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New hepatitis C virus therapy research reported from University of Thessaly, Department of Medicine
May 12th, 2008
2008 MAY 12 -- Current study results from the report, 'Adiponectin: a new independent predictor of liver steatosis and response to IFN-alpha treatment in chronic hepatitis C,' have been published. In this recent study, researchers in Greece conducted a study "To compare serum adiponectin and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha among patients with viral liver diseases; to investigate associations of serum adiponectin and TNF-alpha with histological or viral characteristics of chronic hepatitis C (CHC); to investigate adiponectin and TNF-alpha alterations during interferon (IFN)-alpha treatment; and to assess the relationship between serum adiponectin and TNF-alpha and response rates to treatment. Adiponectin (mug/mL) and TNF-alpha (pg/mL) determinations by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in serial samples (before, the middle, the end, and 6 months after the end of treatment) from 83 CHC and 59 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients." "Forty-three blood donors served as healthy controls. Patients were treated with IFN-alpha (4.5 MU/t.i.w.) for 12 months in CHB cases, and IFN-alpha (3 MU/t.i.w.) plus ribavirin for 6-12 months according to hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype in CHC cases. After adjustment for gender and body mass index (BMI), HCV genotype 3 overweight patients (BMI >25 kg/m2) had significantly lower adiponectin (7.3 ±2.7) at baseline compared with non-3 HCV genotype overweight patients (p <0.05). Lower adiponectin (HCV genotype 3, p=0.02 and HCV genotype 1, p=0.025) and higher TNF-alpha (p=0.025) at baseline were identified as independent predictors of liver steatosis in CHC patients. Lower adiponectin was also identified as an independent predictor of no virological response at the end of treatment (odds ratio [OR] 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66-0.87, p<0.001). At the end of IFN-alpha therapy, only HCV genotype 3 patients had significantly higher serum adiponectin (10.4 ±6.3) compared with its levels before treatment (8.7 ±4.7, p<0.05). This study suggests that HCV genotype 3 may directly affect adiponectin. This is further supported by the significant increase in adiponectin at the end of treatment only in HCV genotype 3 patients," wrote T.A. Zografos and colleagues, University of Thessaly, Department of Medicine. The researchers concluded: "Serum adiponectin at baseline appears to be an independent predictor of liver steatosis and for the achievement of end-of-treatment virological response, while serum TNF-alpha at baseline was identified as an independent predictor only of liver steatosis." Zografos and colleagues published their study in The American Journal of Gastroenterology (Adiponectin: a new independent predictor of liver steatosis and response to IFN-alpha treatment in chronic hepatitis C. The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2008;103(3):605-14). For more information, contact T.A. Zografos, University of Thessaly, Dept. of Medicine (Research Laboratory of Internal Medicine), Medical School, Larissa, Greece. Publisher contact information for the The American Journal of Gastroenterology is: Blackwell Publishing Inc., 350 Main St., Malden, MA 02148, USA. Keywords: Greece, Hepatitis C Virus Therapy, Bariatrics, Chronic Hepatitis B, Chronic Hepatitis C, Drugs, Gastroenterology, Gender Health, Gender Medicine, Genotyping, HBV, HCV, Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus, Hepatology, Infectious Disease, Interferon, Liver Disease, Necrosis, Obesity, Pharmaceuticals, Ribavirin, Steatosis, Therapy, Treatment, Virology, Women's Health. This article was prepared by Biotech Business Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2008, Biotech Business Week via NewsRx.com.
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