Fabrício–Silva GM, et al. – The researchers investigated cytokine gene polymorphisms as a candidate for susceptibility to persistent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection or HCV spontaneous clearance in a population from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In a Brazilian population, interleukin (IL)–28B polymorphisms were associated with spontaneous clearance of HCV and response to therapy. IL–6 (–174) C allele was also involved in spontaneous recovery (SR) and decreased inflammation scores.