scholarly journals Analysis of Different Types of Interferon-Associated Retinopathy in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Treated with Pegylated Interferon Plus Ribavirin

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 475
Author(s):  
Chia-Min Wu ◽  
Fu-Hsiung Su ◽  
Chih-Hsin Muo ◽  
Jou-Chen Huang ◽  
Meei-Maan Wu ◽  
...  

This retrospective cohort study aims to investigate interferon (IFN)-associated retinopathy incidence in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection treated with pegylated interferon (PegIFN) plus ribavirin (RBV). We selected 1688 patients undergoing PegIFN/RBV therapy for HCV (HCV-treated cohort), 3376 patients not receiving HCV treatment (HCV-untreated cohort) and 16,880 controls without HCV (non-HCV cohort) from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. The patients were frequency-matched by age, sex, and index date at a 1:2:10 ratio, and followed up until the end of 2013. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to compare the incidences of any retinal vascular events, including subtypes, among the three cohorts. Compared with the non-HCV cohort, the HCV-treated cohort had a significantly increased risk of retinopathy (hazard ratio (HR) = 4.98, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.02–12.3). The risk was particularly prominent for retinal hemorrhage (HR = 12.7, 95% CI: 3.78–42.9). When the HCV-untreated cohort was used as the reference, the aforementioned HRs increased to 9.02 (95% CI: 3.04–26.8) and 32.3 (95% CI: 3.94–265), respectively. This study suggested that PegIFN/RBV therapy significantly increased the risk of retinal hemorrhage but not retinal vascular occlusions in the HCV-treated cohort.

2013 ◽  
Vol 154 (32) ◽  
pp. 1261-1268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alajos Pár ◽  
Gabriella Pár ◽  
István Tornai ◽  
Ferenc Szalay ◽  
Dalma Várszegi ◽  
...  

Introduction: In chronic hepatitis C-virus infection the possible role of gene variants encoding cytokines has become the focus of interest. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of IL28B polymorphisms on the outcome of chronic hepatitis C-virus genotype 1 infection in the Hungarian population. In addition, the association between IL28B genotypes and the Th1/Th2 cytokine production of activated peripheral blood monocytes and lymphocytes was evaluated. Method: Total of 748 chronic hepatitis C-virus genotype 1 positive patients (365 males and 383 females, aged between 18 and 82 years; mean age, 54±10 years) were enrolled, of which 420 patients were treated with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin for 24–72 weeks. Of the 420 patients, 195 patients (46.4%) achieved sustained virological response. The IL28B rs12979860 polymorphism was determined using Custom Taqman SNP Genotyping Assays (Applied Biosystems, Life Technologies, Foster, CA, USA). For cytokine studies, tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-2, interferon-γ, interleukin-2 and interleukin-4 production by LPS-stimulated monocytes and PMA-ionomycine activated lymphocytes were measured from the supernatant of the cells obtained from 40 hepatitis C-virus infected patients, using FACS-CBA Becton Dickinson test. The cytokine levels were compared in patients with different (CC, CT, TT) IL28B genotypes. Results: The IL28B rs12979860 CC genotype occurred in lower frequency in hepatitis C-virus infected patients than in healthy controls (26.1% vs 51.4%, OR 0.333, p<0.001). Patients carried the T allele with higher frequency than controls (73.9%, vs 48.6%, OR 3.003, p<0.001). Pegylated interferon plus ribavirin treated patients with the IL28B CC genotype achieved higher sustained virological response rate than those with the CT genotype (58.6% vs 40.8%, OR 2.057, p = 0.002), and those who carried the T allele (41.8%, OR1.976, p = 0.002). LPS-induced TLR-4 activation of monocytes resulted in higher tumour necrosis factor-α production in patients with the IL28B CC genotype compared to non-CC individuals (p<0.01). Similarly, increased tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-2 and interferon-γ production by lymphocytes was found in the IL28B CC carriers (p<0.01) Conclusions: The IL28B CC genotype exerts protective effect against chronic hepatitis C-virus infection and may be a pretreatment predictor of sustained virological response during interferon-based antiviral therapy. The IL28B CC polymorphism is associated with increased Th1 cytokine production of activated peripheral blood monocytes and lymphocytes, which may play a role in interferon-induced rapid immune control and sustained virological response of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin treated patients. Orv. Hetil., 2013, 154, 1261–1268.


2008 ◽  
Vol 198 (6) ◽  
pp. 808-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Fung ◽  
Ching‐Lung Lai ◽  
Ivan Hung ◽  
John Young ◽  
Charles Cheng ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Csilla Putz-Bankuti ◽  
Harald H. Kessler ◽  
Thomas Valentin ◽  
Eva Leitner ◽  
Emina Talakic ◽  
...  

Nocardiosis is an infrequent but serious pulmonary infection caused by Gram-positive aerobic actinomycetes. In this paper, we report on a 48-year-old patient with pleuropulmonary nocardiosis and cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis C virus infection treated with triple antiviral treatment complicated by prolonged neutropenia.


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