Comportamiento virológico de pacientes con hepatitis C tratados con antivirales cubanos / Virological behavior of patients with hepatitis C treated with Cuban antivirals

Introducción: el seguimiento virológico de los pacientes con hepatitis C se realiza mediante la determinación cuantitativa del ácido ribonucleico viral por técnicas de biología molecular. Objetivos: evaluar el comportamiento virológico de los pacientes con hepatitis crónica C tratados con antivirales cubanos. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo, prospectivo en 45 pacientes con hepatitis crónica C atendidos en Consulta de Hepatología del Hospital Universitario Faustino Pérez, de Matanzas, en el período comprendido entre enero 2014 a diciembre 2017, tratados durante 48 semanas con PEG-heberon y ribavirina. De ellos se analizaron las características basales así como los diferentes tipos de respuesta al tratamiento según resultados virológicos. Resultados: predominaron los pacientes del sexo femenino, menores de 45 años, vírgenes de tratamiento y con cargas virales basales altas. Se alcanzó la respuesta virológica rápida en el 31,1%, la temprana total en el 19,4 %, al final del tratamiento en el 77,1% y la respuesta virológica sostenida en el 59,3%. Entre los respondedores predominaron los rápidos con respuesta virológica sostenida y entre los no respondedores, los nulos. Conclusiones: los estudios cuantitativos de ácido ribonucleico viral son esenciales para el seguimiento de los pacientes con hepatitis C ya que a través de sus determinaciones basales, durante el tratamiento y posterior a este, puede evaluarse la respuesta al tratamiento (AU).

Introduction: the virological follow-up of patients with hepatitis C is made through the quantitative determination of the viral ribonucleic acid using techniques of molecular biology. Objectives: to assess the virological behavior of patients with hepatitis C treated with Cuban antivirals. Materials and methods: a prospective, descriptive study was carried out in 45 patients with hepatitis C who attended the Consultation of Hepatology of the University Hospital "Faustino Pérez", of Matanzas, in the period from January 2014 to December 2017, treated with PEG-eberon and ribavirin for 48 weeks. Their basal characteristics were analyzed and also the different kinds of answer to the treatment according to the virological results. Results: female sex, patients aged less than 45 years old, non-treated before and with high viral loads. The fast virological answer was reached in 31 % of the patients, and the total early answer in 19.4 %; at the end of the treatment in 77.1 %, and the sustained virological answer in 59.3 % of the patients. Among the answering ones predominated the fast with sustained virological answer, and among the non-answering predominated the null ones. Conclusions: quantitative studies of viral ribonucleic acid are essential for the follow-up of patients with hepatitis C, because through their basal determinations, during and after the treatment, the answer to the treatment can be evaluated (AU).

Angiogenic response of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) involves PPAR

Diabetes is associated with increased formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which have been implicated in micro and macrovascular complications of diabetes. Our earlier reports showed proangiogenic effect of AGE-bovine serum albumin (BSA). In order to understand the mechanism of AGE-mediated angiogenesis, the possibility of involvement of peroxisome prolifeator activated receptor (PPAR) , a ligand activated transcription factor was examined. The angiogenic effect was studied in chick chorio allantoic membrane (CAM) and by analyzing angiogenic markers in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in culture. The involvement of PPAR was investigated using synthetic PPAR agonist GW 1929 and antagonist GW 9662 and by RT-PCR. In CAM assay, PPAR antagonist GW 9662 reversed the AGE-induced effect on vascularity. In HUVECs in culture, GW 9662 reversed the effect of AGE-BSA and decreased the expression of CD 31, E-Selectin and VEGF. RT-PCR analysis showed that treatment with AGE-BSA caused upregulation of PPAR mRNA levels. The reversal of the effect of AGE on angiogenesis by treatment with PPAR antagonists and up-regulation of PPAR gene in HUVECs treated with AGE-BSA suggested the possible involvement of PPAR -dependent downstream pathway in mediating the angiogenic effect of AGE.

need for new anti-hepatitis C virus therapeutic strategies targeting the cellular micro-ribonucleic acids?

Infection with the hepatitis C virus [HCV] is a worldwide problem. Patients with chronic HCV infection who are non-responders to standard therapy represent a growing population within the HCV epidemic.Novel, more efficient and tolerable therapies are urgently needed. This review discusses the recent results showing that targeting miR-122, a micro-ribonucleic acid [MicroRNA] that enhances HCV replication, is a new anti-HCV therapy with a high barrier to resistance

Earlier loss of HCV RNA in interferon therapy can predict a long-term response in chronic hepatitis C

This study evaluated whether the loss of serum hepatitis C virus [HCV] RNA early in interferon [IFN] therapy would predict a subsequent response to IFN therapy. Thirty patients with chronic active hepatitis were enrolled in the study. The patients were positive for anti-HCV antibodies and serum HCV RNA. All patients were divided into two groups: Group I consisted of sustained responders [8 patients] and group II of non-sustained responders [22 patients]. Results showed that genotype 1 is the most prevailing in group II and genotype 4 is the most prevailing in group I. HCV RNA disappeared from the serum early in group I, 75% after 2 weeks, 87.5% after 4 weeks, and 100% after 24 weeks, while in group II none of the patients became negative after 2 weeks. After 6 months all patients of group II changed to positive again. ALT levels decreased significantly in both groups. It was normalized in all patients of group I after 24 weeks of therapy and remained normal after 6 months. In group II, 22.7% had normal ALT after 24 weeks, which changed again to high 6 months later [when PCR changed to positive]. Group I of sustained responders had 6 patients of genotypes 4, one patient of genotypes 1 and 3, while group II had 12 patients of genotype 1, 7 of genotype 2 and 3 of genotype 4

Interferón y su uso potencial en el tratamiento de enfermedades infecciosas / Interferon and its potential use in the treatment of infectious diseases

Modern recombinant biotechnology has made possible the production of large amount of interferons and their use as immunotherapeutic agents. Most of the biological, physical and chemical characteristics of interferons has been established, including their classification, genetic structure, chemical composition and possible mechanisms of action. Interferons have been utilized in clinical studies with human and experimental animals against bacterial, mycotic, parasitic and viral infections. Success has been reported mainly when administered prophylactically against acute infections. Favorable results have been obtained, both prophylactic and therapeutically, in some chronic diseases and in those in which the microorganism has an intracellular phase during its life cycle. Moreover, a promising future has been suggested for the combined use of interferon with other antimicrobial drugs

Effects of dipyrone on the placenta of albino rats: morphological and biochemical aspects

The effect of dipyrone (N-2,3-dimethyl-5-oxo-1-phenyl-3-pyrazolin-4-yl)-methyllamino methanesulfonate sodium monohydrate) on the placenta of 2 BAW albino rats was studied through Karyometry of trophoblastic giant cells and DNA, RNA and total protein determinations. The animals received a single daily dose of 50 mg/Kg body weight during different periods of pregnancy: from the 9th to the 12th, 11th to the 14th, 13th to the 16th, 15th to the 18th and 17th to the 20 thday. Control animals received a single daily dose of 0.5ml distilled water at the same time. Karyometric results showed a statistically significant increase in nuclear volumes of placental cells of rats receiving dipyrone during the first three periods, when compared to control groups. In the two groups that received the drug nearer to term there was no significant difference. Regarding DNA, RNA and total protein determinations, there was a statistically significant difference, for all of them, in the rats that received the drug from the 9th to the 12 th day of pregnancy when compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in the groups that received the drug after that period. The results show that dipyrone had a blocking effect on cell division and that this effect happens mainly in the initial period of placental development