Efficacy and safety of telaprevir with natural human interferon-ß and ribavirin in Japanese chronic hepatitis C patients with depression.

AIM: To assess the efficacy and safety of telaprevir (TVR) when used in combination with natural human interferon-ß (IFN-ß) and ribavirin (RBV) for genotype 1 patients with depression compared to IFN-ß/RBV therapy in Japan. We also examined the efficacy of the TVR/IFN-ß/RBV therapy in treatment failure genotype 2 patients with depression. METHODS: For the genotype 1 patients, 30 patients received TVR (750 mg every 8 h) for 12 weeks combined with IFN-ß and RBV for 24 weeks (Group A), and 30 received IFN-ß and RBV for 48 weeks (Group B). For the genotype 2 patients, 14 patients were dosed only with the TVR-based regimen. RESULTS: The sustained virologic response (SVR) rates for Group A and Group B were 63.3% and 20.0%, respectively (P = 0.001, likelihood ratio test). The SVR rate for genotype 2 patients previously treated with pegylated IFN and/or RBV was 71.4%. No patient dropped out due to exacerbation of depression. The trend of platelet counts after the drugs were given was similar in the TVR/IFN-ß/RBV therapy group and the IFN-ß/RBV therapy group. Common resistance-associated variants of TVR were identified in 4 of the 13 patients who did not achieve SVR. CONCLUSION: This study showed that an addition of TVR to IFN-ß/RBV therapy raised SVR in previously treated and untreated genotype 1 patients and previously treated genotype 2 patients with chronic hepatitis C and depression.

Probiotic Beverage with Soy Isoflavone Consumption for Breast Cancer Prevention: A Case-control Study.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how beverages containing Lactobacillus casei Shirota (BLS) and soy isoflavone consumption since adolescence affected the incidence of breast cancer. In a population-based case-control study, three hundred and six cases with breast cancer and 662 controls aged 40 to 55 were matched for age and residential area and included in the analyses. Diet, lifestyle and other breast cancer risk factors were investigated using the self-administered questionnaire and interview. Odds ratios (ORs) of BLS and soy isoflavone consumption for breast cancer incidence were independently and jointly estimated using a conditional logistic regression. The ORs of BLS consumption (≥ four times a week against < four times a week) was 0.65 and statistically significant (p = 0.048). The analysis of association between soy consumption and breast cancer incidence showed the more the isoflavone consumption is, the lower the odds of breast cancer becomes. Adjusted ORs for breast cancer in the second, the third and the fourth quartiles of soy consumption against the first quartile were 0.76, 0.53 and 0.48, respectively (trend test, p = 0.0002). The BLS-isoflavone interaction was not statistically significant; however, a biological interaction was suggested. Regular consumption of BLS and isoflavones since adolescence was inversely associated with the incidence of breast cancer in Japanese women.