ALCOHOL/CELLULAR IMMUNITY IN HCV AND HIV INFECTION

高达3%的世界人口感染丙型肝炎病毒(丙型肝炎病毒)， 嗜肝RNA病毒，导致急性和慢性肝炎以及 肝硬变和肝细胞癌。丙型肝炎病毒感染导致慢性 大多数病例(85%)，尽管可检测到抗病毒免疫反应，最近 研究表明，病毒特异性T细胞在人类免疫缺陷中发挥重要作用。 丙型肝炎病毒感染的结局。有趣的是，丙型肝炎病毒感染率高达7倍。 在酗酒的个人中比在普通人群中流行，并且慢性 丙型肝炎病毒感染患者饮酒与肝脏加速有关 肝癌的疾病进展和发展。虽然酒精是已知的 抑制细胞免疫反应，对酒精的影响知之甚少 丙型肝炎病毒感染者丙型肝炎病毒特异性T细胞应答的研究因此， 此应用程序的主要目的是确定长期饮酒是否会导致 在致病的丙型肝炎病毒特异性T细胞反应中进一步促进肝脏 损害比病毒控制更重要。此外，我们将确定在多大程度上 这种情况在戒酒后可能会逆转。

Up to 3% of the world population is infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), a hepatotropic RNA virus that causes acute and chronic hepatitis as well as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV infection results in chronicity in most cases (85%) despite detectable antiviral immune response, and recent studies suggest that virus-specific T cells play an important role in the outcome of HCV infection. Interestingly, HCV infection is up to 7 fold more prevalent in alcoholic individuals than in the general population, and chronic alcohol use in HCV-infected patients is associated with accelerated liver disease progression and development of liver cancer. While alcohol is known to suppress cellular immune response, little is known about the effect of alcohol on HCV-specific T cell response in HCV-infected patients. Therefore, the primary aim of this application is to determine if chronic alcohol use results in a pathogenetic HCV-specific T cell response that promotes further liver damage than virus control. In addition, we will determine the extent to which this may be reversed upon alcohol cessation.