Cingles Info

Schering-Plough Reports FDA Grants Fast Track Designation to Oral HCV Protease
Inhibitor SCH 503034
KENILWORTH, NJ -- January 31, 2006 -- Schering-Plough yesterday reported that
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation
to its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor (SCH 503034),
currently in phase 2 clinical development for the treatment of chronic hepatitis
C virus (HCV) infection.
The FDA granted Fast Track designation for the following reasons:
The proposed first indication for SCH 503034 is for treatment of HCV in patients
with HCV genotype 1 virus who have not responded to combination therapy with
pegylated interferon and ribavirin, the current standard of care, thus
representing an unmet medical need.
SCH 503034 is an orally active inhibitor of the hepatitis C virus serine
protease that inhibits HCV replication. This mechanism is distinct from those of
current therapies, thus SCH 503034 represents a novel class of HCV inhibitor.
Fast Track designation allows FDA to expedite review of drugs and biologics for
serious or life-threatening conditions and which demonstrate the potential to
address unmet medical needs. An important feature of Fast Track designation is
that it emphasizes the critical nature of close, early communication between the
FDA and the sponsor company to improve the efficiency of product development.
Status of SCH 503034 Clinical Development
SCH 503034 has demonstrated potent antiviral activity and was well- tolerated,
both as monotherapy(1) and in combination with PEG-Intron(R) (peginterferon
alfa-2b),(2) in Phase I clinical studies in patients chronically infected with
HCV genotype 1 who were nonresponders to previous therapy, including
peginterferon and ribavirin combination therapy. Results of Phase I clinical
studies with SCH 503034, including in healthy subjects,(3) were presented at the
56th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
(AASLD) in November 2005. HCV genotype 1 is the most common form of the virus
worldwide and is considered the most difficult to treat successfully.
Phase 2 Study Ongoing
Based on the results of the Phase I clinical program and extensive preclinical
safety and pharmacology studies, Schering-Plough is conducting a large,
randomized Phase II dose-finding study involving 300 patients worldwide.
This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of SCH 503034 in combination with
PEG-Intron, with and without added ribavirin, for 24 or 48 weeks in patients
with chronic HCV genotype 1 who were nonresponders to previous peginterferon and
ribavirin combination therapy.
The primary objective of this study is to determine the safe and effective dose
range of SCH 503034 in combination with PEG-Intron in this patient population. A
secondary objective is to explore whether or not ribavirin provides an
additional benefit when combined with SCH 503034 plus PEG-Intron.
Additionally, an extensive preclinical and Phase I clinical development program
is ongoing to support the potential broad utility of SCH 503034 in treating
chronic hepatitis C.
About PEG-Intron
PEG-Intron is approved in the United States as monotherapy and for use in
combination therapy with Rebetol(R) (ribavirin, USP) for the treatment of
chronic hepatitis C in patients with compensated liver disease who are at least
18 years of age, and is not approved for treatment of patients who are
nonresponders to previous therapy.
Important Safety Information Regarding U.S. Labeling for PEG-Intron and Rebetol
Warning
Alpha interferons, including PEG-Intron, cause or aggravate fatal or life-
threatening neuropsychiatric, autoimmune, ischemic, and infectious disorders.
Patients should be monitored closely with periodic clinical and laboratory
evaluations. Patients with persistently severe or worsening signs or symptoms of
these conditions should be withdrawn from therapy. In many but not all cases
these disorders resolve after stopping PEG-Intron therapy.
Ribavirin causes hemolytic anemia. Anemia associated with Rebetol therapy may
exacerbate cardiac disease that has led to fatal and nonfatal myocardial
infarctions. Patients with a history of significant or unstable cardiac disease
should not be treated with Rebetol. It is advised that complete blood counts
(CBC) be obtained at baseline and at weeks 2 and 4 of therapy or more frequently
if clinically indicated.
Rebetol and combination Rebetol/PEG-Intron therapy must not be used by women, or
male partners of women, who are or may become pregnant during therapy and during
the 6 months after stopping therapy. Rebetol and combination Rebetol/PEG-Intron
therapy should not be initiated until a report of a negative pregnancy test has
been obtained immediately prior to initiation of therapy. Women of childbearing
potential and men must use effective contraception (at least two reliable forms)
during treatment and during the 6- month post-treatment follow-up period.
Significant teratogenic and/or embryocidal effects have been demonstrated for
ribavirin in all animal species in which adequate studies have been conducted.
These effects occurred at doses as low as one twentieth of the recommended human
dose of Rebetol. If pregnancy occurs in a patient or partner of a patient during
treatment or during the 6 months after treatment stops, physicians are
encouraged to report such cases by calling (800) 727-7064.
PEG-Intron
There are no new adverse events specific to PEG-Intron as compared to INTRON(R)
A (interferon alfa-2b, recombinant) for Injection, however, the incidence of
some (e.g., injection site reactions, fever, rigors, nausea) were higher. The
most common adverse events associated with PEG-Intron were "flu-like" symptoms,
occurring in approximately 50% of patients, which may decrease in severity as
treatment continues. Application site disorders were common (47%), but all were
mild (44%) or moderate (4%) and no patient discontinued, and included injection
site inflammation and reaction (i.e., bruise, itchiness, irritation). Injection
site pain was reported in 2% of patients receiving PEG-Intron. Alopecia
(thinning of the hair) is also often associated with alpha interferons including
PEG-Intron.
Psychiatric adverse events, which include insomnia, were common (57%) with
PEG-Intron, but similar to INTRON A (58%). Depression was most common at 29%.
Suicidal behavior including ideation, suicidal attempts, and completed suicides
occurred in 1% of patients during or shortly after completing treatment with
PEG-Intron.
PEG-Intron/Rebetol is contraindicated in patients with autoimmune hepatitis,
decompensated liver disease, and in patients with hemoglobinopathies (e.g.,
thalassemia major, sickle-cell anemia).
The following serious or clinically significant adverse events have been
reported at a frequency less than or equal to 1% with PEG-Intron or interferon
alpha: Severe decreases in neutrophil or platelet counts, hypothyroidism,
hyperglycemia, hypotension, arrhythmia, ulcerative and hemorrhagic colitis,
development or exacerbation of autoimmune disorders including thyroiditis, RA,
systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, pulmonary disorders (dyspnea, pulmonary
infiltrates, pneumonitis and pneumonia, some resulting in patient deaths),
urticaria, angioedema, bronchoconstriction, anaphylaxis, retinal hemorrhages,
and cotton wool spots.
In the PEG-Intron/Rebetol combination trial the incidence of serious adverse
events was 17% in the PEG-Intron/Rebetol groups compared to 14% in the INTRON
A/Rebetol group. The incidence of severe adverse events in the PEG-
INTRON/Rebetol combination therapy trial was 23% in the INTRON A/Rebetol group
and 31-34% in the PEG-Intron/Rebetol groups. Dose reductions due to adverse
reactions occurred in 42% of patients receiving PEG-Intron (1.5 mcg/kg)/ Rebetol
and in 34% of those receiving INTRON A/Rebetol.
Rebetol should not be used in patients with creatinine clearance less than 50
mL/min.
REFERENCES:
1. Zeuzem S et al. Antiviral Activity of SCH 503034, a HCV Protease Inhibitor,
Administered as Monotherapy in Hepatitis C Genotype-1 (HCV-1) Patients
Refractory to Pegylated Interferon (Peg-IFN-a), Abstract 67484, AASLD 2005.
2. Zeuzem S et al. Combination therapy with the HCV Protease Inhibitor, SCH
503034, Plus PEG-Intron in Hepatitis C Genotype-1 PEG-Intron Nonresponders:
Phase Ib Results, Abstract 67627, AASLD 2005.
3. Zhang J et al. Single Dose Pharmacokinetics of a Novel Hepatitis C Protease
Inhibitor, SCH 503034, in an Oral Capsule Formulation, Abstract 66787, AASLD
2005.
SOURCE: Schering-Plough
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/852571020057CCF6852571070045F00C

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060524123803.htm
Listening To Music Can Reduce Chronic Pain And Depression By Up To A
Quarter
Listening to music can reduce chronic pain by up to 21 per cent and
depression by up to 25 per cent, according to a paper in the latest
UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing.
It can also make people feel more in control of their pain and less
disabled by their condition.
Researchers carried out a controlled clinical trial with sixty
people, dividing them into two music groups and a control group.
They found that people who listened to music for an hour every day
for a week reported improved physical and psychological symptoms
compared to the control group.
The participants, who had an average age of 50, were recruited from
pain and chiropractic clinics in Ohio, USA. They had been suffering
from a range of painful conditions, including osteoarthritis, disc
problems and rheumatoid arthritis, for an average of six and a half
years.
90 per cent said the pain affected more than one part of their body
and 95 per cent said it was continuous. Before the music study,
participants reported that their usual pain averaged just under six
on a zero to ten pain scale and their worst pain exceeded nine out of
ten.
"The people who took part in the music groups listened to music on a
headset for an hour a day and everyone who took part, including the
control group, kept a pain diary" explains nurse researcher Dr Sandra
L Siedlecki from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio.
"Forty people were assigned to the two music groups and the other 20
formed the control group.
"The first group were invited to choose their own favourite music and
this included everything from pop and rock to slow and melodious
tunes and nature sounds traditionally used to promote sleep or
relaxation.
"The second group chose from five relaxing tapes selected by us.
These featured piano, jazz, orchestra, harp and synthesizer and had
been used in previous pain studies by co-author Professor Marion Good
from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western
Reserve University, Ohio."
At the end of the trial:
The music groups reported that their pain had fallen by between 12
and 21 per cent, when measured by two different pain measurement
scales. The control group reported that pain increased by between one
and two per cent.
People in the music groups reported 19 to 25 per cent less depression
than the control group.
The music groups reported feeling nine to 18 per cent less disabled
than those who hadn't listened to music and said they had between
five and eight per cent more power over their pain than the control
group.
"Our results show that listening to music had a statistically
significant effect on the two experimental groups, reducing pain,
depression and disability and increasing feelings of power" says Dr
Siedlecki.
"There were some small differences between the two music groups, but
they both showed consistent improvements in each category when
compared to the control group.
"Non-malignant pain remains a major health problem and sufferers
continue to report high levels of unrelieved pain despite using
medication. So anything that can provide relief is to be welcomed."
"Listening to music has already been shown to promote a number of
positive benefits and this research adds to the growing body of
evidence that it has an important role to play in modern healthcare"
adds co-author Professor Marion Good.
Previous research by Professor Good and Hui-Ling Lai, published in
the Journal of Advanced Nursing in 2005 and republished in journal's
30th Anniversary issue in 2006, showed that listening to 45 minutes
of soft music before bedtime can improve sleep by more than a third.
Reference: Effect of music on power, pain, depression and disability.
Sandra L Siedlecki, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio, and Marion
Good, Case Western University, Ohio. Journal of Advanced Nursing.
Volume 54.5, pages 553 to 562.
The study was supported by a predoctoral grant from the National
Institute of Nursing Research of the US Government's National
Institutes of Health.
Journal of Advanced Nursing, which is celebrating its 30th
anniversary in 2006, is read by experienced nurses, midwives, health
visitors and advanced nursing students in over 80 countries. It
informs, educates, explores, debates and challenges the foundations
of nursing health care knowledge and practice worldwide. Edited by
Professor Alison Tierney, it is published 24 times a year by
Blackwell Publishing Ltd, part of the international Blackwell
Publishing group. www.journalofadvancednursing.com

Vickie - well thanks again for letting me vent. I guess I am not
understanding the whole troll thing. I think Bayla is a sweetheart, we just
met not long ago, but she is a very sweet and compassionate woman. It's
hard for me to picture or understand why anyone would not like either one of
you.
I feel I have been blessed to have met you both...
Love, hugs and Prayers
Lisa

Hey Barb....... I know Ussie Pam :-) Please tell her I said HI and give her
a hug for me! Hope you have a great time! The march is in May this year
isn't it? I went last year but won't be going back this year. SO MUCH TO DO!
:-)
Peace
Pam

lovely photos Pam..thanks for sharing..ahhhhhhhh the memories! should be about
time for the results?
~Bayla~
'C' It! Treat It! Beat It!
"Hepatitis C is five times
more prevalent
than AIDS"

Doreen, good article here, short but sweet. I surely hope that you are doing ok.
It is sad that when one becomes very ill or disabled as many of us are, we are
treated as "a non person" sort of speaking, we pay into S.S. for all our lives,
but when a person becomes ill it seems that we are treated like we do not
deserve medical treatment, it is a tragedy to say the least, no one asks to
become disabled or seriously ill.
The system is defiantly broke and needs a major overhaul, but more than likely
it may not come too soon for some of us.
Love, Light, and Blessings
Eric

Sharing blood lancing devices could result in transmission of blood-borne
diseases
OTTAWA - Health Canada is advising Canadians that blood lancing devices
labelled for personal use should not be shared due to the risk of transmitting
blood-borne viruses, including hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
Lancing devices are used to obtain blood samples for such purposes as
blood sugar monitoring. They consist of a hand-held tube into which a small
surgical knife known as a lancet is loaded. The device is held against the skin
and a button is pressed to release the lancet. An endcap controls the
penetration depth of the lancet.
Lancets used for blood sampling should not be shared and should be
disposed of in an appropriate safety container. In addition, the labelling of
lancing devices should be read carefully to determine their intended use. Some
are intended for single use and others are intended for multiple use by one
patient only. Finally, some devices can be used on multiple patients only if the
endcap is properly disinfected or replaced, according to the manufacturer's
directions.
There have been several cases in Canada and abroad where blood lancing
devices were inappropriately used by health care workers to obtain samples from
multiple patients. Health Canada recently issued a Notice to Hospitals to remind
health care workers of the safety measures that should be observed to minimize
the risk of transmission of blood-borne diseases when using these devices.
Individual users of blood-lancing devices who have questions about the
safety measures to be observed when handling these products are urged to
communicate with the manufacturer of the device they use and with a physician.
http://news.gc.ca/cfmx/view/en/index.jsp?articleid=195029

Hi Randy.
My name is Del or Deliman.
I don't fully understand what your going through, emotionally and physically,
as no one can really.... but it is not all gloom and doom. It is extremely
difficult at times but I fully believe we can make it and live a life to do
something for others...
I am HEP C 2b, my body will not take the Copegasus/interferon with a dash of
riboflavin thrown in there. I get Staph which is a quicker killer, and that's
not good.
I am also ESLD, (end stage liver disease) awaiting a donor, but they tell me
I'm not sick enough, or in a more positive mode, there are others sicker than I
that need TP's.
I am going to just state some things and I am not insinuating you have or will
do them.
DO not try to bullshit your docs, the transplant team,, the liver
association,. the board if you go before one... it will disqualify you as a
recipient. You see...These guys (docs/researchers) need WINS right now, because
this is all so new. No results???No more money..for research. If a doc or the
board allows someone to slip through the cracks, for instance, if you go to an
appointment and tell them you really want to take drugs and drink, they won't
let you in the club. But...they will offer help for you.You will not be on the
fast train to to a TP. But they want to be very sure. If you die, (sorry I'm
being so direct, but it is what were talking about), another person dies as well
because they made a mistake possibly choosing you...
If you don't have someone to stay with you, look to Charities, The Catholic
Charities Foundation in Houston/Galveston is recognized world wide for their
help in controversial Social Health needs. Just go to www.Catholic Charities
Houston Texas, or...try to find one where you are.
I'm fortunate to have some people that are willing to do this for me. The
night is generally not a problem, someone can just stay at your house, like they
would their own, except I guess they will be emptying bedpans (MAN...I'm gonna'
HATE THAT PART!!!) and administering drugs etc. Do you have Insurance, Does
your policy allow for in home care? I'm thinking in the day time someone can
just come over before the night shift leaves, get an update, and do whatever
they are supposed to.
A retired person would probably enjoy it. But not too old. Do you work now?
Most of us (I think) are pretty well wiped out financially, It's weird..it
doesn't matter how hard I worked for thirty years, or how well I did or how
much I made or my status. That's a non issue in my life. May as well of not
happened......
Oh well...I DID always want to retire at 52...and by golly I did it!!!!
You can get me through this site or go_deliman@... Somethings are
personal, still..
Start making friends now, if your situation allows it. My family is either too
old or too busy. Good Luck, Man..
Del
Doreen Star <kelcym@...
Good day Randy,
I can't talk for other hospital, but I can say this, when I was in MI. and I had
another half,
I was placed on the transplant list., at Ann Arbor
When I returned to NC in 2000, and still had my other half, I was placed on the
transplant list at Duke here in NC.
when I started getting pretty sick, and he could not handle it, walked out on
me.
I was in deed taken off the list.
I had completed the first step which is the stress test, making sure all other
organs were
up to pare for the transplant. I passed this.
But, a support person must attend classes, to understand what they will be going
through.
I am not on the list because of this reason, a support person, you must have.
I am going back to UNC in Chapel Hill here in NC, and Duke, next month.
I will fight for my rights.
Even if the state has to pick up my bill, I am worthy of life, I worked all my
life.
I am a home owner and pay my taxes.
I was reading an article, a law that was passed in Mississippi, that if a
disabled person needs 24-7 care
and it is their choice to remain at home, then they have this right.
My sister just went through this with her son who has MD, he has never walked,
and under the care of his care takers,
They dropped him and he broke his leg. They put him in a nursing home for almost
10 months.
I told my sister about this Mississippi law, told her to take this matter to the
news, and with in one week,
he was placed in an assisted living.
Also, she got a phone call, and they are now taking this matter to court.
I have fought this far for my life, why would I stop now.
I am stage4 geno type 1a enlarged spleen, varcies, and low blood work, like
platelets, white cell.
If I don't get the responce that I want, I'll except that I am to far gone, but
I will not accept, that I can not have life because of a care giver.
I, myself will take this matter as far as I have to, beginning with the press.
Respectfully
Star1956

Posted on Sat, Mar. 18, 2006
10 get tainted-tissue alert
The patients were informed by hospitals that they received transplant tissue
recalled by the FDA.
By John Sullivan
Inquirer Staff Writer
Three area hospitals have notified 10 patients that they received transplanted
human tissue the Food and Drug Administration has since recalled because it may
harbor disease.
Hospital officials at Thomas Jefferson University, Hahnemann University and
Temple University confirmed yesterday that they used tissue purchased through
suppliers who had bought it from Biomedical Tissue Services. The now-defunct
tissue-harvesting company based in Fort Lee, N.J., is alleged to have bought
body parts from funeral homes without the consent of families.
A Brooklyn grand jury has charged company owner Michael Mastromarino, his
partner and two assistants with 122 criminal counts related to harvesting and
selling tissue.
Hundreds of patients across the country may have received tissue from
Biomedical, and many have undergone testing for HIV, hepatitis B and C, and
other communicable diseases.
Eight of the 10 latest local cases were at Thomas Jefferson. The hospital
performs many surgeries requiring replacement bones or tissue.
"All of the patients have been notified," Jefferson University spokeswoman Nan
Meyers said. She said the hospital does not know how many have sought testing.
Temple University Hospital spokesman Andy Smith said only one patient there had
been affected. "We have no reason to believe there are others involved."
One patient at Hahnemann, which is owned by Tenet Healthcare Corp., may have
received potentially tainted tissue during a hernia repair, the hospital said.
The FDA's Web site says the risk of disease transmission through tissue
transplantation is very low, but real.
In 2001, a 23-year-old Minnesota man was killed by toxic bacteria lurking in
transplanted bone and cartilage used to reconstruct his knee.
In 2002, five U.S. tissue recipients were infected by hepatitis C believed to
have come from a single donor's tissues. And in 2003, contaminated corneas
resulted in vision loss in two people.
Last month, a Northeast Philadelphia woman, Darlene Krzywicki, 42, said she
contracted hepatitis C from transplanted bone marrow purchased from a Biomedical
provider. She is suing the tissue provider.
Her attorney, Aaron Freiwald, said he is investigating several more local cases,
but so far only Krzywicki has tested positive for any disease.

Hepatitis C haunts some vets
By: MIKE SCHUSTER - For the North County Times
Sex, drugs and jet injectors. Now that I have your undivided attention about
scary military programs, I would like to squelch a rumor: No veteran has ever
had service connected Hepatitis C, which was transmitted by the "infamous"
military "jet injector" inoculation guns.
That rumor is wrong, not true or simply false.
The truth: just the opposite, veterans with Hepatitis C are eligible for VA
benefits.
Veterans who were subjected to inoculations during induction by "jet injector"
guns may have been exposed to Hepatitis C. Most of these veterans were
inoculated during the 60s and 70s as the military has since stopped using this
method. As scientific studies now show, jet injector guns could be a source of
transmission for Hepatitis C and other blood borne diseases.
Of course the V.A. warns us that Hepatitis may be transmitted by multiple sexual
partners, drug use (sharing needles), tattoos, body piercings, and even
transmitted at birth by an infected mother. (www.hepatitis.va.gov)
Years ago, a Vietnam-era vet was reluctant to report his Hepatitis to the VA in
fear of being accused of being a drug addict, sexual deviant or something
non-related to the military.
V.A. Offices throughout the U.S. have now granted claims for Hepatitis C related
to jet injector gun inoculations, including New York, San Diego, and Nevada
including the Veterans Board of Appeals.
My fellow County Veteran Advocate, Ken Moore, of Monroe County, Rochester, N.Y.,
was one of the first advocates to have a Hepatitis C claim related to Jet
Injectors granted. Ken can be reached at (585) 274-6040 or via e-mail
kenmoore@....
Hepatitis is a disease that can take several years to show up in a veteranís
blood, therefore there is no proof of disease while in service, but with a
doctorís opinion and the scientific studies a veteran can get his claim approved
by the V.A. Years ago there was no test for Hepititas C and it was often
referred to as non-Hep A or non-Hep B.
The V.A. does a good job of screening its veterans for Hepatitis C so if you
havenít been tested recently, contact your local V.A. or private health care
provider.
The days of being accused of being another "Vietnam Vet drug user" are over;
science has shown the medical community that "Jet Inoculators" were an unsafe
means to inoculate hundreds of personnel at one time.
These "Jet Injectors" were not just used on "In-country" vets but almost all
military inductees for many years. So it does not matter whether you served
in-country, Europe or stateside ---- as a veteran you need to be checked. It is
done with a simple blood test.
As we used to say when I was flying on dust-off missions in Vietnam, take the
test "So others may live."
Mike Schuster is a San Diego County Veterans representative. Call at (760)
643-2049 or e-mail: mgs@....
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/03/18/news/community/20_21_153_17_06.txt

ah well i am new here really sicl with hep

The following items have been posted to www.hcvadvocate.org and
www.hbvadvocate.org
HBV: www.hbvadvocate.org:
***HBV Journal Review, February 2006
http://www.hbvadvocate.org/news/NewsUpdates_pdf/News_Review_2006/HBJ-3.2.pdf
HCV: www.hcvadvocate.org
***February 2006 HCV Advocate
http://www.hcvadvocate.org/news/newsLetter/2006/advocate0206.html
**The Future Burden of HCV
Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief
**Healthwise: Living with the Label of HCV.
Lucinda K. Porter, RN, CCRC
**Liver Transplantation: Part 2
Liz Highleyman
**Treatment Success
Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief
**HEPATITIS JOURNAL REVIEW: January 31, 2006, Volume 3, Issue 2
by Liz Highleyman
http://www.hcvadvocate.org/news/newsRev/2006/HJR-3.2.html
**Noninvasive Fibrosis Prediction *FibroScan Works for Coinfected Patients
**Hepatocellular Carcinoma *Journal of Hepatology Looks at Coinfection
**HCV Transmission Through Sharing Piercing Jewelry
***HCV Crossword #3
"Transmission & Prevention"
http://www.hcvadvocate.org/community/community_pdf/Cross_3.pdf

And this kind of transmission is where I trace my infection back to. Way
back.
I've read studies documenting this vector of transmission. One big one was
in Italy at a Juvenile Diabetes camp. The study, regrettably, was after the
fact.
Sally

Vaccine to Cut Risk of Shingles in Older People Is Approved
By GARDINER HARRIS
Published: May 27, 2006
WASHINGTON, May 26 - Federal drug regulators have approved the first vaccine
intended to reduce the risk of shingles in people 60 and older.
The vaccine, called Zostavax, is a souped-up version of the chickenpox vaccine.
Both chickenpox and shingles are caused by the herpes zoster virus, which is
present in almost everyone. The approval was announced on Friday.
Zostavax, made by Merck, works by mimicking a shingles attack, but without the
pain or blisters that shingles causes. The vaccine strengthens the body's immune
response against the virus, reducing the chances of an outbreak, as well as the
severity of the disease if it does occur.
The science behind the vaccine is relatively simple. Zostavax is roughly
equivalent to 14 doses of the pediatric chickenpox vaccine.
Nonetheless, Zostavax represents a significant breakthrough, several scientists
said. It is the first therapeutic vaccine, meaning it prevents or eases the
severity of the problems from an infection that has already occurred.
Scientists have been hoping to create such vaccines against cancer and AIDS, but
without much success.
"It's a breakthrough in that it's the first vaccine that is actually designed to
keep an infection in check," said Dr. Walter Orenstein, associate director of
the Emory Vaccine Center at Emory University, who has consulted for Merck.
Zostavax is also the first vaccine in 30 years that is intended exclusively for
older people, and it comes in the midst of a minor surge in nonpediatric
vaccines.
Last year, the Food and Drug Administration approved Menactra, a vaccine to
prevent meningococcal meningitis. Menactra is generally given to teenagers. And
Merck is expected to gain approval next month for a cervical cancer vaccine that
is likely to become popular among teenagers and young adults.
The herpes zoster virus normally lives neutered and imprisoned in nerve cells
buried near the spine. During a shingles outbreak, the body's prison guards -
crucial parts of the immune system called lymphocytes - become weakened and
allow the virus to escape. The result is a painful itch that usually starts at
the spine and travels across the midsection on one side of the body. This pain
is often followed by a belt of blisters.
Outbreaks can recur, and the virus can significantly damage nerve cells and lead
to pain that can endure for months or years. Zostavax primes again the body's
defenses against the virus.
There are an estimated one million new cases of shingles in the United States
each year, and the risk of contracting the disease ranges from 10 percent to 30
percent over a lifetime. For those over 85, the risk hovers around 50 percent.
The incidence of the disease has gradually increased for decades, perhaps
because of longer lives.
About half of all cases occur in those over 60, but younger people with immune
problems, AIDS or cancer also have a higher risk.
To prove Zostavax effective, Merck sponsored a trial in 38,546 people over 60
who had never had shingles. Half got the vaccine, and half received a placebo.
After three years, those who did not receive Zostavax suffered twice as many
shingles cases as those who did.
Perhaps just as important, those who received the vaccine and then developed
shingles generally experienced less pain than those who received placebos.
"The best way to treat chronic pain is to prevent it," said Dr. Anne Louise
Oaklander, an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, who
described the vaccine as a landmark. "Shingles is the most common neurological
disease in the country."
Merck will charge $152.50 for the vaccine, which is administered with a single
injection. Doctors will probably charge more.
Merck expects to begin shipping the vaccine "soon," the company said in a news
release. But its adoption may be slow, because doctors must store the vaccine in
freezers, and many geriatricians do not have freezers in their offices.
Catherine Arnold, a senior research analyst at Credit Suisse, an investment
bank, estimated that Zostavax would generate $1 billion in sales for Merck by
2010.
"But I could be biased," said Ms. Arnold, who suffered a painful case of
shingles that began in September 2004 and has only recently subsided. The pain
was so intense that she underwent a spinal injection of steroids and ended up
taking a collection of other drugs orally.
"It was my constant foe for almost two years," she said. "I can imagine being
over 60, and being in less-good health, and being really miserable."
Since Zostavax uses the same medicine as the pediatric chickenpox vaccine, it is
expected to be extremely safe, Dr. Oaklander said. In tests, the vaccine caused
some tenderness at the injection site and a slight increase in headaches. It is
not expected to be of use in treating a shingles attack.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/27/health/27shingles.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slo\
gin

GoGirlsMusic.com Names HepCAware.org the Official Charity of the 2006 'Invasion
of The GoGirls'
GoGirlsMusic.com and HepCAware.org are working together again to raise awareness
of hepatitis C. Kelly Zirbes, founder of HepCAware.org and a GoGirls member, has
received a lot of support from Madalyn Sklar, founder of GoGirls, including a
GoGirlsMusic Sponsorship for her annual "Hep C Aware -- The Internet Telethon".
This year it was business as usual for Sklar to offer an opportunity for Kelly
and her organization to be a part of their event "Invasion Of The Gogirls'and
get exposure for the cause in Austin, TX during South by Southwest music
conference weekend.
(PRWEB) March 4, 2006 -- GoGirlsMusic.com names HepCAware.org the official
charity of the 2006 'Invasion of The GoGirls'
GoGirlsMusic.com and HepCAware.org are working together again to raise awareness
of hepatitis C. Back in 2002, as part of their annual charity fest, GoGirlsMusic
presented a series of concerts dedicated to Hep C awareness. Kelly Zirbes,
founder of HepCAware.org and a GoGirls member, was involved in the 2002 events
and has received a lot of support from Madalyn Sklar, founder of GoGirls,
including a GoGirlsMusic Sponsorship for her annual "Hep C Aware -- The Internet
Telethon". This year it was business as usual for Sklar to offer an opportunity
for Kelly and her organization to get exposure in Austin, TX during South by
Southwest music conference weekend.
GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women
musicians, will continue its tradition of highlighting the best emerging talent
at its 6th Annual 'Invasion of the GoGirls' showcases taking place March 16-19
during SXSW. The seven "unofficial" showcases that weekend will feature over 60
amazing artists and bands including Sarah Bettens of K's Choice, 13 year old pop
music sensation ALyX!, award-winning songwriter Jen Foster, and 21 year old Coke
Zero commercial vocalist Trisha O'Keefe. "We worked very hard to create a lineup
that was stylistically exciting yet appealing to a diverse crowd," explains
Madalyn Sklar, founder of GoGirlsMusic.com. "We expect to see an electrifying
blend of industry professionals, musicians and the general public at our
events," continues Sklar. "I'm very happy to use 'Invasion of The GoGirls' as a
way to raise awareness of hepatitis C. We have asked HepCAware.org to provide
information about Hepatitis C at all seven shows."
Below is some the info you that will be available along with a list of risk
factors.
1 in 50 Americans have hepatitis C - 2 out of 3 do not know it
Hepatitis C is spread by blood to blood contact
There is NO vaccine for hepatitis C
Are you at Risk
Have you:
For more info about hep c please visit www.HepCAware.com
GoGirlsMusic.com celebrates 10 years of promoting, supporting and empowering
women in music! The organization is a welcome destination for women in music
through networking and events and are well known for supporting good causes and
helping to raise awareness of important issues.
All "Invasion of The GoGirls" events are free and open to the public. For more
information and a list of performers, please visit
http://www.gogirlsmusic.com/sxsw
Contact: Madalyn Sklar, email protected from spam bots
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Thursday, March 16th
7:30 pm - 1:30 am
Invasion of the GoGirls @ Trophy's Bar
2008 S. Congress, 512-447-0969
Free show! 21+
Friday, March 17th
7:30 pm - 1:30 am
Invasion of the GoGirls @ Trophy's Bar
5th Annual GoGirls "2 song" Night
2008 S. Congress, 512-447-0969
Free show! 21+
Saturday, March 18th
1 pm - 5 pm
Invasion of the GoGirls @ Ruta Maya
3601 S. Congress
Bob Baker will lecture at 1pm, music starts at 2pm
Free show! All ages!
Saturday, March 18th
1 pm - 8 pm
Invasion of the GoGirls @ Vanilla Girl
2209 S. 1st Street, 512-912-7885
Free show! All ages!
Saturday, March 18th
7:30 pm - 1:30 am
Invasion of the GoGirls @ Trophy's Bar
2008 S. Congress, 512-447-0969
Free show! 21+
Sunday, March 19th
12 pm - 5 pm
Invasion of the GoGirls @ Vanilla Girl
2209 S. 1st Street, 512-912-7885
Free show! All ages!
Sunday, March 19th
12 pm - 5 pm
Invasion of the GoGirls @ Bella Blue
2213 S. 1st Street, 512-691-5800
Free show! All ages!
LIST OF PERFORMERS
3 Kisses (Brenham, TX)
9 Red Sun (Menlo Park, CA)
a Melodic Daydream (Fort Collins, CO)
Addie Brownlee (New York, NY)
Allison Tartalia (Astoria, NY)
ALyX! (Allen, TX)
Amber Norgaard (Tucson, AZ)
April Dawn (Austin, TX)
Black Flamingo (New York, NY)
Bon Terra (Austin, TX)
Carmen Menza and magneeto (Highland Village, TX)
Christine Havrilla (Conshohocken, PA)
Deb Ferrara (Long Valley, NJ)
Deborah Crooks (San Francisco, CA)
EJ Labb (Brookline, MA)
Eline Emme (Warner Robins, GA)
Fallon Franklin (Austin, TX)
Heather Lauren (San Francisco, CA)
Hit by a Bus (Moriarty, NM)
Holiday Sail (Albuquerque, NM)
Hundred Year Flood (Santa Fe, NM)
Irrational Fear (Taylorsville, KY)
Jen Foster (Nashville, TN)
Jenn Franklin (Lebanon, TN)
Jennifer Richman (Brooklyn, NY)
Jessie Hughes (Baltimore, MD)
Jessie Murphy (New York, NY)
JoAnna James (Richfield, MN)
Jodelle (Pompton Plains, NJ)
Julie Gribble (Los Angeles, CA)
Julie Moffitt (Brown Deer, WI)
Kate Schutt (Cambridge, MA)
Kelly's Lot (Hollywood, CA)
Larissa (Austin, TX)
Lauren Adams (Los Angeles, CA)
Leerone (Los Angeles, CA)
Lindsay Wynn (Boca Raton, FL)
Liquefaction (Chillicothe, OH)
Lucid Fly (Orlando, FL)
Lynn King (Glendora, NJ)
MJ Baby & The Last Word (Austin, TX)
Manifest Frequency (Stone Mountain, GA)
Martha Berner (Chicago, IL)
Meghann Robinson (Brooklyn, NY)
Melineh Kurdian (Los Angeles, CA)
Melissa Greener (Austin, TX)
Melissa Mullins (Austin, TX)
Melissa Rapp (San Francisco, CA)
Pale Beneath the Blue (Dayton, OH)
Rachael Sage (New York, NY)
Rachel Platten (New York, NY)
Sarah Bettens (Johnson City, TN)
Sarah Sample (Austin, TX)
Showin' Tell (Philadelphia, PA)
Something for Jess (Lafayette, LA)
Sonia V. (Clermont, FL)
Star FX (Houston, TX)
Sunspot (Verona, WI)
The Artist Formally Known As Vince & Lauren
(Chicago, IL)
The Fallen One (Silver Spring, MD)
The Platforms (Austin, TX)
Traciana (New York, NY)
Trisha O'Keefe (Saylorsburg, PA)
Waking State (McLean, VA)
Wendy DeRosa (Oakland, CA)
INVASION OF THE GOGIRLS CHARITY
HEP C Aware (HepCAware.org)
Dedicated to raising awareness of hepatitis C
Donations welcomed at the shows!
SPONSORS
GoGirlsMusic.com
Hyperactive Music Magazine
Sonicbids
Disc Makers
IndieMusicCoach.com
GIGPAGE
The Musician's Atlas
VersusMedia
Mpress Records
Daisy Rock Guitars
The Indie Bible
Indie-Music.com
# # #
Press Contact: Kelly Zirbes
Company Name: HEPATITIS C AWARENESS, INC
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 818-769-2701
Website: http://www.hepcaware.org
More Information: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/3/prweb353860.htm

Great website Farley! Congrats on the transplant and good luck in your
journey! :-)
http://www.cbc.ca/north/features/livingonborrowedtime/index.html
Peace and Love
Pam
57, single, can't do treatment, can't qualify for transplant
PS - so glad to see so many giving each other support here! Keep up the good
work with each other :-)

Reminder Reminder from the Calendar of HepCingles2
Chat reminder!
Sunday March 19, 2006
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
This event repeats every week.
The next reminder for this event will be sent in 18 hours, 3 minutes.

Open Clinical Trial of New PI SCH 503034 Plus PegIntron in HCV Patients
Nonresponsive to Prior Treatment with Peginterferon Plus Ribavirin
This study is currently recruiting patients.
Verified by Schering-Plough January 2006
Sponsored by:
Schering-Plough
Information provided by:
Schering-Plough
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00160251
Purpose
The primary objective of this study is to determine the safe and effective dose
range of SCH 503034 in combination with PEG-Intron in adult subjects who have
chronic hepatitis C without cirrhosis, and who have failed an adequate course of
combination therapy with peginterferon-alfa plus ribavirin. A secondary
objective is to explore whether ribavirin provides an additional benefit when
combined with PEG-Intron plus SCH 503034.
Condition
Intervention
Phase
Chronic Hepatitis C
Drug: SCH 503034
Phase II
MedlinePlus related topics: Hepatitis; Hepatitis C
Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Treatment, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Control, Parallel
Assignment, Safety/Efficacy Study
Official Title: PEG-Intron/REBETOL Vs PEG-Intron/ SCH 503034 With and Without
Ribavirin in Chronic Hepatitis C HCV-1 Peginterferon Alfa/Ribavirin
Nonresponders: A SCH 503034 Dose-Finding Phase 2 Study
Further study details as provided by Schering-Plough:
Expected Total Enrollment: 300
Study start: September 2005; Expected completion: April 2007
Eligibility
Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years - 65 Years, Genders Eligible for Study:
Both
Key inclusion criteria:
Documented infection with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), genotype 1.
Documented failure to respond to an adequate course of treatment (minimum 12
weeks) with peginterferon-alfa plus ribavirin.
No evidence of cirrhosis on liver biopsy.
Results of physical examination and laboratory tests within specified ranges.
Abstinence from use of abused substances.
Key exclusion criteria:
Women who are pregnant or nursing a child.
Patients with cirrhosis, co-infection with Hepatitis B or HIV, and
African-American patients.
Previous treatment with any HCV polymerase or protease inhibitor.
Patients who relapsed following response to previous treatment.
Evidence of advanced liver disease, or liver disease from a cause other than
CHC.
Pre-existing psychiatric condition.
Location and Contact Information
Please refer to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00160251
California
Investigational Site 10, San Francisco, California, 94115, United States;
Recruiting Public Contact 415-202-1506
Investigational Site 19, San Diego, California, 92173, United States;
Recruiting Public Contact 619-662-5400
Illinois
Investigational Site 17, Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States; Recruiting
Public Contact 312-503-0121
Indiana
Investigational Site 15, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46202, United States;
Recruiting Public Contact 317-278-8118
Maryland
Investigational Site 12, Baltimore, Maryland, 21287, United States;
Recruiting Public Contact 410-614-6089
Massachusetts
Investigational Site 13, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States;
Recruiting Public Contact 617-632-1070
Missouri
Investigational Site 6, St. Louis, Missouri, 63104, United States; Recruiting
Public Contact 314-577-8764
Investigational Site 20, Kansas City, Missouri, 64131, United States;
Recruiting Public Contact 816-361-0055
New York
Investigational Site 14, New York, New York, 10021, United States;
Recruiting Public Contact 212-746-4338
North Carolina
Investigational Site 3, Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States;
Recruiting Public Contact 919-668-7177
Ohio
Investigational Site 9, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45267-0595, United States;
Recruiting Public Contact 513-584-2363
Texas
Investigational Site 23, Dallas, Texas, 75390, United States; Recruiting
Public Contact 214-648-4801
Virginia
Investigational Site 18, Richmond, Virginia, 23298, United States; Recruiting
Public Contact 804-828-4060
France
Investigational Site 29, Clichy, 92118, France; Recruiting Public Contact 01
40 87 50 95
Investigational Site 30, Lyon, 69288, France; Recruiting Public Contact
04-72-41-39-31
Investigational Site 31, Paris, 75651, France; Recruiting Public Contact
33-142-16-10-19
Germany
Investigational Site 26, HOMBURG / SAAR, 66421, Germany; Recruiting Public
Contact 4968411623210
Investigational Site 27, Hannover, 30623, Germany; Recruiting Public Contact
+49-511 532-2853
Spain
Investigational Site 32, Barcelona, 08035, Spain; Recruiting Public Contact
34932746000 ext 6561
More Information
Study ID Numbers: P03659
Last Updated: January 18, 2006
Record first received: September 8, 2005
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00160251
Health Authority: United States: Food and Drug Administration
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on 2006-02-01
02/07/06
Source
www.ClinicalTrials.gov
http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_c/news/2006/020706_b.html

"Safe out door sex
tap tap tap...waiting for the copy

a long one i hope
i meet lots of nice people along the way
farley
(many ouy of body experinces what a ride)
prob going on treatment hepc came back

Transient Elastography Detects Cirrhosis in Chronic Liver Disease
By Will Boggs, MD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Mar 09 - FibroScan, a noninvasive elastography
technique that measures liver stiffness, accurately detects cirrhosis in
patients with chronic liver disease, according to a report in the March issue of
Gut.
"This paper should be very useful in clinical practice for the management of
cirrhotic patients," Dr. Victor de Ledinghen from Hopital Haut Leveque,
Bordeaux, France told Reuters Health.
The FibroScan system applies a low amplitude, low frequency vibration to the
tissue, which propagates an elastic shear wave through the liver. The speed of
the propagation, which increases with increasing tissue hardness, is measured
with pulsed ultrasound.
Recently, Dr. de Ledinghen and colleagues reported that FibroScan detects liver
fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients coinfected with HIV and HCV (See Reuters
Health report, "Elastography noninvasively assesses hepatic fibrosis in HIV/HVC
patients" 2006-02-24 13:16:48.)
In the current study, the researchers investigated the accuracy of the system in
detecting cirrhosis in 711 patients with chronic liver disease. Median liver
stiffness was significantly higher in patients with cirrhosis (31.1 kilopascals)
than in patients with severe fibrosis (18.7 kPa), the authors report.
Based on the stiffness measurement distributions, the researchers established
cutoff levels of 7.2 kPa for moderate fibrosis, 12.5 kPa for severe fibrosis,
and 17.6 kPa for cirrhosis. "With a cutoff value of 17.6 kPa, negative and
positive predictive values for the diagnosis of cirrhosis were 92% and 91%,
respectively," the team writes.
For patients with severe fibrosis, the investigators also established cutoffs
for the presence of stage 2/3 esophageal varices (27.5 kPa), cirrhosis Child BC
(37.5 kPa), hepatocellular carcinoma (53.7 kPa), and esophageal bleeding (62.7
kPa).
"The results of the present study conducted prospectively in a large cohort of
patients with chronic liver disease showed that transient elastography is an
efficient technique for the diagnosis of cirrhosis and its severity," the
researchers conclude.
"A longitudinal cohort study needs to be performed to predict the complications
of cirrhosis using FibroScan so that screening for complications of cirrhosis,
and close follow-up, could be performed," they add.
"FibroScan is, so far, the best non-invasive method for the evaluation of liver
fibrosis and cirrhosis and for the evaluation of the severity of cirrhosis," Dr.
de Ledinghen said. "At this time, many studies are ongoing for other liver
diseases: HCV transplanted patients, alcoholic patients, and so on. FibroScan
could be very useful for the follow-up of patients."
Gut 2006;55:403-408.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/525628

Thanks Vickie, you can always write me too Lisadavies@... if you
would like.
Thanks again for your support and advice.
One of those nights I can't sleep so I am sure I will be up late...
Love, hugs and Prayers
Lisa

Farley,
That is a great website! Welcome to the group! Lots of good people
here.
Vickie

I am about to cry over our missing photos. This group was started as

JEFF GORDON WINS !! i wish i could say that was a surprise..
hey Ronnie..got some salt to rub in my wounds?
~Bayla~
If you don't do what's best for your body, you're
the one who comes up on
the short end.
-Julius Erving

Innocence Lost - By: Marc S. Botts
Summary:
No one is immune from autoimmune hepatitis
Story:
With years of media attention and scores of high-profile cases, most
people are at least somewhat familiar with liver diseases such as hepatitis A, B
and C and the causes associated with them. Tainted blood, intravenous drug use,
unprotected sex with multiple partners and unsanitary conditions in food
handling all figure into the mix of viral hepatitis. But what do these viruses
have in common? The answer is that they are generally associated with some sort
of risk factor on the part of the patient. Regardless of how innocent, the risk
involves some action by the hepatitis patient, even if that action is
inescapable, as in the case of a life-saving blood transfusion.
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), on the other hand, is different. It is a
disease in which the body's immune system, rather than a virus, attacks the
liver, causing it to become inflamed. Researchers suspect that a genetic factor
might predispose some people to autoimmune diseases and that something in their
body might trigger the autoimmune response, so the disease manifests itself
without risk factors.
Like viral forms of hepatitis such as HBV or HCV, the disease is usually
quite serious and, if not treated, gets worse over time. It is usually chronic -
meaning it can last for years - and can lead to cirrhosis and, eventually, liver
failure.
According to the National Digestive Disease Information Clearinghouse, AIH
is classified either as type I or type II, with type I being the most common
form in North America. It occurs at any age and is more common among women than
men. About half of those with type I have other autoimmune disorders, such as
type 1 diabetes, proliferative glomerulonephritis, thyroiditis, Graves' disease,
Sjögren's syndrome, autoimmune anemia and ulcerative colitis. Most AIH patients
- about 70 percent - are women between the ages of 15 and 40. Type II autoimmune
hepatitis is less common, typically affecting girls ages 2 to 14, although
adults can have it too.
Living with AIH
Devanee Auel of Elkhorn, Neb., has lived with AIH for about five years.
She says she feels pretty good these days, but getting to this point was the
tricky part. In December 2000, Auel recalls, she applied for a life insurance
policy that required her to give a blood sample. When the results came back, it
showed she had mildly elevated liver enzymes.
"I went to my family doctor and he ordered the hepatitis viruses to be
checked. They came back negative and he then ordered the rare liver diseases
tests and sent me for an ultrasound to check for a fatty liver," she says,
recalling that those tests all came back normal as well. "We waited a few months
and checked for the hepatitis viruses again because he said it may take time for
the antibodies to show up. (But) they were negative again."
She says she was referred to a gastroenterologist who told her some people
naturally have slightly elevated enzymes and that she should have them checked
annually, but that she probably need not worry.
Though the "diagnosis" never set well with her, she continued to have her
levels monitored for a couple of years. After moving to another city, she says
she provided her medical history to her new family doctor, who referred her to
another gastroenterologist in October 2003.
"She (the new doctor) was angry at what the other GI doc told me and said
something was causing my enzymes to be high and we needed to find out what," she
says. "She redid all the liver disease tests and ultrasound and they came back
normal."
It was still more than a year, however, before Auel finally was diagnosed
with AIH, and then only after other forms of hepatitis, such as HCV, had been
ruled out. But once properly diagnosed, she was able to get the disease under
control with medication. "My (liver functions) have been normal for nine months
and I feel fine," she says. "The only inconvenience with the disease now is
popping a pill every morning."
Dr. Howard J. Worman, an associate professor of medicine, anatomy and
cellular biology at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons in
New York City, says AIH can be a tricky diagnosis. "Most liver specialists can
diagnose it," he says. "However, among primary care physicians, it is frequently
misdiagnosed."
Dr. Bennet Cecil of the Hepatitis Treatment Center in Louisville, Ky.,
says that while AIH is considerably less prevalent than other forms of
hepatitis, it is still difficult to get a grasp on exactly how many people are
affected by it.
"It's hard to know how many people are out there with autoimmune hepatitis
that go undiagnosed," he says. "We don't think of it as being silent, but I
don't know of any study where they've actually gone out and taken a bunch of
people and screened them for autoimmune hepatitis. Autoimmune hepatitis is much
less common than viral hepatitis."
Drug therapy
People with autoimmune hepatitis commonly are treated with corticosteroids
such as prednisone, or prednisolone, the form it must take to be active. The
drug is effective, but patients can experience some side effects, including
hypertension, sodium and water retention, potassium loss, mental disturbances,
euphoria, muscle wasting, and possibly peptic ulceration. Corticosteroids also
might cause Cushing's syndrome, suppressed growth in children, adrenal atrophy,
and, if administered during pregnancy, might affect adrenal gland development in
the child. Suppression of the symptoms of infection also might occur.
Another commonly used drug, azathioprine, or Imuran, can be associated
with hypersensitivity reactions including dizziness, malaise, vomiting, fever,
muscular pains and shivering, joint pain, jaundice, heart arrhythmias, low blood
pressure (requiring withdrawal of treatment), symptoms of bone marrow
suppression, hair loss, increased susceptibility to infections, nausea,
pneumonia, and pancreatitis. While it is common for most people to experience at
least some side effects, the drug therapy keeps liver damage in check and
enables most patients to live without symptoms.
"Most patients respond to treatment with a decrease in liver inflammation
and symptoms, if they had any, when given prednisone - or prednisolone - with or
without azathioprine," Dr. Worman says. "In some patients, you can taper the
drugs and stop treatment or significantly decrease the dose. Some patients need
low doses of these drugs for a long time to control the hepatitis."
"It works well in most people. Not everybody, unfortunately, but most
people," Dr. Cecil adds. "We use immunosuppressant drugs for them and it is
frequently successful." Dr. Cecil says one patient, whom he has been treating
for about 15 years with immunosuppressant drugs, has responded to the point that
his cirrhotic liver has healed itself to some degree.
"Now, if I withdrew the immunosuppressant drugs, he may still do fine or
he may reactivate again. We discussed that and, for this particular man, we're
just leaving well enough alone. Oftentimes, what we do is to continue the
treatment for many, many years and people generally do very well," he says.
"I've got another lady, though, who, despite her treatment, has progressed and
needs a liver transplant. So, in spite of trying different drugs and trying high
doses, it didn't work for her. Her own body destroyed her liver and now she has
to have a new liver, so there is a spectrum."
Dr. Worman says that getting the disease in check does not necessarily
mean patients are out of the woods. "The problem is that despite appropriate
treatment and an improvement in liver inflammation, a significant number of
patients, perhaps 50 percent, develop cirrhosis over a 10-year or longer
period," he says. "If complications of cirrhosis develop that indicate liver
transplantation, transplantation is usually effective."
Getting the word out
Matt Hastings learned about his condition much like most others with AIH:
a trip to the family doctor after falling ill for unexplained reasons. Like
most, he was referred to a specialist where he was put through a battery of
tests before ultimately being diagnosed. But the 25-year-old Great Yarmouth,
England, resident's similarities with most AIH patients end there. Hastings
stands out on a number of points.
First, Hastings is the recipient of two liver transplants. The first one
was in July 1999, just four years after being diagnosed at the age of 14. The
second was performed in February 2005. But perhaps it is what he has done with
the disease - rather than what AIH has done to him - that sets him apart most
from others.
In the year following his first transplant, at only 18, Hastings launched
a website devoted not only to being a clearinghouse of information about the
rare disease but also a support mechanism for those with AIH. "I've provided a
forum which is a place for people to chat or have a moan about the illness, give
advice and support fellow sufferers," Hastings says. "Most of the website runs
itself; it just needs updating every few months, and I need to reply to
e-mails."
Hastings has loaded the website, www.autoimmunehepatitis.co.uk, with
information about the disease and with links to other websites around the world.
Though the bulk of the information has a distinct British slant, Hastings says
plans are to include considerably more information relevant to U.S. and North
American subscribers.
"At first, I didn't think it would be popular, but how wrong was I. It was
an idea that blew up in my face," he says. "It was just what people needed - a
place to come and chat and get information in plain understandable English so
that a child could understand it. It now has 300-plus members on the mailing
list from around the world."
Margaret Saldana of Austin, Texas, is one of those members. Diagnosed in
2002, Saldana says she is glad Hastings has provided a place for her and others
to share their stories of hope and recovery.
"The autoimmune hepatitis site has helped me a lot," she says. "At first,
I found some other sites, but they depressed me, so I stopped. About a year ago,
I found AH and I was glad I did. I have not met anyone else in Austin that has
autoimmune hepatitis. I know several people that have hepatitis A and hepatitis
C. So I tell people about my illness. I have not heard if there are any support
groups in town, so AH has been my support."
The Least Among Us
AIH causes big problems in little people
By Marc S. Botts
When Sabrina Williams was 3 years old, she had a bout with an unhealthy
looking grayish stool. Her mother, Susan Williams, didn't get too concerned
because unpleasant stools are not uncommon with toddlers. "With kids, sometimes
it turns a funny color when they are getting sick, so we didn't think anything
of it," she says. That was soon to change.
"She got up one morning and her eyes were completely yellow," Williams
recalls. "I took her in and they drew blood and then they called me later that
night and said she's got some form of hepatitis, so they got us in the next day
and she was actually put in the hospital."
Williams says her daughter's liver functions were so off the chart that
doctors immediately started treating her with steroids. That course of action
proved to be the correct one and her numbers quickly normalized. "Luckily, I
took her in because they said she probably wouldn't have made it another week,
which is bizarre because other than the gray stool and her eyes turning yellow,
she never had any other symptoms," Williams says.
Doctors diagnosed Sabrina, now 7, with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), a
disease in which the body's immune system "rejects" its own liver. Left
untreated, the disease can cause severe liver damage.
"The way they explained it to us is every organ in your body has, say, a
serial number that is stored up in the brain," Williams says. "Your body is
constantly checking to make sure all the serial numbers are correct. Well, with
her liver, the serial number is not the same, so her body is saying, 'Attack it.
Kill it.' So, basically, her body is trying to destroy her liver." To control
the disease, Sabrina is forced to take cyclosporine, a medicine normally given
to transplant patients to prevent their bodies' rejecting a new organ.
After she was diagnosed, Sabrina had a biopsy that showed about 10 percent
liver damage. "Two years after that she had another one and amazingly most of
the damage was gone," Williams says. "The liver can regenerate, but with her
body constantly trying to kill it, it's kind of unheard of."
Williams says her daughter otherwise is healthy and normal. She must
continue taking the medication to control the disease, but it has its drawbacks
as well, causing excessive hair growth and Sabrina's gums to swell - an
unfortunate trade-off in the battle to save a little girl's life.
http://www.hepatitismag.com/storydetail.asp?storyid=150

SuperGuide
The SuperGuide is in our January - March issue!
Click here to view the SuperGuide in PDF format
Our January - March issue features the annual SuperGuide. The Who's Who of the
Hepatitis Community, the SuperGuide is a comprehensive listing of hepatitis
resources - a must-have directory for those concerned with hepatitis.
If you missed getting your organization in this year's SuperGuide and want to
make sure you get in for next year, see below.
To sign up for your listing:
Please click here SuperGuide Sign-up Form to access the form in a PDF format,
then simply print it out and fill it in, and remember to fill in one form per
category listing. Then, mail or fax the completed form(s) to us at the following
address:
SuperGuide
Hepatitis Magazine
523 N. Sam Houston Parkway E.
Suite 300
Houston, TX 77060
Fax: (281) 847-5440
http://www.hepatitismag.com/superGuide.asp

The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on
their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a
day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site
and click on "donating a mammogram" for free (pink window in the middle).
This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the
number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising.
Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
~ Bayla ~
Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art...
It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things
that give value to survival."
C.S.Lewis

Anything to do with Breasts and it's my pleasure to help!
Bayla <bgumins@...
The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on
their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a
day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site
and click on "donating a mammogram" for free (pink window in the middle).
This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the
number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising.
Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
~ Bayla ~
Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art...
It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things
that give value to survival."
C.S.Lewis

Well Herb
Since our last live saving chat I told my Pastor he would'nt be doing
my funeral just yet,(I put the church on my life ins.)and I was
officially pronounced divoced over Hep-C(irec Diff.)just have to give
her 1k and she stays away. She ststed she wanted nothing in the house
or the house.That way she has now way of getting Hep. Haven't told my
girl friend I'm a heeper yet cauase I'm 51yrs old and don't move like
I once did,get my drift. So I'm waiting till after I spend Superbowl
and the Daytona 500 to see if she will stay. Good hering from you. You
took alot of time with me and you saved me a lot of pain and greif my
man......Are you a Minister?
Gary

Hi Thomas.
Welcome...
Tell us more..
How long, have you been diagnosed? Type, on TX, (treatment) liver problems?
Some of us are real sick too....
Best regards,
Deliman
thomas barnett <waxenj1954@...
ah well i am new here really sicl with hep

Del? you up?
~Bayla~
If you don't do what's best for your body, you're
the one who comes up on
the short end.
-Julius Erving

Sorry to hear that. Most of us are sick with hep c.
I agree with Vickie..this is a hepatitis board and we are all in one
stage or another with hep c..whats your story? on the meds or on the
fence?
Bayla
off the fence

Alfie,
Here's the tea recipe. As you can see from my brewing instructions I
am a bit of a Tea Fanatic but not that strange really for a lunatic
also on Chemo. To me this is not "tea" it's strong medacine that
should be used with care and I am now a complete tea addict though it
has no caffine and no sugar. Enjoy...
Items #1 are highly reccomended items#2 are if you get them they are
good to increase the antiviral effect. All are natural antivirals
and some kill yeast as well as bacteria except for the Milk Thistle
and Dandelion Root which are liver protecting and full of natural
anti-oxidants that protect the whole body against the viral
infections damage. Ginger is bad for yeast and makes for a happy
tummy but basically just along for the flavor. Taste is much like
the Arizona Green Tea with Genseng and Ginger. Don't need to add
sugar. The licorice a natural antiviral has natural sweeteners with
no calories which give it a somewhat slightly sweet taste.
Since the stuff kills bacteria and yeast as well as viral bugs which
is it's primary goal you ought to keep eating lots of active culture
yogurt and or probiotics to take advantage of the cleaning out effect
and to reestablish happy bacteria in the gut.
As you already mentioned droping the carbs/starch/sugar is needed to
get rid of the yeast which I too am fighting. By the way eating
whole or half cloves of garlic kills the yeast as does taking diluted
apple cider vinegar about 1oz to 12oz water. It's an acid and pretty
well depoputales the intestines and can burn a little bit on exit.
ouch... But helps get rid of the yeast real quick.
Herbs sound totally safe but are in my opinion natural drugs and
should be treated like any other drugs which is with care and
knowledge of side effects. Licorice may cause high blood pressure if
too much is take or if youre sensitive to it. I reccomend you
research all these ingredients before you use em but to be honest
they are really pretty darn safe.
Rarely some people get diarreha from various herbs. Mine existed
before the herb tea and then got even worse at first but I think it
was "die off" from bad stuff in the gut cause then the diarreha went
away real fast and lots of good health changes started to happen
there after. I also took aloe vera juice to drink to help the guts
heal and to kill the yeast.
I know lot's of this is kinda off point for a tea recipe but since
you have the same problems I have been treating myself for the last 5
months figured I'd share what worked.
This makes 2-3 gallons of tea extract which yields 5-7 gallons when
dilluted to drinking strength tea. Sounds like a lot but I go thru a
batch every week or so and think it helps me a lot. It has no
caffine but the Reishi mushrooms are like caffine so it may "pump up
your volume" slightly in a mild way. He he he it's my only buzz...
Here are the ingredients:
1. Dandilion Root .5 quarter cup
1. Ginger Root to Taste .5 quarter cup
1. Licorice .5 quarter cup
1. Milk Thistle Seeds .5 quarter cup
1. Olive Leaf 1 - 1.5 quarter cups
1. Reishi .5 quarter cup
2. Australagus .5 quarter cup
2. Cats claw .5 quarter cup
2. Lomatium .25 quarter cup
Mix em with warm tap water or filtered if you got it. Let the first
brew warm BELOW a simmer for 5-10 minutes at a low temp about like a
real hot bath. Important to not simmer the water since the delicate
arromatic oils which may be the best ingredients (who knows?) will be
lost.
This first brew captures the delicate flavor and flower like oils of
the herbs. You will be amazed at how dark the first brew is even
though it was just heated not simmered. The next brews can be made
simmering and longer and longer until a total cooking time of 3 hours
is done. The final brew I sort of rolling boil for an hour to break
up the acids in the reishi that are supposed to be hard to break out.
All ingredients should be powdered. I get bulk and blend ahead of
time to save a few cents but it's not necessary. The three hour
cooking time is to extract all the compounds from the reishi
mushrooms which for some reason take a long time to thouroughly cook
out.
I let it brew for an hour at a time after the first two brews and
with out tons of water so the brewed tea is way strong. I brew it
about 4-5 times for three hours until it comes out almost clear.
Supposedly the reishi takes that long to get the good stuff out.
Don't cook in an iron pot the best thing is a glass pot but I use a
real good coated soup pot. Take the ginger root to tast and I use a
huge chunk and put with a cup of water in the blender and blend it to
death and then dump in the tea when it's all done. No cooking for
the ginger.
These herbs are all quite powerful antivirals and seem to help me a
lot plus a diet high in veggies with good fiber and lots of vitamins.
Let me know how you like your tea with lemon or just the ginger hot
or cold. I like it iced with just the ginger.
Bottoms up,
Mike

Hepatitis B: The Real Pandemic - By: Geoff Drushel Back
Summary:
New drugs give new hope to those with chronic illness
Story:
For Arline, a 56-year-old Delaware resident, hepatitis B literally is a
family affair.
"My aunt, who is my mom's sister, bled to death from a ruptured spleen in
her early 40s after a slight fall, and they believed that she had liver disease,
too," says Arline, an IT professional who is married with three children.
In fact, all of Arline's aunts and uncles on her mother's side of her
family have it. At least, that is, they are carriers of the hepatitis B virus,
meaning they can spread the virus to others but might not experience the effects
from it. Her brothers and sisters have it as well, and all three of her children
- ranging in age from 24 to 30 - have hepatitis B, too, due to the high rate of
infection between mother and child, as well as the high rate of infection among
Asians.
Diagnosed with hepatitis B when she was 39, Arline, who is Asian, recently
testified before a congressional committee on how hepatitis B affects the
average patient and how it is affecting the Asian community in particular. She
asked that her last name not be used.
She says she was eager to speak at the congressional briefing because she
feels she has benefited from the treatments she has received through myriad
clinical trials. "Because of that, I have a life now," she says. "And I think if
I speak up, I can help a lot of other people who might change their mind and go
see their doctor and get treated."
Arline told the lawmakers about how she became infected with hepatitis B
and about her personal journey through the emotional "ups and downs" that often
accompany not only the disease but many of the treatments as well. And she told
them of the stigma (See "Fear and Loathing," p. 14.) associated with hepatitis B
because of its being known as a disease that is contracted sexually. "I mean, I
got it from my mom. But when you tell people that you have hepatitis B, they
just don't understand.
"So there's a physical side and an emotional side to this disease. The
worst part of it emotionally is the stigma and physically, is that I never know
when I will get cancer," she says. "I just try not to think about it a lot."
She also told them she would like to see more education, particularly
among younger Asians, and more research for hepatitis B. "I can tell you that
there are a lot of young people, especially young Asians, 25 and older, who are
walking around like time bombs."
Treating the disease
Arline's mother had liver disease, but the medical community didn't know
about hepatitis B at the time, so she was never diagnosed with it, although
Arline is certain that she must have had it as well. And her doctors now believe
Arline likely got the virus from her mother at birth, as did her siblings, and
has carried it with her all her life. As with other types of hepatitis,
hepatitis B can lie dormant in a person for many years, showing no signs of harm
to the liver.
"This is the horrible part of this disease," she says. "This disease is
silent, so you can be walking around without knowing that you are a carrier. The
statistics are misleading because there are a lot of people who have it who
don't know they have it."
With hepatitis B, the liver begins to become scarred from the virus, which
can lead to cirrhosis and, ultimately, to liver cancer and death. Currently,
Arline is virus free, but she already had developed cirrhosis of the liver prior
to being successfully treated for the disease.
Around 1989, she began pushing for treatment. She was given interferon by
itself, which was about the only thing offered at the time to try to combat the
disease. She went through several clinical trials using interferon at various
doses. The last one, using high doses of the powerful drug, damaged her pancreas
so severely that she now has diabetes as a result.
Arline, who says she's a sort of guinea pig for hepatitis B drugs, has
been treated with other medications over the years as well, including lamivudine
and entecavir separately and together. "That did lower my viral count quite a
bit, but it took about six months to a year before my viral count completely
diminished," she says. "So that's where I am now."
A global threat
Dr. Mack Mitchell, director of gastroenterology and hepatology at the
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, sees patients with hepatitis
B and C, as well as other liver diseases.
Dr. Mitchell also spoke at the recent congressional briefing, reinforcing
much of what Arline had to say in terms of hepatitis B as a "significant health
problem" that is affecting some 1.25 million or more people in the United
States. Globally, it is a much bigger problem than that, dwarfing the number of
people infected with hepatitis C.
Worldwide, there are estimated to be about 300 million to 400 million
people who are chronically infected with hepatitis B. Many of them originate
from Southeast Asia, China, sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
"These are areas where a lot of new immigrants to the United States are coming
from, many of whom don't know they have chronic hepatitis B," says Dr. Mitchell.
"So as our population of new Americans increases, so does our population of
people with chronic hepatitis B."
As a result, he says, the estimated 1.25 million cases in the United
States may be more like 1.75 million to 2 million. "It's hard to know exactly
how many there are because so many immigrants live in ethnic communities here
and don't have as much access to the Western health care system," he says.
"Anyone born before 1985 in one of those countries is at particular risk because
they didn't vaccinate for it then."
The effort to eradicate the virus is a two-pronged effort, Dr. Mitchell
told the Washington officials, in that it includes not only vaccination in the
case of acute infection but also treatment in the case of chronic infection.
This is markedly different than the effort, for example, to eradicate hepatitis
C, which, because there is no vaccine, is aimed solely at treatment.
"So it's a real exciting time to be in the field, and I think that was
certainly the theme of the recent congressional briefing," Dr. Mitchell says.
"Everyone, including the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for
Disease Control, is advocating for the same things - that is, vaccination and
treatment programs.
"I think several of us (who spoke at the briefing) had a similar message,
which was to outline the burden of the disease and how it affects the population
here in the United States, particularly in our Asian community," he says.
New drugs, new hope
Many patients with chronic hepatitis B, he reminded the group, end up with
advanced liver disease or liver cancer, as much as 30 percent to 40 percent of
all chronic hepatitis B patients. "So it represents a significant adverse impact
on health.
"What we would like to see from Congress is an endorsement of eradication
as a goal," he says. "The second thing we would like to see is a concentration
of federal funding that would go toward the screening of the at-risk population,
meaning new immigrants to the United States who don't know they have it. And
then we would like to see funding to get these people into treatment. Of course,
we need to continue the efforts that we're making with the vaccination program,
which I think we all see as the key to future eradication of the disease.
"I think we just all want to be sure that the people in Congress
understand the impact this has on a significant population in the United States
and that they not ignore this," he adds.
Dr. Mitchell points out that treatment for hepatitis B over the past
decade has developed tremendously, beginning around 1995 with the use of
standard interferon. Lamivudine (Epivir) became approved several years later and
began being used as the first of the oral medications for hepatitis B.
Subsequently, two other oral medications have been approved and now are being
used to fight the virus as well, adefovir (Hepsera), approved in 2002, and then
entecavir (Baraclude), approved in April 2005. Also, in May 2005, pegylated
interferon was approved for use in treating hepatitis B, says Dr. Mitchell.
"So we now have five medications that have been approved, plus there are
probably an additional eight to 10 more that are in the later stages of clinical
trial - in the pipeline so to speak - that will likely be approved in the next
two years," he says. "So we're in much, much better shape now than we were 10
years ago."
http://www.hepatitismag.com/storydetail.asp?storyid=149

Gary,
Congratulations on the divorce. :)
I'm too sick to move at all so don't worry. Besides I have several new
GF's since the wife split and they all know I got Hep C and am on
chemo. The air of "danger" drives old chicks like you and me date wild.
Best of luck with the new GF,
;)
Mike

You're invited to view my online photos at Bike Week in Daytona where we did
FREE HCV testing!
- Pam
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=k8kfcz3.9czovcfz&x=1&y=-gf4ger

LINK TO PICTURES:
http://hep-c-alert.org/daytonabikeweek.htm
Volunteers, Sponsors and Friends
A DRUM ROLL PLEASE!
937 people get tested for Hepatitis C!
This groundbreaking event surely qualifies as the largest public Hepatitis C
screening ever held. It would have never have happened without the cooperation
of the National Hepatitis C Advocacy Council members from across the U.S.
Congratulations to us - we demonstrated that we are organized, capable, and
united. Our sincerest appreciation for everyone's hard work and dedication.
Participating organizations were:
Hep-C Alert (FL)
H.E.A.L.S of Florida (FL)
H.E.A.L.S of Georgia (GA)
Julia Spears Foundation (TN)
Missouri Hepatitis C Alliance (MO)
Hepatitis C Caring Ambassadors Program (OR)
Tampa Bay Hepatitis & Liver Disease Support Group (FL)

Treatment Success
Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief
In this article, I will briefly describe my treatment experiences and my general
feelings about what it means (to me) to be hepatitis C virus free. First of all,
I am not recommending treatment for anyone. Not everyone should be treated and
treatment is not for everyone. Treatment decisions should be made after
gathering as much information as possible and weighing the pros and cons as they
apply to each person. No one should rush into it because I or someone else you
know has had a successful treatment outcome. The ultimate decision is between
you and your medical provider. Below are my thoughts, experiences and feelings,
but as the saying goes "It don't make it so."
In 1994 I was feeling the symptoms of hepatitis C - moderate to severe fatigue
and other mild flu-like symptoms, but I didn't know the cause. I went through
many tests over a two-year period and no one could medically explain my fatigue
or the other symptoms. That was really frustrating because I thought I had this
bizarre disease that no one knew about. I'll never forget the day that I had a
doctor's appointment with my new primary care physician. After I explained my
symptoms, he ordered blood work, including a hepatitis C antibody test. I had
never heard of hepatitis C, but luckily, he had. A week or so later I received
my test results - I had hepatitis C. Of course, I was devastated by the news,
but in some ways, it was a relief to finally find out what was causing the
severe fatigue.
About 3 months after I was diagnosed I decided to try treatment with
non-pegylated interferon monotherapy (3 injections a week). I was on treatment
for a year, but I did not achieve an SVR. In fact, during treatment my viral
load never reached a point where it was undetectable. I also had many side
effects. The first evening I had severe chills and a fever. After a while, the
physical side effects such as the flu-like symptoms seemed to diminish somewhat
- at least to the point where I could handle them. However, the psychological
side effects (anger and depression) slowly became worse. After about three
months, it was decided that I should start on anti-depressant therapy. I also
started to meditate regularly and between the meditation and the
antidepressants, I felt better and was able to finish treatment.
Looking back, I wished that I had been more educated about the chances for a
successful treatment with monotherapy because I am not sure I would have tried
it. The data about the treatment at that time showed that I only had a 9% chance
of achieving an SVR. However, even though it didn't eradicate the virus,
treatment did help with the fatigue, for a while at least.
But eventually the fatigue returned so in 1999 I decided to try high daily
dosing of non-pegylated interferon monotherapy. At first, there was a dramatic
reduction in HCV RNA (viral load) levels, but after 10 months, the virus came
back so I stopped therapy. Again, my energy level dramatically improved, but
over the next couple of years the extreme fatigue as well as some of the other
symptoms like brain fog, lack of concentration, difficulty with mental retention
and other annoying symptoms came back. Surprisingly, the side effects of high
daily dosing didn't seem that much worse than when I took interferon three times
a week. I think this might be because of what I learned the first time about
managing side effects. I also started on anti-depressants a couple of months
before I started therapy.
In 2002, I decided that I wanted to try pegylated interferon plus ribavirin
therapy. I began towards the end of 2002 and my viral load began to drop, but
not as quickly as I had hoped. After about 3 months, I had a 2-log drop in HCV
RNA, so I was well on my way. At about the 9-month mark, I began to do some
research on treatment duration for people who had characteristics similar to me
- older, genotype 1, high viral load, had HCV for a long period of time. Most
data suggested that I should be treated for a longer period of time. After
consulting with my doctor, it was decided to extend the treatment from 48 weeks
to 72 weeks.
The side effects of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin were much less than the
side effects I experienced while on the first two courses of therapy. In fact
the morning after the first shot I felt so good that I wondered if I really did
take the drug at all! That slowly changed and by the third month, the side
effects became worse, but I was able to manage them fairly effectively. My blood
chemistries looked pretty good throughout therapy, except that eventually I
developed anemia. I am VERY fortunate to have insurance to cover all of my
medications including erythropoietin (EPO). Epo worked wonders for the anemia
and the related fatigue, allowing me to finish treatment.
One of the strategies I put into place was to have a good support system well
before I started therapy. I relied a lot on my friends and family for support.
The side effects were managed aggressively with early intervention to prevent
them from becoming worse. I am very fortunate that I love the work that I do for
the Hepatitis C Support Project. This really helped to distract me from the side
effects. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't a walk in the park, especially since I
was trying to run a non-profit agency. I traveled extensively during this period
and logged about 100,000 air miles. However, I made it through, and it was well
worth it.
It has been well over a year since I finished treatment, and I am still negative
for the hepatitis C virus. This was not totally unexpected, but, as most people
who are treated know, it wasn't totally expected either. Ever since the news, I
have been thinking about what successful treatment and getting rid of the virus
means for me.
First, it was fantastic news that the virus was out of my body. I only wish that
everyone with hepatitis C could experience the feeling of beating HCV. It took
awhile but the side effects gradually went away and I began to feel better. The
hepatitis C symptoms that I had been experiencing for so long also started to
get better. Slowly, my energy returned. In fact, my energy level is better than
it has been in 10 years, and most of those hepatitis C flu-like symptoms have
gone away. Best of all I now feel clear-headed and I feel a general calmness
that I haven't experienced in years. This is a big difference from the way I
felt before treatment.
Many issues come up after successful treatment. One of the most frequent
questions people ask is if they can drink alcohol again. For me, this was a no
brainer. I'm in recovery so drinking again is not an option. Unfortunately,
there is no data on whether someone who achieves an SVR can drink alcohol. Until
there is significant data on this issue, the general recommendation is to
abstain from alcohol.
Another big issue is blood. Should I cover my wounds or take precautions if
blood is present? Definitely. Always be cautious where there is any blood
present whether it's yours or someone else's.
Feeling infectious is probably one of the strongest emotions that almost
everyone with hepatitis C feels especially after being newly diagnosed. I used
to be so concerned when my blood was present that I would needlessly become
almost hysterical about it. I still believe and practice safety precautions in
the presence of blood. But there is a big difference between common safety
precautions as opposed to knowing that you have infected blood that could
potentially infect another person.
Do I feel like I will live longer without hepatitis C? I do feel that I will
live a longer life, but more importantly, I feel that I will not have to suffer
with the severe fatigue or the other symptoms of hepatitis C. For me, the
decreased quality of life and suffering was worse than the idea that I might die
from hepatitis C.
My advice to someone who is thinking about treatment is to research hepatitis C
treatment medications. If you decide to start treatment, set up personal and
medical support well in advance of starting treatment. Another strategy that
helped was finding something that I enjoyed, which distracted me from the side
effects. Probably the best advice I can give is to take treatment one day at a
time.
"But let us remember, we cannot wait for others to tell our stories. We must
remain visible, vocal, and unified."
- Yvettte Sangster and Ed Kramer
http://www.hcvadvocate.org/news/newsLetter/2006/advocate0206.html#2

Corrine..first welcome..I did treatment in April of '05..6month tx
for me..lucky that I'm a genotype 3..I live alone..I did treatment
with the help of the few 'face friends' that stuck by me. TX by no
means is a cakewalk..its hard as hell..but with a good mind going
into it..and lots of support be it on-line or with your friends you
CAN DO IT.
Having a history of suicide attempts is not a good thing going into
treatment. Some doc's won't even allow it. My doc would be one of
them. Understand that the meds mess with your mind incredibely.
If I were you..knowing what I know having done the meds..I would NOT
move somewhere that I hate. You have your freinds in CA..your mom
will always be your mom..stay where you are if its a good
enviroment.
Good luck darlin' I found this group one month into treatment.
People on here are very supportive as you will see.
Bayla/Florida/4ever49
WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH FLORIDA??? lol..is it the incredible
HEAT you hate or possibly the INCREDIBLY LARGE BUGS WE HAVE?
lol..thats a joke dear..feel free to write me privately. You'll find
tons of support on this board.

Lawsuit filed against Scarborough Hospital
CTV.ca News Staff
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the Scarborough Hospital on behalf
of dialysis patients who may have been infected with Hepatitis B and C.
About 400 people who received dialysis treatment were notified on May 20 they
were at risk of contracting the disease.
The lawsuit alleges the hospital, its staff and employees were negligent because
"they failed to disinfect the equipment used in the dialysis unit, and failed to
implement adequate infection control and safety measures."
Andrew Nosworthy, of Scarborough, commenced a lawsuit on behalf of all dialysis
patients who went to Scarborough Hospital for treatment, but he died last week.
The cause of his death is still unclear, according to the law office of Glyn
Hotz, a Toronto lawyer involved in the lawsuit.
Hospital officials said only a small number of people had been infected with
Hepatitis.
Hepatitis B and C are viral diseases of the liver spread through contact with
blood or body fluids. The disease can cause permanent liver damage.
http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20060529/lawsuit_hepatitis_060529\
/20060529?hub=TorontoHome

Register for NYC HCV March!

REGISTER for LOLA's Second Hepatitis C March in NYC
on May 18, 2006!
For information:
http://www.statuscunknown.org/lola'snycmarch.html
To Print out Registration Form:
http://www.statuscunknown.org/lolaregformengli.html
Para información in español:
http://www.statuscunknown.org/lolaspanish.html
Registrarse:
http://www.statuscunknown.org/lolaregistration.html

Woman Sues For Receiving Illegally Harvested Body Part
TALLAHASSEE, FLA---A Tallahassee woman has filed a lawsuit against Tutogen
Medical Inc. claiming that the material provided by the company for her bone
transplant had been illegally harvested from a corpse which hadn't been screened
for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Tutogen was one of five companies that received tissue and bone which
officials say was taken from cadavers at six funeral homes in New York, New
Jersey and Philadelphia.
Kay Phelps, 43, received a bone transplant to replace a bone in her face
and since her surgery, although she has tested negative for HIV, she says she
has undergone much anguish.
Class action status is being sought on behalf of all Floridians who might
have received such tissue which was sold to medical supply houses.
Michael Mastromarino, the owner of a New Jersey biomedical company and
three other men including Brooklyn embalmer Joseph Nicelli and two of
Mastromarino's employees, were allegedly involved a five year, multi-million
scheme during which human tissues were stolen without consent from thousands of
corpses before they were buried or cremated.
The cadavers were allegedly taken from unsuspecting New York funeral homes
and the bone and skin sold for transplants.
The four men have been indicted by a Brooklyn grand jury for participating
in a scheme to steal tissue from the corpses of people who never gave consent to
be donors. The tissue was then sold to tissue transplant companies where it
would be used in surgical procedures around the world.
According to the 122-count indictment, the team forged death certificates
and organ-donor consent forms to create the appearance that the tissue was
harvested legally. Though tissue transplant guidelines set age limits and health
requirements for donors, the defendants falsified the ages of their victims, so
in one case, a 95-year-old cancer victim was listed as a healthy 85-year-old who
died of heart failure.
It is illegal for people to sell their tissue or other body parts. They
can only be donated, and only with the expressed, written consent of the donor,
before the person dies. However, on the open market, one body can bring in as
much as $250,000 for harvesting and transplant companies.
Mastromarino, a former oral surgeon, got into the tissue business after
losing his dentist's license. Nicelli, of 49 Clifton Ave., Staten Island, owned
Daniel George & Son funeral home at 1852 Bath Ave., Brooklyn, before partnering
with Mastromarino in a tissue trading company, BioMedical Tissue Services and
BioTissue Technologies. The companies were licensed in New Jersey but had
offices in Brooklyn. Crucetta and Aldorasi both worked with Nicelli and
Mastromarino removing body parts.
The investigation began after people who bought Daniel George from Nicelli
found numerous inconsistencies in the bookkeeping. They came to the Brooklyn
District Attorney's Office to complain that money paid in advance for future
funerals was missing from the business's accounting records. The investigation
that followed uncovered a scheme to steal bones from unwilling donors.
In a secret room in Daniel George & Sons, Mastromarino would remove bones,
tendons, heart valves and other tissue from recently deceased people. When the
bodies were of people who had not consented to the procedures, or were too old
or ill to donate tissue, Mastromarino and Nicelli doctored their death
certificates and forged consent forms, according to the indictment. In those
cases, Mastromarino replaced the bones with plastic polyvinyl chloride, or PVC,
piping and repaired the incisions, so they would not be noticed at the funeral.
3-08-06
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/030806BodyPartsSue.html

In the words of the Great Curley Howard....Soytnee
I tell people I'm bi-sexual.
Everytime I want sex I buy it.
Allan

Schering-Plough and PTC Therapeutics Announce Collaboration for Development of
PTC's Preclinical Hepatitis C Compounds
Monday March 20, 8:30 am ET
KENILWORTH, N.J., and SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J., March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Schering-Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP - News) and PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (PTC)
today announced that they have entered into an exclusive collaboration and
licensing agreement for the development of PTC's preclinical compounds for the
oral treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and other viral diseases.
PTC's small molecules are designed to inhibit the HCV Internal Ribosome Entry
Site (IRES) mediated production of viral proteins. The IRES is highly conserved
among all HCV genotypes and is required for the expression of all viral proteins
involved in replication of the hepatitis C virus.
PTC identified the compounds in its HCV program through the company's
proprietary Gene Expression Modulation by Small-molecules (GEMS) technology.
"The goal of this alliance is to develop new oral therapies to improve treatment
for patients with hepatitis C, one of the most serious and common blood borne
infections