الفهرس 
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Abstract
Previous studies provided evidence that serum levels of a T cell specific chemokine termed interferon gamma inducible proteinlO (IP-I0) were elevated in HCV infected patients, and that serum IP-I0 concentrations were higher in non-responders and relapsers than in responders to antiviral therapy
The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between pretreatment plasma levels of IP-I0 and the virological response in treated patients with chronic hepatitis C infection.
Forty patients were enrolled in this retrospective randomized study. They were recruited from The Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Inistitute, Cairo, Egypt. All patients had chronic HCV infection and treated with full course of the standerd combination therapy for chronic HCV infection which is pegylated IFN-a2 plus ribavirin for 48 weeks. Patients not completing the full course of treatment were excluded from the study. Also patients not returning after 72 weeks to confirm the SVR were excluded from the study.
The patients were divided into 2 groups: group A; included 35 patients showing SVR (HCV RNA was undetectable 24 weeks after the completion of treatment) and group B; showing no SVR (having a relapse as the serum viral load was undetectable at end of treatment but detectable 24 weeks after the completion of treatment). Group A included 25 males and 10 females, and age ranged from 21 to 58 years. Group B included 2 males and 3 females. Age ranged from 37 to 47 years.
Samples were collected before the start of treatment in the period between (January 2009 - July 2009) and other samples were collected.