Biomedical subjects

Markus Cornberg

Publications and source records attributed to Markus Cornberg.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Mycophenolate mofetil in combination with recombinant interferon alfa-2a in interferon-nonresponder patients with chronic hepatitis C.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Since ribavirin was able to improve the antiviral efficacy of interferon alfa in patients with chronic hepatitis C, several other adjuncts have been studied. It has been shown that mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is a more potent inhibitor of the inosine 5'-monophosphate-dehydrogenase (IMPDH) than ribavirin. The present study is a pilot study evaluating the efficacy and safety of combination therapy with interferon alfa-2a and MMF in interferon alfa nonresponder patients. METHODS: Thirty-eight adult patients with chronic hepatitis C who did not respond to a previous interferon alfa monotherapy were enrolled to receive 6 million units of interferon alfa-2a tiw in combination with MMF (1 week 500 mg/day, 1 week 1000 mg/day, 22 weeks 2000 mg/day). RESULTS: An interim analysis of 29 patients after 12 weeks of therapy showed that only one patient had negative hepatitis C virus-RNA at this time point. There was no significant reduction of the viral load during therapy. Due to inefficacy the study was discontinued. CONCLUSIONS: Combination therapy of interferon alfa-2a and MMF is ineffective in improving virological response rates in nonresponder patients with chronic hepatitis C. These data suggest that inhibition of the IMPDH seems not to be the major mechanism of ribavirin in enhancing the antiviral effect of interferon alfa in chronic hepatitis C.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Fate of goblet cells in experimental colitis.

We sought to correlate the characteristic changes in goblet cell morphology in the chronically inflamed large intestine of 1L10-/- mice to specific changes in goblet cell gene expression. In healthy as well as IL10-/- mice, marked differences were found among the large intestinal regions in goblet cell morphology and gene expression. The mucin Muc2, which is a major determinant of goblet cell morphology, was expressed in most goblet cells, yet only in cells staining positive for both Alcian blue and high iron diamine. TFF3 was expressed in only a small subset of goblet cells. Inflamed colon of IL10-/- mice still contained high numbers of small, hypotrophic goblet cells with similar histochemical staining and Muc2 and TFF3 expression patterns, contradicting the often reported "goblet cell depletion" in colitis. Quantitatively, the Muc2 and TFF3 levels remained relatively stabile in IL10-/- mice. Muc2 in distal IL10-/- colon contained significantly less sulfate residues than in controls, which may compromise its protective properties.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Polyethylene glycol-interferon: current status in hepatitis C virus therapy.

In chronic hepatitis C infection, combination therapy with interferon (IFN)-alpha and ribavirin leads to sustained virological response rates of 40-45%. However, treatment outcome is still disappointing in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1, high viral load or advanced liver fibrosis. Due to significant side-effects of therapy, dose reductions and discontinuations of therapy are frequent and lead to further decreased response rates. The development of modified IFN is the latest step to improve treatment options for chronic hepatitis C. Conjugation of the polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG) to IFN extends half-life in comparison to conventional IFN and thereby increases antiviral activity. It allows once-weekly dosing and increases sustained response rates without changing the safety profile. The PEG-IFN monotherapy is twice as effective as IFN-alpha three times weekly. The combination of PEG-interferon and ribavirin improves the overall sustained response rates to 54-56% and represents the new standard therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C infection in most patients.

Antiviral Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

New approaches and therapeutic modalities for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C.

A major challenge in the field of hepatology is the fight against hepatitis C that affects more than 150 million people world-wide. Despite the enormous improvement that has been achieved in the therapy of chronic hepatitis C over the last decade, there is an urgent medical need for new therapeutic approaches. This review focuses on the optimization of the current standard therapy of hepatitis C and future treatment directions beyond pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin.

Antiviral Agents↗