Active clinical trials for "Hepatitis C"

The investigators will identify possible participants using our database of previously treated hepatitis c patients. The investigators will identify those who have documented evidence of current injecting drug use as a risk factor for acquisition of the virus. The investigators will then search for those who have received curative treatment between 2004-2010. This covers all patients in the current database. The investigators will include those over 18 years old. The investigators will exclude those patients who are coinfected with either hepatitis B or HIV. This is because both of these conditions can accelerate liver damage when in combination with hepatitis c. The possible participants identified will be sent an information sheet giving a simple and clear outline of the proposed research. The investigator will try to obtain an au to date residential address from the PAS system in the NHS or through confirmation from the patients GP or drug worker. It will explain the purpose of the study, why they have been chosen, what taking part will involve, the potential advantages and disadvantages of taking part and that everything will be kept confidential. It will also outline who is conducting the study, how any expenses will be paid and contact details for any problems/complaints that arise. Those interested in taking part will attend an appointment at the hospital after they have had the opportunity to read through the information leaflet. They will be given time to ask any questions they have about the study and have them answered fully. They will then be asked to sign two copies of a consent form in order to take their participation any further. Once this is complete they can have their first 'liver assessment'. The assessment will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete. The investigators will take three blood samples from them (approximately 10mls of blood or 4 teaspoons full). One sample is to measure the levels of hepatitis C virus in the blood. This will tell us whether there has been reinfection with hepatitis C. The second sample is to measure the levels of inflammation within the liver and the third sample is to measure the full blood count. The investigators will then perform a liver scan called a fibroscan. This is a noninvasive test similar to an ultrasound (that pregnant women have) and gives a reading that can tell us about any 'stiffness' in the liver. It takes approximately five to ten minutes to complete and involves the patient lying on their back with their right arm above their head for the duration of the scan. Following the scan the investigators will ask the participant to complete a short questionnaire. This will include questions about past and current drug use as well as any alcohol use. The answers will be kept strictly confidential. They will be stored in the researchers locked office and have no direct participant identifiers on them. They will simply have a study number on them.The participant will then be thanked for their time and offered £30 to cover all travel and time expenses for their visit. They will be invited to attend for a further liver assessment one year after their first one and annually thereafter. This is optional and they are of course free to withdraw from the study at any time without needing to give a reason. The investigators will be identifying participants at different points in time following their curative treatment. For example some will have been cured 5 year ago whereas other will have been cured 6-12 months ago. This will increase the number of patient years follow up. Once the investigators have done the first set of liver assessment the participants will then be followed prospectively for as long as they wish to participate. For the purpose of my higher degree I will present the data I have following two years of 'liver assessments'.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the outcome of interferon therapy on HCV infected patients can be early precisely predicted with a novel mathematic method with Chinese population.

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between interleukin 28B genetic variants and the response to treatment of chronic hepatitis C in Chinese children.

Nevirapine-based antiretroviral therapy is associated with lower plasma HCV viral load in HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals.

A relatively large proportion of patients with chronic HCV infection have normal or mildly elevated ALT. Many of these patients are not being treated, and are not being sent for a liver biopsy. The present study will determine the ability of Methcetin BreathID Test(MBIT) to detect those patients who will be candidates for anti-viral treatment, as an alternative measure for liver biopsy in decision-making prior to treatment in clinical hepatology.

The estimated global prevalence of hepatitis C (HCV) infection is approximately 3% (170 million individuals). In Canada there are an estimated 240,000 people infected with HCV. The current study addresses the hypothesis that neurocognitive and neurochemical abnormalities may occur in individuals with HCV-infection who do not have liver cirrhosis or vasculitic neuropathy, and this may result from a direct effect of HCV on the Central Nervous System (CNS). The purpose of this study is to assess whether infection with the Hepatitis-C virus is associated with changes in thinking skills and brain chemistry, in patients who do not have liver cirrhosis. In addition, we are examining whether such changes in thinking skills and brain chemistry are reversed by antiviral treatment. We are also studying whether factors such as fatigue and depression have an effect on thinking skills in people with Hepatitis-C. In order to take into account the impact of having viral hepatitis, we will be comparing the results of the Hepatitis-C group to the results of a group of patients with Hepatitis-B, and to a group of individuals who do not have Hepatitis.

Chronic viral hepatitis C is a frequent liver disease. It is associated with variable degree of hepatic fibrosis. To date, liver histology is still regarded as the gold standard to detect, diagnose and quantify liver fibrosis. This requires to perform a liver biopsy. Severe complications are associated to this procedure in 0.01 to 0.1% of cases. Because of this, the repetition of the biopsy to evaluate the progression of the disease or the response to treatment poses ethical questions. Also, liver biopsy only explore a minimal portion of the liver and liver fibrosis, which is not homogeneous, may be under- or over-estimated. To avoid risks linked to invasive technique and sampling errors associated to liver biopsy, efforts are being made to develop non-invasive technology to detect and quantitate liver fibrosis. In this study we will perform in patients with chronic hepatitis C, serum tests, fibroscan (elastography of liver parenchyma determined by ultra-sounds), and elastography of liver parenchyma by MRI. This study will allow to determine whether non-invasive tests effectively measure liver fibrosis to compare each non-invase test with results of liver biopsy to determine whether a non-invasive test or a combination of non invasive tests may be used to accurately evaluate liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the leading cause of advanced liver disease worldwide. The virus successfully evades host immune detection and has highly restricted requirements for growth in vitro that for many years hampered efforts to find a safe, uncomplicated, and reliable oral antiviral therapy. Ten years after discovery, pegylated interferon-alpha and ribavirin (PR) treatment for 24-48 weeks became the standard of care (1-5). PR therapy offered limited performance and availability across the diverse spectrum of HCV disease and was fraught with excessive and often limiting side effects. The first direct acting agents (DAAs) were protease inhibitors (PIs) that were introduced in 2011 and could only be used only in combination with PR because of concerns for rapid PI viral resistance. Although the first generation PIs added increased efficacy to the PR regimen, they also added new side effects and untoward drug interactions (6-8). Sofosbuvir (SOF) is a potent nucleoside inhibitor (NI) that has recently been approved for treatment of HCV. The drug has low toxicity, high resistance barrier, and minimal drug interactions with other HCV DAAs such as PIs and anti-NS5A agents. SOF is safe and effective across different viral genotypes, disease stages, and special patient groups such as those co-infected with HIV. When used in combination with ribavirin or another DAA, SOF has revolutionized the HCV treatment spectrum and set the stage for nearly universal HCV antiviral therapy. Sustained virologic response (SVR12) for SOF plus ribavirin and pegylated interferon (PR) is 90% for genotype 1 and 85-94% for genotypes 2 and 3 (9-16). SOF plus simeprevir (protease inhibitor) showed a 94% SVR12 for genotype 1 (9-16). More so than any other anti-HCV drug developed to date, SOF offers the widest applicability for all infected patients yet can be given in a personalized regimen to maximize performance

A retrospective and prospective study among people living with HIV (PLWH) that assesses hepatitis C (HCV) treatment uptake during periods before and after direct acting antivirals (DAA) introduction, and its impact on the HCV epidemic among PLWH.

This is an observational study of cases of chronic hepatitis C and negative HCV controls in adults receiving chronic hemodialysis at the National Renal Health Center (NRHC) -EsSalud in Lima - Peru.The NRHC provides specialized health care, including hemodialysis, to people with advanced kidney disease from all the districts of Lima. Study population: By December 2017, there were 293 adults receiving chronic hemodialysis at the NRHC-EsSalud. All adult patients receiving chronic hemodialysis at the NRHC-EsSalud will be invited to participate. Primary objective: Characterize HCV disease in patients receiving chronic hemodialysis at the NRHC-EsSalud. Secondary objective: Identify factors associated with an increased risk of HCV infection. Inclusion criteria: Age > 18 years Receive chronic hemodialysis (for at least 6 consecutive months) at the NRHC. Exclusion criteria: • Inability to provide informed consent. To comply with the primary objective of the study, samples from volunteers with HCV serology confirmed in Roe Clinic Laboratory (cases) will be subjected to additional tests: HCV viral load followed by determination of the HCV genotype by using the Abbott m2000 real-time PCR system capable of identifying genotypes 1 (1a and 1b), 2, 3, 4 , 5 and 6, using fluorescent probes of oligonucleotides specific for each genotype . In addition to these lab tests, volunteers will have a Fibroscan test performed at a local provider, with the Fibroscan Model 402 with E and XL probes. The information will be collected in a Case Report Form (CRF), which will be filled out by study staff. The source of clinical information will be primarily the clinical history of the NRHC - EsSalud. The source of information on the results of the auxiliary tests will be obtained from the results issued by Roe Clinic Laboratory and by the image center of the Delgado Clínic. Protection of Human Subjects: The protocol and informed consent will be reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the NRHC. No study procedure will be carried out if the volunteer has not given his or her written consent. All reasonable precautions will be taken to protect the privacy of the volunteer's information, whose data will be identified only through a code. Researchers will keep the study folders in a locked cabinet in a safe place