Association Between Hepatitis C Virus Infection and Hematologic and Thyroid Cancers
Hepatitis C VirusThis study will investigate the possible relationship between infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the development of certain hematologic cancers (Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma) and thyroid cancer. HCV causes chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. It is transmitted primarily through injection drug use and transfusion of infected blood. Studies have shown that HCV may also be linked to hematologic cancers and thyroid cancer. This retrospective study will examine medical records from veterans with and without HCV infection who previously received treatment in the Veterans Administration medical system. Data collected on each subject will include the subject's race, sex, age and era of military service, presence of liver disease or thyroiditis at their baseline clinic visit, number of inpatient visits in the past 5 years and outpatient visits in the past year, and the presence of various specified cancers. The prevalence of cancer and other conditions among HCV-infected subjects and non-HCV infected subjects at baseline and the subsequent development of the cancers of interest in these two groups will be compared and analyzed for a possible causal relationship.
Racial Difference in HCV/Host Interactions
Hepatitis CThe purpose of this study is to evaluate a group of African Americans and Caucasians with hepatitis C virus (HCV), compare their response rates to combination treatment with pegylated interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin, and identify possible causes for racial differences in response to therapy. The study will enroll a total of 260 participants, age 18 or older, over a 10 period. In the next 5 years 132 subjects will be studied locally, including 112 African Americans and 20 Caucasians. Participants will be recruited from the clinical practices of the hepatologists (liver doctors) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and will also be selected from referrals at local hepatology clinics and the Memphis VA Hospital. Volunteers will be treated with pegylated interferon alfa-2b injections once weekly and oral ribavirin 2 times a day for up to 72 weeks. Study procedures include multiple blood draws. Participants may be involved in study related procedures for up to 72 weeks.
Study of the Immune Response to Hepatitis C Virus
Hepatitis CThe purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanism of a successful immune response to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Currently, it is believed that the immune system is involved in responding to HCV infection, but how it is involved is not known. It is estimated that 30% of individuals infected with HCV are able to clear the virus without treatment, while 70% progress to chronic infectious. By studying the immune responses in these two populations, we, the researchers at Rockefeller University, hope to gain insight into the mechanisms of the immune response and develop new strategies for HCV therapy.
Macrophage Activation Markers During Sofosbuvir-based Treatment Regimes of Chronic Hepatitis C
Hepatitis CThe purpose of the study is to investigate how the liver is affected with regard to inflammation and fibrosis during Sofosbuvir based treatment regimes of chronic hepatitis C. In order to examine how the liver heals, we want to use blood samples to check for the occurrence of special liver inflammation cells (CD163 and CD206). To assess to which extent fibrosis disappear during treatment, we want to examine the liver with FibroScan (a type of ultrasound examination) and also preferably with extraction of a small tissue sample. We want to examine how the liver function as inflammation and scar tissue decrease, especially concerning the liver's ability to produce proteins. Furthermore, we want to examine with a gastroscopy, if the circulation of blood in the liver is improved after successful treatment with the expected result that potential varicose veins in the esophagus vanish.
An Observational Study of Hepatitis C Virus in Pregnancy
Hepatitis CThis multi-center observational study examines risk factors for HCV transmission from mother to baby.
Undiagnosed Hepatitis C Infection in an Urban Hospital
Hepatitis CThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are approximately 3.2 million people in the United States infected with hepatitis C and a significant percentage of these patients are unaware of their diagnosis. This study will attempt to determine the point prevalence of undiagnosed hepatitis C infection in an urban hospital population. All patients admitted to the hospital on two separate days will have hepatitis C testing done on leftover serum and plasma that was collected as part of routine inpatient lab work. Our primary goal is to determine the number of undiagnosed hepatitis C infected patients in our hospitalized population. We will also compare these rates to specific demographic characteristics, such as age, race, gender, zip code and type of insurance to see if any associations exist between these demographics and undiagnosed hepatitis C infection.
A Multicenter Treatment Protocol of Daclatasvir (BMS-790052) in Combination With Sofosbuvir for...
Chronic Hepatitis CThe primary objective of this program is to provide DCV for 24 weeks to be given in combination with SOF to subjects with chronic hepatitis C with decompensated cirrhosis or post-liver transplant subjects with chronic hepatitis C recurrence with either advanced fibrosis or fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis and who have a serious or immediately life-threatening condition or experienced an event that has decreased their life expectancy to <12 months, therefore, no research hypothesis will be tested and no specific endpoints are defined. However, safety data will be collected throughout the study as well as efficacy data
The Pathogenesis of Hepatitis C Virus Vertical Transmission
Hepatitis CInfection Transmission1 moreTo evaluate for the presence of HCV Core protein, HCV RNA and SPP in the placenta and fetal membranes using paraffin-embedded sections and post-delivery specimens respectively. In parallel, we will assess placental tissue for evidence of HCV infection using a novel in situ hybridization technique and translate our in vitro findings to these in vivo samples. Our overall hypothesis is that cytotrophoblasts at the maternal-fetal interface within the placenta serve as a "barrier" that must be crossed during vertical transmission and that cytotrophoblasts are permissive to HCV at a low level that may be enhanced under certain conditions. By comparing the regulation of key steps in the intracellular life cycle of HCV in cytotrophoblasts to highly permissive hepatocytes, significant differences in HCV regulation should be revealed. Based on our preliminary data, our working hypothesis is that HCV Core protein is differentially processed in cytotrophoblasts compared to hepatocytes.
Three-year Follow-up Study of Subjects Who Participated in a Previous Lambda (BMS-914143) Chronic...
Hepatitis CThe primary purpose of this study is to determine whether the hepatitis C virus continues to remain unable to be detected in subjects who were previously treated with BMS-914143 and achieved sustained virologic response
'Fibrosis in the Lost Hepatitis C Population - Track, Trace and Treat'
Chronic Hepatitis cObjective: To coordinate active tracing of chronic hepatitis C patients lost to follow-up to inform them about there disease severity and treatment options. Study design: This is a prospective cohort study, which will start as a pilot study in the Radboudumc Population: lost to follow-up chronic hepatitis C patients in the region Nijmegen. This so-called lost population consists of all patients, that in the past have been identified at the Radboudumc but who are currently lost to or have been withdrawn from follow-up. The time-span of interest will be 2000-2015. We estimate that this project will retrace 100 lost patients through this search.