Neopterin levels in patients with post hepatitis C chronic liver disease

Hepatitis C virus causes biochemical, immunological and histological changes in host immuno response against the virus. Neopterin [NPT] is a valuable marker of cell-mediated immunity that reflects the degree of T helper-1 [Th-I] immune activation. Evaluation of the significance of serum neopterin as a marker of cellular immune response in patients with different states of post hepatitis C chronic liver disease. Seventy patients with post hepatitis C chronic liver disease were included in the current study: 40 patients with chronic hepatitis C and 30 patients with liver cirrhosis in addition to 15 healthy individuals as a control group. Patients were assessed and evaluated by laboratory instigations and liver biopsy to determine the severity of the disease. Serum neoterin level was significantly elevated in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and cirrhosis compared to the control group with distinctly higher concentrations in the cirrhotic stage than those in he non-cirrhotic stage of disease. Neopterin may be an early and valuable biochemical marker of cellular immunity which is activated upon simulation of cells by interferon. Measurements of immune activation by NPT could potentially be helpful surrogate markers in progression of liver disease

Detection of bcl-2 translocation in patients with chronic hepatitis C and its possible relation to antiviral therapy: preliminary study

It has been suggested that t[14;18] translocation of bcl-2 to the immunoglobulin heavy chain [IgH] locus may contribute to the pathogenesis of lymphoproliferative disorders [LPD] related to hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of bcl-2 translocation in Egyptian chronic HCV patients and to investigate the effect of combination antiviral therapy of interferon alpha and ribavirin on t[14;18]. Fifty five chronic HCV patients were studied for the prevalence of t[14;18]. These patients were classified into 2 groups, 33 non treated HCV patients and 22 treated HCV patients with antiviral therapy as well as control group of age and sex matched individuals. The bcl-2/IgH rearrangement was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMCs] by nested polymerase chain reaction. All patients have undergone HCV viral determination by real time PCR. Bcl-2/IgH translocation was detected in 21 [38.2%] of all 55 chronically infected HCV patients. Considering all patients with chronic HCV-infection, bcl-2 rearrangement was slightly more frequent in the non treated group than in those who underwent treatment with interferon plus ribavirin but the difference was not statistically significant, although treated patients showed biochemical and virologic response at the end of 6 months of antiviral therapy. In conclusion, t[14;18] in PBMCs is a frequent finding in chronic HCV infection