Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Epidemics 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Medical Research Council Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London, W2 1PG, United Kingdom.

Emerging evidence suggests that HIV incidence rates in Brazil, particularly among men, may be rising. Here we use Brazil's integrated health systems data to develop a mathematical model, reproducing the complex surveillance systems and providing estimates of HIV incidence, number of people living with HIV (PLHIV), reporting rates and ART initiation rates. An age-structured deterministic model with a flexible spline was used to describe the natural history of HIV along with reporting and treatment rates. Read More

Res Social Adm Pharm 2019 Feb 1. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

College of Pharmacy, Center for Pharmaceutical Care Studies, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.

Background: Subjective experiences with medication use are individual experiences that can impact health outcomes by contributing to problems related to such use.

Objetives: The aim of the present study was to understand the experiences of chronic hepatitis C patients who were taking chronic medications, based on the phenomenology proposed by Merleau-Ponty and connection among this experience with the essential structures of the experience.

Methods: Data were gathered from interviews conducted with ten individuals taking long-term medications at the Viral Hepatitis Outpatient Clinic of the Alfa Gastroenterology Institute of the Hospital das Clínicas, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Read More

J Clin Virol 2019 Jan 30;113:8-13. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Institute of Virology, Heinrich-Heine-University, University Hospital, Düsseldorf, Germany.

Background: Chronic infection with the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is associated with the risk of progressive liver disease. Although, HCV treatment options and viral cure rates have tremendously increased over the last decade, all currently licensed combination therapies contain inhibitors of the replication complex NS5A. Resistance-associated substitutions (RAS) in NS5A can limit the efficacy of therapy; however, resistance testing is routinely not recommended for all patients. Read More

J Viral Hepat 2019 Feb 16. Epub 2019 Feb 16.

Department of Gastroenterology, Ankara University Medical School, Cebeci Tıp Fakültesi Hastanesi, Dikimevi, 06100, Ankara, Turkey.

Current treatment of chronic hepatitis D viral infection with interferons is poorly tolerated and effective only in a minority of patients. Despite Delta virus causing the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis no other treatments are available. After many years of inactivity there is now hope for new treatment approaches for Delta virus and some are likely to enter clinical practice in the near future. Read More

J Neurol Sci 2019 Feb 7;399:36-43. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Department of General Radiology, Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, Radiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 213, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland.

The study was performed to evaluate cerebral volume changes in HCV-infected subjects before and after interferon-free therapy with direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA). We aimed also to estimate the impact of successful DAA therapy on the neuropsychological state of patients. Eleven HCV genotype 1 (GT1) patients treated with ombitasvir/paritaprevir (boosted with ritonavir) and dasabuvir, with or without ribavirin underwent brain magnetic resonance (MR) before and 24 weeks after completion of therapy. Read More

J Hepatol 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Institute of Experimental Virology, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research; a joint venture between the Medical School Hannover (MHH) and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Feodor-Lynen-Str. 7, 30625 Hannover, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, 30625 Hannover, Germany. Electronic address:

Background & Aims: Hepatitis C virus infection causes chronic liver disease. Antivirals have been developed and cure infection. However, resistance can emerge and salvage therapies with alternative modes of action could be useful. Read More

J Hepatol 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Medicine II, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. Electronic address:

Background & Aims: Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) polymorphisms are linked with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I-associated autoinflammatory disorders, including ankylosing spondylitis and Behçet's disease. Disease-associated ERAP1 allotypes exhibit distinct functional properties, but it remains unclear how differential peptide trimming in vivo affects the repertoire of epitopes presented to CD8 T cells. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of ERAP1 allotypes on the virus-specific CD8 T cell epitope repertoire in an HLA-B*27:05 individual with acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Read More

Gastroenterology 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Medicine II, University Hospital Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. Electronic address:

Background & Aims: Hepatitis D virus (HDV) super-infection in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is associated with rapid progression to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Treatment options are limited, and no vaccine is available. Although HDV-specific CD8+ T cells are thought to control the virus, little is known about which HDV epitopes are targeted by virus-specific CD8+ T cells or why these cells ultimately fail to control the infection. Read More

Br J Haematol 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Haematology, University College London Hospitals, London, UK.

J Immunol Res 2019 13;2019:8983903. Epub 2019 Jan 13.

Laboratory of Cellular Immunity, Institute of Clinical Immunology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Clinical Medicine, Shuguang Hospital, Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China.

Aim: To compare the clinical efficacy of the combination therapy with Bushen formula (BSF) plus entecavir (ETV) in naïve chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and that in CHB patients with partial virological response to ETV and explore the relevant immunoregulatory mechanism.

Materials And Methods: Two hundred and twenty CHB patients were enrolled in the historical prospective cohort study. Patients were categorized into a treatment group (T-Group: combination therapy with BSF plus ETV) and a control group (C-Group: ETV). Read More

Afr Health Sci 2018 Dec;18(4):1117-1133

Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia.

Background: Hepatitis B virus co-infection with other strains of viral hepatitis is associated with increased risk of liver cirrhosis and hepatic decompensation.

Objectives: This is a prevalence study that assessed the genetic diversity of chronic hepatitis B patients and coinfection.

Methods: Chronic hepatitis B patients enrolled in this study were tested for antibodies of other hepatitis viruses using ELISA kits. Read More

J Clin Exp Hepatol 2019 Jan-Feb;9(1):50-55. Epub 2018 Feb 16.

Rush University Medical Center, 1653 W Congress Parkway, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.

Background/objectives: The purpose of this research is to analyze the past and forecast the future prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and their respective contribution to Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) incidence in the setting of novel anti-viral agents and rising obesity rates in the United States.

Methods: Existing data of HCV and NASH prevalence in the United States utilizing the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) was collected and analyzed to project future prevalence trends.

Results: Prevalence of NASH and HCV are expected to increase and decline respectively over the next two decades with alcoholic cirrhosis expected to stay relatively unchanged. Read More

J Clin Exp Hepatol 2019 Jan-Feb;9(1):43-49. Epub 2018 Feb 16.

HOPE (Health Oriented Programs and Education) Initiative, 422, Aradhana, Eldeco 2, Rae Bareli Road, Lucknow 226025, UP, India.

Background: In a developing country like India with intermediate level of prevalence of hepatitis B, most of the patients remain undiagnosed as they are asymptomatic. The purpose of the study was to diagnose asymptomatic HBsAg positive patients from the general population and evaluate further the potential clinical implications of IDAHS.

Methods: Asymptomatic subjects with unknown HBV status were screened free of cost for hepatitis-B surface antigen. Read More

J Clin Exp Hepatol 2019 Jan-Feb;9(1):29-33. Epub 2018 Feb 16.

Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey.

Background/aims: Progressive hepatic fibrosis is the main predictor of outcome and prognosis in chronic liver diseases. The importance of the coagulation cascade has been defined in liver fibrosis; however, the role of the fibrinolytic pathway has not been clear yet. We aimed to evaluate the association between the plasma levels of soluble urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (uPAR) and the severity of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B, C and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Feb 14;9(1):2066. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Evolution and Genomic Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.

In recent years control theory has been applied to biological systems with the aim of identifying the minimum set of molecular interactions that can drive the network to a required state. However, in an intra-cellular network it is unclear how control can be achieved in practice. To address this limitation we use viral infection, specifically human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), as a paradigm to model control of an infected cell. Read More

Lancet 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

AP-HP, Hôpital Cochin, Unité d'Hépatologie, Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, INSERM U1223 and USM-20, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.

Background: Although direct-acting antivirals have been used extensively to treat patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, their clinical effectiveness has not been well reported. We compared the incidence of death, hepatocellular carcinoma, and decompensated cirrhosis between patients treated with direct-acting antivirals and those untreated, in the French ANRS CO22 Hepather cohort.

Methods: We did a prospective study in adult patients with chronic HCV infection enrolled from 32 expert hepatology centres in France. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2019 Feb 14;19(1):159. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Ministry of Health and Population, Cairo, Egypt.

Background: Egypt ranks fifth for the burden of viral hepatitis worldwide. As part of Egypt's renewed national strategy for the elimination of viral hepatitis, surveillance for acute viral hepatitis (AVH) was re-established during 2014-2017 to describe the current epidemiology and associated risk factors, and changes from surveillance conducted during 2001-2004.

Methods: Patients with suspected AVH were enrolled, completed a questionnaire, and provided blood for testing for hepatitis viruses A (HAV), B (HBV), C (HCV), D, and E (HEV) infections by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Read More

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019 Feb 15;68(6):144-148. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC.

During 2013-2017, the national annual rate of reported primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis cases in the United States increased 72.7%, from 5.5 to 9. Read More

J Med Chem 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

We previously described the discovery of GSK5852 (1), a non-nucleoside polymerase (NS5B) inhibitor of hepatitis C virus (HCV), in which a N-benzyl boronic acid was essential for potent antiviral activity. Unfortunately, facile benzylic oxidation resulted in a short plasma half-life (5 h) in human volunteers, and a backup program was initiated to remove metabolic liabilities associated with 1. Herein we describe second generation NS5B inhibitors including GSK8175 (49), a sulfonamide-N-benzoxaborole analog with low in vivo clearance across preclinical species and broad-spectrum activity against HCV replicons. Read More

Hemodial Int 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Transplantation and General Surgery, Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Adana, Turkey.

Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with increased mortality and morbidity in kidney transplant patients. The ability to establish a sustained viral response before renal transplant is important for these patients. Direct-acting antiviral agents can increase the sustained viral response in most patients with HCV infection. Read More

J Med Virol 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Virology, school of public health, Tehran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.

Background: Responsiveness to hepatitis B vaccine among Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) patients has not been evaluated worldwide. We aimed to determine the anti-HBs antibody duration in autistic and healthy children few years after primary vaccination and evaluate their immunological memory against Hepatitis B virus (HBV( vaccine with booster dose administration.

Methods: 107 and 147 HBsAg-negative children from ASD and normal population were recruited, respectively. Read More

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota.

Background: Disturbances in iron regulation have been described in diverse chronic liver diseases other than hereditary haemochromatosis, and iron toxicity may worsen liver injury and outcome.

Aims: To describe manifestations and consequences of iron dysregulation in chronic liver diseases apart from hereditary haemochromatosis and to encourage investigations that clarify pathogenic mechanisms, define risk thresholds for iron toxicity, and direct management METHODS: English abstracts were identified in PubMed by multiple search terms. Full length articles were selected for review, and secondary and tertiary bibliographies were developed. Read More

J Med Virol 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt.

Background And Aim: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play a pivotal role in tumor immunity and induction of immune tolerance to a variety of antitumor effectors, including T-lymphocytes. Herein, we tried to evaluate the frequency and clinical significance of MDSCs and different lymphocyte subsets in HCV- related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Four groups were enrolled; chronic HCV (CHC, n=40), HCV related liver cirrhosis (HCV-LC, n= 40), HCV related HCC (HCV-HCC, n=75) and healthy control group (n=20). Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Feb 13;9(1):1910. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection greatly increases the risk of nephropathy. In this observational study, we aimed to explore the relationship between viral hepatitis infection and chronic kidney disease (CKD), identify risk factors, and determine the effect of antiviral treatment on CKD in Chinese patients with chronic HCV infection. A total of 2,435 study subjects were enrolled and divided into four groups: the HCV infection, HBV infection, HBV and HCV co-infection, and uninfected control groups. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2019 Feb 13;19(1):147. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13th Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China.

Background: The relationship between chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) remains unclear. This study aimed to identify the association between maternal HBsAg-positive status and GDM.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on the pregnant women who delivered from June 2012 to May 2016 at Wuhan Medical Care Center for Women and Children, Wuhan, China. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019 Feb 12;16(3). Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Goethe Center for Scientific Computing (G-CSC), Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Kettenhofweg 139, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA replication cycle is a dynamic intracellular process occurring in three-dimensional space (3D), which is difficult both to capture experimentally and to visualize conceptually. HCV-generated replication factories are housed within virus-induced intracellular structures termed membranous webs (MW), which are derived from the Endoplasmatic Reticulum (ER). Recently, we published 3D spatiotemporal resolved diffusion⁻reaction models of the HCV RNA replication cycle by means of surface partial differential equation (sPDE) descriptions. Read More

Cell Rep 2019 Feb;26(7):1800-1814.e5

Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. Electronic address:

The mechanisms that regulate envelopment of HCV and other viruses that bud intracellularly and/or lack late-domain motifs are largely unknown. We reported that K63 polyubiquitination of the HCV nonstructural (NS) 2 protein mediates HRS (ESCRT-0 component) binding and envelopment. Nevertheless, the ubiquitin signaling that governs NS2 ubiquitination remained unknown. Read More

J Clin Apher 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Difficult & Complicated Liver Diseases and Artificial Liver Center, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Objective: The artificial liver support system (ALSS) is used frequently as a first-line treatment for hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF). This study aims to compare the therapeutic efficacy of double plasma molecular adsorption system (DPMAS) with sequential half-dose plasma exchange (PE) (DPMAS+PE) and full-dose PE in patients with HBV-ACLF.

Methods: A total of 131 hospitalized patients who were diagnosed with HBV-ACLF and underwent DPMAS+PE or PE were retrospectively analyzed. Read More

AIDS Behav 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Efforts in San Francisco are maximizing the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men who have sex with men (MSM) where high levels of use are needed to maximize reducing new HIV infections. National HIV Behavioral Surveillance surveys MSM in San Francisco. Demographics, health care and risk behaviors are assessed. Read More

Antivir Ther 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Laboratory for the Identification of Prognostic Factors of Response to the Treatment Against Infectious Diseases, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.

Background: This real-world clinical-setting study characterized the virological patterns in genotype-1 patients failing IFN-free regimens and evaluated the efficacy of re-treatment.

Methods: Seventy-three consecutive patients failing IFN-free regimens were enrolled (17 genotype 1a and 56 1b). At failure Sanger sequencing of NS3, NS5A and NS5B regions was performed by home-made protocols. Read More

Dig Dis Sci 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Chronic hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection continues to carry a high burden of disease despite recent and emerging advancements in treatment. The persistently high prevalence of HCV is attributed to the rising opioid epidemic, with a history of injection drug use as the primary risk factor for infection. As a result, the epidemiology of HCV-infected individuals is changing. Read More

Obstet Gynecol Surv 2019 Feb;74(2):93-98

Staff Physician, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR.

Importance: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) hepatitis is a rare condition with a high mortality rate. Immunocompromised individuals, including pregnant women, are the most susceptible. When primary infection occurs during pregnancy, risk for disseminated HSV is greatly increased. Read More

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med 2018 27;5(12):000982. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

Intensive Care Unit, Iris South Hospitals, Brussels, Belgium.

Herpes simplex viruses are endemic worldwide, with an estimated seroprevalence of approximately 70% in developed countries. However, it is less well known that they are one of the viral causes of fulminant hepatitis (<2%) and constitute <1% of all causes of acute liver failure. We describe the case of an 89-year-old man who developed sepsis caused by a urinary tract infection due to drug-sensitive . Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Feb 12;9(1):1847. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, Viral Hepatitis, Moscow, 111123, Russian Federation.

Chronic hepatitis B is a severe liver disease caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), a super-spiralized, double-stranded form of the HBV genome, is the major determinant of viral persistence. CRISPR/Cas9 nucleases have been recently shown to introduce double-stranded DNA breaks into HBV cccDNA. Read More

J Biol Chem 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Japan.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) establishes a chronic infection that can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The HCV life cycle is closely associated with host factors that promote or restrict viral replication, the characterization of which could help to identify potential therapeutic targets. To this end, here we performed a genome-wide microarray analysis andidentified ribonucleotide reductase M2 (RRM2) as a cellular factor essential for HCV replication. Read More

Clin Mol Hepatol 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Despite all these exciting developments, there remain some unmet needs in the management for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). As majority of CHB patients are going to use oral nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) for decades, Safety profile of NAs is of no doubt an important issue. The newest nucleotide analogue tenofovir alafenamide is potent in terms of viral suppression, together with favourable renal and bone safety profile. Read More

J Med Microbiol 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

3 NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.

The liver-expressed pattern recognition receptors mannose-binding lectin (MBL), ficolin-2 and ficolin-3 contribute to the innate immune response by activating complement. Binding of soluble ficolin-2 to viral pathogens can directly neutralize virus entry. We observed that the human hepatoma cell line HuH7. Read More

Food Environ Virol 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Microbiology Section, Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Universidad de Burgos, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, 09001, Burgos, Spain.

Although the effects of heavy metals on the behavior, including infectivity, of bacteria have been studied, little information is available about their effects on enteric viruses. We report an investigation of effects on the biosynthesis of human adenoviruses (HAdV) and hepatitis A (HAV) of waters contaminated with mineral waste following an environmental disaster in Mariana City, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The study area was affected on November 5, 2015, by 60 million m of mud (containing very high concentrations of iron salts) from a mining reservoir (Fundão), reaching the Gualaxo do Norte River (sites evaluated in this study), the "Rio Doce" River and finally the Atlantic Ocean. Read More

Curr Top Med Chem 2019 Feb 8. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

School of Molecular Sciences , Arizona State University. United States.

We review various mathematical and computational techniques for drug discovery exemplifying some recent works pertinent to group theory of nested structures of relevance to phylogeny, topological, computational and combinatorial methods for drug discovery for multiple viral infections. We have reviewed techniques from topology, combinatorics, graph theory and knot theory that facilitate topological and mathematical characterizations of protein-protein interactions, molecular-target interactions, proteomics, genomics and statistical data reduction procedures for a large set of starting chemicals in drug discovery. We have provided an overview of group theoretical techniques pertinent to phylogeny, protein dynamics especially in intrinsically disordered proteins, DNA base permutations and related algorithms. Read More

Tunis Med 2018 Oct-Nov;96(10-11):606-619

Introduction: Viral hepatitis represents a serious public health problem in the world especially in the Maghreb where the prevalence of the 5 viruses A, B, C, D, and E remains high and varies from one Maghreb country to another, there is few published studies on these infections in our Maghreb countries.

Method Of Study: Our work is a review of the literature about prevalence, the most common mode of transmission, and the most exposed population for these viruses in the Maghreb countries through published studies between 2011 and 2017.

Result: It has been found that the Maghreb countries are endemic for the five viruses with variable prevalence from one country to another, with sometimes heterogeneous data in the same country. Read More

Curr Health Sci J 2018 Apr-Jun;44(2):107-112. Epub 2018 Mar 27.

Department of Gastroenterology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania.

Three centuries after the identification of hepatitis C virus (HCV), specialized literature has outlined the epidemiology, viral kinetics and clinical manifestations of this infection. A major cause of morbidity-mortality in patients with renal transplantation and in hemodialysis patients is HCV infection. In high seroprevalence countries, internal accounts are not uniform. Read More

J Clin Densitom 2019 Jan 18. Epub 2019 Jan 18.

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA. Electronic address:

Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease in chronic liver disease (CLD) resulting in frequent fractures and leading to significant morbidity in this population. In addition to patients with cirrhosis and chronic cholestasis, patients with CLD from other etiologies may be affected in the absence of cirrhosis. The mechanism of osteoporosis in CLD varies according to etiology, but in cirrhosis and cholestatic liver disease it is driven primarily by decreased bone formation, which differs from the increased bone resorption seen in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Read More

Int J Drug Policy 2019 Feb 8;66:87-93. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address:

It is estimated that 6.1 million people with recent injecting drug use (PWID) are living with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Although HCV-related morbidity and mortality among PWID continues to increase, the advent of direct acting antiviral (DAA) HCV regimens with cure rates >95% provides an opportunity to reverse the rising burden of disease. Read More

Int J Antimicrob Agents 2019 Feb 8. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique (iPLESP), AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Department of Infectious Diseases, F-75013 Paris, France.

Background: Increasing incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in HIV-positive men having sex with men (MSM) has been described in recent years. We performed phylogenetic analyses of acute HCV infections to characterize the dynamics during the epidemic in Paris and evaluated associated sexually transmitted infections (STI).

Methods: Sanger Sequencing of polymerase gene was performed. Read More

FASEB J 2019 Feb 11:fj201801995RR. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Institute of Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication and envelopment is dependent on cellular autophagy. Previously, we have provided evidence for the extensive lysosomal degradation of HBV virions and the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), which is likely controlled by autophagosome-lysosome fusion. Synaptosomal-associated protein 29 (SNAP29) has been identified as a protein specifically mediating autophagosome-lysosome fusion. Read More

PLoS One 2019 11;14(2):e0210856. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Guangxi Health and Family Planning Committee, Nanning, China.

To evaluate the mortality risk in the HIV-positive population, we conducted an observational cohort study involving routine data collection of HIV-positive patients who presented at HIV clinics and multiple treatment centers throughout Guangxi province, Southern China in 2011. The patients were screened for tuberculosis (TB) and tested for hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus infections yearly. Following the registration, the cohort was followed up for a 60-month period till the end-point (December 31, 2015). Read More

J Cell Physiol 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Virology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), a family of master regulated dimeric transcription factors, signaling transduction pathways are active players in the cell signaling that control vital cellular processes, including cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, morphogenesis, angiogenesis, and immune responses. Nevertheless, aberrant regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathways has been associated with a significant number of human cancers. In fact, NF-κB acts as a double-edged sword in the vital cellular processes and carcinogenesis. Read More

J Viral Hepat 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Ramazan Idilman is a member of the Science Academy (BA).

The aims of the present study were to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) with or without ribavirin in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in patients with advanced liver disease and to analyze whether the use of LDV/SOF treatment is associated with a new occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during and after LDV/SOF treatment. The Turkish Early Access Program provided LDV/SOF treatment to a total of 200 eligible CHC patients with advanced liver disease. The median follow-up period was 22 months. Read More

J Cell Physiol 2019 Feb 10. Epub 2019 Feb 10.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.

Accumulated evidence revealed that numerous long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to be involved in the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). LINC00628, a member of lncRNAs, has been reported to act as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancer and breast cancer. However, its potential role in HCC still remains unknown. Read More

Eur J Med Chem 2019 Feb 5;166:480-501. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Institute of Human Virology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control of Ministry of Education, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China; Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Antimicrobial Agent and Immunotechnology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510080, China. Electronic address:

The capsid assembly is an essential step for Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) life cycle and is an important target for anti-HBV drug development. In this report, we identified a hit compound with aminothiazole structure by the high throughput screening (HTS) which inhibited the interaction of HBV capsid protein within the cells. The structure hopping and SAR studies of the hit compound afforded compound 79 with potent anti-HBV replication activity and good basic drug-like properties. Read More