Although a successful vaccine against HBV has been implemented in 184 countries, eradication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is still not on the horizon. There are over 240 million chronic carriers of HBV globally. The risk of developing chronic hepatitis ranges from >90% in newborns of hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg)-positive mothers, 25%-35% in children under 5 years of age and <5% in adults. HBeAg, ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of nucleoside analogues such as Lamivudine, Adefovir,Entacavir, and Tenofovir in patients with chronic hepatitis B who failed to respond to interferon therapy and relapsed. MATERIALS AND METHODS We followed a total of 73 patients with hepatitis B in the hepatitis outpatient clinic in our hospital. The patients subsequently received nu...

BACKGROUND On-treatment decline of serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) may reflect the immunomodulatory effect of pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB). We compared HBsAg decline across HBV genotypes between combined responders (HBeAg loss and HBV DNA<10,000 copies/ml at week 78), HBeAg responders (HBeAg loss with HBV DNA>10,00...

Ribavirin is effective in combination therapies against chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, although its direct antiviral properties are unclear. We therefore studied the immune-modulatory effects of ribavirin on hepatitis B virus (HBV)- and HCV-specific immune responses. During a 24 week placebo-controlled ribavirin trial in ten patients with chronic HCV infection, HCV antibodies and al...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Spontaneous HBeAg seroconversion occurs frequently in the immune reactive phase in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Therefore, observation for 3-6 months before commencing antiviral therapy is recommended in patients with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels that exceed twice the upper limit of normal (ULN). However, HBeAg seroconversion occurs infrequently in patients...

BACKGROUND In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of the most common mutations occurring in Enhancer II (EnhII), Basal Core Promoter (BCP), Precore (PC), and Core (C) regions of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome. OBJECTIVES We also investigated the correlation between HBV variants, their genotypes, and patients' HBe antigen (HBeAg: soluble shape of the capsid antigen) status. PATIENTS AND ...

BACKGROUND Perinatal or mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) results in a high frequency of chronic infection. Risk of mother-to-child transmission is associated with maternal viral factors including hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positivity and viral load. AIM To investigate associations between age, HBeAg status, HBV DNA levels and genotype in female patients screened for ...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes and mutations are gaining importance in determining the clinical course of chronic liver disease. OBJECTIVES To determine and compare the distribution of HBV genotypes and genomic variations in Pakistan to other parts of the world. PATIENTS AND METHODS We conducted a prospective study at Aga Khan University Hospital from December 2006 to December...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes/subgenotypes and their related mutations in the HBV genome have been reported to be associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To determine the HCC-associated mutations of the HBV genome in the entire X, core promoter, and precore/core regions, a cross-sectional control study was conducted comparing 80 Japanese patients infected with HBV C2 and suffering f...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The associations between long-term risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and spontaneous seroclearance of HBV e antigen (HBeAg), HBV DNA and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) have never been examined by a prospective study using serially measured seromarkers. This study aimed to assess the importance of spontaneous HBeAg, HBV DNA and HBsAg seroclearance in the prediction of HCC r...