The use of peginterferon in monotherapy or in combination with ribavirin for the treatment of acute hepatitis C.

BACKGROUND: Acute hepatitis C becomes chronic in 50% of cases. Early treatment seems to be effective in eradicating HCV infection, although no clear recommendations are available in terms of time of initiation, regimen and duration of therapy. We report a retrospective review of 48 patients with acute HCV infection between January 2006 and December 2007. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This multicenter retrospective study involved three Infectious Disease Units in Sicily and was carried out in three stages: (1) Collection of patients data; (2) Selection of patients according to: elevated ALT (at least 5 times above normal values), seroconversion from negative to positive anti-HCV status; (3) Final selection of patients with a minimum of 12 months follow-up. RESULTS: Out of 60 patients with a diagnosis of acute HCV infection, 48 were eligible for the study. In 13 subjects (52%) of the 25 who were not treated, the disease resolved spontaneously. 23 patients received pegylated interferon in monotherapy or in combination with ribavirin. 95% achieved a sustained virological response (SVR). Of the 22 sustained responders, 17 (70%) negativized HCV RNA within 8 weeks. No difference appeared between patients receiving monotherapy and those treated with combination therapy. Also, no difference was observed, in terms of SVR, between the two different pegylated interferons given for treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of viral clearance was higher in the treated group versus the untreated one (95% versus 52%). The SVR found in our study population (95%) was comparable to that reported in other studies. The combination with ribavirin did not appear to impact our sustained response rate, although ribavirin appeared to induce a faster normalization of ALT levels.

Comparison of transient elastography and acoustic radiation force impulse for non-invasive staging of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

OBJECTIVES: Transient elastography (TE) is adequate for a diagnosis of cirrhosis, but its accuracy for milder stages of fibrosis is much less satisfactory. The objective of this study was to compare the performance and the discordance rate of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) and TE with liver biopsy in a cohort of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. METHODS: One hundred thirty-nine consecutive patients with CHC were enrolled in two tertiary centers, and evaluated for histological (Metavir score) and biochemical features. All patients underwent TE and ARFI. RESULTS: TE was unreliable in nine patients (6.5%), while in no cases (0%) were ARFI invalid measurements recorded (P=0.029). By area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), the best cutoff values for TE and ARFI for significant fibrosis (≥F2) were ≥6.5 kPa (AUROC: 0.78) and ≥1.3 m/s (AUROC: 0.86), respectively. For severe fibrosis (F3-F4), these cutoff values were 8.8 kPa (AUROC: 0.83) for TE and 1.7 m/s (AUROC: 0.94) for ARFI. For cirrhosis, TE had its best cutoff at ≥11 kPa (AUROC: 0.80) and ARFI at ≥2.0 m/s (AUROC: 0.89). By pairwise comparison of AUROC, ARFI was significantly more accurate than TE for a diagnosis of significant and severe fibrosis (P=0.024 and P=0.002, respectively), while this difference was only marginal for cirrhosis (P=0.09). By partial AUROC analysis, ARFI performance results significantly higher for all three stages of fibrosis. The average concordance rates of TE and ARFI vs. liver biopsy were 45.4 and 54.7%, respectively. By multivariate analysis, ARFI was not associated with alanine aminotransferase (ALT), body mass index, Metavir grade, and liver steatosis, while TE was significantly correlated with the ALT value (P=0.027). CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of patients with CHC, ARFI imaging was more accurate than TE for the non-invasive staging of both significant and severe classes of liver fibrosis.

Italian consensus statement on paediatric HIV infection.

The objective of this document is to identify and reinforce current recommendations concerning the management of HIV infection in infants and children in the context of good resource availability. All recommendations were graded according to the strength and quality of the evidence and were voted on by the 57 participants attending the first Italian Consensus on Paediatric HIV, held in Siracusa in 2008. Paediatricians and HIV/AIDS care specialists were requested to agree on different statements summarizing key issues in the management of paediatric HIV. The comprehensive approach on preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) has clearly reduced the number of children acquiring the infection in Italy. Although further reduction of MTCT should be attempted, efforts to personalize intervention to specific cases are now required in order to optimise the treatment and care of HIV-infected children. The prompt initiation of treatment and careful selection of first-line regimen, taking into consideration potency and tolerance, remain central. In addition, opportunistic infection prevention, adherence to treatment, and long-term psychosocial consequences are becoming increasingly relevant in the era of effective antiretroviral combination therapies (ART). The increasing proportion of infected children achieving adulthood highlights the need for multidisciplinary strategies to facilitate transition to adult care and maintain strategies specific to perinatally acquired HIV infection.

[Saccharomyces cerevisiae fungemia associated with multifocal pneumonia in a patient with alcohol-related hepatic cirrhosis]. / Fungemia da Saccharomyces cerevisiae con polmonite a focolai multipli in paziente con cirrosi epatica alcool correlata.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is usually considered non-pathogenic and has rarely been reported as a cause of fungemia in immunocompromised patients, especially those admitted to an intensive care unit or those affected by acquired immune deficiency syndrome or under immunosuppressive treatment. In all described cases the use of probiotic yeast has been given as the main risk factor. We report a case of S. cerevisiae sepsis complicated by pneumonia in a patient affected by alcohol-related cirrhosis with no evidence of probiotic drug intake. In this case recovery was obtained after a treatment course with liposomal amphotericin B. S. cerevisiae should be taken into consideration when sepsis lacks to isolate any aetiological agent.

HCV infection in HBsAg positive chronic liver disease.

The prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies was determined for a group of 68 patients with various forms of chronic liver disease. All patients that were anti-HCV positive but did not show signs of HBV replication had severe liver disease. We therefore suggest that HCV may be responsible for liver damage in HBsAg positive subjects when there are no evident signs of HBV replication.

HCV and HIV infection among intravenous drug abusers in eastern Sicily.

In a study of 175 intravenous drug addicts from Eastern Sicily, 58.3% were found to be anti-HCV positive. In this population, the presence of anti-HCV was independent of HIV infection, age, duration of drug use and the practice of needle sharing. This may indicate that HCV is more readily transmitted (or spread earlier in this population) among drug addicts than is HIV.

Preliminary investigation on intrafamilial spread of hepatitis C virus (HCV).

To determine the risk of cohabitant HCV infection, we investigated the sera of 101 family members of 53 anti-HCV antibody positive chronic liver disease patients. Altogether 14.8% of the cohabitants were also anti-HCV antibody positive, compared to a prevalence of 1.4% in the general population. These results suggest that hepatitis-C-virus may spread by person-to-person infection.

[Monoclonal antibodies in the pathology of infective agents]. / Gli anticorpi monoclonali nella patologia da agenti infettanti.

Reports in the literature on recent significant research into the production of monoclonal antibodies opposing schizomycetes protozoa and viruses are presented. Such research has provided valuable new information about the epidemiology, aetiopathogenesis and prophylaxis of several infectious diseases. Monoclonal antibodies have in fact been used to identify new antigenic determinants in various microorganisms, to show antigenic differences between species, strains, types and development cycles and to reveal the existence of natural antigenic variants. Finally it is reported that only human monoclonal antibodies can be used in human immunoprophylaxis and therapy.

Visceral leishmaniasis and HIV co-infection: a rare case of pulmonary and oral localization.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has increased as a complicating infection in subjects with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in countries bordering the Mediterranean sea. The clinical course as well as organ involvement of VL are often atypical in HIV positive subjects. In this study a case of VL with pulmonary and oral mucose localisation in a patient with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), is reported. These findings, together with the presence of the parasite in the peripheral blood smear, confirm that in HIV positive patients the impaired immune system allows the spreading and the atypical localisation of the Leishmania amastigotes more easily than in immuno-competent individuals. In endemic areas and in HIV positive subjects a systemic and careful parasitological follow-up is necessary to ensure that any clinical form of leishmaniasis is not overlooked.

[Long-term study of anti-HCV reactivity using 3d generation recombinant immunoblot assay in acute post-transfusion hepatitis]. / Studio "long-term" della reattività anti HCV nella epatite acuta post-trasfusionale con Recombinant Immuno Blot Assay di terza generazione.

Twenty-five patients with post-transfusional C hepatitis have been tested retrospectively by IIIrd generation Recombinant Immuno Blot Assay (RIBA) in order to evaluate long-term anti HCV antibodies dynamics. The test was performed 1, 15, 70 and 140 days after the onset of the disease. Fifteen patients recovered and 10 became chronic. In the 15th day anti C33 and anti C22 were found in 76% of subjects, anti NS5 in 68% and anti C100 in 32%. In the 70th day, 96%, of patients had anti C22, 92% had anti C33 and anti NS5 and 52% showed anti C100. In the 140th day, all patients were positive for anti C33, and C22 and anti NS5, while anti C100 was present in 64%. Five-six years after the acute disease, all chronically progressed patients had a complete antibody pattern by RIBA III, while anti C22 was the only positive persisting antibody, among the recovered patients. Anti C22, anti C33 and anti NS5 shorten the serological "window-phase" during acute hepatitis, but no further improvement in diagnostic precocity seems to be guaranteed by third generation RIBA. The precocious appearance of complete RIBA III pattern during acute hepatitis may represent a herald for a chronic evolution of the disease.

First Italian consensus statement on diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular complications in HIV-infected patients in the HAART era (2006).

The present document contains recommendations for assessment, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular risk for HIV-infected patients. All recommendations were graded according to the strength and quality of the evidence and were voted on by 73 members of the Italian Cardiovascular Risk Guidelines Working Group which includes both experts in HIV/AIDS care and in cardiovascular and metabolic medicine. Since antiretroviral drug exposure represents only one risk factor, continued emphasis on an integrated management is given. This should include prevention and treatment of known cardiovascular risk factors (such as dyslipidaemia, diabetes, insulin resistance, healthy diet, physical activity, avoidance of smoking), but also rational switch of antiretroviral drugs. A rational switch strategy should consider both metabolic and anthropometric disturbances and effectiveness of antiretroviral regimens.

HCV and HBV infection among multitransfused thalassemics from eastern Sicily.

Serum specimens from 152 Sicilian multitransfused thalassemic subjects were tested for antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti- HCV) and for HBV markers by enzyme linked immunoassay and with reference to anti-HCV, confirmed by recombinant immunoblot assay. A high rate (47%) of subjects was anti-HCV positive. HBsAg was found in 8% of patients and 55% had anti-HBs or anti-HBc antibodies or both. Contrary to HBV infection, anti-HCV seropositivity was related to the number of transfused units. The highest anti-HCV prevalence was observed between 16 and 20 years; 100% of persons older than 50 years had at least one marker of HBV infection. In conclusion, HCV and HBV are widespread among multitransfused thalassemic. Probably in our area, particularly during the pre-HBsAg screening era, several multitransfused patients were infected by HBV more readily than by HCV.