hepatitis c virus

(University of Illinois at Chicago) A molecule embedded in the membrane of human liver cells that aids in cholesterol absorption also allows the entry of hepatitis C virus, the first step in hepatitis C infection, according to research at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

(University of British Columbia) Researchers at the University of British Columbia have found a new way to block infection from the hepatitis C virus in the liver that could lead to new therapies for those affected by this and other infectious diseases.

(Wiley-Blackwell) A new classification for diagnosing fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus has shown to be as accurate as currently used algorithms, but required no further liver biopsy.

The study appearing in the January issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, details a method that synchronously combines two fibrosis tests, providing a non-invasive and more precise fibrosis diagnosis.

(MedPage Today) -- Screening patients for hepatitis C virus based on their age rather than their risk was cost-effective, researchers found.

(University of North Carolina School of Medicine) Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, working with colleagues from the University of Colorado, have shown for the first time how a small RNA molecule that regulates gene expression in human liver cells has been hijacked by the hepatitis C virus to ensure its own survival -- helping medical scientists understand why a new antiviral drug appears to be effective against the virus.

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and thrombocytopenia had significant improvement in virologic response when pegylated interferon alpha 2a was given with eltrombopag, results of a randomized trial showed.

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- A botanical agent used in the treatment of liver disorders had no detectable effect on hepatitis C virus disease activity in comparison with placebo in patients with previously treated chronic disease, results of a randomized trial showed.

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- In patients with both HIV and hepatitis C virus, response rates to a direct-acting agent that targets the liver virus were high, a researcher said here.

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- A novel hepatitis C virus drug targeting genetic material in the liver was safe and well tolerated in a small, dose-finding clinical trial, a researcher said here.

PHILADELPHIA (MedPage Today) -- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with an increase in mortality in patients on hemodialysis, but treatment is rare in that population, researchers found.