Search results for "Digest"

Semiquantitative assessment of pre-core stop-codon mutant and wildtype hepatitis B virus during the course of chronic hepatitis B using a new PCR-bas…

1996

In most patients with chronic hepatitis B positive for antibodies (anti-HBe) to HBe antigen (HBeAg), a pre-core mutant hepatitis B virus (HBV) with a point-mutation at nt. 1896 can be isolated. Clinical significance of the mutant virus in chronic hepatitis B is not proven yet, and screening of large numbers of sera during different clinical courses of numerous patients is necessary. We therefore aimed to develop a fast and reliable assay, that allows to discriminate wildtype from nt. 1896 G-->A mutant HBV and to determine the ratio of mutant and wildtype HBV in patients' sera. A mutation specific polymerase chain reaction (ms PCR) with new primers served to distinguish nt. 1896 G-->A mutant…

Persistent expression of hepatitis C virus genome in primary tumor and adrenal metastasis of a hepatocellular carcinoma developed in a non-cirrhotic …

1996

To the Editor: There is increasing evidence that chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients seronegative for hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg). In western countries, HCCs occur in anti-HCV positive patients mostly in association with cirrhosis, which can be considered as a precancerous condition (1). However, there are rare cases of HCC that were found in anti-HCV positive patients without pre-existing liver cirrhosis (2). We report here the detection of HCV RNA in a primary HCC derived from an HCV-infected patient with a non-cirrhotic liver and its persistent expression in an adrenal metastasis that developed…

An outbreak of HBV and HCV infection in a paediatric oncology ward: Epidemiological investigations and prevention of further spread

2003

Hospital-acquired hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus (HCV) infections continue to occur despite increased awareness of this problem among the medical community. One hundred six patients were infected in a haematology oncology ward for children, over the time period 1996 to 2000. Serum samples from 45 such patients and 3 from infected medical personnel were used for nucleic acid amplification. HBV core, as well as HCV core and hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) nucleotide sequences, were analysed by phylogenetic tree analysis, in order to characterise the epidemiological pattern of viral transmission on the ward. Samples from 32 patients were positive for HBV-DNA or HCV-RNA by PCR. Ten patients were p…

2019

Background: Accurate assessment of hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic HBeAg-negative Hepatitis B is of crucial importance not only to predict the long-term clinical course, but also to evaluate antiviral therapy indication. The aim of this study was to prospectively assess the utility of point shear wave elastography (pSWE) for longitudinal non-invasive fibrosis assessment in a large cohort of untreated patients with chronic HBeAg-negative hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Methods: 407 consecutive patients with HBeAg-negative HBV infection who underwent pSWE, transient elastography (TE) as well as laboratory fibrosis markers, including fibrosis index based on four factors (FIB-4), a…

The long-term course of chronic hepatitis B

1999

The aim of this study was to assess the long-term outcome in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients according to HBV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis D virus (HDV) replication, focusing on survival, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A cohort of 302 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive subjects (mean age, 34 +/- 15.3 years; male/female 214/88; 39 subjects under 14 years) with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis (86 with cirrhosis) was prospectively assessed, with a median follow-up of 94 +/- 37.6 months. One hundred nine patients received interferon alfa (IFN). At baseline, 86 subjects (28.5%) were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive (wild-type HBV), 80 (26.…

Mosaic particles formed by wild-type hepatitis B virus core protein and its deletion variants consist of both homo- and heterodimers.

2003

AbstractCo-expression in Escherichia coli of wild-type (wt) hepatitis B virus core protein (HBc) and its naturally occurring variants with deletions at amino acid positions 77–93 or 86–93 leads to formation of mosaic particles, which consist of three dimer subunit compositions. These compositions are wt/variant HBc heterodimers and two types of homodimers, formed by wt HBc or the variant HBc themselves. Mosaic particles were found also when both HBc deletion variants 77–93 and 86–93 were co-expressed in E. coli. These findings are discussed in terms of their significance for hepatitis B virus pathogenesis and prospective use of mosaic particles in vaccine development.

Hepatitis C virus antibody secretion in vitro by peripheral blood lymphocytes.

1992

A recombinant polypeptide corresponding to a virus-specific cDNA clone (c100-3) serves as the antigen for a hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody assay. Previous investigations have shown an 80% prevalence of HCV antibodies in sera of patients suffering from post-transfusional chronic hepatitis non-A, non-B, but positive results were also obtained for 30 to 70% of sera from patients with chronic hepatitis B or autoimmune hepatitis. In this study we show that HCV antibodies are secreted by peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in vitro. PBL from 12/35 patients with chronic non-A, non-B hepatitis and 1/6 patients with chronic active hepatitis B spontaneously secreted HCV antibodies in cell culture su…

Failure of acyclovir to enhance the antiviral effect of α lymphoblastoid interferon on HBe-seroconversion in chronic hepatitis B

1992

Serum HBeAg levels and HBe-seroconversion were investigated in patients with chronic HBeAg-positive hepatitis who were randomized to receive either alpha lymphoblastoid interferon (5 megaunits subcutaneously daily for 16 weeks) plus acyclovir (2 g intravenously daily during weeks 1 and 2 and weeks 9 and 10) (n = 49) or no treatment (n = 48). HBeAg levels in serial dilutions of patient serum were assessed quantitatively by radioimmunoassay and compared with the values found for negative control serum. One year after the start of therapy 44 treated patients and 43 control patients were available for follow-up. A complete response (HBe-seroconversion) occurred in 11 treated patients (25%) and …

Liver diseases and hepatitis B virus antigens and antibodies in chronic HBsAg carriers in childhood

1980

Liver biopsies were obtained from 109 children who had been chronic carriers of HBsAg for more than 6 months. The specimens were examined for the presen Ice of intracellular HBsAg, HBcAg and HBeAg by direct immunofluorescence. Sera were tested for HBeAg, virus B specific DNA polymerase, anti-HBs, anti-HBe and anti-HBc. On the basis of accepted histological criteria we found chronic active hepatitis (CAH) in 56 and chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH) in 19 children. 15 cases had minimal changes (minimal hepatitis, MH) and 19 normal liver tissue (healthy HBsAg carriers, HC). Children with CAH and CPH had HBeAg, DNA polymerase and anti-HBc in their serum. HBcAg and HBeAg were found in 5-50% of …

Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation and Alemtuzumab Therapy.

2004

Abstract Reactivation of hepatitis B virus infection in subjects receiving cytotoxic treatment for haematological malignancies occurs in 21–53% of chronic HBsAg carriers and in an unknown number of HBsAg negative subjects harbouring occult HBV infection. Immunotherapy with alemtuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against CD52 on lymphoid cells, produces deep immunosuppression. We describe two subjects with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and occult HBV infection who developed a virological and biochemical flare of hepatitis B following immunotherapy with alemtuzumab. One of them developed a full blown hepatitis with seroreversion from anti-HBs to HBsAg after four weeks of alemtuzumab. Lam…