BACKGROUND Non-invasive procedures such as acoustic radiation force impulse imaging (ARFI) shear-wave elastography are currently used for the assessment of liver fibrosis. In the course of chronic hepatitis C, significant liver fibrosis or cirrhosis develops in approximately 25% of patients, which is a negative predictor of antiviral treatment response. Cirrhosis can be prevented by successful ...

Liver biopsy is historically the gold standard for liver fibrosis assessment of chronic hepatitis C patients. However, with introduction and validation noninvasive tests (NITs) to evaluate advanced fibrosis, direct-acting antiviral agents treatment virus (HCV), role NITs have become even more complex. There now need longitudinal monitoring elucidation cutoff values prediction liver-related comp...

BACKGROUND More than one-third of people in the United States with hepatic C virus (HCV) infection pass through the correctional system annually. Data are lacking on outcomes of treatment with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin (PEG-RBV) in correctional settings. METHODS During 2002-2006, we analyzed patients in the Connecticut Department of Correction who received PEG-RBV. We assessed the r...

BACKGROUND The optimal treatment for hepatitis C patients unresponsive to interferon is unclear. High-dose induction interferon may enhance early viral clearance, whilst ribavirin reduces relapse; in combination, they may improve sustained virological response rates. AIM To compare the efficacy and safety of re-treatment with interferon induction, with or without ribavirin, in interferon non-...

BACKGROUND Direct acting antivirals for hepatitis C virus have shown dramatic results in clinical trials. However, their effectiveness has yet to be demonstrated within observational cohorts which lack exclusion criteria found in randomized control trials. AIM To determine the effectiveness of dasabuvir/ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir in achieving sustained virological response. METHODS R...

Nursing support might help patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) remain in good mental and physical condition during interferon (IFN) therapy. However, the effects of nursing support have not been studied adequately in this context. This case-control study evaluated the effects of nursing support during IFN therapy. Twenty-four CHC patients who received pegylated IFN and ribavirin were enroll...

BACKGROUND Marijuana smoking is prevalent among hepatitis C virus-infected patients. The literature assessing the influence of marijuana on liver disease progression and hepatitis C virus antiviral treatment outcomes is conflicting. METHODS The authors evaluated hepatitis C virus RNA-positive patients followed at The Ottawa Hospital Viral Hepatitis Clinic (Ottawa, Ontario) from 2000 to 2009. ...

Human and animal model evidence suggests that CD4+ T cells play a critical role in the control of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, despite their importance, the mechanism behind the failure of such populations in chronic disease is not understood and the contribution of viral mutation is not known. To address this, this study defined the specificity and virological footprint ...