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. 2011 Feb 3;7(2):e1001072. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1001072

Figure 1. Schematic of the population dynamics of RBCs in HCV infected individuals.

Figure 1

A, Before the onset of combination therapy, the production and death rates of RBCs are balanced and the population of RBCs in plasma is constant. B, Following the onset of therapy, ribavirin enters RBCs and increases their death rates. Cells born at different times are exposed to ribavirin for different durations and hence carry different concentrations of ribavirin. The enhanced death rate lowers the RBC population, which triggers an increase in the RBC production from the bone marrow by a negative feedback through the hormone erythropoietin.