Hepatitis Weekly articles from October 2001

Hepatitis Weekly archives from October 2001

Vector Prevents Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Animal Model.
October 1, 2001... 2001 OCT 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - One of the most common forms of cancer in the world could some day be prevented with the use of gene therapy. Hepatocellular carcinoma, a common form...

High-Dose, Short-Interval Hep B Vaccine Works In Liver Disease Patients.
October 1, 2001... 2001 OCT 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A higher dose, shorter interval hepatitis B vaccine regimen is effective for protecting patients with chronic liver disease who have yet to be affected by...

Report Describes Nature Of Hepatitis B, C, and D Coinfections.
October 1, 2001... 2001 OCT 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Genomic factors don't seem to affect viral replication in patients coinfected with hepatitis B, C, and D viruses, researchers in Spain report. However,...

Medical Injections A Primary Source Of Hepatitis C In Taiwan Cities.
October 1, 2001... 2001 OCT 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A series of epidemiological investigations of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in several townships in Taiwan has revealed medical injections are a primary...

Spleen Enlargement Can Follow Liver Surgery.
October 1, 2001... 2001 OCT 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Patients who have been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis may be at a slightly higher risk for spleen enlargement (splenomegaly) and hypersplenism...

Vector Prevents Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Animal Model.
October 1, 2001... 2001 OCT 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - One of the most common forms of cancer in the world could some day be prevented with the use of gene therapy. Hepatocellular carcinoma, a common form of...

HBV Immunization Before Or At Cancer Diagnosis Protects Children Best.
October 1, 2001... 2001 OCT 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The optimal way to protect pediatric cancer patients against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections is to ensure vaccination at an early age, or failing that, to...

Generic HCV Drug In The Pipeline.
October 1, 2001... 2001 OCT 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a Pittsburgh-based, privately owned company, has filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for permission to market the...

European Union Grants Ribavirin Patent To ICN Pharmaceuticals.
October 1, 2001... 2001 OCT 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The European Union has granted ICN Pharmaceuticals (ICN) a new patent covering the manufacture of the drug ribavirin for medical treatment of three families of viruses, including the virus responsible...

Medicare Decides To Cover Liver Transplants.
October 1, 2001... 2001 OCT 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Surgeons from the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Pennsylvania, are calling the federal government's decision to expand Medicare...

Family Exposure To Hepatitis B Yields Faster Vaccine Immunity.
October 8, 2001... 2001 OCT 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Somehow, exposure to family members with chronic hepatitis B increases the rate at which other family members become immune to the virus after vaccination,...

Blood Donors Who Appear Healthy Could Still Transmit Hepatitis B.
October 8, 2001... 2001 OCT 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Some healthy blood donors who have serum antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) but who are hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) free should be...

Hepatitis C A Major Cause Of Cancers In Italian Population.
October 8, 2001... 2001 OCT 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Although hepatitis C virus is a well-known cause of liver cancer, researchers in Italy have also linked it to several other types of cancer, particularly of...

Hepatitis C, HIV Make Interesting Combination.
October 8, 2001... 2001 OCT 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HIV infection could play a role in making the hepatitis C virus a sexually transmissible disease. This is just one of the possible interactions that could be taking place between these two...

Medical Treatment A Major Factor For Female HCV In Equatorial Africa.
October 8, 2001... 2001 OCT 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Blood transfusions and injections may be the major cause of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among female commercial sex workers and pregnant females in...

FDA Approves First Nucleic Acid Test For HIV and Hepatitis C.
October 8, 2001... 2001 OCT 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Food and Drug Administration has licensed the first nucleic acid test (NAT) systems intended for screening of plasma donors. These test systems are expected to further ensure the safety of...

HIV Patients Coinfected With HGV Show Increased Survival.
October 8, 2001... 2001 OCT 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genelabs Technologies, Inc. said that two recently published reports show patients infected with both the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and GB virus C (GBV-C, also known as hepatitis G virus or...

Novel Hepatitis C Drug Target Discovered.
October 8, 2001... 2001 OCT 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Myriad Genetics, Inc. has discovered a novel drug target for the treatment of human infection by the hepatitis C virus (HCV), and has initiated high-throughput screening with its ProTrap drug...

Mesquitoes Are Not Likely Vector For Virus.
October 8, 2001... 2001 OCT 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Contrary to previous reports, mosquitoes may not be able to transmit the hepatitis C virus (HCV), say researchers from two universities in Taiwan. They report their findings in the September 2001...

New Treatment Regimen For Hepatitis C Tops Older One.
October 8, 2001... 2001 OCT 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The current standard initial therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C is interferon alfa-2b in combination with ribavirin; this has been shown to be effective in around 40% of patients with...

Metabasis Therapeutics Awarded SBIR Grant To Discover Liver Targeted Hepatitis B Prodrugs.
October 8, 2001... 2001 OCT 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Metabasis Therapeutics Inc. has been awarded a $156,115 Phase I grant by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to support the synthesis and characterization of novel...

Steroid-Free Therapy After Liver Transplant Lowers Complication Rates.
October 8, 2001... 2001 OCT 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Compared with steroid therapy, the use of rabbit antithymocyte globulin (RATG) induction after human liver transplantation lowers the risk for developing...

Routine Hepatitis A Vaccine Programs Needed For At-Risk Populations.
October 15, 2001... 2001 OCT 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - An evaluation of several population groups in Vancouver, Canada shows some groups need to be targeted for routine hepatitis A virus (HAV) vaccine programs. ...

TTV Reinfection In Hemophiliacs Supports Transfusion Role In Transmission.
October 15, 2001... 2001 OCT 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Research shows the TT virus, once believed to cause viral hepatitis, often reinfects patients with hemophilia who receive frequent blood transfusions. At...

New Chicken Virus Resembles Hepatitis E Virus In Humans.
October 15, 2001... 2001 OCT 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - U.S. researchers have identified in North America a new chicken virus that resembles human hepatitis E virus (HEV). The researchers say a new virus has...

Hepatitis B Influences Outcomes After Renal Transplants.
October 15, 2001... 2001 OCT 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Hepatitis infection is a major concern after transplantation, not only in liver transplant recipients, but also in those who receive renal transplants. New...

Oral Piercings Gaining Popularity.
October 15, 2001... 2001 OCT 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- From the chin to the cheeks, tongue and everything in between, millions of young people are expressing their individuality with oral piercings. However, self-expression comes at a hefty cost for...

XTL Biopharmaceuticals Announces Six-Month Performance.
October 15, 2001... 2001 OCT 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. (XTL) has announced interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2001. Highlights: * XTL-001 for hepatitis B advanced into multicenter, Phase II combination...

Vaccine To Undergo Phase II Clinical Trial In Nepal.
October 15, 2001... 2001 OCT 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genelabs Technologies, Inc. announced September 25, 2001, the initiation of a Phase II clinical trial of an investigational new vaccine for prevention of disease caused by hepatitis E virus (HEV). ...

Intratumoral Gene Therapy Delivery Best Approach In Primary Liver Cancer.
October 15, 2001... 2001 OCT 15 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The best way to administer gene therapies targeting hepatocellular carcinoma, a primary form of liver cancer, may be directly to the tumor, the results of a...

Could Caffeine Lower The Risk For Developing Liver Cirrhosis?
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Drinking coffee might actually prevent liver cirrhosis, according to researchers in Milan, Italy. New research conducted by G. Corrao and colleagues of...

Biochemical Panel Differentiates Chronic Hepatitis And Cirrhosis.
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Scientists in Italy have developed and validated a biochemical panel consisting of six markers that can distinguish two major causes of chronic liver disease....

Early Treatment With Interferon May Be Highly Effective.
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study published online in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that prompt treatment with interferon in those acutely infected with hepatitis C virus prevented chronic infection in almost all...

University Of Pittsburgh Starts New Multicenter Study.
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health will coordinate a multisite study that will examine the difference in how black and white patients respond to a treatment for hepatitis C....

Coimmunization Leads To Immune Response In Woodchuck Hepatitis Model.
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Bell-Nichols, senior medical writer - Coimmunization with plasmids encoded for interleukin (IL)-12 appears to boost Th1 cytokine response and protective immunity in animals vaccinated with the...

Viral Causation May Associate With Chronic Diseases.
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Researchers at the Richard Freeman Research Institute in New Orleans have performed several studies demonstrating the possibility of a link between viruses...

Anti-Hepatitis C Virus Assay Is First Random Access Instrument In U.S.
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Meeting the growing demand for more rapid and efficient hepatitis C testing, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics has received Premarket Approval (PMA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a...

Genotyping Kit Is First DNA Sequence-Based Test For HIV Drug Resistance Testing.
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Visible Genetics, Inc. (VGI) received clearance September 26, 2001, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Trugene HIV-1 Genotyping Kit and OpenGene DNA Sequencing System for...

Hepatitis G Virus Has Protective Effect.
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Patients who are infected with both HIV and the hepatitis G virus fare significantly better than other HIV patients, researchers say. "The flavivirus GB...

Noninvasive Monitoring Device Receives FDA Clearance.
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chromatics Color Sciences International, Inc. (CCSI) announced that on September 13, 2001, it received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of its 510(k) premarket application to...

Hepatitis Foundation Launches Partners In Liver Wellness Program.
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Hepatitis Foundation International (HFI) announced the launch of its new program, Partners in Liver Wellness. The program is designed to mobilize corporate, government, and community leaders...

Hepatitis C-Infected Livers Expand Donor Pool For Those Already Infected.
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Using hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive livers might be the best way to expand the donor liver pool for individuals awaiting transplantation and who are already...

Researchers Discover Possible Trigger For T-Cell Attack.
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- How do killer T cells know when to attack virus-infected and cancerous cells and when to retreat? The answer possibly has been provided by Rockefeller University research to be published in the...

Researchers Identify How AIDS Virus Escapes Cells.
October 22, 2001... 2001 OCT 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the University of Utah and Myriad Genetics, Inc., have found how the AIDS virus usurps a cell's normal machinery to leave one cell and infect others - a discovery that eventually could...