N

• Necroinflammatory activity: Reflects the degree of inflammation and necrosis seen on liver biopsy in a patient with chronic viral hepatitis – the severity of this activity is characterized by a scoring system (Ishak, Knodell, Metavir are examples). Necroinflammatory activity is one of the main predictors of liver disease outcome in hepatitis B; patients with a high activity score are at greater risk of rapid progression of fibrosis and cirrhosis.
• Non-Responder: Failure of the HCV RNA level to drop to undetectable by week 24 of therapy. The definition of undetectable varies based on the sensitivity of the assay used (which can range from 10 to 50 IU/ml in lower limit of detection) and stringency required for a particular treatment regimen. Treatment should be discontinued in such cases.
• Null Responder: A less than 2 log10 decline in HCV RNA levels from baseline value by week 12 of treatment. This is synonymous with an absent early virologic response.