Ischemic colitis during interferon-ribavirin therapy for chronic hepatitis C:A case report

Ischemic colitis is a rare complication of interferon administration.Only 9 cases in 6 reports have been described to-date.This report describes a case of ischemic colitis during pegylated interferon and ribavirin treatment for chronic hepatitis C,and includes a review of the relevant literature.A 48-year-old woman was treated with pegylated interferon-2a and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C,genotype Ib.After 19 wk of treatment,the patient complained of severe afebrile abdominal pain with hematochezia.Vital signs were stable and serum white blood cell count was within the normal range.Abdominal computed tomography showed diffuse colonic wall thickening from the splenic flexure to the proximal sigmoid colon,which is the most vulnerable area for the development of ischemic colitis.Colonoscopy revealed an acute mucosal hyperemic change,with edema and ulcerations extending from the proximal descending colon to the sigmoid colon.Colonic mucosal biopsy revealed acute exudative colitis.Polymerase chain reaction and culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis were negative and the cultures for cytomegalovirus,Salmonella and Shigella species were negative.After discontinuation of interferon and ribavirin therapy,abdominal pain and hematochezia subsided and,following colonoscopy showed improvement of the mucosal ulcerations.Ischemic colitis cases during interferon therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C reported so far have all involved the descending colon.Ischemic colitis is a rarely encountered complication of interferon administration in patients with chronic hepatitis C and should be considered when a patient complains of abdominal pain and hematochezia.

Peginterferon and ribavirin treatment for hepatitis C virus infection

Pegylated interferon α (IFNα) in combination with ribavirin is currently recommended as a standard-of-care treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This combination therapy has drastically improved the rate of sustained virological response, specifically in difficult-to-treat patients. Recently, individualized treatment, such as response-guided therapy, is being developed based on host-, HCV- and treatment-related factors. Furthermore, modified regimens with currently available medications, novel modified IFNα and ribavirin or combinations with specifically targeted antiviral therapy for HCV agents, are currently being investigated. The purpose of this review is to address some issues and epoch-making topics in the treatment of chronic HCV infection, and to discuss more optimal and highly individualized therapeutic strategies for HCV-infected patients.

Pure red cell aplasia caused by pegylated interferon-α-2a plus ribavirin in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C

Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is a rare hematological disorder which is characterized by severe anemia,reticulocytopenia and almost complete absence of erythroid precursors in bone marrow.The pathophysiology of PRCA may be congenital or acquired.To our knowledge,there is only one case report in the English literature of PRCA after pegylated interferon combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C.We report a second case of PRCA after pegylated interferon combination treatment for chronic hepatitis C.The diagnosis of PRCA was confirmed by the typical findings of bone marrow biopsy.The possible etiologies of our case are also discussed in this paper.

Hepatitis C Virus Experimental Model Systems and Antiviral drug Research

An estimated 130 million people worldwide are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) making it a leading cause of liver disease worldwide. Because the currently available therapy of pegylated interferon-alpha and ribavirin is only effective in a subset of patients, the development of new HCV antivirals is a healthcare imperative. This review discusses the experimental models available for HCV antiviral drug research, recent advances in HCV antiviral drug development, as well as active research being pursued to facilitate development of new HCV-specific therapeutics.

nTreg与基因1型CHC患者抗病毒疗效的关系

目的研究基因1型慢性丙型肝炎(CHC)患者治疗过程中外周血自然调节性T细胞(nTreg)的动态变化及其与抗病毒疗效的关系。方法 32例初治的CHC患者,均为基因1型,治疗方案为干扰素联合利巴韦林治疗48周。分别在治疗前、治疗过程中2、4、8、12、24、48周以及治疗结束后12或24周采集外周血标本。用流式的方法检测外周血单个核细胞(PBMC)中nTreg的比率。COBASAmpliprep/COBASTaqmanHCV试剂盒检测HCV-RNA定量。结果 24例患者治疗12周时HCV-RNA转阴,并且随访至治疗结束后24周仍阴性,达到持续病毒学应答(SVR);8例患者治疗12周时病毒量未转阴,无应答(NVR),24周时终止治疗。应答组和无应答组治疗前外周血中nTreg的比率差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。应答组治疗过程中2、4、12、24、48周及治疗结束后各个时间点PBMC中nTreg水平分别为(0.91±0.22)%、(1.31±0.29)%、(1.78±0.43)%、(1.92±0.44)%、(1.90±0.37)%、(1.14±0.35)%;在治疗2周(P<0.001)及治疗结束后(P<0.001)下降明显。无应答组治疗过程中2、4、12、24周及治疗结束后各时间点PBMC中nTreg水平分别为(1.21±0.15)%、(1.24±0.18)%、(1.42±0.11)%、(1.45±0.11)%、(1.14±0.10)%;Treg水平在治疗4周时缓慢上升(P=0.005),在治疗结束后显著下降,与治疗24周比较差异有统计学意义(P<0.001)。结论 CHC患者外周血nTreg水平与干扰素/利巴韦林抗病毒治疗的疗效密切相关,抗病毒治疗2周时nTreg水平的下降可以预测其疗效。提示nTreg可能在机体清除病毒的早期过程中起着重要作用。