A province-by-province cost-effectiveness analysis and budget impact analysis of one-time birth cohort screening of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Canada.

Managing chronic hepatitis C is challenging, as the majority of those infected are asymptomatic. Therefore, to ensure treatments are administered before the onset of severe complications, screening is important. In Canada, uncertainty regarding the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of screening has led to conflicting recommendations.

Health care costs associated with chronic hepatitis C virus infection in Ontario, Canada: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: High-quality estimates of health care costs are required to understand the burden of illness and to inform economic models. We estimated the costs associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection from the public payer perspective in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: In this population-based retrospective cohort study, we identified patients aged 18-105 years diagnosed with chronic HCV infection in Ontario from 2003 to 2014 using linked administrative data.

Estimating chronic hepatitis C prevalence in British Columbia and Ontario, Canada, using population-based cohort studies.

Patients identified as having chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection can be effectively and rapidly treated using direct-acting antiviral agents. However, there remains a substantial burden of subclinical undetected infection. This study estimates the prevalence and undiagnosed proportion of CHC in British Columbia (BC) and Ontario, Canada, using a model-based approach, informed by provincial population-level health administrative data.

The UGTome: The expanding diversity of UDP glycosyltransferases and its impact on small molecule metabolism.

The UDP glycosyltransferase (UGT) superfamily of enzymes is responsible for the metabolism and clearance of thousands of lipophilic chemicals including drugs, toxins and endogenous signaling molecules. They provide a protective interface between the organism and its chemical-rich environment, as well as controlling critical signaling pathways to maintain healthy tissue function. UGTs are associated with drug responses and interactions, as well as a wide range of diseases including cancer.

Antiviral treatment for treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection poses a significant burden to public health worldwide. Most cases are clinically silent until late in the disease course. The main goal of current therapy is to improve survival and quality of life by preventing disease progression to cirrhosis and liver failure, and consequently hepatocellular carcinoma development.

The UDP-Glycosyltransferase (UGT) Superfamily: New Members, New Functions, and Novel Paradigms.

UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) catalyze the covalent addition of sugars to a broad range of lipophilic molecules. This biotransformation plays a critical role in elimination of a broad range of exogenous chemicals and by-products of endogenous metabolism, and also controls the levels and distribution of many endogenous signaling molecules. In mammals, the superfamily comprises four families: UGT1, UGT2, UGT3, and UGT8.

Can we afford not to screen and treat hepatitis C virus infection in Canada?

Background: Screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) followed by direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment in individuals born between 1945 and 1964 has been shown to be both effective and cost-effective, but the question of affordability remains unresolved. We looked at long-term cost and health outcomes of HCV screening for Ontario up to 2030.

Methods: We used a validated state-transition model to analyze the budget and health impact of HCV screening followed by DAA treatment in individuals born between 1945 and 1964 versus current practice.

Cooperative Regulation of Intestinal UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases 1A8, -1A9, and 1A10 by CDX2 and HNF4 Is Mediated by a Novel Composite Regulatory Element.

The gastrointestinal tract expresses several UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) that act as a first line of defense against dietary toxins and contribute to the metabolism of orally administered drugs. The expression of , , and in gastrointestinal tissues is known to be at least partly directed by the caudal homeodomain transcription factor, CDX2. We sought to further define the factors involved in regulation of the genes and identified a novel composite element located within the proximal promoters of these three genes that binds to both CDX2 and the hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF) 4, and mediates synergistic activation by these factors.