Background: Natural killer (NK) cells may be impaired in patients with persistent hepatitis C
virus (HCV) infection, but studies to date have yielded inconsistent findings due to patient …

The tolerogenic nature of the liver allows daily exposure to gut-derived foreign Ags without
causing inflammation, but it may facilitate persistent infection in the liver. NK cells play a …

IL-15 has a broad spectrum of biological activities. It is crucial for the development,
proliferation, survival and differentiation of multiple cells from both innate and adaptive …

CD56pos natural killer (NK)/natural T (NT) cells are important innate effectors providing the
first line of defense against viral infection. Enhanced NK activity has been shown to protect …

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Natural killer (NK) cells provide early defense against viral
infections by killing infected cells and producing cytokines that inhibit viral replication. NK …

Obligate intracellular parasites such as the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have to cope intensively
with immune responses in order to establish persistent infection. Powerful antiviral …

Natural killer cells (NK s) are involved in every stage of hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection, from
protection against HCV acquisition and resolution in the acute phase to treatment‐induced …

An effective immune response to an invading viral pathogen requires the combined actions
of both innate and adaptive immune cells. For example, NK cells and cytotoxic CD8 T cells …

In 1989, hepatitis C virus (HCV) was first identified as the infectious agent responsible for
human non-A, non-B hepatitis. Two decades later, HCV remains a global public health …

Eur J Clin Invest 2010; 40 (9): 851–863 Abstract Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and
hepatitis C virus (HCV) are major human hepatotropic pathogens responsible for a large …