A high dose, short interval HBV vaccination schedule is safe in individuals with chronic hepatitis C. From these data, it is suggested that a high dose and a short interval between HBV vaccinations may produce an effective and early antibody response in such patients.

The role of procoagulant autoantibodies in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is unclear. Three individuals with HCV infection and a unique genetic hypercoagulable state developed retinal vein thrombosis (RVT) in association with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy. It is probable that a combination of active HCV infection in a genetically susceptible individual receiving IFN-alpha accounted for the observed RVT.

The aim of this study is to assess patients treated for esophageal foreign bodies. The charts of patients (n=177), between January 1994 and April 2009, were investigated retrospectively. Patients' age and gender, locations and types of foreign bodies (FBs) and interventions were taken into consideration. Fifty-seven percent of the patients were male. The youngest patient was 6 months, whereas the oldest was 83 years old. The median age was 9 years. Half of the patients were in their first decade. Treatment took place 11 h (ranging from 1 to 120 h) after impaction of the FB. One hundred fifty-two FBs were removed in 177 patients. Our negative esophagoscopy (n=25) rate was 14%. The FBs were radiopaque in 75% (n=114) and were commonly (71%; n=109) located in the cervical esophagus. Metallic coins (n=81-53%) were the most commonly observed inorganic FB while bones and/or meat impaction (n=54-35%) were the most frequent organic FB. A total of 182 endoscopic interventions were performed on these patients. One hundred eleven of them were esophagoscopy and the remaining 71 were direct laryngoscopy. The FB was pushed into the stomach in 11 patients. Our morbidity rate was 1.6% (n=3). Iatrogenic perforation occurred in two patients. There was no mortality. Esophageal FBs may vary in type: sharp or round objects, metallic, plastic or organic material. FBs are commonly found at pharyngoesophageal junction and usually removed by McGill forceps. Rigid esophagoscopy is used for children and adults because of its large working channel. Rigid instruments are considered reliable and safe for extracting foreign bodies.

ARV medications, particularly the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, can cause a dose-dependent hepatotoxicity that occurs after several months of exposure and possibly result in increasing the adverse effects of alcohol and obesity. Owing to the overlap of ARV medications, the contribution of each class of drugs toward the observed hepatotoxicity is not entirely clear. Liver biopsies should be considered in patients receiving ARV therapy with elevated LFTs and/or evidence of fatty liver.

HIV/HCV coinfection was associated with intravenous drug use but not with sexual risk factors.