Category Archives: Advocate E-blast

HCV Advocate Eblast: February 2019

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Check out what we have in store for you in the February Newsletter

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Greetings Advocaters,

February is upon us and it is a sweetheart of a month.  The HCV Advocate newsletter is packed full of interesting news to help in your educational interests.  Please share it with your family, friends, and, of course, your sweetheart.

The articles in this month’s newsletter include:

  • What We Need to Eliminate HCV, by Alan Franciscus. The multimedia review journal Clinical Liver Disease published a series of articles that provided important information about the tools needed to eliminate hepatitis C (HCV). This report is a review of the articles and is specific to the United States. It doesn’t address the political issues that are equally, if not more, important.

  • I Heart Liver by Lucinda Porter, RN. Sometimes it takes a hepatitis C diagnosis for us to pay attention to the fact that we each have a liver. We learn where the liver is, what it does, and how essential it is. However, the hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects more than just the liver. HCV affects the entire body, particularly the heart and cardiovascular system. Since February is American Heart Month, it is a perfect time to discuss the relationship between the liver and its neighbor, the heart. In particular, we will explore ways to improve cardiovascular health. This information is good for everyone, with or without hepatitis C.

  • Hepatitis Headlines (1) At Stanford, Term ‘Homosexual’ Will No Longer Be Used When Discussing Spread of Hepatitis, (2) Adherence to ‘Healthy Eating Index’ Diet May Reduce Liver Cancer Risk.

  • What’s Up! News about the upcoming issue of our last HCV Advocate Newsletter this March, our patient HCV video and Packhealth – a patient resource.

  Yours in Health,

        Alan and the staff of the HCV Advocate

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HCV Advocate Eblast: January 1, 2019

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Check out what we have in store for you in the January Newsletter

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Dear Advocaters,

Happy New Year! We hope that 2019 will bring you much joy, happiness and for those with hepatitis C, a cure.  I think that 2019 may be the year that we just might turn the corner on screening, access to care and treatment for more people with hepatitis C.

This month’s edition of the HCV Advocate newsletter features the following:

  • Top News Stories of 2018, by Alan Franciscus.  It was an interesting year in HCV that was full of ups and downs but progress is being made in the fight against HCV.
  • Everyone Needs to Know About Liver Cancer by Lucinda Porter, RN writes about the causes, prevention, screening, treatment and cure of this life-threatening disease.
  • Hepatitis Headlines provides snapshots of trending news about hepatitis.
  • What’s Up!  Features an updated Guide and four of our updated fact sheets as well as our Patient Video and Resource for patients:
    • HCV:  A Guide to Healthy Living with HCV
    • One of the best strategies to prevent illness is Hand Washing:  A Primer
    • Learn about the many different types of and benefits of Meditation
    • The new year is time to start eating thinking about Nutrition and HCV
    • One of the most important components of health is Sleep


To Your Health in 2019,

        Alan and the staff of the HCV Advocate

     

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HCV Advocate Eblast: December 1, 2018

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Check out what we have in store for you in the December Newsletter

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Dear Advocaters,

It’s hard to believe that the end of the year is near and the HCV Advocate newsletter is entering its 21st year of publication.  This month we have devoted the entire issue to coverage of The Liver Meeting recently held in San Francisco, CA.  Lucinda Porter, RN and I are reporting on our favorite posters presented at the meeting.  Listed below are the abstracts that we have covered.

This is a sample of what is available.  Be sure to read the entire newsletter for all the available content.

We have also reviewed and updated our HCV Advocate Treatment Fact Sheets

 

Best wishes for the Holiday Season from the staff of the HCV Advocate,

        Alan and the staff of the HCV Advocate

 

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HCV Advocate Eblast: November 1, 2018

Hepatitis C Blog Posted on by

Check out what we have in store for you in the November Newsletter

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Greetings Advocaters!

This month’s HCV Advocate newsletter is a feast of information to help our readers understand hepatitis C (HCV) and the many health issues related to it.

The topics Include:

  • Infective Endocarditis & People Who Inject Drugs by Alan Franciscus.  The article discusses a disease that strikes this vulnerable population, how to prevent and treat it.
  • HealthWise:  Hepatitis C and Our Caregivers by Lucinda Porter, RN.  Lucinda provides important information about the need for caregivers, why we need to support them and support the people give support.
  • Hepatitis Headlines:  Gilead Launches Generics for HCV Meds, First Human Case of Rat Hepatitis, and Eliminating hepatitis C in Washington.
  • Hep C 101:  Overview of Transmission and Prevention of Hepatitis C by Alan Franciscus.
  • SnapShots by Alan Franciscus
    • Marijuana is not associated with the progression of hepatic fibrosis in liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
    • Eight-week hepatitis C treatment with new direct-acting antivirals has a better safety profile while being effective in the treatment-naïve geriatric population without liver cirrhosis and hepatitis C virus-RNA < 6 Million IU/mL 

    BRIEFLY…..

    • Approaches, progress, and challenges to hepatitis C vaccine development
    • Australia on track to achieve WHO HCV elimination targets following rapid initial DAA treatment uptake: a modeling study
  • WHAT’S UP!Fact Sheets:

Here’s to a happy and festive Thanksgiving!

Alan and the staff of the HCV Advocate

 

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HCV Advocate Eblast: October 1, 2018

Hepatitis C Blog Posted on by

Check out what we have in store for you in the October Newsletter

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Dear Advocaters,

Halloween is almost here and we have some informative but scary articles in this month’s HCV Advocate newsletter:

    • HealthWise – Jailed for Hepatitis C –  by Lucinda Porter, RN is an informative article about making hepatitis C a crime.  In fact, in some states, it already is a crime.
      “It used to be that having hepatitis C would land you in the doctor’s office. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that it could land me in jail. However, theoretically it could.”
    • Hepatitis Headlines – The drug epidemic and how Russian hackers are trying to mess with our health.
    • Hep C 101 – Nail Care Settings by Alan Franciscus – in this month’s column I discuss safety measures to look for when going to a nail salon or beauty parlor.
    • SnapShots by Alan Franciscus has the following recap on abstracts:
      1. Proton pump inhibitors and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in
        patients with chronic hepatitis B or C—W. Kao, et. al
      2. Lack of patient compliance in real-world practice negatively affects sustained viral response rates to direct-acting agent therapy for hepatitis C –M. C. Marshall, et. al.

      BRIEFLY …

      1. Inovio (INO) initiates phase 1 study on hepatitis C vaccine – Zacks Equity Research
      2. Transplantation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody positive, nucleic acid test negative donor kidneys to HCV negative patients frequently results in seroconversion but not HCV viremia
      3. Cardiac transplantation from non-viremic hepatitis C donors
      4. Cost-effectiveness of transplanting HCV-infected livers into uninfected recipients with preemptive antiviral therapy

 

 


To Your Health and Prosperity,

Alan and the team of the HCV Advocate

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HCV Advocate Eblast: September 1, 2018

Hepatitis C Blog Posted on by

Check out what we have in store for you in the September Newsletter

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In this month’s HCV Advocate newsletter, the following noteworthy articles are available to read and educate:

  • SnapShots by Alan Franciscus
    • Risk factors, mortality, and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes—A. Rawshani, et. al.
    • Incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma after direct antiviral therapy for HCV in patients with cirrhosis included in surveillance programs—P. Nahom, et. al.
    • Safety and efficacy of ledipasvir‐sofosbuvir with or without ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C in children ages 6‐11—K. F. Murry, et. al
    • Briefly……..
      • Commentary: A review of the risk of hepatitis B and C transmission through biting or spitting—H. Pintilie, et. al.
      • Hepatitis C virus infection in children in the era of direct-acting antivirals—M. Pawlowska, et. al
  • HealthWise – A Buffet of Health Information – as the title of the article implies, Lucinda discusses the various substances that may or may not be good for your health.
  • Hepatitis Headlines – Three interesting news stories about hepatitis C that our readers will find interesting including heart transplants, eliminating hepatitis in the U.S. and WHO and HCV treatment guidelines.
  • Hep C 101 – Overview of Hepatitis C by Alan Franciscus – A new series of article for people who are new to hepatitis C or for those people who want basic information.
  • What’s Up – We’ve updated several of the HCV Advocate Factsheets. Use the links provided in this section to get current information on several subjects that relate to Hep C, including nutrition, alcohol, co-infection, and motherhood.

 

To Your Health,

Alan and the team of the HCV Advocate

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HCV Advocate Eblast: August 1, 2018

Hepatitis C Blog Posted on by

Check out what we have in store for you in the August Newsletter

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Greetings Advocaters!

It’s August – the hottest month of the year!  Hot weather brings me to the need to stay well hydrated with water and clear fluids.  To learn more about water read our information factsheet click here http://hcvadvocate.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/SEM_Water.pdf

In this month’s HCV Advocate newsletter, the following articles are available:

  • HealthWise – Hepatitis C and Sugar by Lucinda Porter, RN – Lucinda discusses effects of sugar on the body, hepatitis C, and fatty liver
  • Hepatitis Headlines: (1) State Prisons Fail to Offer Cure to 144,000 Inmates with Deadly Hepatitis C, (2) What’s Being Done to Stop the Spread of Hepatitis A in the Midwest?
  • SnapShots by Alan Franciscus:
    • Efficacy of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir, with and without ribavirin, in patients with HCV genotype 3 infection and cirrhosis,
    • Incidence and spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C (HCV) in PWID at the Stockholm needle exchange – importance for HCV elimination,
    • Microenvironment eradication of hepatitis C: A novel treatment paradigm,
    • All‐oral direct‐acting antiviral therapy against hepatitis C virus (HCV) in human immunodeficiency virus/HCV–coinfected subjects in real‐world practice: Madrid coinfection registry findings
  • Briefly……
    • Abstract:  Use of ribavirin in viruses other than hepatitis C. A review of the evidence,
    • Genotype from Punjab, India: Expanding classification of hepatitis C virus into 8 genotypes
  • What’s Up!
    • The Easy C Guide to HIV and HCV Coinfection
    • HIV/HCV Fact Sheet:  Depression
    • HIV/HCV Coinfection:  What Are Drug Interactions?
    • HIV/HCV Fact Sheet:  The Liver
  • Watch our patient video about treating and curing HCV
  • Do you have hepatitis C?  Get support.  Get answers.  A free program for patients – PackHealth.

To Your Health,

Alan and the team of the HCV Advocate

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HCV Advocate Eblast: July 1, 2018

Hepatitis C Blog Posted on by

Check out what we have in store for you in the July Newsletter

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Greetings Advocaters! In this month’s HCV Advocate newsletter we have a plethora of articles for your reading and learning pleasure:

  • HealthWise:  Avoiding Fatty Liver by Lucinda Porter, RN.  Lucinda shares her personal and professional tips to help you avoid or reduce fatty liver disease.
  • Hepatitis Headlines:
    • AASLD and IDSA Announce Updates to HCV Guidance:  Recommendations for Testing, Managing, and Treating Hepatitis C
    • The Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver recommends that Canadians born between 1945 and 1975 should be tested for hepatitis C
  • Evaluation of Instruments used to Measure Hepatitis C Patient-Reported Symptoms by Alan Franciscus.  This is the first in a series of studies from a PCORI funded study.  The first one was to evaluate the reliability and validity of several survey instruments.
  • SnapShots by Alan Franciscus.  In this month’s column I write about the following studies:
    • Prognostic value of viral eradication for major adverse cardiovascular events in hepatitis C cirrhotic patients
    • Evaluation of the Xpert HCV Viral Load Finger-Stick Point-of-Care Assay
    • Gut dysbiosis associated with hepatitis C virus infection
    • Briefly:
      • Hepatocellular carcinoma incidence and survival among people with hepatitis C an international study
      • Hepatitis C care in the Department of Veterans Affairs: Building a foundation for success
      • Impact of sustained virological response on the extrahepatic manifestations of chronic hepatitis C: a meta-analysis
      • Viral hepatitis screening in transgender patients undergoing gender identity hormonal therapy
  • What’s Up!

Pack Health Don’t forget to check out Pack Health: a free resource to help patients navigate their HCV treatment journey from applying for treatment to cure.

      1. Enter your contact info
      2. Use promo code: HCV2017
      3. Get 3 months of membership free! As easy as 1-2-3!

Questions? Call us at 885-255-2362 8am-5pm | Monday-Friday • Get a personal Health Advisor to coach you on your journey • Develop a personalized plan – you set the goals, we’ll help you get there • Find answers and accountability to get the results you want • Use the tools and guides we send you to track your progress. 1. Enter your contact info 2. Use promo code: HCV2017 3. Get 3 months of membership free! As easy as 1-2-3! To Your Health, Alan and the team of the HCV Advocate

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