Hepatitis E News and Research

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Hepatitis E is a viral hepatitis (liver inflammation) caused by infection with a virus called hepatitis E virus (HEV).

New version of diet drug not suitable for some

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration a version of the diet drug Xenical, which will be available without a prescription, may be not be suitable for some people.

23 Jan 2006

Caretek Medical signs feasibility agreement with major pharma for protein based drug

Caretek Medical Ltd, an Oxford-based company developing an innovative needle-free drug delivery system, today announced that it has signed a feasibility study agreement with a major global pharmaceutical company.

19 Jan 2006

Vaccine candidate for hepatitis C

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) have developed a vaccine candidate for hepatitis C, leading to hope in the fight against a disease for which no vaccines are yet available.

11 Jan 2006

Approval of first immune globulin for use beneath the skin

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the approval of the first immune globulin product for subcutaneous injection for the prevention of serious infections in patients with Primary Immune Deficiency Diseases (PIDD).

10 Jan 2006

Kids learn about STD's when they are getting diagnosed with them

Most sexually active teenage girls know relatively little about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) until it is too late, according to a paper by Carnegie Mellon University researchers that will be published in the January edition of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

8 Jan 2006

Liver cirrhosis in Britain worst in Europe

Britain has had the steepest increase in death rates from liver cirrhosis in western Europe since the 1950s, according to a study in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

6 Jan 2006

Cyclosporine suppresses hepatitis C virus and increases the chance of a sustained virological response after liver transplantation

Liver transplant patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) achieved significantly better long-term viral response when taking the immunosuppressive agent Cyclosporine along with interferon-ribavirin combination therapy. Cyclosporine also showed efficacy against Hepatitis C virus in vitro.

5 Jan 2006

Limitation of combination therapy of Interferon and Ribavirin for older patients with chronic hepatitis C

A new Japanese study examining the effects of combination therapy on older patients with hepatitis C found more adverse effects necessitating discontinuation of treatment, lowering of dosages, and lower long-term benefits in this age group.

5 Jan 2006

UCLA examines disease-versus-disease interactions

The knowledge that one disease may prevent the onset of another is not new. For example, the discovery that cowpox vaccines can prevent smallpox dates back to 1798.

5 Jan 2006

Gene discovery may reinvigorate the body's immune system after fighting viral infections

Like boxers wearied by a 15-round bout, the immune system's CD8 T cells eventually become "exhausted" in their battle against persistent viral infection, and less effective in fighting the disease.

29 Dec 2005

Milk thistle extract treatment for liver disease found to be ineffective

Results of high-quality randomized clinical trials have determined that milk thistle extract, a widely used alternative medication, may not have any significant influence on the course of patients with alcoholic liver disease or hepatitis B or C liver disease.

15 Dec 2005

Researchers link microRNA - miR 196 - to limb development

A tiny strand of molecules plays a role in how our arms and legs develop and grow - a finding that sheds light on perplexing bits of material once dismissed as genetic "junk," say scientists at the University of Florida and Harvard University.

5 Dec 2005

Inexpensive blood test for major parasitic diseases

The National Reference Centre for Parasitology (NRCP), based at the MUHC, is developing a comprehensive and inexpensive blood safety test that will allow clinicians to check for all major parasitic diseases in patients' blood.

5 Dec 2005

Drinking lots of coffee and tea can reduce the risk of chronic liver disease

A study published in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Gastroenterology found that people at high risk for liver injury may be able to reduce their risk for developing chronic liver disease significantly by drinking more than two cups of coffee or tea daily.

2 Dec 2005

Needle-free methods of immunization

Samir Mitragotri, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara, says the myriad shortcomings of injections have led to active research and development of needle-free methods of immunization.

2 Dec 2005

Five dead, 45 infected, with haemorrhagic fever in Pakistan

According to health officials in Pakistan, haemorrhagic fever has killed at least five people, including a woman doctor, and infected around 45 people the country's biggest city of Karachi.

28 Nov 2005

Largest hepatitis-C U.S. study defines optimal therapy

Final results of the WIN-R trial,[1] the largest hepatitis C study conducted in U.S. patients, showed that weight-based REBETOL (ribavirin, USP) in combination therapy with PEG-INTRON (peginterferon alfa-2b) achieved significantly higher rates of sustained virologic response (SVR)[2] and lower rates of relapse compared to the combination therapy using a flat dose of ribavirin.

14 Nov 2005