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The letter to the editor comments on an article by Dr. Lee about HBV infection and hepatitis D virus.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Allelic Loss of Chromosome 18q and Prognosis in Colorectal Cancer," by J. Jen, H. Kim and S. Piantadosi in the July 28, 1994 issue.

Background: Eltrombopag is an oral thrombopoietin-receptor agonist. This study evaluated the efficacy of eltrombopag for increasing platelet counts and reducing the need for platelet transfusions in patients with thrombocytopenia and chronic liver disease who are undergoing an elective invasive procedure. Methods: We randomly assigned 292 patients with chronic liver disease of diverse causes and platelet counts of less than 50,000 per cubic millimeter to receive eltrombopag, at a dose of 75 mg daily, or placebo for 14 days before a planned elective invasive procedure that was performed within 5 days after the last dose. The primary end point was the avoidance of a platelet transfusion before, during, and up to 7 days after the procedure. A key secondary end point was the occurrence of bleeding (World Health Organization [WHO] grade 2 or higher) during this period. Results: A platelet transfusion was avoided in 104 of 145 patients who received eltrombopag (72%) and in 28 of 147 who received placebo (19%) (P<0.001). No significant difference between the eltrombopag and placebo groups was observed in bleeding episodes of WHO grade 2 or higher, which were reported in 17% and 23% of patients, respectively. Thrombotic events of the portal venous system were observed in 6 patients who received eltrombopag, as compared with 1 who received placebo, resulting in the early termination of the study. The incidence and severity of other adverse events were similar in the eltrombopag and placebo groups. Conclusions: Eltrombopag reduced the need for platelet transfusions in patients with chronic liver disease who were undergoing elective invasive procedures, but it was associated with an increased incidence of portal-vein thrombosis, as compared with placebo. (Funded by GlaxoSmithKline; ELEVATE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00678587.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Polymorphisms in cytokine genes can influence immune responses, inflammation, and tissue injury and may affect the outcome of hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation.Methods: We analyzed single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the genes for interleukin-1beta, interleukin-1-receptor antagonist, interleukin-6, interleukin-10 (IL10), and tumor necrosis factor alpha in 570 transplant recipients and their HLA-identical sibling donors. Genotypes were tested for an association with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) by multivariable analysis. A second cohort of 423 transplant recipients was independently analyzed for the genotype associations identified in the first cohort.Results: The recipient's IL10 promoter region genotype was significantly associated with the risk of acute GVHD in the first cohort. Analysis of all 993 transplant recipients showed that, as compared with the C/C genotype, the IL10 -592A/A genotype was associated with a decreased risk of grade III or IV acute GVHD (hazard ratio, 0.4; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.2 to 0.9; P=0.02) and death in remission (hazard ratio, 0.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.3 to 1.0; P=0.05). A haplotype analysis showed that the IL10 -592A allele was a specific marker for a promoter haplotype, T-C-A-T-A, defined by five polymorphisms at positions -3575, -2763, -1082, -819, and -592, respectively.Conclusions: Among recipients of hematopoietic cells from an HLA-identical sibling, the IL10 -592A allele is a marker of a favorable outcome after transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Polymorphisms in cytokine genes can influence immune responses, inflammation, and tissue injury and may affect the outcome of hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. Methods: We analyzed single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the genes for interleukin-1β, interleukin-1–receptor antagonist, interleukin-6, interleukin-10 (IL10), and tumor necrosis factor α in 570 transplant recipients and their HLA-identical sibling donors. Genotypes were tested for an association with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) by multivariable analysis. A second cohort of 423 transplant recipients was independently analyzed for the genotype associations identified in the first cohort. Results: The recipient's IL10 promoter region genotype was significantly associated with the risk of acute GVHD in the first cohort. Analysis of all 993 transplant recipients showed that, as compared with the C/C genotype, the IL10 –592A/A genotype was associated with a decreased risk of grade III or IV acute GVHD (hazard ratio, 0.4; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.2 to 0.9; P=0.02) and death in remission (hazard ratio, 0.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.3 to 1.0; P=0.05). A haplotype analysis showed that the IL10 –592A allele was a specific marker for a promoter haplotype, T-C-A-T-A, defined by five polymorphisms at positions –3575, –2763, –1082, –819, and –592, respectively. Conclusions: Among recipients of hematopoietic cells from an HLA-identical sibling, the IL10 –592A allele is a marker of a favorable outcome after transplantation. N Engl J Med 2003;349:2201-10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The presence of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) in serum indicates active viral replication in hepatocytes. HBeAg is thus a surrogate marker for the presence of hepatitis B virus DNA. We conducted a prospective study to determine the relation between positivity for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBeAg and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: In 1991 and 1992, we enrolled 11,893 men without evidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (age range, 30 to 65 years) from seven townships in Taiwan. Serum samples obtained at the time of enrollment were tested for HBsAg and HBeAg by radioimmunoassay. The diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma was ascertained through data linkage with the computerized National Cancer Registry in Taiwan and with death certificates. We performed a multiple regression analysis to determine the relative risk of hepatocellular carcinoma among men who were positive for HBsAg alone or for HBsAg and HBeAg, as compared with those who were negative for both. Results: There were 111 cases of newly diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma during 92,359 person-years of follow-up. The incidence rate of hepatocellular carcinoma was 1169 cases per 100,000 person-years among men who were positive for both HBsAg and HBeAg, 324 per 100,000 person-years for those who were positive for HBsAg only, and 39 per 100,000 person-years for those who were negative for both. After adjustment for age, sex, the presence or absence of antibodies against hepatitis C virus, cigarette-smoking status, and use or nonuse of alcohol, the relative risk of hepatocellular carcinoma was 9.6 (95 percent confidence interval, 6.0 to 15.2) among men who were positive for HBsAg alone and 60.2 (95 percent confidence interval, 35.5 to 102.1) among those who were positive for both HBsAg and HBeAg, as compared with men who were negative for both. Conclusions: Positivity for HBeAg is associated with an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. (N Engl J Med 2002;347:168-74.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]