Saturday, July 26, 2008

How did heart damage happen when being infected by C hepatitis?

The base (mechanism) of liver damage in chronic hepatitis C is not well understood. The virus itself probably does not cause damage to liver cells directly. In fact, the level of virus in the blood does not correlate with liver damage observed in the liver biopsy. Liver damage by chronic hepatitis C virus is probably caused by the interaction between the virus and the body's immune system, including cytotoxic (harmful to the cells) and lymphocytes specific inflammatory messengers (cytokines)

Interferon

Interferon is a substance that has shown to help fight hepatitis C

Interferon alfa-2a is a natural protein that stimulates the immune system and is used to help fight hepatitis B and C

Brand Name: Roferon-A, Intron-A, Rebetron, Alferon-N, Peg-Intron, Avonex, Betaseron, Infergen, Actimmune, Pegasys

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Hepatitis C causes

You can get hepatitis C if your blood comes into contact with blood from someone who already has the virus. The most common cause of transmission is the sharing of needles and other equipment used to inject illegal drugs. Less common causes of transmission include:

  • Sharing a razor, toothbrush or nail clipper with an infected person
  • Accidental exposure to infected blood among health care or public safety workers
  • Exposure to unclean tattooing or body-piercing instruments
  • Unprotected anal sex or exposure to multiple sex partners

In rare cases, hepatitis C can be spread from an infected mother to her child at birth. It cannot be spread by breast-feeding.

Before 1992 there was a risk of getting hepatitis C from blood transfusions. Now all donated blood is tested for HCV so there is almost no risk of getting the disease from blood transfusions.

What Is Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a liver disease that is caused by the hepatitis C virus, or HCV.

Between 15 and 40 percent of people who get hepatitis C are able to combat the virus during the early or acute phase, usually within six months. Between 60 and 85 percent of patients can not get rid of the virus and develop a long-term or chronic hepatitis C infection. People with chronic hepatitis C who suffer from the disease throughout their lives unless they are successfully treated with antiviral drugs.

Chronic hepatitis C is a serious disease that damages the liver and can lead potentially fatal diseases such as liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. One of the most common reasons for liver transplants is the damage caused by infection with hepatitis C.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Grapefruit compound inhibits hepatitis C virus

Flavonoids naringenin grapefruit inhibits secretion of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in infected cells and could provide a new approach for treating the disease, according to a Harvard Medical School study.

About 3 percent of the world's population is infected with HCV, which can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. The current standard therapy of interferon and ribavirin is only effective in about 50 percent of cases and can cause significant side effects, according to background information in the study.

Recent research suggests that HCV can be "hitching a ride" along the lipoprotein life cycle, and that dietary supplements and compounds that influence the metabolism of lipoproteins may also affect HCV.

In this new study, researchers showed that HCV is secreted by the infected cells, while linked to a very low density lipoprotein

"Silence in the apolipoprotein B (Apo-B) mRNA in infected cells causes a 70 percent reduction in the secretion of ApoB-100 and HCV. ApoB This dependent secretion via HCV suggests a new therapeutic approach for treatment of HCV infection, "the researchers wrote.

Then test the grapefruit flavonoids naringenin and found that the reduction of HCV in the secretion of infected cells by 80 percent.

"The concept of complementing the HCV patients with diets naringenin is attractive," the researchers wrote. However, he noted that the intestinal wall does not absorb well naringenin, which means therapeutic doses of flavonoids would have to be given by injection or in combination with other compounds to increase its absorption by the intestine.

The researchers also noted that several naringenin and other compounds in grapefruit have significant drug-drug interactions.

"Future studies will focus on long-term capacity of naringenin and perhaps other citrus flavonoids to reduce viral load in animal models and long-term cultures of human primary hepatocytes," concluded the researchers.

The study was published in May issue of Hepatology

By. Robert Preidt

SOURCE: Hepatology, news release, April 29, 2008

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