Bacterial Infections Change Natural History of Cirrhosis Irrespective of Liver Disease Severity.

Objectives: We assessed the prognostic significance of infections in relation to current prognostic scores and explored if infection could be considered per se a distinct clinical stage in the natural history of cirrhosis.

Methods: We included consecutive patients with cirrhosis admitted to a tertiary referral liver unit for at least 48 h over a 2-year period. Diagnosis of infection was based on positive cultures or strict established criteria.

Training-induced changes on blood lactate profile and critical velocity in young swimmers.

This study examines the efficacy of critical swimming velocity (CV) for training prescription and monitoring the changes induced on aerobic endurance after a period of increased training volume in young swimmers. An experimental group (E: n = 7; age: 13.3 ± 1.

Immune response in addicts with chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon and ribavirin.

Background: The role played by the immune system in the progression of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is not completely clear. Opioids may facilitate the outbreak of infections through marked immunomodulating effects on the immune response against a virus. To asses if addicts can be treated successfully with interferon (IFN) during detoxification treatment, we evaluated some immune response mediators in addicts affected by CHC.