In order to estimate the prevalence of serological markers of exposure to Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), 295 subjects were selected at random from the National Registry of human immunodeficiency virus positive subjects. Evidence of exposure to HBV was defined as: testing Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-Hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) positive or anti-HBc positive only. Overall, 133 (...

Molecular biology techniques are routinely used to diagnose and monitor treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. These tools can detect and quantify viral genomes and analyze their sequence to determine their genotype or subtype and to identify nucleotide or amino acid substitutions associated with resistance to antiviral drugs. They inc...

A study of 52 liver biopsies (47 hepatitis type B and 5 asymptomatic carriers) was performed to clarify the roles of HBe antigen (HBeAg), HB surface antigen (HBsAg) and HB core antigen (HBcAg). In this study, the Gudat classification was modified so as to classify the patterns of HB antigens into six reaction types including: type O (negative for both liver HBsAg and liver HBcAg), type III-A (c...

This study describes a new strategy toward the development of advanced immunosensors based on chemically functionalized magnetic-core/porous-shell CoFe2O4/Cu2O composite nanoparticles, and the preparation, characterization, and measurement of relevant properties of the immunosensor useful for the detection of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in clinical immunoassay. The immunosensor based on...

Recombinant viral or virus-like particles offer new tools for vaccine development. This study investigated hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) capsids and RNA phage Qbeta coats as carriers of a foreign epitope to induce antibody responses in mice. HBcAg capsids were shown to induce T cell-independent (TI) antibodies. We found that these particles behave as antigen-specific TI type 1 (TI-1) Ag comp...

Virus-associated particles have been isolated from the livers of three common gray tree squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis pennsylvanicus) that have histological evidence of hepatitis. Two of these livers were also positive by orcein staining, suggesting the presence of surface antigen in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes. Fractionation of these particles by CsCl density equilibrium gradient centrifuga...

Background Infants of diabetic mothers (IDMs) have significantly greater risk for spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, congenital malformations and perinatal mortality and morbidity but whether maternal DM affects the neonatal innate immune system is unknown. We aimed to assess the immune response of infants of diabetic mothers (IDMs) with non-gestational DM for Hepatitis B vaccine and to compare ...

INTRODUCTION Co-infections between hepatitis B and HIV viruses are frequent due to their similar epidemiological characteristics. Worldwide, hepatitis B infection is one of the main causes of hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis. In Cuba as elsewhere, prevalences of hepatitis B and hepatitis C viral infections are higher in persons with HIV. These hepatitis viruses act as opportunistic infect...