BACKGROUND/AIMS Decay of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) titers has previously been shown to be predictive of a virologic response (VR), especially during peginterferon-alpha therapy. However, the role of HBsAg levels in predicting a VR to nucleos(t)ide analog therapy has not yet been established. In this study we sought to determine whether the VR can be predicted from HBsAg titers in nucl...

The prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been reported differently across the world. The present study retrospectively included 675 consecutive IBD patients (449 Crohn's disease, CD and 226 ulcerative colitis,UC) from July 2006 to July 2012. The rates of HBV infection (HBsAg-positive) were 13.6%, 16.8% and 13.8% in patients with CD, UC, and gen...

Complexes between hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) have been detected in acute type B hepatitis. Sequential serum testing for the presence of these complexes has been shown to be the best method for predicting disease chronicity. The presence of HBsAg/IgM complexes was investigated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with selected sera from Senegal. The thre...

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to determine hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance rate among patients treated with lamivudine at a specialized tertiary care referral hospital in Tehran, Iran. METHODS All patients on lamivudine (biovudin®) therapy at a dose of 100 mg/day, who showed seroclearnace between March 2001 and September 2011 were recruited. The main evaluation para...

BACKGROUND Quantitative measurement of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) has been proposed as a surrogate marker of treatment efficacy when HBV DNA load becomes undetectable. Our main objective was to study the kinetics of HBsAg level in HIV-HBV-coinfected patients with undetectable HBV DNA load under treatment containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). METHODS A retrospective analysis...

BACKGROUND Little is known about the risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in patients receiving interferon (IFN)-free direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV). METHODS Patients who were seropositive for HBV core antibody and who received IFN-free DAAs for HCV were enrolled. Hepatitis B virus reactivation was defined as reappearance of serum HBV deoxyribonuclei...

Following earlier studies on high-level intracellular production of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) using recombinant Pichia pastoris, we present here in detail an enhanced method for the purification of recombinant HBsAg virus-like particles (VLPs). We have screened various detergents for their ability to promote the solubilization of recombinant intracellular HBsAg. In addition, we have a...

Diagnosis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection based on hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) detection can be hampered in the setting of HBV reactivation in immunocompromized patients with prior serology indicating past cured infection, and can be associated with severe or fulminant and fatal hepatitis. We present a case of HBV reactivation in a renal transplant patient in whom HBsAg failed to b...

Background/Aims We aimed to clarify the association of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)/hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) with the disease status and treatment response in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Methods We investigated 171 biopsy-proven entecavir-treated CHB patients (109 hepatitis B e antigen [HBeAg]-positive, 62 HBeAg-negative). HBcAg expression was positive when ≥10% of...

The hypothesis that hepatitis B infection is etiologically related to hepatoma has been investigated by studying the interrelationships between hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg, Australia antigen) and the fast-moving 5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterase Band V isoenzyme (5'-NPDase-V). Sera from 58 patients with viral hepatitis were tested for 5'-NPDase-V and HBsAg. The isoenzyme was found in 34 of...