Reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a potentially fatal complication after anti-B-cell therapy. It can develop not only in patients seropositive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), but also in those with resolved HBV infection who are seronegative for HBsAg but seropositive for antibodies against hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) and/or antibodies against HBsAg (anti-HBs). The ris...

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is responsible for up to 30% of cases of liver cirrhosis and up to 53% of cases of hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver transplantation (LT) is the best therapeutic option for patients with end-stage liver failure caused by HBV. The success of transplantation, though, depends on receiving prophylactic treatment against post-transplant viral reactivation. In ...

AIM To evaluate maternal hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA as risk for perinatal HBV infection among infants of HBV-infected women in California. METHODS Retrospective analysis among infants born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive mothers who received post vaccination serologic testing (PVST) between 2005 and 2011 in California. Demographic information was collected from the California...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) recurrence rates of 0-16% had been reported in patients maintained on nucleoside analogues (NA) after hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) discontinuation after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). However, follow-up in most studies was short. We aimed to determine the long-term risk of HBV recurrence using this strategy. All HBV patients who received > or =7 doses of in...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although the United Kingdom (UK) prevalence of HBV is low, it is increasing. There is some evidence that the rate of infection is much higher in some populations living in Britain of non-white ethnicity or who were not born in Britain, compared with the British-born white population. We examined the prevalence of HBV...

HBs protein is encoded by the pre-S and S genome, and the detection of HBs antigen (HBsAg) in sera is an initial step for the diagnosis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The “a” determinant region (amino acid residues 124–147) is the main epitope for inducing a protective immune response. Mutations in the “a” determinant region, known as escape mutants, affect antigenicity and hinder attemp...

The risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation (HBVr) in chronic HBV carriers, in occult HBV patients or in acute HBV patients affected by psoriasis and treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α agents is a clinical practice issue to face with, particularly if the treatment has a long-term maintenance finality. The aims of this review are to examine the current knowledge on HBVr inciden...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is common in individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus, especially in men who have sex with men (MSM). Almost all currently used regimens of antiretroviral therapy (ART) contain lamivudine (LAM) or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), both of which have significant anti-HBV activity. However, the prophylactic effect of ART on HBV infecti...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation is a serious but preventable complication of immunosuppression. Chemotherapy in patients with lymphoma without specific anti-HBV prophylaxis leads to significant impairment of liver function and results in an overall liver-related mortality of greater than 5%. Prevention is a better approach than intervention at the time of reactivation. The cause of death i...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has a detrimental effect on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) natural course, and HBV vaccination is less effective in the HIV infected. We examine the protective effect of dually active antiretroviral therapy (DAART) for HIV/HBV (tenofovir, lamivudine, and emtricitabine) in a large cohort encompassing heterosexuals, men who have sex with men, and intravenous...