Hepatitis C Virus - Proteins, Diagnosis, Treatment and New Approaches for Vaccine Development

Keyvani, Hossein,Fazlalipour, Mehdi,Monavari, Seyed Hamid Reza,Mollaie, Hamid Reza Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.12

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes acute and chronic human hepatitis infection and as such is an important global health problem. The virus was discovered in the USA in 1989 and it is now known that three to four million people are infected every year, WHO estimating that 3 percent of the 7 billion people worldwide being chronically infected. Humans are the natural hosts of HCV and this virus can eventually lead to permanent liver damage and carcinoma. HCV is a member of the Flaviviridae family and Hepacivirus genus. The diameter of the virus is about 50-60 nm and the virion contains a single-stranded positive RNA approximately 10,000 nucleotides in length and consisting of one ORF which is encapsulated by an external lipid envelope and icosahedral capsid. HCV is a heterogeneous virus, classified into 6 genotypes and more than 50 subtypes. Because of the genome variability, nucleotide sequences of genotypes differ by approximately 31-34%, and by 20-23% among subtypes. Quasi-species of mixed virus populations provide a survival advantage for the virus to create multiple variant genomes and a high rate of generation of variants to allow rapid selection of mutants for new environmental conditions. Direct contact with infected blood and blood products, sexual relationships and availability of injectable drugs have had remarkable effects on HCV epidemiology. Hundreds of thousands of people die each year from hepatitis and liver cancer caused by HCV virus infection. Approximately 80% of patients with acute hepatitis C progress into a chronic disease state leading to serious hepatic disorders, 10-20% of which develop chronic liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The incubation period of HCV is 6-8 weeks and the infection is often asymptomatic so it is very hard to detect at early stages, making early treatment very difficult. Therefore, hepatitis C is called a "silent disease". Neutralizing antibodies are produced against several HCV proteins during infection but the virus mutates to escape from antibodies. Some patients with chronic hepatitis C may have some symptoms such as fatigue, muscle aches, nausea and pain. Autoimmune and immunecomplex-mediated diseases have also been reported with chronic HCV infection.

Rheological characterization of ferrous sulfate-containing water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double emulsions

Mozhgan Keyvani,Farzaneh Vahabzadeh,Leila Davarpanah 한국화학공학회 2014 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.31 No.9

With use of response surface methodology (RSM), the W1/O/W2 emulsions containing ferrous sulfate asthe inner phase were optimized in terms of stability (ES) and apparent viscosity (µapp). Curvature display of the responsesaround their optimal settings was appropriately described using the quadratic polynomial regression model. The non-Newtonian behavior of the test W1/O/W2 emulsions was characterized using the power-law model and change fromnon-Newtonian to Newtonian (n1) was seen in the case of W1/O :W2 ratio equal 20 : 80 when the level of Tween-80 was 1 v%. Results of the size distribution pattern showed 60% of the particles were less than 5 µm. Rheologicalproperties of the test W1/O/W2 emulsions as the viscoelastic liquids were analyzed and the results of oscillatory ex-periments considering shear stress and frequency dependency of G' and G'' moduli were discussed in terms of the internalmicrostructure of the emulsions.

Reducing the In-plane Effect of Infill on Steel Moment Frame

A. Keyvani Borujeni,T. Mahdi 한국강구조학회 2017 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.17 No.3

In this paper, four large-scale one-story steel moment-resisting frame specimens have been tested. The first specimen is a onestory steel moment-resisting frame without masonry infill walls. The second is similar to the first but with infill wall having full physical contact to the frame. The other two are non-structural infill walls. The first non-structural infill wall has a complete decoupling from the frame, while the second has a full contact at the top of the wall and separated from the columns. The results of this paper have shown that life safety performance level for non-structural infill wall having a complete decoupling from the frame has satisfied the allowable story drift. This was not the case for infill wall having full physical contact to the frame or nonstructural infill walls sepatared from two sides.

UPFC Control based on New IP Type Controller

Shirvani, Mojtaba,Keyvani, Babak,Abdollahi, Mostafa,Memaripour, Ahmad The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers 2012 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.7 No.5

This paper presents the application of Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) in order to simultaneous control of power flow and voltage and also damping of Low Frequency Oscillations (LFO) at a Single-Machine Infinite-Bus (SMIB) power system installed with UPFC. PI type controllers are commonly used controllers for UPFC control. But for the sake of some drawbacks of PI type controllers, the scope for finding a better control scheme still remains. In this regard, in this paper the new IP type controllers are considered as UPFC controllers. The parameters of these IP type controllers are tuned using Genetic Algorithms (GA). Also a stabilizer supplementary controller based UPFC is considered for increasing power system damping. To show the ability of IP controllers, this controller is compared with classical PI type controllers. Simulation results emphasis on the better performance of IP controller in comparison with PI controller.

UPFC Control based on New IP Type Controller

Mojtaba Shirvani,Babak Keyvani,Mostafa Abdollahi,Ahmad Memaripour 대한전기학회 2012 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.7 No.5

This paper presents the application of Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) in order to simultaneous control of power flow and voltage and also damping of Low Frequency Oscillations (LFO) at a Single-Machine Infinite-Bus (SMIB) power system installed with UPFC. PI type controllers are commonly used controllers for UPFC control. But for the sake of some drawbacks of PI type controllers, the scope for finding a better control scheme still remains. In this regard, in this paper the new IP type controllers are considered as UPFC controllers. The parameters of these IP type controllers are tuned using Genetic Algorithms (GA). Also a stabilizer supplementary controller based UPFC is considered for increasing power system damping. To show the ability of IP controllers, this controller is compared with classical PI type controllers. Simulation results emphasis on the better performance of IP controller in comparison with PI controller.

High Resolution Melting Curve Assay for Detecting rs12979860 IL28B Polymorphisms Involved in Response of Iranian Patients to Chronic Hepatitis C Treatment

Fateh, Abolfazl,Aghasadeghi, Mohammad Reza,Keyvani, Hossein,Mollaie, Hamid Reza,Yari, Shamsi,Tasbiti, Ali Reza Hadizade,Ghazanfari, Morteza,Monavari, Seyed Hamid Reza Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.5

Background: A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) on patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) treated with peginterferon and ribavirin (pegIFN-${\alpha}$/RBV) identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on chromosome 19 (rs12979860) which was strongly associated with a sustained virological response (SVR). The aim of this study was twofold: to study the relationship between IL28B rs12979860 and sustained virological response (SVR) to pegIFN-${\alpha}$/RVB therapy among CHC patients and to detect the rs12979860 polymorphism by high resolution melting curve (HRM) assay as a simple, fast, sensitive, and inexpensive method. Materials and Methods: The study examined outcomes in 100 patients with chronic hepatitis C in 2 provinces of Iran from December 2011 to June 2013. Two methods were applied to detect IL28B polymorphisms: PCR-sequencing as a gold standard method and HRM as a simple, fast, sensitive, and inexpensive method. Results: The frequencies of IL28B rs12979860 CC, CT, and TT alleles in chronic hepatitis C genotype 1a patients were 10% (10/100), 35% (35/100), and 6% (6/100) and in genotype 3a were 13% (13/100), 31% (31/100), and 5% (5/100), respectively. In genotype 3a infected patients, rs12979860 (CC and CT alleles) and in genotype 1a infected patients (CC allele) were significantly associated with a sustained virological response (SVR). The SVR rates for CC, CT and TT (IL28B rs12979860) were 18%, 34% and 4%, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified two independent factors that were significantly associated with SVR: IL-28B genotype (rs 12979860 CC vs TT and CT; odds ratio [ORs], 7.86 and 4.084, respectively), and HCV subtype 1a (OR, 7.46). In the present study, an association between SVR rates and IL28B polymorphisms was observed. Conclusions: The HRM assay described herein is rapid, inexpensive, sensitive and accurate for detecting rs12979860 alleles in CHC patients. This method can be readily adopted by any molecular diagnostic laboratory with HRM capability and will be clinically beneficial in predicting treatment response in HCV genotype 1 and 3 infected patients. In addition, it was demonstrated that CC and CT alleles in HCV-3a and the CC allele in HCV-1a were significantly associated with response to pegIFN-${\alpha}$/RBV treatment. The present results may help identify subjects for whom the therapy might be successful.

Hepatic Steatosis: Prevalence and Host/Viral Risk Factors in Iranian Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Infection

Poortahmasebi, Vahdat,Alavian, Seyed Moayed,Keyvani, Hossein,Norouzi, Mehdi,Mahmoodi, Mahmood,Jazayeri, Seyed Mohammad Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.9

Background: In chronic hepatitis B (CHB), the presence of hepatic steatosis (HS) seems to be associated with known host and viral factors which may influence the long-term prognosis of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), probably leading to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Different from chronic hepatitis C (CHC), factors associated with HS in CHB are not clearly explored. Materials and Methods: 160 CHB patients were divided into two groups depending on the results of liver biopsy. Group I consisted of 71 patients with confirmed steatosis. Group II comprised 89 patients without steatosis. The groups were compared in terms of basal characteristics, body mass index (BMI), liver enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP), serum fasting blood sugar (FBS) and lipids, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), viral load, and histological findings. Results: In terms of host factors, male gender, older age, BMI, high serum FBS and lipid levels were associated with HS. On the other hand, ALT levels, the HAI scores of necroinflammation and stage of fibrosis did not associate with HS. On multivariate analysis, parameters of sex, BMI, cholesterol and FBS levels were independently associated with HS. Regarding viral factors, HBeAg negativity was significantly associated with HS (81.7%, p value 0.006), but not HBV DNA level (p value 0.520). Conclusions: HS in CHB appears to be unrelated to the status of HBV replication. However, fibrosis progression in CHB is related to variable host factors. HS may be enhanced through these factors in HBV chronic patients.

Comparison of Three Different Methods for Detection of IL28 rs12979860 Polymorphisms as a Predictor of Treatment Outcome in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus

Abolfazl Fateh,Mohammadreza Aghasadeghi,Seyed D. Siadat,Farzam Vaziri,Farzin Sadeghi,Roohollah Fateh,Hossein Keyvani,Alireza H. Tasbiti,Shamsi Yari,Angila Ataei-Pirkooh,Seyed H. Monavari 질병관리본부 2016 Osong Public Health and Research Persptectives Vol.7 No.2

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the specificity, sensitivity, cost, and turn-around time of three methods of gene polymorphism analysis and to study the relationship between IL28B rs12979860 and SVR rate to pegIFN-α/RVB therapy among patients with chronic hepatitis C. Methods: A total of 100 samples from chronic hepatitis C patients were analyzed in parallel using the three methods: direct sequencing, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR. Results: The different profiles for IL28B rs12979860 alleles (CC, CT, and TT) obtained with PCR-RFLP, ARMS-PCR, and direct sequencing were consistent among the three methods. Prevalence of rs12979860 genotypes CC, CT and TT in HCV genotype 1a was 10(19.6%), 35(68.6%), and six (11.8%), respectively, and in HCV genotype 31, it was 13(26.5%), 31(63.3%), and five (10.2%), respectively. No significant difference was seen between rs12979860 genotype and HCV genotype (p = 0.710). Conclusion: Screening by ARMS - PCR SNOP detection represents the most efficient and reliable method to determine HCV polymorphisms in routine clinical practice.