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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Alanine Transaminase, Biomarkers, Biopsy, CD4 Lymphocyte Count, Case-Control Studies, Cells, Cultured, China, Flow Cytometry, Hepacivirus, Hepatitis C, Chronic, Humans, Interleukin-17, Liver, RNA, Viral, Severity of Illness Index, Th17 Cells, Viral Load, Virus Replication.
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Are th17 cells increased with severity of liver inflammation in patients with chronic hepatitis C? Context: As a newly identified subset of T helper cells, T-helper 17 cells (Th17) are major mediators of inflammation-associated disease. Some reports have revealed significantly increased Th17 cells in hepatitis B virus-infected patients, and a recent study has demonstrated that hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific Th17 cells can be induced in vitro and regulated by transforming growth factor-β. This study attempted to characterize the role of Th17 cells in the disease progression of chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The current study enrolled 53 patients with CHC and 23 healthy controls, in which the circulating and liver-infiltrating Th17 cells were monitored. We found that CHC patients had increased proportions of both circulating and liver-infiltrating Th17 cells compared to healthy individuals, and both measures of Th17 cells were correlated with severity of liver inflammation. We further demonstrated that the HCV-specific Th17 cells were correlated with liver damage but not HCV viral replication.
assistant
Such a correlation between the severity of liver damage of CHC and Th17 cells illustrated in this study sheds some light on the understanding of the pathogenesis of CHC. Final Decision: yes