BACKGROUND Uveal melanoma is a tumour with a high incidence of metastasis and a high mortality rate. Additional therapies to obtain a better local control or an effective treatment of metastases are necessary. Interferons may be applied. METHODS The effects of human interferon alfa and gamma on proliferation and expression of immunologically important molecules of human uveal melanoma cells i...

OBJECTIVES Interferon is the only established treatment for chronic hepatitis C but the host-dependent or virus-related factors affecting the response rate to interferon therapy are not yet clear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors predictive of response to interferon-alfa therapy in chronic hepatitis C. METHODS Twenty-five consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C w...

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is an expensive, lifelong treatment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection that is associated with significant toxicity. Despite advances in treatment, there remains a need for novel therapies for HIV infection. One strategy is to achieve a functional cure, in which treatment can be safely stopped despite the presence of residual virus, by ...

AIM To assess the ocular effect of interferon alfa 2b prescribed with ribavirin in patients undergoing therapy for chronic hepatitis C. METHODS 19 patients with chronic hepatitis C who satisfied the follow up criteria were assessed for ocular complications using slit lamp biomicroscopy and indirect ophthalmoscopy before, during, and after the treatment at regular intervals. RESULTS 8/19 pat...

Background. Patients treated with interferon (IFN) based therapies may develop exacerbation of autoimmune disease. We herein present the case of a 53-year-old female patient who developed celiac disease (CD) as a result of triple therapy (interferon, ribavirin, and boceprevir) for chronic HCV. Case. 53-year-old Caucasian female with past medical history of IV drug abuse was referred for abnorma...

BACKGROUND Only 15 to 20 percent of patients with chronic hepatitis C have a sustained virologic response to interferon therapy. We compared the efficacy and safety of recombinant interferon alfa-2b alone with those of a combination of interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin for the initial treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C. METHODS We randomly assigned 912 patients with chronic hepatit...

Interferon is used to treat hepatitis C virus infection and its cutaneous side effects are well known. Recently, interferon-induced sarcoidosis has been reported. We report a new case of sarcoidosis during pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin treatment with an unusual presentation in a woman with previous episodes of erythema nodusum and nodular vasculitis related to HCV.