Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 8, Issue 11, 2002

Infection with the hepatitis B virus has switched over the last 20 years from the classical HBeAg positive serologic pattern to a HBeAg negative form that is linked, in the Mediterranean basin, with the epidemiologic replacement of the causative wild-type of virus B with mutant variants, whereby mutations in the core-promoter and in the pre-core region prevent the secretion of HBeAg. The wild-type pattern of infection (character Read More

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV) was based on Interferon alpha IFNa administration three times a week (tiw), but the efficacy of this schedule (evaluated as virological sustained response) was limited to less than 20% of patients. The combination of Ribavirin and IFN is known to be significantly more effective than IFN monotherapy in naive and relapser patients but it induces a sustained response only in 41% of patie Read More

Approximately 60% of all patients with chronic hepatitis C (C-HCV) treated with standard interferon (IFN) treatment, i.e. combination of recombinant a IFN and ribavirin (RBV), are refractory to treatment. Many factors should be responsible for HCV persistence after antiviral treatment. Beside the well-known importance of some factors such as viral heterogeneity, co-infections with Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) or Read More

Background: Alpha interferon (IFN) alone or in combination with Ribavirin (RBV) is the treatment of choice for HCV related chronic liver disease. There are many types of alpha IFN and to date only few reports are available comparing different types of alpha interferon. We run a randomised controlled trial with the aim to compare tolerability and efficacy of two different types of IFN: recombinant alpha 2b interferon (IFN-R) an Read More

The balance between T helper (h)1 and Th2 responsiveness seems to represent a key event in the evolution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In particular, Th1 cytokines [interleukin (IL-2) and interferon (IFN-γ)] have been demonstrated to mediate the antiviral immune response.Serum levels of Th1 cytokines (IL-2 and IFN-γ) as well as of Th2 products (IL-4 and IL-10) were determined in a group of HCV-positive patients before Read More

Endotoxins or lipopolysaccharides (LPS), major components of the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria, once released from the bacterial outer membrane bind to specific receptors and, in particular, to a membrane-bound receptor, the CD14 (mCD14) and the toll-like receptor 4 present on monocytes / macrophages. In turn, LPS-activated monocytes / macrophages release in the host tissue an array of so-called proinflamm Read More

Between 1995 and 1997 we studied 100 patients with hepatocarcinoma (HCC) and cirrhosis. Of these 74 were males and 26 females with a mean age of 66 years. 13% patients were only HbsAg positive, 75% only anti-HCV positive, 6% HbsAg and anti-HCV and the etiology in 6% of cases was alcoholic. Alpha-foetoprotein was >400ng / ml in only 18% of cases and portal thrombosis was present in 12%. Mononodular HCC was o Read More

Background: In 1998, when data of a meta-analysis on tamoxifen in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) had suggested a little advantage for this treatment, we published the results of a multicenter randomised controlled trial, that showed no survival benefit for tamoxifen vs. control. Here we report an updated analysis of the study results 4.5 years after the closure of enrollment.Methods: The study had a p Read More