This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.This is a study to evaluate the usefulness of certain tests of liver function and liver blood circulation in healthy individuals and those with early stage liver fibrosis associated with hepatitis C virus infection. About 140 individuals are expected to participate. The purpose of this study is to determine how well quantitative liver function tests describe the liver function. These tests are based on hepatic clearance of test compounds from the blood and a nuclear medicine scan of the liver and spleen to determine blood flow. Participants will not receive treatment for hepatitis C infection as part of this study, but if participants are treated for hepatitis C infection by their clinical physician or team, we will perform these liver tests again, 6-8 months after they have finished the treatment. It is thought that these quantitative liver function tests may be better than standard laboratory tests in defining liver health and predicting who will respond to antiviral therapy. In addition, they could be useful in detecting increasing liver disease and predicting which patients will develop serious complications.
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