Re: Hello everyone...

January 25, 2001

congress for fighting both simultaniously and

succesively how u come to know about the ailments u r

suffering also i like to know ur food habits and other daily

routine r u on medicine or on any other alternative

methods and how u have contacted the diseases pl let us

know nARIM

January 26, 2001

please find below text note for cihrrosis and

hepatisis C- CIHRROSIS OF

LIVER Cirrhosis Alternative

names: liver cirrhosis Definition: A chronic

liver disease which causes damage to liver tissue,

scarring of the liver (fibrosis; nodular regeneration),

progressive decrease in liver function, excessive fluid

in the abdomen (ascites), bleeding disorders

(coagulopathy), increased pressure in the blood vessels

(portal hypertension), and brain function disorders

(hepatic encephalopathy). Causes, incidence, and risk

factors: The damaged and scarred liver becomes unable to

adequately remove waste products (toxins) from the

blood, and the formation of scar tissue leads to

increased pressure (portal hypertension) in the veins

between the intestines and spleen to the liver.

Excessive alcohol use is the leading cause of cirrhosis

(See Alcoholic liver disease). Other causes

include infections (such as hepatitis), diseases and

defects of the bile drainage system (such as biliary

stenosis or obstruction), cystic fibrosis, and increased

iron and copper absorption. The type of

cirrhosis depends on the cause of the disease.

Complications of cirrhosis can be severe. In the U.S. cirrhosis

is the 9th leading cause of death. Neurological

problems (such as hepatic encephalopathy) can

develop. Increased fluid collection in the abdominal

cavity (ascites) is caused by decreased body protein,

increased sodium, and increased pressure within

the liver's blood vessels (portal hypertension).

Portal hypertension can cause increased pressure,

size, and fullness in the blood vessels in the

esophagus (esophageal varices). Problems with bleeding and

clotting can occur. The increased pressures within

the blood vessels and the problems with blood

clotting can increase the possibility of severe and

life-threatening hemorrhage.

January 26, 2001

HEPATISIS c ow Hepatitis C Virus Evades The

Immune System How Hepatitis C

Virus Evades The Immune System Scientists from the

National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other

institutions have discovered a clue that begins to

explain why so many patients fail to fully recover

from infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Their research, reported in the current issue of

Science, points to changes in surface proteins

that enable the virus to evade the immune system.

The study shows that the ultimate outcome of an

HCV infection is determined during the initial,

acute phase of disease. " Hepatitis C is a

devastating disease that exacts a significant toll in

this country and abroad, and whose full clinical

impact has yet to be realized, " states S.

Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of

Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the NIH.

" This research helps to explain how the virus

manages to persist in the body and provides

physicians with a potential way to predict the

development of a chronic infection. "

January 26, 2001

hepatisis C continues Nearly 4 million

Americans have been infected with the hepatitis C

virus (HCV). Of those who contract hepatitis C, 85

percent remain chronically infected, harboring a

virus that continues to replicate throughout a

person's life. HCV is a major cause of chronic liver

disease and is responsible for a third of all cases

of cirrhosis and liver cancer, half of all

liver transplants, and 8,000 to 10,000 deaths in

this country annually. Patrizia Farci, M.D.,

and Purcell, M.D., of NIAID and Harvey

Alter, M.D., of the NIH Warren Magnuson Clinical

Center, led a team of scientists in a study designed

to see whether the hepatitis C virus changes

during infection. Dr. Alter had been conducting

long-term studies of patients who contracted hepatitis

from blood transfusions. These individuals

subsequently developed different clinical outcomes,

ranging from short-term infections to chronic

disease. Some of these patients have had hepatitis C

for over 20 years.

January 26, 2001

hepatisis C continueed 2 The research team

examined the virus in each person, looking

specifically for changes in the genes that encode special

proteins coating the viral surface. They also studied

what changes occurred either before or after the

body's immune system responded to HCV infection.

In some patients, the virus remained relatively

unchanged following the initial immune response,

and those people completely eliminated HCV over

several weeks. In most, however, genetic HCV

variants began to appear in response to the early

immune assault. This rapid viral evolution

ultimately resulted in chronic infection. " We know that

the body responds to infection early in the

disease process, but in most patients the virus is

'smarter' than the immune system, " states Dr. Farci.

" In many cases, HCV changes its surface proteins

as soon as the patient's antibodies begin to

attack. In essence, the virus slips into a disguise

and continues on without detection. " Similar

masquerades are used by other viruses, such as HIV and

influenza, but this is the first study to correlate

such behavior with disease progression in

hepatitis C. The researchers also determined a region

on virus surface proteins where most of the

changes occur. Their studies will now focus on the

types of mutations that assist HCV in avoiding the

immune system, and on the types of antibodies

produced during the early response. By

understanding more about this critical checkpoint in HCV

infection, they hope to develop new tools for hepatitis

C treatment and prevention.

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