The Week in Review: Oct 26 – Nov 2, 2018

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Friday, Nov 2, 2018

News Recap:

Report on the Pacific AIDS Network (PAN) 2018 Fall Conference in Kelowna
The Pacific AIDS Network held its annual Fall Conference and AGM October 30-31 in Kelowna. HepCBC attended this year for the first time as a Full Member, due to changes in the PAN Constitution and Bylaws. New Bylaws included: PAN no longer requires its hepatitis C organizational members to offer HIV-related services.

Aging and Viral Hepatitis B and C: A New Study
This comprehensive article which came out October 31, 2018, describes the challenges and impacts of hepatitis B and C on the aging population in Britain. It seems applicable to Canada as well.

Mortality Rates Higher in Acute Hepatitis E Than Hepatitis A
Patients with acute hepatitis E have higher rates of mortality compared with patients with acute hepatitis A, according to study results published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The results of this study also indicated that comorbid chronic hepatitis B is an independent risk factor for liver-related mortality in patients with acute hepatitis E.

Potential markers identified for early detection and prevention of liver cancer
Liver cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, claiming 700,000 lives each year. Most cases are discovered too late for a cure—but now a study published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology offers hope of early detection, and targets for new treatments.

Novel Biomarkers Predict Mortality in Hepatitis B-Associated Liver Failure
According to study results published in Hepatology Research, in patients with hepatitis B-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure, the plasma biomarkers sCD163 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) are independently associated with short-term mortality.