Presence of Rheumatoid Factor during Chronic HCV Infection Is Associated with Expansion of Mature Activated Memory B-Cells that Are Hypo-Responsive to B-Cell Receptor Stimulation and Persist during the Early Stage of IFN Free Therapy

• Elane Reyes-Avilés,

  Affiliation Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio, United States of America

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• Lenche Kostadinova,

  Affiliation Divisions of Infectious and Rheumatic Diseases, Department of Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio, United States of America

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• Anne Rusterholtz,

  Affiliation Department of Medicine, VA Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio, United States of America

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• Angelica Cruz-Lebrón,

  Affiliation Divisions of Infectious and Rheumatic Diseases, Department of Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio, United States of America

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• Yngve Falck-Ytter,

  Affiliation Division of Gastroenterology, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio, United States of America

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• Donald D. Anthony

  * E-mail: dda3@case.edu

  Affiliations Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio, United States of America, Divisions of Infectious and Rheumatic Diseases, Department of Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio, United States of America, Department of Medicine, VA Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Ohio, United States of America

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