Aim: To evaluate the usefulness of easily assessable morphological parameters in liver biopsies in order to predict efficacy of interferon-alpha (IFN) treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Methods And Results: Inflammatory activity and fibrosis (according to Scheuer), and the hepatic iron content (according to Rowe and DiBisceglie) were assessed in pre-treatment liver biopsies of 73 de novo patients with chronic hepatitis C. Furthermore the presence of fat, lymphoid aggregates, and bile duct lesions was evaluated. With respect to IFN therapy patients were classified as responders alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normal and negative hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in serum at the end of treatment, n = 33) or non-responders (n = 40). Non-responders had more advanced fibrosis (P = 0.0001) and more extensive iron storage (P = 0.0008) than responders. In contrast absence of stainable iron was frequently (46%) associated with sustained response. Absence of fat droplets in hepatocytes was associated with response (P = 0.0001). Stepwise logistic regression analysis indicated that the stage of fibrosis, the hepatic iron grade, and the presence or absence of fat were independent predictors of response.
Conclusions: Liver biopsy provides useful information for selection of patients with hepatitis C for IFN therapy.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2559.1998.00413.x | DOI Listing |
Background And Aim: There is paucity of data about the prevalence of cirrhosis and portal hypertension in the US general population.
Methods: We used National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES 2017-2020) to estimate the prevalence of cirrhosis and clinically significant (CS)-portal hypertension in alcoholic liver disease (ALD), MetALD, viral hepatitis (VH) to include chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC), and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Cirrhosis was evaluated using liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by transient elastography or FIB-4 score; CS-portal hypertension was defined via LSM and platelet count or the use of non-selective beta-blockers in the presence of cirrhosis.
AIDS Care
January 2025
Department of Knowledge Management, Sociedad Integral de Especialistas en Salud (SIES Salud IPS), Bogotá, Colombia.
The most significant progress in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic has been the development of antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, ensuring a high degree of treatment adherence is necessary to prevent resistance and disease progression. We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate adherence to ART through the calculation of the medication possession ratio (MPR) and to identify risk factors for suboptimal adherence in a cohort of HIV-positive patients receiving care at a Colombian healthcare institution across 16 cities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Viral Hepat
March 2025
Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Current guidelines to prevent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are based on risk assessments that include age, sex, and virological and biochemical parameters. The study aim was to investigate the impact of predictive markers on long-term outcomes. The clinical outcomes of 100 patients with chronic hepatitis B were investigated 30 years after a baseline assessment that included liver biopsy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Viral Hepat
March 2025
Department of Biomedical Informatics, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level and its changes in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) may influence the risk of future hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims to evaluate the HCC risk in CHB patients with no overt HCC but with elevated AFP level and to explore the prognostic role of longitudinal changes in AFP and liver-related laboratory values. This multicentre cohort study included 10,639 CHB patients without a history of HCC from seven medical facilities in South Korea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHepatol Commun
February 2025
University Grenoble Alpes, Inserm U 1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Grenoble, France.
Background: Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by HBV. Infected individuals who fail to control the viral infection develop chronic hepatitis B and are at risk of developing life-threatening liver diseases, such as cirrhosis or liver cancer. Dendritic cells (DCs) play important roles in the immune response against HBV but are functionally impaired in patients with chronic hepatitis B.
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