Hepatitis Weekly articles from July 2008

Hepatitis Weekly archives from July 2008

Stem cells from umbilical cord used in the treatment of hepatic diseases.
July 28, 2008... This release is available in Spanish. Scientists of the University of Granada, in collaboration with the University of Leon, have confirmed that stem cells from human umbilical cord blood can be an appropriate therapy for the treatment of...

Reports by Z. Zhang and co-researchers describe recent advances in acute hepatitis.(Report)
July 28, 2008... "Recent studies have shown that programmed death 1 (PD-1) expression can impair virus-specific CD8 T-cell responses during chronic viral infection, including hepatitis B virus (HBV). This study aimed to characterize the PD-1 expression during...

Research from University of Delhi in acute hepatitis provides new insights.
July 28, 2008... According to recent research published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, "Hepatitis E virus (HEV) has recently been implicated in episodes of acute decompensation in patients having underlying chronic liver disease (CLD) of...

Research from E. Ishibashi and colleagues provide new insights into alcoholism.
July 28, 2008... According to a study from Saga, Japan, "Abdominal obesity, a component of metabolic syndrome, is a major risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In recent worldwide definitions of metabolic syndrome, waist measurement has...

Studies from Y.L. Lin and colleagues provide new data on chronic hepatitis.
July 28, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Nephrology, "Study for influence of chronic hepatitis (CH) on anaemia in haemodialysis (HD) patients remains inconclusive. We aim to characterize the red cell status between CH and...

Reports summarize diarrhea research from S.D. Woodhouse and co-authors.
July 28, 2008... "We evaluated interferon (IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) as dual therapy and as part of triple-combination therapies with the iminosugars N-butyl-deoxynojirimycin (NB-DNJ), N-nonyl-deoxynojirimycin, and N-7-oxanonyl-6-deoxymethyl-galactonojirimycin....

Research from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital has provided new information about hepatitis B virus.(Report)
July 28, 2008... "Gallbladder (GB) polyps are tumor or tumor-like projections arising from GB mucosa. Although most polyps are benign, some early GB carcinomas present as polypoid lesions," scientists in Taiwan report (see also Hepatitis B Virus). "The...

Research from Oxford Outcomes Ltd. provides new data on hepatitis B virus.
July 28, 2008... "Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a condition that results in substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide because of progressive liver damage. Investigators undertaking economic evaluations of new therapeutic agents require estimates of...

Research from University of Hong Kong has provided new data on hepatitis B virus.
July 28, 2008... According to recent research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, "To document the prevalence and factors associated with severe fibrosis and cirrhosis in a large population of Asian chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients....

Research in the area of hepatitis B virus reported from M.E. Mendy and colleagues.(Report)
July 28, 2008... "Little is known about changes in hepatitis B viral load (HBV DNA) in relation to age in Africa. The aim of this study is to determine the natural course of HBV chronic infection, particularly in relation to sequential changes in serum HBV DNA...

Research on hepatitis B virus detailed by G.S. Kee and co-authors.(Report)
July 28, 2008... According to a study from London, the United Kingdom, "Virus-like particles (VLPs) are expressed intracellularly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the recovery process involves the use of a detergent, which facilitates the release of VLP from...

Study data from Fudan University update understanding of hepatitis B virus.
July 28, 2008... "The ethanol extract of Geranium carolinianum L., a domestic plant grown in China, was subjected to sequential extractions with different organic solvents. The extracts were assayed for anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) activities," scientists...

New findings from A. Escudero and co-researchers in the area of hepatitis C virus described.
July 28, 2008... According to recent research from Valencia, Spain, "We assessed whether the two regimens of pegylated alpha-interferon-2b (PEG-IFN-alpha 2b) plus ribavirin and pegylated alpha-interferon-2a (PEG-IFN-alpha 2a) plus ribavirin showed differences...

New findings from W.X. Chen and co-authors in the area of hepatitis C virus published.
July 28, 2008... "RNA silencing is a form of nucleic acid-based immunity against viruses in plants and invertebrate animals. Successful viral infection requires evasion or suppression of gene silencing," scientists in Chongqing, People's Republic of China...

New hepatitis C virus research from F. Hoffmann-LaRoche Ltd. described.
July 28, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "Specific inhibitors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication that target the NS3/4A protease (e.g., VX-950) or the NS5B polymerase (e.g., R1479/R1626, PSI-6130/R7128, NM107/NM283, and HCV-796) have...

New hepatitis C virus research from T. Bader and colleagues discussed.
July 28, 2008... "Hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection is the leading cause of death due to liver disease in the United States. Currently, pegylated interferon and ribavirin produce sustained viral remission in only 50% of patients," scientists in the United...

New hepatitis C virus research has been reported by V. Ho et al.
July 28, 2008... According to a study from Cairns, Australia, "We report the case of a 43-year-old man who developed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after receiving pegylated alpha-interferon and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C. He displayed 8 features of...

Reports from T.L. Tellinghuisen and co-researchers add new data to research in hepatitis C virus.
July 28, 2008... "Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a significant pathogen, infecting some 170 million people worldwide. Persistent virus infection often leads to cirrhosis and liver cancer," researchers in the United States report (see also Hepatitis C Virus). ...

Reports outline hepatitis C virus study findings from Army.(Clinical report)
July 28, 2008... According to recent research from the United States, "With optimal treatment regimens for hepatitis C still under investigation, novel agents that may improve sustained virologic response (SVR) are needed." "The targeting of host lipid...

Reports summarize hepatitis C virus research from K.K. Yan and co-authors.
July 28, 2008... In this recent report, researchers in Sydney, Australia conducted a study "To conduct a multicentre retrospective review of virological response rates in Asians infected with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) treated with combination...

Research from N. Nakamoto and co-authors reveals new findings on hepatitis C virus.(Report)
July 28, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "The immunoinhibitory receptor programmed death-1 (PD-1) is up-regulated on dysfunctional virus-specific CD8 T cells during chronic viral infections, and blockade of PD-1/PD-ligand (PD-L)...

Research on hepatitis C virus described by scientists at University of Nebraska.
July 28, 2008... "The proteasome is a major cellular proteinase. Its activity is modulated by cellular oxidants," researchers in the United States report (see also Hepatitis C Virus). "Hepatitis C core protein and ethanol exposure both cause enhanced...

Research results from University of Genoa update knowledge of hepatitis C virus.
July 28, 2008... "In our pilot study, we aimed to treat a group of HCV-infected HD patients with pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) alpha-2a, a new and potentially efficacious therapeutic possibility. We treated 10 consecutively enrolled chronic hepatitis C...

Studies from N. Vassilaki et al provide new data on hepatitis C virus.
July 28, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Virus Research, "The hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome possesses an open reading frame overlapping the core gene in the +1 frame (core+1 ORF). Initial Studies, mainly in rabbit reticulocyte...

Studies from University of Ljubljana provide new data on hepatitis C virus.(Clinical report)
July 28, 2008... According to a study from Ljubljana, Slovenia, " Several controversies exist regarding the relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and some cutaneous manifestations, lichen planus (LP) in particular. Objectives To determine the...

Study results from I.S. Elefsiniotis and colleagues broaden understanding of hepatitis C virus.(Report)
July 28, 2008... "The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of patient's age on the impact of typically proposed predictors of sustained virological response (SVR) in treatment-naive, high-pretreatment viral load (> 700.000 IU/ml), chronic hepatitis C...

Investigators at Christian Medical College, Medical College have published new data on hepatitis E virus.(Report)
July 28, 2008... "The data available on subacute hepatic failure due to hepatitis E virus is scarce. The aim of this study is to analyze the clinical spectrum and outcome of this condition," scientists writing in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology...

Recent findings from L.C. Faria and co-authors highlight research in hepatocellular cancer.
July 28, 2008... According to a study from Villejuif, France, "Hepatitis B virus (HBV) recurrence after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is significantly reduced by prophylaxis with hyperimmune antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) globulins...

Research from M.K. Miriti et al has provided new information about immunization.(Report)
July 28, 2008... "This study assessed the long-term economic implications of a national program to vaccinate all adults treated at sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in a single year. A model was developed to track the long-term disease outcomes and...

Researchers at University of Birmingham target immunization.
July 28, 2008... "Variation in response to vaccination, particularly in vulnerable groups, provides a strong rationale for developing vaccine adjuvants. If there were consistent diurnal variation in immune response, this could inform a simple intervention for...

New findings from P.C. Chen and co-researchers in the area of enzyme research described.
July 28, 2008... According to a study from the United States, "Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition is a recent, clinically validated therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. Small molecule HDAC inhibitors identified so far fall in to three distinct...

Studies from University of Paris add new findings in the area of malaria.
July 28, 2008... According to a study from Paris, France, "Invasion of hepatocytes by Plasmodium sporozoites is a prerequisite for establishment of a malaria infection, and thus represents an attractive target for anti-malarial interventions. Still, the...

Data on neutropenia discussed by M.G. Antonini and colleagues.
July 28, 2008... "Combination therapy with pegylated interferon (peginterferon) plus ribavirin is associated with several side effects, including neutropenia and infection. To evaluate the incidence of neutropenia and infection between all consecutive patients...

Investigators at North Carolina State University release new data on parvovirus.(Report)
July 28, 2008... According to recent research published in the journal Biotechnology Progress, "Virus contamination in human therapeutics is of growing concern as more therapeutic products from animal or human sources come into the market. All biopharmaceutical...

Research from University of Turin yields new data on vasculitis.
July 28, 2008... According to recent research from Turin, Italy, "HCV infection may be related to many extrahepatic manifestations including mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC). Clinical manifestations commonly associated to MC include arthralgia, purpura, vasculitis,...

Research from J. Qian and co-researchers in the area of chromatography described.
July 28, 2008... Scientists discuss in 'Development of a high performance size exclusion chromatography method to determine the stability of Human Serum Albumin in a lyophilized formulation of Interferon alfa-2b' new findings in chromatography. According to a...

Researchers at University of Coimbra have published new data on hepatitis B virus immunology.
July 28, 2008... A new study, 'Immune response by nasal delivery of hepatitis B surface antigen and codelivery of a CpG ODN in alginate coated chitosan nanoparticles,' is now available. "Alginate coated chitosan nanoparticles were previously developed with the...

Studies from Addenbrooke's Hospital, Department of Medicine yield new data on hepatitis B virus therapy.
July 28, 2008... Investigators publish new data in the report 'The case for combination antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B virus infection.' "The treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been revolutionised in the past decade by the increased...

Studies from Fudan University update current data on hepatitis B virus therapy.(Report)
July 28, 2008... Researchers detail in 'In vitro and in vivo anti-hepatitis B virus activities of a plant extract from Geranium carolinianum L,' new data in hepatitis B virus. "Natural products provide a large reservoir of potentially active agents with...

Research from Ege University yields new data on hepatitis B virus virology.(Report)
July 28, 2008... A report, 'Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and direct sequencing for determination of HBV genotypes in a Turkish population,' is newly published data in The New Microbiologica. According to recent research from Izmir, Turkey,...

Research reports from P. Menegazzi and co-authors provide new insights into hepatitis C virus.
July 28, 2008... Fresh data on hepatitis C virus are presented in the report 'Rapid and accurate quantification of different HCV genotypes by LightCycler Real Time PCR and direct sequencing of HCV amplicons.' According to a study from Lecce, Italy, "Follow-up...

Study findings on hepatitis C virus are outlined in reports from Yale University.(Clinical report)
July 28, 2008... New investigation results, 'Hepatitis C associated cardiomyopathy: potential pathogenic mechanisms and clinical implications,' are detailed in a study published in Medical Science Monitor. According to a study from the United States, "Hepatitis...

New immunization study results reported from Yale University.
July 28, 2008... Current study results from the report, 'Economic evaluation of delivering hepatitis B vaccine to injection drug users,' have been published. "Injection drug users (IDUs) are at high risk of hepatitis B (HBV) infection, and hepatitis B...

Scientists at University of Vermont publish new data on chronic hepatitis.
July 28, 2008... According to recent research published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, "Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic hepatitis of unknown etiology which can progress to cirrhosis. Its clinical manifestations are highly variable and...

New hepatitis study findings have been reported by scientists at Monash University.
July 28, 2008... According to recent research published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, "Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), initially known as chronic active or active chronic hepatitis (and by various other names), first came under clinical notice in the...

Research results from University of London, King's College update knowledge of hepatitis.
July 28, 2008... "The histological hallmark of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a dense portal mononuclear cell infiltrate that invades the surrounding parenchyma and comprises T and B lymphocytes, macrophages, and plasma cells. An unknown but powerful stimulus...

Study findings on hepatitis are outlined in reports from T. Hiramoto and colleagues.
July 28, 2008... "Although accumulating evidence has recently shown that the efferent vagus nerve attenuates systemic inflammation, it remains unclear whether or not the vagus nerve can affect Fas-induced liver apoptosis. We investigated the effect of the vagus...

Research from Londrina State University, Biological Sciences Center yields new findings on DNA research.(Report)
July 28, 2008... Research findings, 'Detection of TTV in peripheral blood cells from patients with altered ALT and AST levels,' are discussed in a new report. "This work analyzes the prevalence of TTV DNA in peripheral blood cells from patients with hepatic...

Research from Erlangen University, Nikolaus-Fiebiger Center for Molecular Medicine reveals new findings on hepatitis.
July 28, 2008... Data detailed in 'Activation-induced NKT cell hyporesponsiveness protects from alpha-galactosylceramide hepatitis and is independent of active transregulatory factors' have been presented. According to recent research from Germany, "NK T (NKT)...

Ener1 Earns Prestigious R&D 100 Award for Innovative Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Battery Technology.
July 28, 2008... Ener1, Inc. (AMEX:HEV), maker of advanced battery technology to power the next generation of hybrid and electric vehicles, announced that it has received the prestigious R&D 100 award for excellence in its technology and innovative design. The...

Raptor Pharmaceuticals Enters Collaboration Agreement with UC San Diego in Liver Disease.
July 28, 2008... Raptor Pharmaceuticals Corp. ("Raptor" or the "Company") (BULLETIN BOARD: RPTP) , announced the execution of a collaboration agreement (the "Agreement") with the University of California, San Diego ("UCSD") to include a Phase 2a clinical trial...

A Global & China Hybrid Electric Vehicle Industry Report, 2007-2008: Covering the Market Climate and Technology Development.(Report)
July 28, 2008... Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/f075a7/global_china_hyb) has announced the addition of the "Global & China Hybrid Electric Vehicle Industry Report, 2007-2008" report to their offering (see also Research and...

Excavated Jericho bones may help Israeli-Palestinian-German team combat tuberculosis.
July 28, 2008... Six-thousand year old bones excavated in Jericho may help a joint Israeli-Palestinian-German research group combat tuberculosis (see also The Hebrew University of Jerusalem). According to Prof. Mark Spigelman of the Kuvin Center for the...