The rs738409 polymorphism of the PNPLA3 gene is associated with hepatic steatosis and fibrosis in Brazilian patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Background: Prospective studies have shown that 80% of acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) cases progress to chronic infection; approximately 10-20% of patients with these conditions will develop liver cirrhosis within 2 to 3 decades, and 1-5% will develop liver cancer. Some studies have indicated that the rs738409 polymorphism of the PNPLA3 gene is associated with steatosis and the progression of advanced fibrosis. This study assessed the contribution of the PNPLA3 rs738409 polymorphism with regard to the steatosis and degree of liver fibrosis in Brazilian patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C.

Prevalence of hepatitis B in people living with HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. In immunocompromised patients, the chronicity rates of HBV infection are higher, but the rates of hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg) and HBsAg loss and seroconversion to anti-HBe and anti-HBs are lower than those in immunocompetent subjects. This study aimed to evaluate articles on the prevalence of HBsAg in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) /AIDS (PLWHA) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

Quantification of C4d deposition and hepatitis C virus RNA in tissue in cases of graft rejection and hepatitis C recurrence after liver transplantation.

Histology is the gold standard for diagnosing acute rejection and hepatitis C recurrence after liver transplantation. However, differential diagnosis between the two can be difficult. We evaluated the role of C4d staining and quantification of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA levels in liver tissue.

Hepatitis C virus: molecular and epidemiological evidence of male-to-female transmission.

Introduction: There is general consensus that hepatitis C virus is efficiently transmitted by the parenteral route, whereas data on viral transmission by sexual or non-sexual intrafamilial contact are conflicting.

Objective And Method: The aim of this study was to investigate the transmission of hepatitis C virus in nine heterosexual couples.

Result: The mean age of the couples was 43.

Pharmacodynamics of PEG-IFN-[alpha]-2a and HCV response as a function of IL28B polymorphism in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients.

We examined the association between IL28B single-nucleotide polymorphism rs12979860, hepatitis C virus (HCV) kinetic, and pegylated interferon alpha-2a pharmacodynamic parameters in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients from South America. Twenty-six subjects received pegylated interferon alpha-2a + ribavirin. Serum HCV-RNA and interferon concentrations were measured frequently during the first 12 weeks of therapy and analyzed using mathematical models.

[Influence of previous hepatitis B virus infection on liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C: a retrospective case series evaluation].

Introduction: Hepatitis C is a major cause of liver disease worldwide. Its evolutionary course is dynamics and may be influenced by several cofactors. Among them, previous hepatitis B virus infection (anti-HBcAg [+] and HBsAg [-]) has been associated with worse histological and therapeutic prognosis.

Epidemiology of human infection with the novel virus influenza A (H1N1) in the Hospital das Clínicas, São Paulo, Brazil--June-September 2009.

The pandemic novel influenza A (H1N1) infection was considered widespread in Brazil on July 16, 2009. Since then, 46,810 cases of acute respiratory syndrome have been reported in Brazil, most of them concentrated in São Paulo. Through September 16, we have confirmed 9,249 cases of novel influenza A H1N1in Brazil, including 699 deaths.

Guidelines on management of human infection with the novel virus influenza A (H1N1)--a report from the Hospital das Clínicas of the University of São Paulo.

The pandemic novel influenza A (H1N1) infection was considered widespread in Brazil on July, 2009. Since then, 9.249 cases were confirmed in Brazil, most of them concentrated in São Paulo.

Hepatitis C: sexual or intrafamilial transmission? Epidemiological and phylogenetic analysis of hepatitis C virus in 24 infected couples.

The role of sexual or intrafamilial transmission of hepatitis C is controversial. A phylogenetic analysis was performed on the non-structural region 5B of the hepatitis C virus (NS5B-HCV). High percentages of homology (mean of 98.

Hepatitis C virus detection in the semen of infected patients.

Though HCV infection is a serious public health problem, some aspects of its biology are still not well understood, such as its transmission through seminal fluid and sexual transmission. We looked for HCV in the semen of infected patients. Thirteen patients were included.

Clinical and histological characteristics of HIV and hepatitis C virus-co-infected patients in Brazil: a case series study.

Unlabelled: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important factor contributing to morbidity and mortality in patients co-infected with HIV and HCV. In addition, liver biopsy is an important tool in the clinical management of these patients. Although liver biopsy is controversial, it is recommended for all patients.

Chronic hepatitis C: hepatic fibrosis evolution after ineffective specific treatment.

Background/aims: Specific treatment of chronic hepatitis C is effective in 50% of patients, improving the liver's fibrosis, necroinflammatory changes and steatosis. However, in patients still viremic after treatment the extension of these benefits remains doubtful. The evolution of the disease in this group and its relationship to demographic data, biometric indices and time lapse between biopsies was evaluated.

Portal CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte correlate to intensity of interface hepatitis in chronic hepatitis C.

Background: The pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C is still a matter of debate. CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes (TL) are typically observed within the portal and periportal spaces of affected livers, but their functional role in hepatitis C progression has not been fully elucidated.

Methods: CD4+ and CD8+ TL were quantified by immunohistochemistry in portal and periportal spaces of 39 liver biopsies from patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Detection of HCV by PCR in serum and PBMC of patients with hepatitis C after treatment.

Although hepatitis C is mainly hepatotropic, some studies suggest that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), using them as a reservoir, which might contribute to the development of resistance to treatment. Fifty-four hepatitis-C patients, who had been submitted to treatment, were selected. Blood samples were collected on the same day for the detection of HCV RNA in serum and PBMC by PCR, using the Amplicor HCV 2.

Hepatitis C treatment: shorter and better?

Herein, we present a synthesis of two publications that evaluate an abbreviated therapeutic approach to treating chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Based on those publications, we discuss the use of the early virologic response (EVR) as a tool for the optimized management of patients under treatment, as well as reviewing concepts of HCV viral kinetics. The fourth-week EVR, characterized by HCV RNA dropping to undetectable levels, allows individuals infected with HCV genotype 1 and presenting low baseline viral loads to be treated with the combination of pegylated interferon and ribavirin for 24 weeks, whereas individuals infected with HCV genotypes 2 or 3 can be treated for only 12 weeks.

I consensus for the management and treatment of hepatitis B carried out by the Brazilian society of infectious diseases.

This paper reports on the conclusions reached by the Hepatitis Committee of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases in their I Consensus for the Management and Treatment of Hepatitis B. The subjects considered most relevant or controversial among those discussed by the Consensus Group, which met in the city of São Roque on July 21-23, 2006, are summarized in this report. A systematic review on topics related to hepatitis B was carried out and published in the Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Bacterial translocation during liver transplantation: a randomized trial comparing conventional with venovenous bypass vs. piggyback methods.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the bacterial translocation in liver transplantation (LT), comparing the conventional and the piggyback methods. A total of 32 patients were randomized into the 2 groups. Samples of blood were collected from the radial artery, portal vein (PV) and hepatic vein (HV), in up to 120 minutes postreperfusion.

Weight-based combination therapy with peginterferon alpha-2b and ribavirin for naïve, relapser and non-responder patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Combination therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin is considered the new standard therapy for naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of treatment with weight-based peginterferon alpha-2b (1.5 mg/kg per week) plus ribavirin (800-1,200 mg/day) for 48 weeks in naïve, relapser and non-responder (to previous treatment with interferon plus ribavirin) patients with chronic hepatitis C.

[Factors associated with severe evolutive forms of chronic infection with hepatitis C virus].

To assess the factors associated with the development of moderate and severe fibrosis, the medical records of 426 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection attended at the Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Clinic of the University of São Paulo Faculty of Medicine from January 1 to December 31, 2000 were reviewed. Of the patients included in the study, 56.3% were male and 43.

[Risk factors for HIV infection among patients infected with hepatitis C virus].

Objective: Human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus share the same routes of transmission. Currently, there is a high frequency of co-infection worldwide, especially among users of injectable drugs and in subjects with history of blood transfusions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate risk factors associated to human immunodeficiency virus infection in patients infected with hepatitis C virus.

Patients with chronic hepatitis C and normal transaminases.

Hepatitis C virus infection evolves progressively persisting in the majority of patients (85%). Most patients have high ALT (alanine aminotransferase) levels and approximately 25% normal ALT. The latter are usually female and there is no association between genotype and severity of hepatic lesion.

Risk factors associated with hepatitis C among patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus: a case-control study.

A case-control study was carried out to assess the risk factors associated with hepatitis C in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus. One hundred eighteen patients tested positive for hepatitis C virus (HCV) and were included as cases, and 117 tested negative for HCV and were included as controls. Information was collected through a questionnaire.

Hepatitis C in patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus. A review and experience of a Brazilian ambulatory.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) share the same transmission mechanisms. The prevalence of HCV in the HIV-infected population varies from region to region, throughout the world, depending on different exposure factors to both viruses. Co-infection with HIV accelerates the progression of the disease caused by HCV, appears to worsen the progression of the HIV infection and increases HCV transmission.