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FibroScan® New Generation Extends Access to Non-invasive Liver Diagnosis
European Consortium Seeks to Replace Liver Biopsies with Painless MRI Scans
OXFORD, England, April 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Thousands of patients in Europe with liver disease could be saved from having painful and expensive needle biopsies in the future, after a multi-million Euro grant was awarded to a consortium of hospitals to use a faster and safer MRI called LiverMultiScan, developed by Perspectum Diagnostics.
Fuelled by rising levels of obesity, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) affects up to a quarter of the European population and left untreated can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure. The historic method of diagnosing NAFLD is by liver biopsy, which in addition to being costly and painful, samples only a tiny fraction (1/50,000th) of the liver. LiverMultiScan, which is being showcased at the forthcoming International Liver Congress in Barcelona (April 13 - 17th) is a non-invasive alternative which accurately measures liver fat and other metrics, and can help doctors detect early disease.
"A cost-effective tool for non-invasive liver tissue characterisation would be a major step forward in the treatment of patients with liver diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease," explains Dr. Minneke Coenraad from Leiden University Medical Centre, one of the investigators leading the study.
Supported by the Horizon 2020 SME instrument, the RADiCAL trial (Rapid Assessment and Diagnosis in Chronic Adult Liver disease) will compare the cost of patient care using liver biopsy with that of using LiverMultiScan. 2,000 patients suspected of a diagnosis of NAFLD will be recruited to centres in Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal. Each patient will be randomised to either follow the current diagnostic pathway with biopsy, or to have early access to state-of-the-art MRI with LiverMultiScan, to determine the presence and extent of disease. At the end of the trial, the cost-effectiveness and patient-reported outcome measures of the two diagnostic pathways will be compared.
Dr Rajarshi Banerjee, CEO of Perspectum Diagnostics, says "We are delighted that the H2020 funding body recognises the enormous potential for LiverMultiScan to replace unnecessary biopsies. There is a real opportunity here, not only to make significant economic savings at a time when all health services are under pressure, but also to reduce the number of patients having to undergo what can be a stressful and painful procedure."
Doctors and patients can learn more about LiverMultiScan and the RADiCAL MRI technology by visiting Booth 2100 at the International Liver Congress in Barcelona April 13-17th, or visiting http://www.perspectum-diagnostics.com.
About LiverMultiScan
LiverMultiscan was introduced in Europe and the U.S. as a research device in 2014. It is now installed in leading medical institutions on three continents. The technology offers a quantitative liver assessment in a safe, non-invasive 15-minute MRI scan. LiverMultiScan is manufactured by Mirada Medical, and has CE-marking and FDA-clearance.
About Perspectum Diagnostics
Perspectum Diagnostics is a medical imaging company founded by scientists and physicians from the University of Oxford. It has pioneered the use of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging to accurately detect and measure biomarkers of liver disease.
Contact
Perspectum Diagnostics
Oxford Centre for Innovation |New Road | Oxford OX1 1BY
Tel: +44-(0)1865-261457
info@perspectum-diagnostics.com
http://perspectum-diagnostics.com
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Hospitals in Three States Offer Patients Free Tests Following Arrest of Surgical Technician for Allegedly Stealing Fentanyl from Operating Room
Hospitals in Three States Offer Patients Free Medical Laboratory Tests Following Arrest of Surgical Technician for Allegedly Stealing Fentanyl from Operating Room
Because of possible exposure to HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C from a healthcare worker, thousands of patients treated in multiple hospitals in different states are being offered free clinical laboratory testing. This situation is attracting national media attention and is a reminder to pathologists and medical laboratory professionals of the increased transparency that is being given to different types of medical errors that expose patients to risk.
A surgical technologist who allegedly stole the drug fentanyl from multiple hospitals provides an example of how the healthcare system can miss systematic misconduct by individual employees that can put thousands of patients at risk.
Continue reading...
Because of possible exposure to HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C from a healthcare worker, thousands of patients treated in multiple hospitals in different states are being offered free clinical laboratory testing. This situation is attracting national media attention and is a reminder to pathologists and medical laboratory professionals of the increased transparency that is being given to different types of medical errors that expose patients to risk.
A surgical technologist who allegedly stole the drug fentanyl from multiple hospitals provides an example of how the healthcare system can miss systematic misconduct by individual employees that can put thousands of patients at risk.
Continue reading...
Monday, April 11, 2016
Viral Hepatitis Can Be Eliminated If It Is a Top Priority
Viral Hepatitis Can Be Eliminated If It Is a Top Priority
Your Source for University News
Scientists' interim report cites cost and logistics as barriers to ending “silent killer” in U.S.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Viral hepatitis will only be eliminated in the U.S. if it is made a stronger priority, according to an interim report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Approximately 20,000 people die in the U.S. each year from viral hepatitis, often referred to as a “silent killer” and given significantly less attention than other potentially fatal diseases.“These deaths could be averted,” said Brian L. Strom, a renowned epidemiologist and the chancellor of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, who heads a committee of scientists selected by the Academies to study the issue. “The world has the tools to prevent hepatitis B and cure hepatitis C, which in turn could prevent most liver cancer.”
“But the barriers to elimination of hepatitis B and C are consequences of a more basic problem – that viral hepatitis is simply not a public priority in the U.S.,” Strom said.
That could change soon. In May, the World Health Assembly will consider a resolution setting broad global targets of 90 percent reduction in the incidence of viral hepatitis and 65 percent reduction in its mortality by 2030.
“The United States has both an opportunity and a responsibility to be part of the global action against viral hepatitis,” Strom said. The committee’s report is summarized today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) account for most of the world’s chronic viral hepatitis. HBV vaccine now results in 95 percent immunity, while new antiviral drugs can eliminate HCV infection in more than 90 percent of chronically infected patients, Strom explained.
“Taken together, these advances have encouraged global momentum for action against viral hepatitis,” Strom said.
While the committee’s next report in the spring of 2017 will recommend actions to eliminate viral hepatitis as a major U.S. health threat, Strom noted that the current barriers to doing so relate to logistics and cost.
“The HBV vaccine makes it possible to interrupt horizontal transmission of the virus, but ending transmission would require immunization of every susceptible person in a population,” he said. “As for hepatitis C, the costs of curative drugs have made this strategy impractical.”
The report said, "Because most cases are imported, U.S. support of vaccination efforts in other countries would be a wise investment in reducing the future burden of hepatitis B in the United States."
Complicating the issue is the fact that most people chronically infected with viral hepatitis are unaware of their condition.
The report notes that though eliminating viral hepatitis as a major health threat is a challenging goal, the committee believes the goal is attainable.
http://news.rutgers.edu/news/viral-hepatitis-can-be-eliminated-if-it-top-priority/20160408#.VwvA1rvmqUl
Your Source for University News
Scientists' interim report cites cost and logistics as barriers to ending “silent killer” in U.S.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Viral hepatitis will only be eliminated in the U.S. if it is made a stronger priority, according to an interim report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Approximately 20,000 people die in the U.S. each year from viral hepatitis, often referred to as a “silent killer” and given significantly less attention than other potentially fatal diseases.“These deaths could be averted,” said Brian L. Strom, a renowned epidemiologist and the chancellor of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, who heads a committee of scientists selected by the Academies to study the issue. “The world has the tools to prevent hepatitis B and cure hepatitis C, which in turn could prevent most liver cancer.”
“But the barriers to elimination of hepatitis B and C are consequences of a more basic problem – that viral hepatitis is simply not a public priority in the U.S.,” Strom said.
That could change soon. In May, the World Health Assembly will consider a resolution setting broad global targets of 90 percent reduction in the incidence of viral hepatitis and 65 percent reduction in its mortality by 2030.
“The United States has both an opportunity and a responsibility to be part of the global action against viral hepatitis,” Strom said. The committee’s report is summarized today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) account for most of the world’s chronic viral hepatitis. HBV vaccine now results in 95 percent immunity, while new antiviral drugs can eliminate HCV infection in more than 90 percent of chronically infected patients, Strom explained.
“Taken together, these advances have encouraged global momentum for action against viral hepatitis,” Strom said.
While the committee’s next report in the spring of 2017 will recommend actions to eliminate viral hepatitis as a major U.S. health threat, Strom noted that the current barriers to doing so relate to logistics and cost.
“The HBV vaccine makes it possible to interrupt horizontal transmission of the virus, but ending transmission would require immunization of every susceptible person in a population,” he said. “As for hepatitis C, the costs of curative drugs have made this strategy impractical.”
The report said, "Because most cases are imported, U.S. support of vaccination efforts in other countries would be a wise investment in reducing the future burden of hepatitis B in the United States."
Complicating the issue is the fact that most people chronically infected with viral hepatitis are unaware of their condition.
The report notes that though eliminating viral hepatitis as a major health threat is a challenging goal, the committee believes the goal is attainable.
http://news.rutgers.edu/news/viral-hepatitis-can-be-eliminated-if-it-top-priority/20160408#.VwvA1rvmqUl
Video-Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne discusses Hepatitis C
Published on Apr 11, 2016
Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne discusses his decision to take a medical leave of absence due to Hepatitis C.
Simeprevir/New Data Will Be Presented at Easl's International Liver Congress 2016
Medivir: New Data for Simeprevir Will Be Presented at Easl's International Liver Congress 2016
April 11, 2016 09:46 AM Eastern Daylight Time
STOCKHOLM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:
Medivir (STO:MVIRB)
Medivir AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: MVIR) today informs that new clinical data for simeprevir, an NS3 / 4A protease inhibitor for the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection, will be presented by our partner Janssen Sciences Ireland UC (Janssen) in conjunction with The International Liver Congress ™ 2016 of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) in Barcelona, on 13-17 April. A total of nine presentations will be made, including one "late breaker" presentation. The presentations will cover the efficacy, safety and tolerability of simeprevir used as a component of various combination therapies in a number of different adult patient populations, and will be based on data from phase II and phase III studies and from on-going clinical use (so-called "real-world data").
Data presented at the International Liver Congress 2015 include:
Late-Breaking Poster Presentation
Simeprevir plus sofosbuvir for hepatitis C virus genotype 4 infection: a phase 3, open-label study.
· Abstract LBP516
· Lead Author: M. Buti; Hospital Vall d’Hebron and Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red en Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Barcelona, Spain
Poster Presentations
Pharmacokinetic interactions between simeprevir and ledipasvir in treatment-naïve hepatitis C virus genotype 1-infected patients without cirrhosis treated with a simeprevir/sofosbuvir/ledipasvir regimen
· Abstract SAT-264
· Lead Author: S. Bourgeois, Department of Internal Medicine, ZNA Ster, Antwerp
Deep sequencing results from the Phase 2 IMPACT study of simeprevir in combination with daclatasvir and sofosbuvir in treatment-naïve and -experienced patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 or 4 infection and decompensated liver disease
· Abstract THU-215
· Lead Author: C. Sarrazin, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Medical Center, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Consistent simeprevir resistance profile in hepatitis C virus genotype 1-infected patients failing simeprevir interferon-free compared with interferon-containing regimens
· Abstract THU-214
· Lead Author: B. Fevery, Janssen Infectious Diseases BVBA, Beerse, Belgium
Effectiveness of simeprevir-containing regimens among patients with chronic hepatitis C virus in various US practice settings: The SONET study
· Abstract SAT-167
· Lead Author: I. Alam, Austin Hepatitis Center, Austin, TX, USA
Efficacy and safety of simeprevir and sofosbuvir with and without ribavirin for 12 weeks in subjects with recurrent genotype 1 hepatitis C post-orthotopic liver transplant: The GALAXY study
· Abstract FRI-457
· Lead Author: J.G. O'Leary, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
Efficacy and tolerability of simeprevir and daclatasvir for 12 or 24 weeks in HCV genotype 1b-infected treatment-naïve patients with advanced fibrosis or compensated cirrhosis
· Abstract SAT-130
· Lead Author: C. Hézode, Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Université Paris-Est, France
Effectiveness of simeprevir treatment for hepatitis C in real practice: preliminary results from the STIly Italian observational study
· Abstract SAT-162
· Lead Author: G.B. Gaeta, Seconda Universita di Napoli, Napoli, Italy
Safety of simeprevir-based treatment for hepatitis C in real practice: preliminary results from the STIly observational study
· Abstract SAT-212
· Lead Author: M. Colombo, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy
Details of all presentations for The International Liver Congress ™ 2016 are available at the conference website: http://www.ilc-congress.eu
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Promising new blood test is first of its kind to detect liver scarring
Promising new blood test is first of its kind to detect liver scarring
Team develop a DNA-based test that determines the degree of fibrosis in the liver -- this could be a replacement for a liver biopsy
Newcastle University
Newcastle scientists and medics have developed a new type of genetic blood test that diagnoses scarring in the liver - even before someone may feel ill.
It is the first time an epigenetic signature in blood has been discovered which is diagnostic of the severity of fibrosis for people with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).
NAFLD, caused by being overweight or having diabetes, affects one in three people in the UK and may progress to cirrhosis and liver failure, requiring a transplant.
Scientific breakthrough
Publishing in the academic journal GUT, the Newcastle team describe the proof of principle research in which they measure specific epigenetic markers to stratify NAFLD patients into mild or severe liver scarring, known as fibrosis.
Dr Quentin Anstee, Clinical Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University, Consultant Hepatologist within the Newcastle Hospitals and joint senior author explained what it could mean for patients: "This scientific breakthrough has great promise because the majority of patients show no symptoms.
"Routine blood tests can't detect scarring of the liver and even more advanced non-invasive tests can really only detect scarring at a late stage when it is nearing cirrhosis. We currently have to rely on liver biopsy to measure fibrosis at its early stages - by examining a piece of the liver under the microscope.
"We know that the presence of even mild fibrosis of the liver predicts a worse long-term outcome for patients with NAFLD and so it's important to be able to detect liver scarring at an early stage."
Providing a scale of damage
In this first stage of research the team developed the blood analysis in 26 patients with NAFLD. The test detects chemical changes on tiny amounts of "cell-free" DNA that are released into the blood when liver cells are injured. Changes in DNA methylation at genes like PPARγ that controls scar formation are then used to stratify patients by fibrosis severity.
Senior author Dr Jelena Mann of Newcastle University's Institute for Cellular Medicine added: "This is the first time that a DNA methylation 'signature' from the blood has been shown to match the severity of a liver disease.
"It opens up the possibility of an improved blood test for liver fibrosis in the future."
Dr Timothy Hardy is a hepatology registrar within Newcastle Hospitals and a Medical Research Council-funded clinical research training fellow at the University. He conducted the research as part of his PhD project and said: "We are now working on confirming these findings in a larger group of patients.
"If we are able to accurately tell the extent of a person's liver damage with a blood test, and even track the scarring as it gets better or worse, it could provide reassurance for patients, save NHS resources and avoid patients having to undergo a liver biopsy."
This research is part of Newcastle University's response to the challenges and opportunities presented by an ageing population. Newcastle University is a world leader in the field at its Campus for Ageing and Vitality, the location for a new £40m National Centre for Ageing Science and Innovation (NASI). This research was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre.
The research was made possible through Newcastle Academic Health Partners, a collaboration involving Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University. This partnership harnesses world-class expertise to ensure patients benefit sooner from new treatments, diagnostics and prevention strategies.
###
Reference
Plasma DNA Methylation: A Potential Biomarker for Stratification of Liver Fibrosis in Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Timothy Hardy, Mujdat Zeybel, Christopher P. Day, Christian Dipper, Steven Masson, Stuart McPherson, Elsbeth Henderson, Dina Tiniakos, Steve White, Jeremy French, Derek A. Mann, Quentin M. Anstee and Jelena Mann.
Gut: DOI 10.1136/gutjnl-2016-311526
4 stages of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
NAFLD is very common in patients who are overweight, obese or have type 2 diabetes. It develops in four stages. Most people will only ever develop the first stage, usually without realising it.
In a small number of cases it can progress and eventually lead to liver damage, cirrhosis and liver cancer if not detected and managed.
The main stages of NAFLD are:
1. Steatosis ("fatty liver") - a build-up of fat in the liver cells that is often picked up as an incidental finding during tests carried out for another reason
2. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) - a more serious form of NAFLD, where the liver has become inflamed; this is estimated to affect up to 5% of the UK population
3. Fibrosis - where persistent inflammation causes scar tissue to form in the liver, but the liver is still able to function normally
4. Cirrhosis - the most severe stage, occurring after years of inflammation, where the liver shrinks and becomes scarred and lumpy; this damage is permanent and can lead to liver failure (where the liver stops working properly) and liver cancer
It can take years for fibrosis or cirrhosis to develop and the presence of this scarring predicts those people with the worse prognosis. It's important to make lifestyle changes to prevent the disease from getting worse.
(INFORMATION MODIFIED FROM NHS CHOICES, WITH UPDATES BASED ON CURRENT EVIDENCE)
Source
Team develop a DNA-based test that determines the degree of fibrosis in the liver -- this could be a replacement for a liver biopsy
Newcastle University
Newcastle scientists and medics have developed a new type of genetic blood test that diagnoses scarring in the liver - even before someone may feel ill.
It is the first time an epigenetic signature in blood has been discovered which is diagnostic of the severity of fibrosis for people with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).
NAFLD, caused by being overweight or having diabetes, affects one in three people in the UK and may progress to cirrhosis and liver failure, requiring a transplant.
Scientific breakthrough
Publishing in the academic journal GUT, the Newcastle team describe the proof of principle research in which they measure specific epigenetic markers to stratify NAFLD patients into mild or severe liver scarring, known as fibrosis.
Dr Quentin Anstee, Clinical Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University, Consultant Hepatologist within the Newcastle Hospitals and joint senior author explained what it could mean for patients: "This scientific breakthrough has great promise because the majority of patients show no symptoms.
"Routine blood tests can't detect scarring of the liver and even more advanced non-invasive tests can really only detect scarring at a late stage when it is nearing cirrhosis. We currently have to rely on liver biopsy to measure fibrosis at its early stages - by examining a piece of the liver under the microscope.
"We know that the presence of even mild fibrosis of the liver predicts a worse long-term outcome for patients with NAFLD and so it's important to be able to detect liver scarring at an early stage."
Providing a scale of damage
In this first stage of research the team developed the blood analysis in 26 patients with NAFLD. The test detects chemical changes on tiny amounts of "cell-free" DNA that are released into the blood when liver cells are injured. Changes in DNA methylation at genes like PPARγ that controls scar formation are then used to stratify patients by fibrosis severity.
Senior author Dr Jelena Mann of Newcastle University's Institute for Cellular Medicine added: "This is the first time that a DNA methylation 'signature' from the blood has been shown to match the severity of a liver disease.
"It opens up the possibility of an improved blood test for liver fibrosis in the future."
Dr Timothy Hardy is a hepatology registrar within Newcastle Hospitals and a Medical Research Council-funded clinical research training fellow at the University. He conducted the research as part of his PhD project and said: "We are now working on confirming these findings in a larger group of patients.
"If we are able to accurately tell the extent of a person's liver damage with a blood test, and even track the scarring as it gets better or worse, it could provide reassurance for patients, save NHS resources and avoid patients having to undergo a liver biopsy."
This research is part of Newcastle University's response to the challenges and opportunities presented by an ageing population. Newcastle University is a world leader in the field at its Campus for Ageing and Vitality, the location for a new £40m National Centre for Ageing Science and Innovation (NASI). This research was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre.
The research was made possible through Newcastle Academic Health Partners, a collaboration involving Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University. This partnership harnesses world-class expertise to ensure patients benefit sooner from new treatments, diagnostics and prevention strategies.
###
Reference
Plasma DNA Methylation: A Potential Biomarker for Stratification of Liver Fibrosis in Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Timothy Hardy, Mujdat Zeybel, Christopher P. Day, Christian Dipper, Steven Masson, Stuart McPherson, Elsbeth Henderson, Dina Tiniakos, Steve White, Jeremy French, Derek A. Mann, Quentin M. Anstee and Jelena Mann.
Gut: DOI 10.1136/gutjnl-2016-311526
4 stages of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
NAFLD is very common in patients who are overweight, obese or have type 2 diabetes. It develops in four stages. Most people will only ever develop the first stage, usually without realising it.
In a small number of cases it can progress and eventually lead to liver damage, cirrhosis and liver cancer if not detected and managed.
The main stages of NAFLD are:
1. Steatosis ("fatty liver") - a build-up of fat in the liver cells that is often picked up as an incidental finding during tests carried out for another reason
2. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) - a more serious form of NAFLD, where the liver has become inflamed; this is estimated to affect up to 5% of the UK population
3. Fibrosis - where persistent inflammation causes scar tissue to form in the liver, but the liver is still able to function normally
4. Cirrhosis - the most severe stage, occurring after years of inflammation, where the liver shrinks and becomes scarred and lumpy; this damage is permanent and can lead to liver failure (where the liver stops working properly) and liver cancer
It can take years for fibrosis or cirrhosis to develop and the presence of this scarring predicts those people with the worse prognosis. It's important to make lifestyle changes to prevent the disease from getting worse.
(INFORMATION MODIFIED FROM NHS CHOICES, WITH UPDATES BASED ON CURRENT EVIDENCE)
Source
Understanding the Magnitude of the Viral Hepatitis Epidemics in the United States
Understanding the Magnitude of the Viral Hepatitis Epidemics in the United States
April 8, 2016 • By Richard Wolitski, Ph.D., Acting Director, Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
There May Be More People Living with Viral Hepatitis in the U.S. than Live in Your State
Let’s start with the lowest estimate from the CDC website (3.4 million people). Twenty-one states and DC all have total populations that are smaller than the estimated number of people living with HCV or HBV in the United States.
If we use the highest estimate from the CDC (5.3 million people), 28 states, DC, and Puerto Rico, each have populations that are smaller than the number of people living with viral hepatitis. That’s more than half of the states in the entire country. These states can be found all across the United States.
In fact, if you add up the populations of DC and the 6 least populous states (Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming), the total (5,184,139) is less than the CDC’s highest estimate of the number of people living with viral hepatitis in the United States.
Continue reading....
April 8, 2016 • By Richard Wolitski, Ph.D., Acting Director, Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
There May Be More People Living with Viral Hepatitis in the U.S. than Live in Your State
Let’s start with the lowest estimate from the CDC website (3.4 million people). Twenty-one states and DC all have total populations that are smaller than the estimated number of people living with HCV or HBV in the United States.
If we use the highest estimate from the CDC (5.3 million people), 28 states, DC, and Puerto Rico, each have populations that are smaller than the number of people living with viral hepatitis. That’s more than half of the states in the entire country. These states can be found all across the United States.
In fact, if you add up the populations of DC and the 6 least populous states (Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming), the total (5,184,139) is less than the CDC’s highest estimate of the number of people living with viral hepatitis in the United States.
Continue reading....
Despite Advances in Hepatitis C Treatment, More Research Needed (Video)
Despite Advances in Hepatitis C Treatment, More Research Needed (Video)
By Barbara Jungwirth
From TheBodyPRO.com
April 8, 2016
On behalf of IFARA, Liz Highleyman, editor-in-chief of HIVandHepatitis.com, spoke with Jurgen Rockstroh, M.D., Kenneth Sherman, M.D., Ph.D., and Dost Sarpel, M.D., about research on the treatment of hepatitis B and C. One trial found that a six-week course of ledipasvir and sofosbuvir (Harvoni) cleared acute hepatitis C (HCV) in most patients, except for those with very high viral loads. Another study showed that a new HIV drug, cenicriviroc, can inhibit the hepatic fibrosis often experienced by people living with HIV. Risk factors for HCV treatment failure were the focus of a third study. HCV reinfection, as well as a higher risk for developing liver cancer after being cured of this virus, are other areas of concern, as is the need for drugs to re-treat those for whom HCV treatment did not work the first time around.
Watch the video to learn more
By Barbara Jungwirth
From TheBodyPRO.com
April 8, 2016
On behalf of IFARA, Liz Highleyman, editor-in-chief of HIVandHepatitis.com, spoke with Jurgen Rockstroh, M.D., Kenneth Sherman, M.D., Ph.D., and Dost Sarpel, M.D., about research on the treatment of hepatitis B and C. One trial found that a six-week course of ledipasvir and sofosbuvir (Harvoni) cleared acute hepatitis C (HCV) in most patients, except for those with very high viral loads. Another study showed that a new HIV drug, cenicriviroc, can inhibit the hepatic fibrosis often experienced by people living with HIV. Risk factors for HCV treatment failure were the focus of a third study. HCV reinfection, as well as a higher risk for developing liver cancer after being cured of this virus, are other areas of concern, as is the need for drugs to re-treat those for whom HCV treatment did not work the first time around.
Watch the video to learn more
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