Infection with the hepatitis C virus causes viral genotype-specific differences in cholesterol metabolism and hepatic steatosis.

Lipids play essential roles in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) life cycle and patients with chronic HCV infection display disordered lipid metabolism which resolves following successful anti-viral therapy. It has been proposed that HCV genotype 3 (HCV-G3) infection is an independent risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma and evidence suggests lipogenic proteins are involved in hepatocarcinogenesis. We aimed to characterise variation in host lipid metabolism between participants chronically infected with HCV genotype 1 (HCV-G1) and HCV-G3 to identify likely genotype-specific differences in lipid metabolism.

Revisiting the Elusive Hepatitis C Vaccine.

The impactful discovery and subsequent characterisation of hepatitis C virus (HCV), an RNA virus of the flavivirus family, led to the awarding of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice [.

COVID-19 and comorbidities: A role for dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) in disease severity?

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by a novel betacoronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), similar to SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV), which cause acute respiratory distress syndrome and case fatalities. COVID-19 disease severity is worse in older obese patients with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung disease. Cell binding and entry of betacoronaviruses is via their surface spike glycoprotein; SARS-CoV binds to the metalloprotease angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), MERS-CoV utilizes dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4), and recent modeling of the structure of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein predicts that it can interact with human DPP4 in addition to ACE2.

Is Alzheimer's Disease a Liver Disease of the Brain?

Clinical specialization is not only a force for progress, but it has also led to the fragmentation of medical knowledge. The focus of research in the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is neurobiology, while hepatologists focus on liver diseases and lipid specialists on atherosclerosis. This article on AD focuses on the role of the liver and lipid homeostasis in the development of AD.

Relapse of polymyalgia rheumatica following adjuvanted influenza vaccine: A case-based review.

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is the most common inflammatory rheumatological condition affecting individuals aged >50 years. There have been rare reports of PMR and other vasculitides developing within 3 months of influenza vaccination. Influenza is a major public health issue associated with seasonal increased mortality and intensified health care service use.