Ubiquitin-specific protease 18 (USP18, also known as UBP43) has both interferon stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) dependent and ISG15-independent functions. By silencing the expression of USP18 in HepG2.2.15 cells, we studied the effect of USP18 on the anti-HBV activity of IFN-F and demonstrated that knockdown of USP18 significantly Inhibited the HBV expression and increased the expression of ISGs. Le...

background occult hepatitis b virus infection (obi) is defined as the presence of hepatitis b virus (hbv) dna in the liver and/or in the serum of patients with negative results of hepatitis b s antigen (hbsag) test with or without serological markers of previous viral exposure. the impact of obi in patients with chronic hepatitis c (chc) is still unclear. objectives the aim of this study was to...

background: hepatitis c (hcv) is a worldwide problem without an effective vaccine with more than 170 million chronically infected people worldwide. dna vaccines expressing antigenic portions of the virus with adjutants have recently been developed as a novel vaccination technology. objectives: in the present study, a dna vaccine expressing hcv core protein was developed with il12 as a genetic a...

the burden of exposure to blood-borne pathogens (such as hepatitis b and c viruses) is considerable for health care workers. hepatitis virus transmission requires a non-immune host, an infectious source, and skin or mucous membrane injury. these three aspects are the main fields for preventional interventions. we reviewed major recent studies on this topic to identify precautions health care wo...

The methylation of various hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA sequences was examined using the restriction endonucleases Hpa II and Msp I. HBV DNA from virions (Dane particles) and virus-infected liver tissue was digested with Hpa II or Msp I and fractionated by electrophoresis in agarose gels, and the restriction enzyme cleavage pattern was examined by Southern blot analysis. No methylation of the 5'...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are a global public health problem. Chronic hepatitis (CHB) infection is associated with an increased risk of cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In virus-infected liver cells, HBsAg produced in excess secreted into the blood, where it serves as marker for active infectivity. Currently, recombinant used HBV vaccination, develo...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether prolonged infection with hepatitis B virus is associated with a lower blood cholesterol concentration. DESIGN Cross sectional study. SETTING 81 villages in rural China with a high prevalence of chronic infection with hepatitis B virus. SUBJECTS 1556 apparently healthy men aged 35-64 years, randomly selected. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Hepatitis B virus carrier ...

patients and methods five hundred and sixteen serum samples of the patients undergoing hemodialysis and kidney transplantation from various cities of khuzestan province were collected. anti-hepatitis g e2 antibodies were investigated by elisa method. rnas were extracted from serums and hepatitis g rna was detected by rt-pcr. results of the 516 samples, 38 (7.36%) specimens were positive for ant...