Does Peripheral T-Lymphocyte Subpopulations Correlate With Hepatitis B Virus Load?
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a dynamic process with variable biochemical, virological and histological profiles at different stages of the infection, depending on host and viral factors. Furthermore, this profile may change at a variable pace over time. The correlation between detection of T-cell response and HBV load in chronic HBV infection remains unknown. In each of the clinical stages of chronic HBV infection, whether the composition of T-cell subpopulations is different and relates to viral load. Thus characterization of T-cell profile is relevant to improved understanding of chronic HBV infection and the design of antiviral therapy.
Public Health
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Greater Incidence Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease In Specific Populations
receiving Medicare or Medicaid, a factor which Dr. Nguyen said should be looked at more closely. Dr. Nguyen presented these data on May 31. The Changing Pattern of Crohn"s Disease Incidence According to Age in Northern France: A Constant Increase in the 0-19 Years Age Group (Abstract #114) A population-based study of residents in northern France finds that the incidence of Crohn"s disease (CD) is on the rise, most dramatically among young people less than 19 years of age. The findings raise a number of questions about the likely causes of the increase, which the investigators say could be related to environmental factors. Investigators from the EPIMAD registry in France tracked rates of CD among nearly six million patients in northern France between 1988 and 2005. They found that the incidence of CD among all patients increased 20.7 percent but that rates had stabilized 10 years into the study. Among young people less than 19 years of age however, the incidence of CD increased linearly by 48.5 percent. The cause of the increased incidence of CD among young people is unknown, but investigators say aggravating factors like environmental pollution and changes in diet or smoking habits could be culprits. "Since we now know that CD disproportionately affects young people, future studies to uncover its cause should focus on this age group," said Guillaume Savoye, MD, EPIMAD registry and department of gastroenterology, University Hospital, Rouen, France. Dr. Savoye presented these data on May 31. Aimee Frank American Gastroenterological AssociationPages: 1 [2]