Development of persistent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may be mediated by HCV NS3 · 4A protease-dependent inhibition of host innate immunity. When double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is detected in virus-infected cells, host innate immunity mounts an antiviral response by upregulating production of type I interferons (α/β interferon [IFN-α/β]); HCV counters by cleaving the IFN-β stimulator 1 (IPS-...

Persistent infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is among the leading causes of chronic liver disease. Previous studies suggested that genetic variation in hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) of the second envelope protein, possibly in response to host immune pressure, influences the outcome of HCV infection. In the present study, a chimpanzee transfected intrahepatically with RNA transcripts of an ...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis C virus (HCV) leads to chronic infection in 70%-85% of exposed patients. Spontaneous clearance of the virus after chronic infection is believed to occur rarely. METHODS Alaska Natives who tested positive for HCV antibodies were enrolled in a prospective study that began in 1994 and were followed up on a regular basis. Individuals who tested positive for HCV RNA on 3 separ...

hepatitis c virus (hcv) has infected 3% of the population worldwide and 20% of the population in egypt. hcv infection can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma and death. the presently available treatment with interferon plus ribavirin, has limited benefits due to adverse side effects. seaweeds have become a major source of new compounds to treat viral diseases. this work aimed to study the effect o...

Background and Aims: Chronic hepatitis C is one of the most important etiologies of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Clinical condition of hepatic patients and the outcome of chemotherapy are under impact of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes. Therefore, HCV genotyping is important for prediction of success of chemotherapy and progression of liver diseases. Methods: In thi...

Background and Aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) can cause hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a significant proportion (≈ 20 %) of individuals with chronic HCV infection (CHC). Currently, CHC is treated with peginterferon and ribavirin, which depending on genotype approximately 50 to 70% of patients are cured. The so-called “extrahepatic HCV infection” or viral replication in regio...

A specific enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the diagnosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was developed by recombinant DNA technology. Abbott HCV EIA was used to detect antibody to HCV (anti-HCV) in non-transfused and multiply-transfused thalassemia patients. None of 11 non-transfused patients had anti-HCV but 3 of 52 (5.8%) multiply-transfused patients had anti-HCV. This study showed that the...

UNLABELLED Hepatitis C virus (HCV) entry involves binding to cell surface heparan sulfate (HS) structures. However, due to the lipoprotein-like structure of HCV, the exact contribution of virion components to this interaction remains controversial. Here, we investigated the relative contribution of HCV envelope proteins and apolipoprotein E in the HS-binding step. Deletion of hypervariable regi...

While the present generation of serology-based assays has significantly decreased the number of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections acquired by transfusion, the possibility of infected donations escaping detection still exists. The average seronegative viremic window duration during which immunological assays are unable to detect the virus is estim...