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Week Ending: August 27th, 2005
Alan Franciscus
Editor-in-Chief
To download pdf version click here
This Issue:
• Zero Intelligence
• Nature's Remedy
• Viral Load Measurements in Hep C with Antiviral Therapy
• Transmission of Hepatitis C among Family Members
• Hepatitis A Vaccine Not Widely Used for Hepatitis C Patients
• Anadys Pharmaceuticals Announces Publication of Clinical Study of Isatoribine in Chronic Hepatitis C Demonstrating Proof of Concept
• Quality of Life in Refractory Ascites after Treatments
• Hepatitis C Spread Should Be Concern to More Than Victims
• Pam's Plans to Beat Hepatitis C
• Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Obtains the China Patent Golden Medal for Its 'Intact Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Method for Culturing HCV in Vitro by Cell Culture'
• Why a Needle-Exchange Program Is a Bad Idea
• Transfusion Free Surgery in Liver Transplants
August 21st, 2005
Zero Intelligence
SourceURL:http://politics.guardian.co.uk
Henry McDonald
Muddled thinking over drug use in prisons will help the criminals
Is there anyone in either the Dail or the Seannad with the courage and imagination of British Liberal Democrat Chris Davies?
The Welsh MEP raised a row in the UK when he suggested that perhaps it was time to rethink the Western world's policy on drugs. Davies put forward the idea long advocated by libertarians that legalising all narcotics would drastically slash the profits of drug smugglers and dealers while reducing crime rates caused by addicts prepared to pay astronomical prices for their fix.
Davies is, in a sense, stating the blindingly obvious: the West is losing the so-called 'war on drugs'. Demand for drugs such as ecstasy, cocaine and heroin in the EU and North America is, if you'll excuse the pun, at an all-time high. For instance, even in Afghanistan, the presence of thousands of American and Nato troops has not halted the growing of the poppy and the subsequent production of heroin. In fact, it appears that the 'war on drugs' is probably even less winnable than the 'war on terror', both of which are being prosecuted in that same country.
So far, no one within any of the Irish political parties has taken up the Lib Dem's imaginative proposal. Only the Greens favour the legalisation of certain soft drugs such as cannabis, while the others maintain a prohibitionist stance.
The underlying absurdity of Irish prohibition has led the present government down some ludicrous cul de sacs. In the autumn, justice minister Michael McDowell is going to fulfil the promise he made at the annual conference of the Irish Prison Officers Association last year and introduce a 'zero tolerance' policy regarding drugs in the republic's jails.
Last week, a virtually unreported joint statement from the International Red Cross and the Senlis Council, a Paris-based think-tank on drugs policies, denounced this new 'zero tolerance' position. The Red Cross condemned Ireland's plans to eliminate clean-needle distribution in prisons as a serious threat to public health in the republic, arguing that it will only encourage the spread of Aids and hepatitis C. Both the Red Cross and Senlis urged McDowell to reconsider what these 'damaging policies'.
This is what Dr Massimo Barra, vice-president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said about McDowell's plan: 'Zero tolerance has generally never paid off. Public-health promotion is in the interest of us all. Such measures have been proven to be key elements in strategies targeted at the most vulnerable groups, like drug users. Interventions should be cautious and based on evidence rather than ideology.'
Both the Red Cross and the Senlis Council said the new legislation disregards the recommendations of the World Health Organisation about distributing clean syringes and disinfectant to drug users in prisons.
Emmanuel Reinert, executive director of Senlis, pointed out: 'This new law will encourage the spread of disease in the penal system and will have serious consequences not only in prisons but on society in general.
'We cannot ignore the dangers of HIV/Aids and hepatitis C transmission within the prison system, but by introducing a "zero tolerance" approach, that is what is being done. Drug injection will continue, whether inmates are tested or not, and whether they have clean needles or not. It is vital this problem is approached differently if HIV or hepatitis C epidemics are to be avoided.'
In Ireland, 90 per cent of drug-injecting inmates have been shown to be infected with hepatitis C, according to a 1999 survey. The same study revealed that between 40 to 70 per cent of drug-injecting prisoners have shared equipment, including needles, while in Irish jails.
Meanwhile, a World Health Organisation study in May stated that public-health measures such as distributing clean needles does not increase the range of drug use in jails. Instead, the WHO concluded that such policies bring infection rates under control. Yet if the republic pursues its 'zero tolerance' of drugs in jail, it will result in the very opposite: more inmates suffering from HIV/Aids and hepatitis C, many of them eventually released back into wider Irish society.
The muddled thinking highlighted by both the Red Cross and Senlis over the 'zero tolerance' of drugs in jail is but a symptom of the wider confusion and intellectual dishonesty caused by the overall drugs prohibition policy. By contrast, legalisation would almost immediately wipe out the profits of the drug cartels at home and abroad. Thus the Irish criminals running their drug empires by remote control from southern Spain or the narco-terrorists such as Farc would be unable to hike artificially the price of narcotics which would be subject solely to the laws of supply and demand.
In the meantime, as prohibition reigns, more addicts both inside and outside the Republic's prison system are doomed to die because of political opportunism and cowardice.
henry.mcdonald@observer.co.uk
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Nature's Remedy
SourceURL:http://www.fortwayne.com
By Maureen Gilmer
Do It Yourself Network
Milk thistle found to stimulate growth of new liver cells
It has been called the "silent epidemic." This virus can take from 10 to 30 years to show outward symptoms. Outside the obvious high-risk groups, it is often first detected as part of life insurance physicals. By the time hepatitis C is discovered, cirrhosis and liver failure can be imminent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.8 percent of the American population is infected. There is no vaccination, only treatment with Interferon, which is physically difficult, quite expensive and not always effective.
The search for a less costly treatment for hepatitis C has, for better or worse, led many sufferers back to herbal supplements. Throughout history one plant has long been known for "carrying off bile."
This is first century herbal language for restoring liver function. In past times the primary killer of livers were wild mushrooms, which even today remain so toxic that modern medicine has few options for treating poisonings.
The one plant traditionally used as an antidote to the death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) is milk thistle. This wayside weed, Silybum marianum, can be found naturalized through much of America. A native of the Mediterranean, it enjoys warmer dry climates, but like most thistles, it is remarkably tough and adaptable.
Science has isolated the active ingredient in milk thistle, silymarin, which is believed to stimulate the growth of new liver cells. It is commercially extracted from the seed, but the chemical is present in other parts of the plant, too. A number of studies related to chronic liver disease treated with silymarin have produced mixed results. Although the statistics do not support its efficacy, many hepatitis sufferers continue to hope that milk thistle supplements, widely sold in capsule form, are beneficial.
Milk thistle relatives fall under a more well-known thistle genus Carduus. They are first-class colonizers that hail from as far away as Africa and Asia. Their presence has become a sign of ill-kept ground. This is in part because sharply thorned leaves makes grazing animals steer clear of them. An indolent farmer is likely to ignore a small colony, giving it time to infest an entire pasture in a handful of seasons. Many exotic thistles have naturalized in America. This includes the artichoke thistle, a wild form of the cultivated vegetable, globe artichoke. Artichoke thistle thrives in coastal grassland communities of California.
Thistle is a weed often spread by livestock or feed. Thistles harvested with hay can travel a long way before being released from the bale at a new destination. Grain bags, as well as the animals themselves, help thistle travel whenever they are sold and transported. This explains why thistles can often be imported into gardens with unsterilized or insufficiently composted manures.
When introduced to a new location, the seed quickly germinates. In farms and gardens, a single parent plant can quickly produce countless progeny in their first year. This speed of infestation caused great alarm in early 20th century Australia, where the weeds, introduced from Europe, ran rampant. Eventually an act of parliament was required to force land owners to promptly control thistles before they get out of hand.
Milk thistle cousins, the artichokes and globe thistle, make somewhat better candidates for gardens. But they, too, can naturalize and become weeds. The edible artichoke flower bud resembles that of milk thistle but is much larger.
In the garden, let an artichoke bud bloom, and it becomes a giant purple thistle flower. As the plants grow tall, they develop a thick stalk. In Italy, the interior flesh of the thistle stalk is called cardoon, a delicacy named for their genus, Caruus.
Thistles are a remarkable story of survival and colonization. They also tell a tale of invasive exotics that naturalize too easily in America. The plants pepper the herbals back to the time of Dioscorides for their medicinal values. In various forms, the stems, flowers and leaves have been valuable food.
An English herbalist once said of rediscovered old thistles, romantically if not scientifically, "It is a friend to the liver and blood ... but as the world decays, so doth the use of good old things and others, more delicate and less virtuous brought in."
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Viral Load Measurements in Hep C with Antiviral Therapy
SourceURL:http://www.gastrohep.com
Measuring absolute viral loads or change in viral load from baseline, are highly predictive of non-sustained virological response at 8 and 12 weeks, finds the latest Journal of Viral Hepatitis.
Absolute viral load was found clinically useful in predicting sustained virological response and lack of sustained virological response to treatment.
Log decline in viral load from baseline was also found useful in predicting sustained virological response and non-sustained virological response to treatment.
Dr Terrault and colleagues assessed the clinical utility of Hepatitis C virus RNA quantitation and changes in viral load.
The researchers included 351 Hepatitis C-infected individuals treated with interferon plus ribavirin.
The team showed that viral load decision thresholds provided negative predictive values of more than 95% at week 4 using a 100 000 IU/mL cut-off.
The researchers found similar results at weeks 8 and 12 using 10 000 IU/mL cut-offs.
A 2-log decline from baseline provided 95% negative predictive values at week 8 – Journal of Viral Hepatitis
The team noted that a 2-log decline from baseline provided negative predictive values of more than 95% at weeks 8 and 12.
Combinations of absolute viral loads and viral load from baseline did not enhance the performance of the rules for predicting non-sustained virological response.
The positive predictive values at weeks 8 and 12 were 59% and 67%, respectively.
The team noted that the results highlight the importance of viral quantitation in gauging therapeutic response in chronic Hepatitis C with antiviral therapy.
Dr Terrault's team concluded, "Early changes in viral load, measured as absolute viral loads or change in viral load from baseline, are highly predictive of non-sustained virological response at 8 and 12 weeks."
"Positive predictive values are modest but these data may provide encouragement to patients who are in the early phases of treatment when side effects are frequent."
"Additionally, we demonstrated the need for cautious interpretation of stopping rules when the values are at or near the decision thresholds."
J Viral Hepat 2005: 12(5):465
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August 23rd, 2005
Transmission of Hepatitis C among Family Members
SourceURL:http://www.eurekalert.org
A study examines the incidence and risk factors associated with Hepatitis C infection in rural Egypt
The prevalence of antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in Egypt is among the highest in the world. From the 1950s until 1982 hundreds of thousands were infected during mass campaigns to control schistosomiasis (a parasitic disease) using mass therapy with intravenous antimony compounds, but little is known about current risk factors and rates of transmission. Studies of high risk populations, such as intravenous drug users, shed little light on HCV transmission in Egypt where this high risk behavior is rare.
In a study led by G. Thomas Strickland, M.D. of the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD and published in the September 2005 issue of Hepatology, Egyptian and American researchers surveyed rates of HCV infection in two rural communities having a prevalence of antibody to HCV of 24 and 9 percent.
Hepatology, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), is published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and is available online via Wiley InterScience at http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal
/hepatology.
A total of 10,112 HCV negative individuals were identified during an annual survey in 1997, with follow-up performed on an average of 1.6 years later in 6,738 subjects. Of these, 33 developed HCV antibodies, an incidence of 3.1/1000 person-years (PY), and 6.8/1000 PY in the 28 subjects in the village having the 24 percent prevalence of HCV. None of the 33 individuals was diagnosed with viral hepatitis or reported symptoms of acute hepatitis. An analysis of risk factors showed the strongest predictor of infection with HCV was having and anti-HCV positive family member. Among those that did, incidence was 5.8/1000 PY, compared to 1.0/1000 PY; 27/33 incident cases had an anti-HCV positive family member. Parenteral exposures increased the risk of HCV, but were not statistically significant; 67 percent of seroconverters were less than 20 years old, and the highest incidence rate (14.1/1000 PY) was in children under 10 living in households with an anti-HCV positive parent in the village with the high prevalence of HCV antibodies. The infection rate was also increased (13.1/1000 PY) in men married to an HCV positive woman.
"We believe HCV exposures in rural Egyptian communities are usually less intense than those in individuals infected by contaminated blood, either from transfusion of blood or a blood product, or from abuse of intravenous drugs," the authors state. Although not statistically proven to be a risk in this study, they cite frequent injections, usually given at home for health purposes with syringes and needles sometimes used for more than one person, as the most common parenteral exposure route. The strong relationship between the risk of infection in children and the presence of HCV antibodies in their parents suggests that transmission of HCV is occurring between family members, possibly by exposure to infectious blood or saliva, or by sharing needles. In the past, mass treatment campaigns for schistosomiasis involving multiple injections may have caused numerous HCV infections in families, but this would not account for current infection rates, other than placing younger members of families living with those who contracted HCV in this way at higher risk.
The authors conclude: "It is exceedingly important to learn the mechanisms by which HCV transmission is occurring between family members so that preventive measures can be initiated, particularly in children having HCV-infected parents."
Article: "Intrafamilial Transmission of Hepatitis C in Egypt," G. Thomas Strickland, Mostafa Mohamed, Nabiel Mikhail, Mohamed Abdel-Hamid, Fatma Abdel-Aziz, Ahmed Medhat, Laurence Magder, Alan Fix, Hepatology; September 2005; (DOI: 10.1002/hep.20811).
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Hepatitis A Vaccine Not Widely Used for Hepatitis C Patients
SourceURL:http://www.eurekalert.org
A new study examining whether patients with chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) were routinely vaccinated against Hepatitis A virus (HAV) found that vaccination rates were low, even though HAV vaccination is recommended for patients with chronic liver disease.
The results of this study appear in the September 2005 issue of Hepatology, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hepatology is available online via Wiley InterScience at http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal
/hepatology.
The HAV vaccine has been available since 1995, yet HAV infection continues to be one of the most preventable illnesses in the United States. It can cause severe liver disease, liver failure, and even death in patients who already have chronic liver disease. HAV vaccination was recommended for these patients by the 1996 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and numerous other health agencies, but it is not known to what extent it is being carried out.
Researchers led by Edmund J. Bini, M.D., M.P.H of the New York University School of Medicine identified 1,193 patients from January to December 2000 at the Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System in New York who had chronic HCV infection. Follow-up information was collected through June 30, 2002 to determine the number of patients who were tested for HAV and the number who actually received the HAV vaccine. Patients were considered to be vaccinated if they received at least one dose of the vaccine. The study also examined the number of vaccine doses received, the proportion of patients who were susceptible to HAV among those tested (indicated by a negative HAV antibody result), the incidence of HAV infection during follow-up and the number of visits patients made to their primary care provider.
The results showed that 53.6 percent of the 1,193 patients had antibody testing performed, and almost half of these were susceptible to HAV infection. Yet only 94 patients received the HAV vaccine and of these, 45 received only 1 dose. Among the 94 patients who received the vaccine, 88 had been tested for HAV antibody. A total of 3 patients with HCV infection developed acute HAV infection, one of whom died of liver failure. All of them were known to be susceptible to HAV, but none had received the vaccine.
"The low rates of HAV testing and vaccination are striking given the presence of recommendations to vaccinate these individuals against HAV since 1996, the long duration of follow-up, and the high number of visits with their primary care provider," the authors state. "These findings have substantial public health implications and represent missed opportunities for prevention."
The authors speculate that the reasons for the low vaccination rates could include patient refusal (such as a belief that patients weren't at risk for HAV infection, doubts about the vaccine's effectiveness, or misconceptions about side effects), a lack of knowledge on the part of health care providers, a lack of resources, or because of a greater need to address more pressing health issues during medical visits.
The authors conclude: "Public health efforts at raising awareness about HAV vaccination in patients with chronic liver disease should be strongly encouraged. In addition, further studies to evaluate patient and provider barriers to HAV vaccination are needed to prevent future missed opportunities for vaccination."
Article: "Susceptibility to Hepatitis A in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease Due to Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Missed Opportunities for Vaccination," Michael Shim, Inessa Khaykis, James Park, Edmund Bini, Hepatology; September 2005; (DOI: 10.1002/hep.20830).
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Anadys Pharmaceuticals Announces Publication of Clinical Study of Isatoribine in Chronic Hepatitis C Demonstrating Proof of Concept
SourceURL:http://biz.yahoo.com
Peer Reviewed Report in HEPATOLOGY Details Inhibition of Hepatitis C Virus and Immune Activation by a TLR7 Agonist
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANDS - News), reported the publication of the results of a Phase IB clinical trial of isatoribine (ANA245) in HEPATOLOGY(1), the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/111081950/ABSTRACT). This peer-reviewed publication concluded that isatoribine treatment resulted in biological activity and a statistically significant antiviral effect with relatively few and mild side effects.
"The manuscript describes the encouraging combination of good tolerability with desirable immunologic and anti-HCV activity that we observed for isatoribine," said Yves Horsmans, M.D., Professor at Cliniques Universitaires St. Luc in Brussels and Principal Investigator of the study. "These results create strong interest in clinical evaluation of ANA975, the oral prodrug form of isatoribine that now is being jointly developed by Anadys and Novartis."
The Phase IB clinical trial was designed to test the safety and tolerability of isatoribine in patients chronically infected with HCV. The study was a dose-escalating, open-label evaluation of isatoribine administered intravenously at 200 mg, 400 mg, 600 mg and 800 mg doses to 32 adults, most of whom received once daily dosing for seven days. The trial was conducted at two clinical centers in Western Europe. Patients participating in the study were either HCV-treatment naive or were partial responders to or relapsed from interferon-alpha, a component of the current standard of treatment. Study results showed that isatoribine demonstrated dose-dependent changes in immunologic biomarkers. The amount of HCV in the bloodstream, or plasma viral load, was significantly reduced in patients receiving 800 mg once daily for seven days. Of the 12 patients in this 800 mg dose group, 10 were infected with HCV genotype 1, which is considered difficult-to-treat with current therapies.
Isatoribine treatment was safe and well tolerated in the study, with no serious adverse events and a low frequency of side effects, although definitive conclusions regarding product safety cannot be made until the results of future clinical trials of longer duration in more patients are known. No patient altered isatoribine treatment or withdrew from the study due to adverse events or clinical laboratory abnormalities.
About Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C virus, the most common chronic blood-borne infection in the United States, causes inflammation of the liver and may progress to more serious complications such as cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer and death. Approximately 2.7 million people in the United States are chronically infected with HCV, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that by the year 2010, the number of deaths attributed annually to HCV could surpass that due to HIV/AIDS. Worldwide sales for HCV products were an estimated $2.7 billion in 2003, yet current treatments for HCV may be ineffective in up to 50 percent of patients, and many treatments are associated with serious side effects.
About Anadys
Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (www.anadyspharma.com) is a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing patient care by discovering, developing and commercializing novel small molecule medicines for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and other serious infections. The Company has core expertise in Toll-Like Receptor-based small molecule therapeutics and structure-based drug design coupled with medicinal chemistry. Anadys' clinical development programs include ANA975 for the treatment of HCV and HBV, and ANA380 for the treatment of HBV. In addition, Anadys' therapeutic platform is designed to advance a strong and continual pipeline of drug candidates into the clinic.
1. Horsmans Y, Berg T, Desager J-P, Mueller T, Schott E, Fletcher SP, Steffy KR, Bauman LA, Kerr BM & Averett DR. "Isatoribine, an Agonist of TLR7, Reduces Plasma Virus Concentration in Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection". Hepatology 2005; 42:724-731.
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature constitute "forward-looking statements." Such statements include, but are not limited to, references to expectations regarding future clinical trials of ANA975 and to the predictive power of viral load reduction resulting from administration of isatoribine to HCV infected patients. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause Anadys' actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In particular, the results of initial clinical trials may not be predictive of future results, and Anadys cannot provide any assurances that any of its product candidates will have favorable results in future clinical trials or receive regulatory approval. In addition, Anadys' results may be affected by risks related to the implementation of its collaboration with Novartis, competition from other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, its effectiveness at managing its financial resources, its ability to successfully develop and market products, the level of efforts that its collaborative partners devote to development and commercialization of its product candidates, difficulties or delays in its clinical trials, difficulties or delays in manufacturing its clinical trials materials, the scope and validity of patent protection for its products, regulatory developments involving future products and its ability to obtain additional funding to support its operations. These and other factors that may cause actual results to differ are more fully discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of Anadys' Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2005. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Anadys is providing this information as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Source: Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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August 24th, 2005
Quality of Life in Refractory Ascites after Treatments
SourceURL:http://www.gastrohep.com
Patients with refractory ascites receiving either TIPS or repeated large volume paracentesis have similar changes in quality of life, explained by factors such as competing effects of hepatic encephalopathy, reports September's Hepatology.
Uncontrolled studies suggest that transjugular intrahepatic portal-systemic shunting (TIPS) may improve quality of life in patients with refractory ascites.
Dr Rajender Reddy and colleagues considered that any improvement of quality of life in patients with TIPS would be matched in controls.
The investigators hypothesized that these improvements would be due to the competing effects of improved ascites and worsened hepatic encephalopathy.
The investigative team performed an analysis of quality of life using original data from the North American Study for the Treatment of Refractory Ascites.
This study is a multicenter trial of 109 patients randomized to TIPS or repeated large volume paracentesis for refractory ascites.
Short form 36 (SF-36) surveys were completed at baseline and at 6- and 12-month follow-up.
The investigators analyzed variables such as randomization group, and number of large volume paracentesis performed.
SF-36 physical component scale improvements were associated with lack of hospitalizations – Hepatology
Cumulative volume from large volume paracentesis, and shortness of breath were also assessed.
Other variables assessed by the team included abdominal distention, abdominal pain, diuretic usage, confusion, hospitalizations, and emergency room visits.
The team's outcomes included the physical component scale and mental component scale of SF-36 survey results.
The investigators constructed multivariable, mixed effects models, including randomization group and baseline mental and physical component scales.
The investigative team found that changes in the mental and physical component scales from baseline were similar between the 2 randomization groups.
In multivariate analysis, improvement in the physical component scale was associated with lack of confusion, improved ascites, and lack of hospitalizations.
The team noted that improvements in the physical component scale were not directly associated with randomization group.
The investigators found that improvement in the mental component scale was associated with randomization to TIPS, and lack of confusion.
Dr Reddy's team commented, “Patients with refractory ascites randomized to TIPS or repeated large volume paracentesis had similar changes in quality of life.”
“Competing effects of hepatic encephalopathy, requirement for repeated large volume paracentesis, and need for hospitalizations explain similar changes in quality of life between the 2 groups.”
Hepatol 2005: 42(3): 635-40
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August 25th, 2005
Hepatitis C Spread Should Be Concern to More Than Victims
http://www.chronline.com/
On Saturday The Chronicle kicked off a three-part series on the disease hepatitis C, a blood-borne contagious affliction that attacks the liver.
Reporter Carrina Stanton detailed how the disease has been “forgotten” by the public at large, how cases of hepatitis C are underreported, and how up until now, funding to fight the spread of the disease has been inadequate.
When infected with hepatitis C, the liver, while deteriorating, doesn’t hurt. The liver is called a “non-complaining” organ because most suffering liver cirrhosis, or liver scarring, do not feel any pain or suffer symptoms until the disease has greatly progressed.
Often, people don’t know for 20 or 30 years their liver has been slowly deteriorating. Most hepatitis C cases come from shared needles among drug addicts. However, up until only about 10 years ago, the disease was also transmitted through blood transfusions and organ transplants. Doctors today can screen out hepatitis C from the nation’s blood supply and organ tissue.
What that means is the vastness of hepatitis C sufferers across the nation is just starting to emerge, and will continue to do so for the next couple of decades, putting a strain on the nation’s health care industry and quite possible causing a further rise in medical expenses that we all end up supporting.
According to Stanton’s reporting, hepatitis C, known today in the medical field as HCV, has infected an estimated 3.9 million people in the United States, with about 9,000 deaths attributed to hepatitis C each year.
Health officials call HCV an “epidemic,” and predict it will highly impact health care costs in this nation in the coming years.
Today, HCV is transmitted primarily by shared needles between intravenous drug addicts. Some experts predict as many as 80 percent of those addicts are suffering from HCV, and this segment of the population is not prone to seeking out medical care, let alone finding out if they are infected.
Some believe that if you play with danger, such as shooting up drugs, it is your responsibility to deal with the effects.
Yet if we do not attack HCV, as we attacked HIV and AIDS in the past decade, the rising costs of treating HCV infected people will be felt by those who live a more proper life. It is in our self interests to educate drug addicts as to the need for using clean needles, if as appears to be the norm, they generally cannot stop using drugs.
With a quiet killer called HCV stalking our country, we should do all we can to end this epidemic.
Of particular concern is the transmission of HCV via improper tattooing practices by teens.
“One of the reasons we want to get this into the schools is the trend for body piercing and tattooing that’s going on peer to peer,” said Wendy Dillon, the HCV coordinator for the Washington State Department of Health. “It’s happening a lot. Kids are tattooing each other, they’re piercing each other in basements and garages. There is a good chance blood is involved. We want to make sure they can make educated decisions with what they’re doing with their bodies.”
To that end, the DOH is pushing for HCV educational programs in the schools.
Another needed tool in the fight against HCV is simply knowing how many are infected. Being able to accurately describe how widespread HCV is might help increase efforts to mitigate the disease, including increased funding for medical cures.
Lewis County is attempting to do just that. Running through the end of September, Lewis County Public Health and Social Services will offer HCV screenings for high-risk people such as current and former needle users. The screenings are offered on a sliding scale basis.
By identifying who has HCV, it might make those people more careful in stopping the spread of the disease, even if they are still shooting up. It might also prompt them to clean up their lives and take better care of their livers.
At The Chronicle we’re proud to bring you this early report. We anticipate HCV will be, in the coming years, a central dilemma for our health care providers. Sadly, this is just the beginning of many stories to come as HCV marches across our health care landscape.
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Pam's Plans to Beat Hepatitis C
http://www.contactmusic.com/
Busty babe PAMELA ANDERSON is determined to up her daily work-out regime and quit drinking because she is desperate to stay off hepatitis C treatment for as long as possible.
The champagne-loving star was diagnosed with the blood disorder two years ago (03) and has since come to terms with the fact that if she takes care of herself she'll be able to live with it.
She says, "My doctor has told me because of my health problems that I should work out an hour a day and I'm not doing anything close to that.
"I'm not on any medication yet because my doctor says my liver is in such good shape. The only thing that I really need to do is to quit drinking... I'm going to stop."
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Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Obtains the China Patent Golden Medal for Its 'Intact Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Method for Culturing HCV in Vitro by Cell Culture'
http://biz.yahoo.com
Marks the Highest Award Over the Past 10 Years in the Biomedical Sciences Industry in China
XI'AN, China, Aug. 25 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Company (OTC Bulletin Board: WWBP - News; ''WWBP'') has obtained the China Patent Golden Medal for ''the Intact Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Method for Culturing HCV in Vitro by Cell Culture.''
The project ''The Intact Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Method for Culturing HCV in vitro by Cell Culture'' was awarded the Chinese Patent by China Patent Bureau on October 23rd, 2002. The patent was then awarded the prestigious China Patent Golden Medal (Chinese Patent No. 01124001.6) in the 8th China Patent Assessment organized by both General World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the China Patent Office. Importantly, this patent was recognized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), issued as an outstanding Chinese Patented Invention, and was the highest award issued for achievements in the biomedical sciences industry over the past 10 years in China.
''We are highly encouraged with our patent which is recognized by the WIPO and it is such a great achievement for the whole company. It's a great milestone,'' said WenXia Guo, CEO and President of WWBP, ''the success of this patented invention leads our company to a worldwide market, we will continue our development and research of new inventions and bring health to every customer.''
About World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is an international organization dedicated to promoting the use and protection of works of the human spirit. These works -- intellectual property -- are expanding the bounds of science and technology and enriching the world of the arts. Through its work, WIPO plays an important role in enhancing the quality and enjoyment of life, as well as creating real wealth for nations. With headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, WIPO is one of the 16 specialized agencies of the United Nations system of organizations. It administers 23 international treaties dealing with different aspects of intellectual property protection.
About Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Company
Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Co. (''WWBP'') is a hi-tech biotech company with top-ranking pharmaceutical R&D abilities, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) licensed manufacturing facilities and a well-established marketing network in China and Southeast Asia. The product range of WWBP covers Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) products, diagnostic medicines and Over-The-Counter (OTC) drugs. WWBP currently possesses 35,940 square meters of land and 5,359 square meters of GMP standard facilities. With strong pharmaceutical R&D abilities especially in the HCV field, WWBP has been known as the first biotech company in the world to hold the technology of culturing intact HCV in vitro by cell culture.
WWBP has achieved a GMP production scale level of 10,000 ml for concentrated HCV material and 10 grams HCV antigen per month, which is expected to bring WWBP considerable gross sale revenue each year and greatly strengthen the company's R&D on anti-HCV drug screen and HCV human vaccine. WWBP had successfully reached two Memoriam of Understanding of Merger Agreements with pharmaceutical companies in China, all of which have scalable production and well-established sales networks, and the acquiring is expected to be finished before the end of September 2005. The acquisitions will strengthen WWBP's R&D abilities and production scale, as well as extend its marketing network throughout China and Southeast Asia. WWBP has been working closely with pharmaceutical research institutes, and has established connections with both central & local governments.
Safe Harbor
Information in this news release may contain statements about future expectations, plans, prospects or performance of Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Co. that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words or phrases "can be," "expects," "may affect," "believed," "estimate," "project," and similar words and phrases are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Co. cautions you that any forward-looking information provided by or on behalf of Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Co. is not a guarantee of future performance. None of the information on this website constitutes an offer to sell securities or investment advice of any kind, and visitors should not base their investment decisions on information contained in this website. Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Co.'s actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, some of which are beyond Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Co.'s control. In addition to those discussed in Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Co.'s press releases, public filings, and statements by Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Co.'s management, including, but not limited to, Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Co.'s estimate of the sufficiency of its existing capital resources, Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Co.'s ability to raise additional capital to fund future operations, Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Co.'s ability to repay its existing indebtedness, the uncertainties involved in estimating market opportunities and, in identifying contracts which match Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Co.'s capability to be awarded contracts. All such forward-looking statements are current only as of the date on which such statements were made. Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Co. does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which any such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Source: Worldwide Biotech & Pharmaceutical Company
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Why a Needle-Exchange Program Is a Bad Idea
Source: http://www.rednova.com
GIVING clean needles to addicts is no way to solve the drug problems that plague our society. So the court decision last week to block such a program is OK with me. Needle programs only help drug addicts stay high.
The drug problem is more than rampant AIDS and hepatitis infections, which a clean needle program would fix.
While it is argued that they slow down the spread of HIV, clean- needle programs are inherently destructive. They address only one symptom, but give the illusion of solving the multi-pronged drug addiction problem.
The court's ban is not absolute, however, and unfortunately needle-exchange programs are so pervasive that one is inevitable for cities in this state.
New Jersey's Appellate Court ruled that the proposed needle- exchange program would violate state laws on drug paraphernalia. Only hospitals, clinics and health care professionals are legally permitted to have hypodermic needles.
Even though legislators could clear the way for New Jersey to adopt a limited needle-exchange policy, they should take the time to think this proposal through and reject what other NEP states have legitimized as an instant solution to drug problems
Clean needles are not a panacea.
Atlantic City and Camden were only looking for approval to try an experimental program, based on former Gov. Jim McGreevey's declaration last year of a public health emergency. He said that adopting a program to legally put sterile needles in the hands of drug users was essential for controlling the spread of HIV.
Although clean-needle-exchange programs have been adopted by many cities, including New York City, it's ultimately a bad idea. It addresses only HIV and hepatitis infections and does nothing about the other criminal, medical and social aspects of drug addiction.
For example:
* Giving out clean needles does not discourage drug dependence.
* Addicts still are prone to death, perhaps not from HIV, but from overdose, collapsed veins, poisoned dope, or the violence and criminality that go along with the illicit drug trade.
* Drug-addicted mothers will still deliver drug-addicted babies.
* Sterile needles don't address the underlying problems addicts are avoiding.
* Sterile needles offer the path of least resistance rather than address underlying psychoses.
* Drugs destroy families when all the house money is paying for drugs, lawyers and treatment.
* It does nothing to stop drug gangs from killing one another.
Among the vocal opponents to the plan, state Sen. Ron Rice of Newark sees needles - clean or dirty - as another destructive element in the inner city communities that he represents. He's one of the plaintiffs in a pending suit that challenges needle exchange.
Many of his constituents are not that ready to trust the motives of needle-exchange advocates. The distrust is deeply rooted in incidents like the Tuskegee experiment, which endangered the lives of residents infected with syphilis without their knowledge. And it's not only the sting of past experience. More recently confirmed is decades of government-sanctioned testing of AIDS drugs on children in foster care.
Paterson Mayor Joey Torres had the good sense to keep his city from getting involved as a testing lab. He risks political opprobrium since his city has the third largest HIV rate in the state and a drug problem that The Record has recently chronicled.
Paterson was eligible to be one of nine demonstration cities for the needle exchange, but Torres declined to submit an application.
There are better ways of attacking the drug problem than legally sanctioning a clean-needle-giveaway - such as creating more opportunities for counseling, funding rehab clinics, and providing more health care coverage for uninsured drug users.
The clean-needle opponents should continue raising objections to this evil practice that makes it easier for drug addicts to stay drugged.
Needle-exchange programs have proven they can cut the death rate and the spread of HIV and hepatitis caused by sharing dirty syringes. But they don't address the less tangible issues that lead people into drug dependence.
A needle exchange sanctions bad behavior. It suggests that if you're persistent enough doing the wrong thing, you'll be rewarded with official permission to keep doing it.
Record Columnist Lawrence Aaron can be contacted at aaron@northjersey.com. Send comments about this column to opedpage@gmail.com.
Source: Record, The; Bergen County, N.J.
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Transfusion Free Surgery in Liver Transplants
Source: www.gastrohep.com
Preoperative blood augmentation and normovolemic hemodilution provide a safe cushion against operative blood loss, and living donor transplants allow a transfusion-free strategy, reports the latest Journals of the American College of Surgeons.
Despite the risks associated with transfusion, the medical community continues to view blood as a safe and abundant product.
Dr Jabbour and colleagues provide an effective strategy to accomplish orthotopic liver transplantation without transfusion.
The investigators performed 27 liver transplantations in Jehovah's Witness patients from 1999 to 2004.
The patients included 24 adults and 3 children from the University Hospital of Southern California.
The investigative team reported that 19 of the transplantations were living donor and eight were deceased donor liver.
Preoperative blood augmentation with erythropoietin and iron was achieved.
At induction, all liver donor's and 6 of 8 deceased donor liver recipients underwent acute normovolemic hemodilution.
Graft and patient survival was100% with living donor vs 75% in the deceased donor recipients – Journal of the American College of Surgeons
The team conducted the operation under conditions of moderate anemia and cell scavenging techniques were used.
Acute normovolemic hemodilution and salvaged blood were returned as needed during bleeding or on completion of transplantation.
The preoperative liver disease severity score was higher in the deceased donor group.
The investigators had 100% graft and patient survivals in the living donor group, and 75% in the deceased donor recipients.
The team noted that 2 deceased donor recipients died.
The investigators reported that the remaining patients are all alive and well, at a follow-up of 965 days with a living donor and 624 days with deceased donors.
Dr Jabbour's team concludes, “Preoperative blood augmentation and acute normovolemic hemodilution provide a safe cushion against operative blood loss.”
“Elective living donor liver transplantation allows full implementation of a transfusion-free strategy in the setting of early hepatic failure, portal hypertension, and anemia.”
“This feat is an important step toward global standardization of transfusion-free surgical practice and an important response to widespread blood shortages and transfusion risks.”
J Am Coll Surg 2005: 201(3): 412-7
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