Transmission of hepatitis C virus to recipients of parenteral vitamin therapy in a primary care facility.

Background And Objectives: The Australian prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is approximately 1%, with the majority of cases acquired through injecting drug use. However, occasionally HCV infection occurs in healthcare settings. Three new HCV infections were identified amongst patients attending a general practice in Sydney, Australia, specialising in parenteral vitamin therapy.

Prothrombotic effects of hyperhomocysteinemia and hypercholesterolemia in ApoE-deficient mice.

Objective: We tested the hypothesis that hyperhomocysteinemia and hypercholesterolemia promote arterial thrombosis in mice.

Methods And Results: Male apolipoprotein E (Apoe)-deficient mice were fed one of four diets: control, hyperhomocysteinemic (HH), high fat (HF), or high fat/hyperhomocysteinemic (HF/HH). Total cholesterol was elevated 2-fold with the HF or HF/HH diets compared with the control or HH diets (P<0.

Cerebral vascular dysfunction in methionine synthase-deficient mice.

Background: Methionine synthase (MS) catalyzes the folate-dependent remethylation of homocysteine to methionine. We tested the hypothesis that deficiency of MS impairs endothelial function in mice heterozygous for disruption of the Mtr gene, which encodes MS.

Methods And Results: Plasma total homocysteine was similar in wild-type (Mtr(+/+)) and heterozygous (Mtr(+/-)) mice fed a control diet (4.

A study to investigate the impact of the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy on the hepatitis C virus viral load in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients.

Changes in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) viral load (VL) were assessed in a retrospective study of 50 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who initiated highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Most patients responded to HAART [during the first 6 months, plasma HIV VL fell by a mean 1.39 log10, becoming undetectable (<400 copies/ml) in 22% and CD4+ T cells increased by a mean of 100 cells/microl], but surprisingly, 27 (54%) showed some rise and 25 (50%) showed a significant increase in the HCV VL.

Detection of multiple hepatitis C virus genotypes in a cohort of injecting drug users.

Multiple genotypes of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) were detected in five of 138 HCV RNA positive injecting drug users (IDUs) recruited in Melbourne, Australia. Two were detected by combined LiPA and core and NS5a region sequencing, and three more (selected for testing due to their high-risk behaviour) by heteroduplex mobility analysis. We conclude that the true prevalence of mixed infection in IDUs is undoubtedly higher than the 3.