“
“Background and Aim:  The objective of this 11-year cohort retrospective study conducted in adult patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) who underwent liver transplantation (LT) was to identify whether human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatching is associated with the recurrence of HCV and with the time to recurrence of HCV. Methods:  Among the 181 patients (74% men; mean age: 54 years, range 25–71) who underwent a LT between 1995 and 2006 in the study center, 163 had relevant data in their medical

chart documenting HCV recurrence, and 107 (65.64%) reported a histological evidence of HCV recurrence. Results:  Survival was 78% at 5 years. There was no significant relationship between the total score of HLA-mismatches and the recurrence of HCV. Similarly, there was no significant relationship Trametinib in vitro between the total score of HLA mismatches and the time to recurrence of HCV. For the analyses at each individual locus, a significant relationship Pirfenidone mw between the individual scores of HLA-mismatches and the recurrence of HCV were observed. Out of the 40 patients who experienced a rejection, the rate of recurrence was not different according to the severity of the rejection (75% mild, 64% moderate and 64% for severe rejection). Conclusions:  In conclusion, this

large study did not demonstrate any relationship between the total score of HLA mismatches and HCV-recurrence. Contrarily a significant relationship between the individual find more scores of HLA mismatches (HLA-A3, HLA-B35, HLA-DR3, HLA-DR7, HLA-DQ2, HLA-DQ2-0) and the recurrence of HCV were observed. “
“The anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic heme degrading enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has been shown recently to interfere with replication of hepatitis C virus (HCV). We investigated the effect of HO-1 products carbon monoxide (CO), iron and biliverdin on HCV replication using the replicon cell lines Huh-5-15 and LucUbiNeo-ET, stably expressing HCV proteins NS3 through NS5B. Incubation of these cell lines in the presence of the CO donor methylene chloride transiently reduced HCV

replication, whereas an increase of iron in cell culture by administration of FeCl3 or iron-saturated lactoferrin did not interfere with HCV replication. Likewise, depletion of iron by deferoxamine during induction of HO-1 by cobalt-protoporphyrin IX did not restore HCV replication. The most prominent effect was observed after incubation of replicon cell lines in the presence of biliverdin. Biliverdin seems to interfere with HCV replication–mediated oxidative stress by inducing expression of antiviral interferons, such as interferon alpha2 and alpha17. Conclusion: The antioxidant biliverdin reduces HCV replication in vitro by triggering the antiviral interferon response and might improve HCV therapy in the future. (HEPATOLOGY 2009.) Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection represents one of the leading causes of chronic hepatitis worldwide, resulting in cirrhosis, steatosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.