NYC Viral Hepatitis Monthly E-Newsletter
October Newsletter
Hep C RNA Reflex Tests Now Available from Commercial Labs:
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October/November issue
Understanding Breast Cancer Early Detection, Improved Treatments Save Lives
More women are beating breast cancer these days, in part because of improved treatments and screening. When abnormal tissue or cancer is found in its early stages, it may be easier to treat.
CLF updates you and interacts with you on all things liver
Stay Updated
October Round-Up
Hepatitis C News
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HCV Advocate Newsletter
The HCV Advocate newsletter is a valuable resource designed to provide the hepatitis C community with monthly updates on events, clinical research, and education
October Newsletter
In This Issue:
HepCBC’s MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
The hepc.bull, has been “Canada’s hepatitis C journal” since the late 1990′s and has been published nonstop since 2001. The monthly newsletter contains the latest research results, government policy changes, activities and campaigns you can get involved in, articles by patients and caregivers, and a list of support groups plus other useful links.
ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE include:
Living in Balance
Facts HCV and the Brain
Hep C—New & Immigrant Canadians
HepCBC President’s Report
Calendar
And More!
Stay Connected
GI & Hepatology News is the official newspaper of the AGA Institute and provides the gastroenterologist with timely and relevant news and commentary about clinical developments and about the impact of health-care policy. The newspaper is led by an internationally renowned board of editors.
In This Issue
Novel HCV therapy leads to rapid response
Pentoxifylline/prednisolone: no survival benefit in patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis, compared with prednisolone alone
Connect With AGA
Websites With Information and News Updates
Dr. Robert Fontana, professor of internal
medicine and medical director of liver transplantation at U-M Health System,
obtained emergency approval from the federal Food and Drug Administration to
give Gholston a treatment that combined two oral antiviral medications,
sofosbuvir and daclatasvir.
Achillion
Pipeline Update: Hepatitis C Drug Still on Hold by U.S. FDA
Achillion today received a response from the U. S. Food and
Drug Administration, or FDA, on the clinical hold related to sovaprevir,
Achillion's NS3 protease inhibitor. The FDA response indicated that, while
Achillion's submission addressed all issues noted in the FDA's June 29, 2013
letter, the FDA concluded that the removal of the clinical hold is not
warranted.
Real-world
SVR rate about 33% with hepatitis C triple therapy
Only
one-third of a group of patients with hepatitis C achieved a sustained virologic
response (SVR) when a protease inhibitor was added to standard ribavirin and
interferon dual therapy
Of 42 patients who started on triple therapy with boceprevir, 9 had to drop out because of previously recognized adverse events, including thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, anemia, and depression. Five other patients did not comply with treatment, and treatment failed in 10. About half of the patients were new to therapy and the rest either non- responders to dual-therapy or triple-therapy relapsers.
Treatment with the HCV nucleoside inhibitors sofosbuvir and GS-0938—alone and in combination—led to rapid and substantial reductions in viral load without any incidences of viral breakthrough. Sofosbuvir demonstrated potent HCV RNA suppression when administered alone for 7 days, an antiviral effect almost double that observed with GS-9851 at the same dose. Sofosbuvir is currently in phase 3 clinical development as a possible backbone of multiple anti-HCV regimens for chronic hepatitis C.
Combining Drugs Cures Some With Hepatitis C
This review aims to provide an overview of the conditions with the greatest
level of evidence supporting a direct link with HCV, as well as looking at the
potentially most life-threatening manifestations, with a focus on investigations
and management.
Hepatitis
C Treatment: When You Can't or Don't Want to Wait
The current treatment
for hepatitis C consists of taking peginterferon and ribavirin. If you have
genotype 1, then you take a third drug that is a protease inhibitor (either
Incivek or Victrelis). The side effects of the current treatment are quite
challenging, so much so that many hepatitis C patients are postponing treatment,
opting to wait for interferon-free regimens.
Some patients can't
wait........
Awareness
Canada should begin screening 'Baby Boomers' for the hepatitis C virus infection, since this age group is likely the largest group to have the illness, and most don't know they have it, say a group of liver specialists in the Toronto Western Hospital Francis Family Liver Clinic.
Cirrhosis and Fibrosis
The present study establishes the benefits of the low-calorie diet and low-fat
diet in management of patients with hepatitis C regarding improvement of insulin
resistance, steatosis and also liver fibrosis.
Overweight
or obese patients with hepatitis C undergoing a lifestyle intervention (specific
dietary intervention and physical activity) for 1-year had significant
improvements in body weight, lipid and hepatic profiles.
Dr. Joe Galati - Watch:
Hepatitis C Diet and Exercise
It is now well known that obese individuals with hepatitis C have a higher chance of developing fibrosis, scarring, and cirrhosis of the liver. Diabetes, a fatty liver, and elevated levels of insulin also contribute to a greater chance of scarring and cirrhosis.
Alcohol and The Liver
Milk Thistle
Hepatitis C - Milk Thistle Public Service Announcement
This announcement was a collaborative creation by PharmD. students of the University of Rhode Island. The video is an informative public service announcement targeted towards Hepatitis C patients, regarding the use of the natural supplement milk thistle.
The Flu
Chronic hepatitis C can increase
your risk of complications from the flu, but how effective is the flu vaccine
during HCV therapy and should people on treatment be
vaccinated?
Flu Forecast
A new tool that can predict when the flu will reach your area.
Just enter your zip code and view your flu risk for the next three weeks.
Example:
SAN FRANCISCO -- Flu vaccination sharply reduced the risk of community-acquired pneumonia, one of the most serious complications of influenza, a researcher said here.
In a case test-negative study, flu vaccination was associated with a 59% reduction in the risk of being admitted to hospital with pneumonia, according to
Carlos Grijalva, MD, of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.
However, vaccine efficacy appeared to be higher in children than in adults, Grijalva reported at the
IDWeek meeting.
High-Dose Flu Vax Better for Frail Elderly
Among the frail elderly in long-term care, a high-dose influenza vaccine improved antibody responses compared with standard vaccines, a researcher said. The high-dose vaccine was approved in 2009 for people 65 and older, Zimmerman noted, but it was tested in healthy people, with an average age of 73, living in the community
October is National Liver Awareness Month
More than 75 percent of the estimated 3 million US citizens with HCV are baby boomers. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that all baby boomers be tested for hepatitis C one time with a simple blood test. The CDC warns that baby boomers do not know enough about the health care they received in the 1970s and 1980s—including whether they received transfusions or were exposed to blood in other ways putting them at risk for contracting HCV.
As long as we are healthy, there is much about our own bodies that we simply take for granted. The liver, for example, is one organ that is not always well understood by most people. The liver is the largest organ inside the human body. It filters harmful substances from the blood, makes substances that digest food, and changes food into energy. Its healthy functioning is vital to our overall health.
October is National Liver Awareness Month, an opportunity for all of us to learn a little more about the liver's essential role. During this month, health providers, hospitals and organizations like the American Liver Foundation are urging Americans across the nation to take control of their health by learning about this important organ - how it functions, how to spot the common signs of liver disease, and what steps people can take to protect their liver. Education is especially important in the fight against liver disease - which is rapidly becoming one of the nation's most serious public health problems.
Liver disease ranks as a top 10 cause of death for Americans, with more than 26,000 people dying each year from some form of chronic liver disease. More than 30 million Americans - one in every 10 U.S. citizens - are affected by some kind of liver disease, including hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. In fact, unlike most cancers, the incidence of liver cancer is actually increasing.
Getting plenty of the right kind of exercise and eating good foods are both very important to maintaining a healthy liver. Here are a few other things you can do to maintain good liver health:
• Consume alcohol only in moderation.
• Discuss your current mix of medications with your physician. Taking too many medicines can be toxic to your liver.
• Avoid mixing alcohol with other drugs or medications unless approved by a physician.
• Ensure proper ventilation when using aerosol cleaning sprays.
• Take precautions when working with chemicals. Pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals can cause liver damage when they come into contact with the skin.
Many forms of liver disease are preventable through healthy lifestyle choices like exercise and eating the right foods. Alcohol-related liver disease, for example, is caused by excessive alcohol consumption and is the most common preventable type of liver disease. Other types of liver disease, particularly hepatitis A and B, can be controlled by vaccines. If undiagnosed and left untreated, however, Hepatitis B can lead to serious illness such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The liver processes everything we eat, drink, breathe and even put on our skin. When the liver is not functioning properly, it can result in acute and chronic illnesses, or even death. Unfortunately, many people do not recognize the symptoms of liver disease and are unaware they have an illness until it's too late.
Some signs that may indicate liver disease include:
• Unusually dark urine, unusually light-colored stools, bloody stools or stools that are tar-like.
• A yellowish discoloration of the skin or eyes.
• Abdominal swelling or severe abdominal pain.
• Chronic fatigue, nausea or loss of appetite.
People exhibiting one or more of these symptoms should contact their physician. However, people with liver disease often experience no symptoms, so it is important that patients get regular screenings, know their risk factors and talk to their healthcare provider about whether they may be at risk for hepatitis or liver disease
Off The Cuff
Elderly Vegas man sentenced to 17 years in fake stem cell case
An 87-year-old Las Vegas man was sentenced to serve more than 17 years in federal prison in a case involving the implantation of phony stem cells in chronically ill patients.
As described by an indictment and evidence in Sapse's trial, the Las Vegas resident hired a pediatrician, Ralph Conti, in 2005 as part of a scheme in which Sapse convinced patients to undergo an experimental implant procedure, promising to cure them of their ailments. Conti served to perform the procedure on at least 34 patients throughout 2006, knowing they would not benefit them in any way, Bogden's office said.
