http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. US regulators on Friday approved the first new treatment for hepatitis C in more than a decade, a Merck pharmaceutical known as Victrelis, to be taken with the current two-drug regimen. http://phys.org/news224574559.html Medicine & Health Sat, 14 May 2011 06:49:54 EST news224574559 Data presented at the International Liver Congress highlight the fact that new novel antiviral compounds for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) must be prescribed and monitored by experts and specialists to ensure resistance is minimised.1,2,3,4,5,6 http://phys.org/news220938368.html Medicine & Health Sat, 02 Apr 2011 04:46:51 EST news220938368 The drug boceprevir helps cure hard-to-treat hepatitis C, says Saint Louis University investigator Bruce R. Bacon, M.D., author of the March 31 New England Journal of Medicine article detailing the study's findings. The results, which were first reported at the 61st annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease's last November, offer a brighter outlook for patients who have not responded to standard treatment. http://phys.org/news220724722.html Medicine & Health Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:30:01 EST news220724722 A three-drug cocktail can eliminate the hepatitis C virus in patients far more effectively than the current two-drug regimen, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital. http://phys.org/news220724627.html Medicine & Health Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:50:01 EST news220724627 A research team from Japan identified factors associated with the age at onset of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The results showed that increased body mass index (BMI) is associated with increased risk for early HCC development in HCV-infected patients. Achieving recommended BMI and reducing alcohol intake could help prevent hepatic carcinogenesis. http://phys.org/news219403745.html Medicine & Health Tue, 15 Mar 2011 12:30:01 EST news219403745 Immunology: Three percent of the world's population is currently infected by hepatitis C. The virus hides in the liver and can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer, and it's the most frequent cause of liver transplants in Denmark. Since the virus mutates strongly, we have no traditional vaccine, but researchers at the University of Copenhagen are now the first to succeed in developing a vaccine, which provides future hope for medical protection from this type of hepatitis. http://phys.org/news217677520.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Feb 2011 09:59:19 EST news217677520 A recent 20-year study of injection drug users (IDUs) in Baltimore found a significant decline in new cases of HIV infection but only a slight decline in new cases of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The findings suggest that efforts to curb blood-borne transmission of these viral infections have had success but must be expanded against the highly transmissible HCV. Researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and other centers, led by Shruti H. Mehta, PhD, MPH, report the findings in the March 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online. http://phys.org/news215667892.html Medicine & Health Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:48:47 EST news215667892 In two recent studies, researchers have identified two functional variants in the inosine triphosphatase (ITPA) gene that protect patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) against anemia brought on by antiviral treatment. The ability to identify those patients protected against treatment-induced anemia will ensure completion of antiviral therapy and successful elimination of the virus. Full findings of these studies appear in the February issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. http://phys.org/news215175806.html Medicine & Health Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:03:55 EST news215175806 Following a successful Phase 1 study for safety, researchers at MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) today announced the beginning of a Phase 2 clinical trial testing the ability of a human monoclonal antibody they developed to prevent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection of a donor liver in transplant patients. http://phys.org/news214572816.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:20:04 EST news214572816 A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health examines the burden of HIV and sexually transmitted disease among male clients of the commercial sex industry in China's Sichuan province. Since 2007, heterosexual transmission has replaced injecting drug use as the primary transmission mode of all HIV infections in China. The study is available online in advance of publication in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections. http://phys.org/news208439610.html Medicine & Health Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:30:08 EST news208439610 Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology (GIVI) have found that an enzyme associated with the storage of fat in the liver is required for the infectious activity of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). This discovery may offer a new strategy for treating the infection. http://phys.org/news205935871.html Medicine & Health Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:25:00 EST news205935871 A University of Alberta researcher specializing in neurological infections has discovered that the hepatitis C virus injures and inflames brain cells, resulting in neurological issues for some patients living with the disease. Until now, no one has been able to prove this. http://phys.org/news205749634.html Medicine & Health Fri, 08 Oct 2010 09:40:52 EST news205749634 In recent human trials for a promising new class of drug designed to target the hepatitis C virus (HCV) without shutting down the immune system, some of the HCV strains being treated exhibited signs of drug resistance. http://phys.org/news204982969.html Chemistry Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:43:02 EST news204982969 The first clinical trials on a new investigational drug being developed to treat infections caused by Hepatitis C virus have been successfully completed. http://phys.org/news202626638.html Medicine & Health Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:11:06 EST news202626638 In a discovery that has implications for developing treatments against cancer and potentially deadly viruses, researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center have discovered the function of proteins that can enhance the progression of certain viruses and cancer cells. Their findings were published in the journal Genes and Development. http://phys.org/news201172842.html Medicine & Health Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:50:02 EST news201172842 Adding a direct acting anti-viral drug to the standard treatment regimen for hepatitis C significantly increases the cure rate in the most difficult to treat patients, according to a research report published Monday in the online edition of the journal The Lancet. http://phys.org/news200234595.html Medicine & Health Sun, 08 Aug 2010 18:30:01 EST news200234595 Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) can be transmitted during intravenous (IV) administration of anesthesia, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. In this study, doctors found that anesthesia contamination — not endoscopy contamination — was the cause of infection. http://phys.org/news199028209.html Medicine & Health Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:30:01 EST news199028209 Researchers from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland (the NORDynamIC project group) have observed that depressive symptoms in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are commonly overlooked in routine clinical interviews, and that treatment-induced depression compromises the outcome of HCV therapy. A second U.S. study found that patients with chronic infection had lower (work) productivity and incurred higher medical benefit costs than those without HCV. Both studies are available in the August issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://phys.org/news198864176.html Medicine & Health Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:20:03 EST news198864176 Common drugs used to treat conditions such as diabetes and obesity could be used to successfully treat hepatitis C virus infection. http://phys.org/news195133729.html Medicine & Health Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:00:01 EST news195133729 A study conducted by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic finds that patients suffering from cirrhosis preceded by nonalcoholic steatohepatitis are at an equal risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma than those who develop cirrhosis resulting from hepatitis C virus (HCV). Results of this study appear in the June issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). http://phys.org/news194009708.html Medicine & Health Tue, 25 May 2010 12:36:13 EST news194009708 A combination of antiviral drugs may be needed to combat the drug resistance that rapidly develops in potentially deadly hepatitis C infections, a new study using sophisticated computer and mathematical modeling has shown. http://phys.org/news192283112.html Medicine & Health Wed, 05 May 2010 14:00:10 EST news192283112 Extending hepatitis C treatment for liver transplant patients beyond current standards results in high clearance rates of the hepatitis C virus from the blood, and a low relapse rate, according to a study by Henry Ford Hospital. http://phys.org/news192026276.html Medicine & Health Sun, 02 May 2010 13:38:20 EST news192026276 What makes some viral infections fatal and others much less severe is largely a mystery. It is thought that a part of the variability can be attributed to differences in how individuals respond to infection. http://phys.org/news189110023.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:00:03 EST news189110023 A team of scientists including University of Utah researchers has discovered that binding of a potent inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) to the genetic material of the virus causes a major conformational change that may adversely affect the ability of the virus to replicate. This discovery, published in the March 29 early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides a potential new target for structure-based design of new hepatitis C treatments. http://phys.org/news189086790.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:00:01 EST news189086790 (PhysOrg.com) -- A Yale School of Medicine study reveals that the high prevalence of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) among injection drug users may be partly due to the resilience of the virus in certain types of syringes. The study, which could open new avenues in preventing the spread of HCV, will be the focus of a presentation and press conference at the 17th Conference of Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections on Friday, February 19, 2010 at the Moscone Center West in San Francisco. http://phys.org/news185474570.html Medicine & Health Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:10:01 EST news185474570 A newly designed system of identifying molecules for treating hepatitis C should enable scientists to discover novel and effective therapies for the dangerous and difficult-to-cure disease of the liver, says Zhilei Chen, a Texas A&M University assistant professor of chemical engineering who helped develop the screening system. http://phys.org/news185105925.html Medicine & Health Thu, 11 Feb 2010 10:30:01 EST news185105925 (PhysOrg.com) -- The compound was found to be effective against viruses that cause some of the world's deadliest diseases, such as AIDS, Ebola and Rift Valley fever. http://phys.org/news184254493.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:48:32 EST news184254493 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at MIT and Rockefeller University have successfully grown hepatitis C virus in otherwise healthy liver cells in the laboratory, an advance that could allow scientists to develop and test new treatments for the disease. http://phys.org/news183654733.html Medicine & Health Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:50:02 EST news183654733 Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have discovered a novel class of compounds that, in experiments in vitro, inhibit replication of the virus responsible for hepatitis C. If these compounds prove effective in infected humans as well, they may dramatically accelerate efforts to confront this virus's propensity to rapidly acquire drug resistance, while possibly skirting some of the troubling side effects common among therapies in current use and in late-stage development. http://phys.org/news183213587.html Medicine & Health Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:00:01 EST news183213587 Researchers have identified two cellular proteins that are important factors in hepatitis C virus infection, a finding that may result in the approval of new and less toxic treatments for the disease, which can lead to liver cancer and cirrhosis. http://phys.org/news181910650.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:45:17 EST news181910650