hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurs in nearly all patients after liver transplantation. This recurrence is associated with...

Liver biopsies help manage chronic hepatitis C patients coinfected with HIV.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Liver biopsies help manage chronic hepatitis C patients coinfected with HIV. "We evaluated the role of liver biopsy in the management of chronic hepatitis C in HIV-infected persons. Patients...

Interleukin-2 receptor antibody mitigates diabetic onset in liver recipients.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Interleukin-2 receptor antibody mitigates diabetic onset in liver recipients. According to recent research from the Peoples Republic of China, "a prospective evaluation was performed to study the...

Dendritic cells retain stimulatory ability after becoming hepatitis B-infected.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Dendritic cells retain stimulatory ability after becoming hepatitis B-infected. According to recent research from Germany, "the antiviral T cell failure of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus...

Hepatitis delta virus reveals new HLA-A*0201-restricted CD8+ T-cell epitopes.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis delta virus reveals new HLA-A*0201-restricted CD8+ T-cell epitopes According to recent research published in the Journal of General Virology, "gepatitis delta virus (HDV) superinfection...

Histological criteria guide the diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Histological criteria guide the diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. "Thirty overweight patients with clinically characterized and biopsy proven non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) were...

Left portal vein umbilical regions stand in for blocked veins in liver grafts.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Left portal vein umbilical regions stand in for blocked veins in liver grafts. According to researchers in South Korea, "we considered performing living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in a...

The new pegylated interferons may have differential effects on viral kinetics.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The new pegylated interferons may have differential effects on viral kinetics. According to a report from England, "pegylated interferon therapy for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus...

Novel methods map RNA secondary structures in hepatitis C virus genome regions.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Novel methods map RNA secondary structures in hepatitis C virus genome regions. "There is accumulating evidence from bioinformatic studies that hepatitis C virus (HCV) possesses extensive RNA...

HIV-HCV coinfections worsen fibrosis progression more than HCV infection alone.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HIV-HCV coinfections worsen fibrosis progression more than HCV infection alone. "Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is frequent in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. It is known...

Alliance to fight one of China's most pressing health problems: hepatitis B.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation and the China Foundation for Hepatitis Prevention and Control (CFHPC) announced the results of a collaborative grassroots education and vaccination program designed to...

Cytochrome P450 isoforms involved in ethinylestradiol metabolism identified.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- P450 isoforms involved in the metabolism of 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE) have been identified. "The role of specific cytochrome P450 (P450) isoforms" in EE metabolism was evaluated in a recent...

Effects of uremic toxins on hepatic processing of erythromycin determined.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The effects of uremic toxins on hepatic processing of erythromycin (Ery) have been characterized. Hepatic clearance of Ery is "significantly reduced in patients with end stage renal disease,"...

Peroxisome proliferator exposure may alter retinoic acid metabolism.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Peroxisome proliferator (PP) exposure may disrupt retinoic acid metabolism. PPs "are a large class of structurally diverse chemicals that mediate their effects in the liver mainly through the...

Effects of amitraz on P450 and estrogen activity determined.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The effects of amitraz exposure on P450 and estrogen activity have been characterized in vitro and in vivo. In a recent study, toxicologists in Taiwan "investigated the ability of amitraz, a...

Nonprofits, P&G develop water purification system, to be launched in Haiti.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new water purification product developed by Procter & Gamble (P&G) is being launched in Haiti, where diarrhea is a major killer of children under 5, by an initiative funded by the Global Development...

Clobazam metabolism by cytochrome P450 enzymes characterized.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A pair of P450 enzymes play key roles in the metabolism of the anti-epilepsy drug clobazam (CLB). In a recent study from France, the "specific cytochrome P450 (P450) isoforms mediating the...

ECG outcomes were related to autonomic and motor functions, not heart functions.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A recent report described the outcome of exercise electrocardiography in familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy patients, Portuguese type, under evaluation for liver transplantation. According to...

Alcohol metabolism genotypes are not linked to liver disease-related mortality.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Alcohol metabolism genotypes are not linked to liver disease-related mortality. According to a study from Taiwan, "the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between alcohol...

The HBV large envelope protein can be controlled in a new human cell line.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The HBV large envelope protein can be controlled in a new human cell line. "During the life cycle of hepatitis B virus (HBV) the large L envelope protein plays a pivotal role that is related to its...

Eisai in-licenses antihepatitis B agent clevudine.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Eisai Co., Ltd., of Japan announced that the company has in-licensed an antihepatitis B agent from Bukwang Pharm in Seoul, South Korea. Under the agreement, Eisai will obtain the exclusive right to...

Etiology and diagnosis reviewed.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The etiology and diagnosis of the hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) have been reviewed. HPS "occurs when pulmonary microvacular dilatation causes hypoxemia in cirrhosis," scientists in the United...

Calcineurin inhibitors slow fibrosis progression after HCV-related liver grafts.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Calcineurin inhibitors slow fibrosis progression after HCV-related liver grafts. According to scientists in England, "development of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related disease following liver...

Niacin noncompetitively inhibits DGAT2 but not DGAT1.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Niacin noncompetitively inhibits DGAT2 - but not DGAT1 - activity. "Niacin is a widely used lipid-regulating agent in dyslipidemic patients," according to researchers in California, who previously...

Company presents liver cancer treatment at vascular targeting agents meeting.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biosphere Medical (BSMD) reported that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of primary liver cancer and is the fifth leading cancer killer in the world. HCC is most frequently...

Short-term weight loss would expand the pool of living liver transplant donors.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Short-term weight loss would expand the pool of living liver transplant donors. "Hepatic steatosis is often associated with overweight, so we tried body weight reduction in potential living donors...

Feeding schedule influences rhythm of acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Feeding schedule influences the rhythm of acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. In a recent study from Japan, the "influence of feeding schedule on the chronopharmacological aspects" of...

Glucuronidation of green tea catechins by rat microsomes characterized.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The glucuronidation of green tea catechins by rat microsomes has been characterized. "The flavonoids (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCg) and (-)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECg) are major components...

Bioavailable selenium not preferentially toxic to transformed hepatocytes.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bioavailable selenium is not preferentially toxic to transformed hepatocytes. "The essential trace element selenium is also toxic at low doses. Since supplementation of selenium is discussed as...

Positive anticardiolipin antibodies were not associated with inferior outcomes.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Significance of anticardiolipin antibodies on short and long term allograft survival and function following kidney transplantation "The significance of anticardiolipin antibodies (ACAs) prior to...

Researchers suggest review of Chile's approach to liver-transplant waiting lists.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers suggest review of Chile's approach to liver-transplant waiting lists. "Liver transplantation has become widely used for patients with decompensated disease. Because of the shortage of...

Age, season, and occupation are hepatitis A virus risk factors in Amman, Jordan.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Age, season, and occupation are hepatitis A virus risk factors in Amman, Jordan. "Hepatitis A virus (HAV) has emerged as an important public health problem in many countries of the Middle East...

RB/E2F activation modulates hepatitis C core protein-induced cell growth.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- RB/E2F activation modulates hepatitis C core protein-induced cell growth. According to published research from Germany, "hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein is a multifunctional protein that...

Influenza vaccination is not associated with liver transplant rejection.
December 13, 2004... 2004 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Influenza vaccination is not associated with liver transplant rejection. "Influenza vaccination has reduced life-threatening complications from influenza virus infection in adult liver transplant...

Interferon-induced depression is not associated with thyroid dysfunction.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Interferon-induced depression is not associated with thyroid dysfunction. According to recent research from the United States, "the most effective treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) is...

A novel assay monitors hepatitis C patients for blood ribavirin levels.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel assay monitors hepatitis C patients for blood ribavirin levels. According to a study from Japan, "ribavirin-induced hemolytic anemia is one cause for cessation of combination therapy with...

Ondansetron ameliorates fatigue in patients with chronic liver disease.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ondansetron ameliorates fatigue in patients with chronic liver disease. According to recent research published in the journal Metabolic Brain Disease, "fatigue is common and can be profound in...

Patients coinfected with viral hepatitis and AIDS require extra antioxidants.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients coinfected with viral hepatitis and AIDS require extra antioxidants. "Dominant types of viral hepatitis are presently A, B, and C with prophylactic immunization available only for A and B....

Hepatitis C virus infections may cause mild neurocognitive impairment.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis C virus infections may cause mild neurocognitive impairment. "Hepatic encephalopathy is the most obvious neurological consequence of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. There are...

Viramidine is a prodrug and catabolic inhibitor of ribavirin.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Viramidine is a prodrug and catabolic inhibitor of ribavirin. "An investigational nucleoside analogue drug, viramidine, has recently emerged as a potentially safer alternative to ribavirin for the...

A 7-deaza-adenosine analog strongly inhibits hepatitis C virus replication.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A 7-deaza-adenosine analog strongly inhibits hepatitis C virus replication. "Improved treatments for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are needed due to the suboptimal response rates and...

A nucleotide binding motif of hepatitis C virus NS4B regulates replication.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A nucleotide binding motif of hepatitis C virus NS4B regulates replication. According to a study from the United States, "hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of viral hepatitis. There is no...

Interferon-alpha 2b has no impact on hearing in chronic hepatitis B patients.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Interferon-alpha 2b has no impact on hearing in chronic hepatitis B patients. "The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of interferon-alpha2b treatment on hearing in patients...

Scientist investigate the role of innervation in sinusoidal diameter regulation.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers from Japan have investigated the role of innervation in the regulation of the diameter of sinusoidal epithelial cells. "In the livers of humans, cats, guinea pigs, and tupaia, nerve...

Clinical trial results of oral hepatitis C RNA polymerase inhibitor released.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (NASDAQ:RIGL) announced the results from its phase I/II clinical study of R803, a novel oral hepatitis C RNA polymerase inhibitor. The two-center, double-blind,...

Study to examine efficacy of hepatitis C treatment in Latinos announced.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Roche announced that the company will conduct the largest study to date comparing hepatitis C treatment response rates in Latinos and Non-Latino Caucasians with Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a) plus...

DSMB review of phase II data for HepeX-B finished.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (CBST) and XTL Biopharmaceuticals, Ltd., (XTL) announced the completion of the first scheduled review by an independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) of the...

U.S. FDA grants orphan drug status to I.V. Terlipressin.
December 20, 2004... 2004 DEC 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ESP Pharma, Inc., announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to I.V. Terlipressin for the treatment of Type 1 hepatorenal syndrome (HRS), providing 7...