Hepatitis Weekly articles from May 2003

Hepatitis Weekly archives from May 2003

Transdermal gene delivery eradicates tumors expressing hepatitis C proteins.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer-A series of research experiments has demonstrated that hepatitis C virus (HCV) DNA vaccine can suppress tumor growth. The vaccine, developed by researchers at...

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy could replace the use of HCV-related biopsy.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer-Phosphorus 31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) can differentiate mild from moderate liver disease in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). It...

Roadblocks to tumor vaccines could be overcome with interleukin-2.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Roadblocks to tumor vaccines could be overcome with interleukin-2. "Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), found at the site of most tumors, has been recognized as one of the mechanisms...

The choice to continue therapy for chronic hepatitis C can be made in 12 weeks.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The choice to continue therapy for chronic hepatitis C can be made in 12 weeks. "The complications of chronic hepatitis C, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, are expected to increase...

Core-envelope 1-based assays can quickly distinguish hepatitis C virus subtypes.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Core-envelope 1-based assays can quickly distinguish hepatitis C virus subtypes. According to a study from Denmark, "a reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) assay using conserved primers deduced from...

The Hungarian population is host to several different TT virus genotypes.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Hungarian population is host to several different TT virus genotypes. According to recent research published in the journal FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology, "the majority of the viral...

Soluble ICAM-I correlates with response to retreatment for hepatitis C virus.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Soluble ICAM-I correlates with response to retreatment for hepatitis C virus. "At present two of the most relevant problems of the therapy of HCV-related chronic active hepatitis are the retreatment...

Helicobacter pylori infection may affect cytochrome-linked liver activity.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Helicobacter pylori infection may affect cytochrome-linked liver activity. "Helicobacter pylori gastric infection has been associated with various digestive and extradigestive diseases. In liver...

RNA analysis enables the detection of hepatitis A virus in oysters.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- RNA analysis enables the detection of hepatitis A virus in oysters. "Shellfish are readily contaminated with viruses present in water containing sewage because of the concentration effect of filter...

Knowledge of factors behind hepatitis C virus in veterans improves screening.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Knowledge of factors behind hepatitis C virus in veterans improves screening. According to a study from the United States, "a cross-sectional, seroepidemiological study was conducted to determine...

Positive hepatitis C, hepatitis B treatment results released.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., presented positive preclinical results of NM283, its hepatitis C virus (HCV) clinical drug candidate, at the 11th International Symposium on Viral Hepatitis & Liver Disease...

Hepatitis C virus RNA stability in plasma relies on storage temperatures.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis C virus RNA stability in plasma relies on storage temperatures. "One important issue related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) is the storage...

Cytokine polymorphisms modulate UVB-induced immune responses to HBV vaccine.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cytokine polymorphisms play a role in susceptibility to ultraviolet B-induced modulation of immune responses after hepatitis B vaccination. "UVB exposure can alter immune responses in experimental...

Pegasys doubles the efficacy in CHB versus conventional interferon.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Study results presented at the 11th International Symposium on Viral Hepatitis and Liver Disease, Sydney, Australia, demonstrate that Pegasys, a new-generation hepatitis C therapy, more than doubled the...

Nested PCR assay validated for the detection of hepatitis C virus.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A nested PCR assay has been validated for the detection of hepatitis C virus. "An analysis of the performance characteristics of the UMELOSA HCV CUALITATIVO assay for the detection of hepatitis C...

Inhibitor-binding site location interferes with hepatitis C virus polymerase.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Inhibitor-binding site location interferes with hepatitis C virus polymerase. "X-ray crystal structures of two non-nucleoside analogue inhibitors bound to hepatitis C virus NS5B RNA-dependent RNA...

Hemoglobinuria may be an adverse effect of ribavirin treatment.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hemmoglobinuria may be an adverse effect of ribavirin treatment. "Chronic hepatitis C virus is a major worldwide cause of hepatitis, cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and hepatocellular...

CpG enhances antibody response against hepatitis C virus core protein.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CpG immuno-stimulatory motifs enhanced the humoral, but not the cellular, immune responses against hepatitis C virus core protein after DNA-based immunization. According to published research from...

FDA grants priority review to Rebetol.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Schering-Plough Corp. (SGP) reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 6-month priority review status to its new drug application (NDA) for Rebetol (ribavirin, USP) Oral...

New research establishes genetic associations.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis C virus (HCV), as a major agent of non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANBH), has been described as an insidious disease and a silent epidemic, mainly because the infection is often subclinical. Acute...

Antisense oligonucleotides against aldehyde dehydrogenase suppress liver cancer.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Antisense oligonucleotides against aldehyde dehydrogenase suppress liver cancer. According to a study from Italy, "the increased activity of enzymes that eliminate antitumor drugs or their...

NS-398 defeats liver cancer by inhibiting COX-2.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NS-398 defeats liver cancer by inhibiting COX-2. "Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a growing human health problem worldwide. Limited treatment and poor prognosis of this disease emphasize the...

FDA licenses granted for new hepatitis B tests.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., (BIO; BIO.B) announced that two of its test kits used for the screening and confirmation of the hepatitis B virus have been approved by the United States Food and Drug...

Hepatitis B assay released.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Diagnostics Division of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a member of the Bayer Group (BAY) announced the availability of four fully automated hepatitis B assays: Anti-HBs, HBc Total, HBcIgM, and HBsAg, on its...

Hepatitis B and C viruses generate differential apoptosis signals.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis B and C viruses generate differential apoptosis signals. "Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) appears to be strongly associated with apoptosis and its breakdown may be involved in the...

Hepatitis infections may disable repair genes by promoter hypermethylation.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis infections may disable repair genes by promoter hypermethylation. According to a study from Japan, "inactivations of DNA repair genes, O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and...

Optimism or pessimism relate to quality-of-life issues for hepatitis patients.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Optimism or pessimism relate to quality-of-life issues for hepatitis patients. "One hundred and twenty three outpatients with compensated chronic hepatitis C (CHC) completed the SF-36, BSI, and...

The nuclear orphan receptor TR4 suppresses hepatitis B virus core promoter.
May 5, 2003... 2003 MAY 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The nuclear orphan receptor TR4 suppresses hepatitis B virus core promoter. According to published research from the United States, "the TR4 orphan receptor is a member of the nuclear receptor...

Infection persists after clinical recovery in acute self-limited hepatitis B.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) often persists in the liver long after clinical recovery becomes apparent in patients with acute self-limited infections,...

Triple therapy regimens containing amantadine offer hope for HCV nonresponders.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Therapeutic regimens that add amantadine to conventional combination interferon and ribavirin therapy may be valuable for treating chronic hepatitis C...

Combination therapy yields a better response in patients with HCV genotype 6.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Combination therapy yields a better response in patients with HCV genotype 6. "Because there is a lack of data on the treatment outcome of patients who carry hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 6, we...

TMA-HPA assay is a convenient way to determine HBV recurrence after surgery.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- TMA-HPA assay is a convenient way to determine HBV recurrence after surgery. "We examined the usefulness of a transcription-mediated amplification and hybridization protection assay (TMA-HPA) for...

Chlorophyllin prevents the toxic effects of aflatoxin exposure on the liver.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chlorophyllin prevents the toxic effects of aflatoxin exposure on the liver. "Because of the multiplicative interaction between dietary aflatoxins and hepatitis B virus infection in the etiology of...

Mannan-binding lectin doesn't correlate with vulnerability to hepatitis C virus.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mannan-binding lectin doesn't correlate with vulnerability with hepatitis C virus. "Japanese patients with chronic hepatitis C infection unresponsive to treatment with interferon possessed...

Antibodies in children correlate with major forms of autoimmune liver disease.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Antibodies in children correlate with major forms of autoimmune liver disease. "Antibodies against soluble liver antigen/liver-pancreas (SLA/LP) have been associated with severe autoimmune...

Autoimmune hepatitis patients have more antibody to p53 protein than usual.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Autoimmune hepatitis patients have more antibody to p53 protein than usual. "The target antigens of anti-nuclear autoantibodies in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) are poorly characterized. Since...

The list of extrahepatic manifestations of hepatitis C infection is extensive.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The list of extrahepatic manifestations of hepatitis C infection is extensive. According to recent research published in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences, "hepatitis C virus (HCV)...

A ubiquitin-like protein may regulate hepatitis C virus replication.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A ubiquitin-like protein may regulate hepatitis C virus replication. According to recent research from the United States, "to identify potential cellular regulators of hepatitis C virus (HCV)...

S-adenosylmethionine modulates proteins involved in steatohepatitis.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- S-adenosylmethionine modulates proteins involved in steatohepatitis. According to a study from Spain, "recent work shows that S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) helps maintain normal liver function as...

Preadolescent hepatitis B vaccination program successful in Canada.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The universal preadolescent vaccination program against hepatitis B appears successful in providing prenatal protection in British Columbian women. "Countries with a low risk of hepatitis B (HB)...

The genotypes of HCV NS3 ATPases/helicases exhibit a variety of properties.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The genotypes of HCV NS3 ATPases/helicases exhibit a variety of properties. According to a study from the United States, "the NS3 ATPase/helicase was isolated and characterized from three different...

Hepatitis virus persistence found.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists at two Texas universities have discovered how hepatitis C virus thwarts immune system efforts to eliminate it. The finding, published online in ScienceExpress, could lead to more...

High-dose interferon-alpha reduces fibrogenesis markers in chronic hepatitis C.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- High-dose interferon-alpha reduces fibrogenesis markers in chronic hepatitis C. "We examined the levels of serum N-terminal peptide of type III procollagen (P-III-NP) and the 7S domain of type IV...

High rates of mitochondrial DNA mutations preface hepatocellular carcinoma.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- High rates of mitochondrial DNA mutations preface hepatocellular carcinoma. "The relationship between the multicentric occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the frequency of mutation of...

Transglutaminase type II protects liver tissues from injury.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Transglutaminase type II protects liver tissues from injury. According to a study from Italy, "the up-regulation of tissue transglutaminase (TG2) gene has been shown to occur in various...

Gold salt therapy may cause acute cholestatic hepatitis and ductopenia.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gold salt therapy may cause acute cholestatic hepatitis and ductopenia. "Hepatotoxicity, predominantly cholestatic, is a rare adverse effect of gold salt therapy, which usually completely resolves...

Interleukin-1 generates local chemokine production in liver cancer cells.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Interleukin-1 generates local chemokine production in liver cancer cells. "Hepatoma cell lines can produce a massive amount of chemokines in response to various stimuli including hepatitis viruses...

A natural peptide binds to hepatitis C virus and prevents infection.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A natural peptide binds to hepatitis C virus and prevents infection. "Bovine and human lactoferrins (LF) prevent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in cultured human hepatocytes; the preventive...

Therapeutic vaccines firm raises UKP15 million in international funding round.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Oxxon Pharmaccines Ltd., a biotechnology company developing innovative immunotherapeutics, specifically therapeutic vaccines (pharmaccines), has raised UKP15 million pounds ($23 million) in a private...

Hepatitis C virus RNA replication tends to take place on lipid raft membranes.
May 12, 2003... 2003 MAY 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hepatitis C virus RNA replication tends to take place on lipid raft membranes. "The mechanism and machinery of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA replication are still poorly understood. In this study, we...

The antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects of thioredoxin prevent liver injury.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Research performed in animal models of acute hepatitis shows that thioredoxin overexpression prevents liver injury. "Thioredoxin (Trx) is a small...

Being hepatitis C virus genotype 3 favors liver transplant recipients.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A new study of outcome predictors among hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected liver transplant recipients in New Zealand and Australia indicates that those infected...

RNA aptamers inhibit HCV serine protease in living cells.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- RNA aptamers inhibit HCV serine protease in living cells. "Hepatitis C virus is one of the causative agents of non-A non-B hepatitis. Since one of the viral proteins, NS3, has serine protease...

Gene analysis fails to identify prominent mutations in neonatal hemochromatosis.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gene analysis fails to identify prominent mutations in neonatal hemochromatosis. "Juvenile hemochromatosis (JH) is an autosomal recessive disease causing iron overload before age 30 in both sexes....

Interferon prevents hepatitis C virus-linked glomerulonephritis in allografts.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- "The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of pretransplant interferon administration on the occurrence of post-transplant de novo glomerulonephritis in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive renal...

T cells in autoimmune hepatitis have individual and common recognition sites.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- T cells in autoimmune hepatitis have individual and common recognition sites. "Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is characterized by dense T-cell infiltrations in the liver tissue, but little is known how...

HBV drug resistance in HIV-HBV infected patients calls for close monitoring.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Australian researchers have found a drug-resistant strain of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in a number of hepatitis B and HIV coinfected patients treated with the antiviral agent lamivudine. The...

HCV seroprevalence compared among newly incarcerated Texas inmates.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- University of Texas researchers determined the seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among a sample of newly incarcerated inmates in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison...

Newer medicines enable more patients to seek HBV-related liver transplantations.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Newer medicines enable more patients to seek HBV-related liver transplantations. "Post-transplant prophylaxis with hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) has significantly reduced hepatitis B virus...

Researchers discover method of predicting drug resistance.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered a way to predict which hepatitis B-infected patients will respond successfully to the drug lamivudine - one of the most commonly used...

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis could some day be the leading cause of cirrhosis.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis could some day be the leading cause of cirrhosis. According to recent research published in the journal Presse Medicale, "from steatosis to cirrhosis obesity is...

A DNA chip has clinical applications in the analysis of liver diseases.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A DNA chip has clinical applications in the analysis of liver diseases. "DNA chips can be used for many different purposes, most prominently to measure levels of gene expression for tens of...

Malignant liver tumors could be targeted via an angiogenic switch.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Malignant liver tumors could be targeted via an angiogenic switch. According to recent research published in the Journal of Gastroenterology, "in vivo progression to malignancy is characterized by...

ALT is an inadequate marker for therapy efficacy in transplant patients.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ALT is an inadequate marker for therapy efficacy in transplant patients. "Hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence is a serious problem after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). The role of ribavirin...

A new polymerase chain reaction method enhances hepatitis B virus analysis.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new polymerase chain reaction method enhances hepatitis B virus analysis. According to recent research from People's Republic of China, "Hepatitis B virus (HBV) can be present in the circulating...

Host cell factors participate in hepadnavirus reverse transcriptase function.
May 19, 2003... 2003 MAY 19 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Host cell factors participate in hepadnavirus reverse transcriptase function. "The reverse transcriptase (RT) encoded by hepadnaviruses (hepatitis B viruses) is a multifunctional protein critical...

Vertically transmitted hepatitis C virus infection generates mild liver disease.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Infants who perinatally acquire hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection from their mothers usually have chronic progression but mild liver disease. Perinatal...

T cell ratios predict how children with chronic hepatitis B respond to therapy.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Scientists have learned that decreased CD4+/CD8+ lymphocyte ratios predict how children infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) respond to interferon alpha and...

HLA class II alleles influence the natural history of hepatitis C virus illness.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HLA class II alleles influence the natural history of hepatitis C virus illness. According to recent research published in the journal Tissue Antigens, "hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes various...

Elevated alpha-fetoprotein is a benign familial condition in some people.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Elevated alpha-fetoprotein is a benign familial condition in some people. According to a study from Spain, "the serum level of alpha-fetoprotein in normal adults is lower than 10 ng/ml. High levels...

Osteopontin is a biomarker and therapeutic target for HBV-related liver cancer.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Osteopontin is a biomarker and therapeutic target for HBV-related liver cancer. "Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and aggressive human malignancies. Its high mortality rate...

RNA interference inhibits hepatitis B virus replication and expression.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- RNA interference inhibits hepatitis B virus replication and expression. "RNA interference (RNAi) is the process of sequence-specific gene silencing, initiated by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that is...

Liver transplantation is okay for coma patients with fulminant liver disease.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Liver transplantation is okay for coma patients with fulminant liver disease. According to recent research from Japan, "in Japan, living donor liver transplantation has been established as a...

The efficacy of purine-6 substituents against different viruses is variable.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The efficacy of purine-6 substituents against different viruses is variable. "A series of 13 new (S,Z)-2-aminopurine methylenecyclopropane analogues was synthesized, and their antiviral activity...

A new histology activity index provides a clearer view of liver disease.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new histology activity index provides a clearer view of liver disease. "A histology activity index has been developed which generates a numerical score for liver biopsy specimens obtained from...

Angiogenic activation in inflamed liver is linked to hepatocyte growth factor.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - High levels of hepatocyte growth factor can be detected in the inflamed portal tracts of patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C. Researchers in Spain...

CTLA4 polymorphisms associate with sustained response to combination therapy.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CTLA4 polymorphisms associate with sustained response to combination therapy. According to recent research published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, "cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA4)...

Testing, referral, and treatment patterns examined in U.S. veterans.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pittsburgh Healthcare Systems Veterans Affairs specialists conducted a study in which they "examined testing, referral, and treatment of patients with hepatitis C among HIV infected patients in the...

Presence of cytochrome P450 2E1 gene polymorphism may increase susceptibility.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Most antituberculosis drug-induced hepatitis cases are attributed to isoniazid, but now gastroenterologists in Taiwan say a cytochrome P450 2E1 gene polymorphism may increase susceptibility to the...

Patients with non-alcoholic steatosis may be viable candidates for transplant.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients with non-alcoholic steatosis may be viable candidates for transplant. "Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a clinicopathological condition that comprises a wide spectrum of liver damage,...

Pharmaceutical company inks $46M financing agreement for clinical candidates.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., (RIGL) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of $46 million of newly issued shares of common stock and warrants to purchase common stock in...

Product sales increased 115% for Actimmune maker; clinical updated provided.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- InterMune, Inc., (ITMN) announced results from operations for the first quarter ended March 31, 2003. For the first quarter of 2003, InterMune recorded total product sales of $40.4 million,...

Hepatitis B seroprevalence lower than expected in children in Turkey.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The seroprevalence of hepatitis B was lower than expected in a population of children in East Turkey. According to recent research published in the journal Public Health, "The hepatitis B virus...

Advancement in clinical testing of Hepavir B announced.
May 26, 2003... 2003 MAY 26 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ribapharm, Inc., (RNA) announced that it has begun clinical testing of the compound Hepavir B in patients with the hepatitis B virus. The company continues to enroll patients in the phase I study....