Long-Term Follow-Up of Children Treated With Peginterferon and Ribavirin for Hepatitis C Virus Infection.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to describe the 5-year follow-up of children who received peginterferon and ribavirin in a global, open-label study.

Methods: A 5-year follow-up study of 107 children and adolescents ages 3 to 17 years with chronic hepatitis C virus infection who received peginterferon and ribavirin for 24 or 48 weeks. No drugs were administered during follow-up.

[Fulminant hepatic failure due to tuberculostatic drugs: case report].

Hepatoxicity of isoniazid, mainly in association with rifampin, is a rare secondary effect of tuberculostatic treatment. In the United States, it accounts for 0.2% of all pediatric orthotropic liver transplant, and 14% of transplants for drug hepatotoxicity.

[Rifaximin for hepatic encephalopathy in children. Case report].

Rifaximin is an antibiotic recently approved for the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy in adults. In children more than 12 year-old, it has been approved for travelers' diarrhea and it is also widely used in inflammatory bowel disease. We report, to our knowledge, the first case of a pediatric patient who received rifaximin for hepatic encephalopathy with good clinical outcome.

High sustained virologic response rates in children with chronic hepatitis C receiving peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin.

Background & Aims: Pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) alfa-2b plus ribavirin (RBV) is the standard of care for adults with chronic hepatitis C but was not approved for the treatment of children at the time of this study. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PEG-IFN alfa-2b plus RBV in children.

Methods: Children and adolescents ages 3-17 years were treated with PEG-IFN alfa-2b (60microg/m(2)/week) plus RBV (15mg/kg/day).

Apoptosis markers in liver biopsy of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in pediatric patients.

The natural history of pediatric nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is still unknown; however, there are differences between adult and pediatric presentation. Apoptosis may play an important role in pathophysiologic pathways involved in liver damage and progression. Our aim was to detect early apoptosis markers, activated caspase-3 and cleaved cytokeratin-18, in hepatocytes and to correlate their presence with clinical, serologic, and histologic characteristics in pediatric nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.