Hepatitis C treatment – yesterday, tomorrow and ….

During the last years, treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) was characterized by the development of new therapeutic agents and their combined use. By now the problem of treating HCV seems to be largely solved. The broad range of available therapeutics has the potential to enable a complete cure of this liver disease, which is associated with many complications, thus providing also economic benefits.

Ursodeoxycholic acid induced activation of the glucocorticoid receptor in primary rat hepatocytes.

Background And Aims: Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a hydrophilic bile acid, improves biochemical, immunopathological and histological parameters in chronic cholestatic liver diseases. The immunomodulatory properties of UDCA show interesting similarities with the effects of glucocorticoids. We investigated the activation of the glucocorticoid receptor by UDCA and the glucocorticoid receptor dependent gene expression in primary rat hepatocytes as well as binding of radiolabelled UDCA to the glucocorticoid receptor ligand binding site expressed in a glucocorticoid receptor fusion protein.

Eruptive multiple lentigo-maligna-like lesions in a patient undergoing chemotherapy with an oral 5-fluorouracil prodrug for metastasizing colorectal carcinoma: a lesson for the pathogenesis of malignant melanoma?

Induction of multiple eruptive dermal and atypical melanocytic naevi has frequently been reported in children with malignant haematological diseases and chemotherapy-induced immunosuppression. This is the first report of an adult patient to develop multiple eruptive melanocytic skin lesions while undergoing chemotherapy with an oral 5-fluorouracil prodrug for metastasizing cancer. Our observation adds further evidence to the link between systemic (iatrogenic or intrinsic) immunosuppression and the induction of melanocyte proliferation and transformation.