Search results for "HBeAg"

HBV-specific immune defect in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is correlated with a dysregulation of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines.

1999

SUMMARY The aim of this study was to examine the immunomodulating effects of rhIL-12 on the immune response induced by hepatitis B virus (HBV) antigens in clinical subgroups of patients with HBV infection. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 80 patients were stimulated with HBsAg, HBcAg, pre-S1Ag and tetanus toxoid in the absence or presence of IL-12 (0.01, 0.1 and 1 ng/ml). Stimulation by anti-CD3 + anti-CD28 and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were used as controls. Proliferation and cytokine production were determined by 3H-thymidine uptake and ELISA after 72 h. After stimulation with HBV antigens only, production of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) or IL-10 was observed in all pat…

Add-on Peginterferon Alfa-2a significantly reduces HBsAg levels in chronic hepatitis B, HBeAg-negative, genotype D patients fully suppressed on nucle…

2015

Prophylaxis and treatment of hepatitis B in immunocompromised patients.

2007

The literature on hepatitis B virus (HBV) in immunocompromised patients is heterogeneous and referred mainly to the pre-antivirals era. Today a rational approach to the problem of hepatitis B in these patients provides for: (a) the evaluation of HBV markers and of liver condition in all subjects starting immunosuppressive therapies (baseline), (b) the treatment with antivirals (therapy) of active carriers, (c) the pre-emptive use of antivirals (prophylaxis) in inactive carriers, especially if they are undergoing immunosuppressive therapies judged to be at high risk, (d) the biochemical and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) monitoring (or universal prophylaxis, in case of high risk immunos…

HBsAg quantification in HBeAg negative cirrhosis on nucleoside/nucleotide analogue (NA) and risk of development of HCC

2013

Analysis of the precore DNA sequence and detection of precore antigen in liver specimens from patients with anti-hepatitis b e—positive chronic hepat…

1995

A number of naturally occurring hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutants unable to synthesize the hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) have been identified in patients characterized by HBV DNA and anti-HBe in their serum. Because the analysis of the HBV-associated DNA and antigens in the liver tissue is still not complete, we investigated the precore sequence of HBV DNA and its encoded proteins in the liver tissue of 32 patients positive for HBV DNA and anti-HBe in their serum. Three different groups of patients were identified. Group I (n = 14) was characterized by viral DNA sequences with a G-A transition in the distal precore gene region, thus creating a termination codon (TAG). Liver tissue from this g…

Assay of hepatitis B virus DNA by polymerase chain reaction and its relationship to Pre-S- and S-encoded viral surface antigens

1991

The polymerase chain reaction was evaluated as a diagnostic tool in 72 chronic hepatitis B virus carriers. Hepatitis B virus DNA was detectable in the serum of HBsAg—positive virus carriers using aliquots as small as 100 al. The detection limit for cloned hepatitis B virus DNA was 100 ag. Primer pairs for different regions of the HBV genome resulted in different sensitivity. Detection of the amplified hepatitis B virus DNA by Southern blotting and subsequent scintillation counting or densitometry allowed a semiquantitative assay. Using several primer pairs in parallel for optimal detection, all HBeAg-positive HBsAg carriers, 80% of HBe antibody—positive symptomatic HBsAg carriers and 57% of…

Mixed cryoglobulinemia type II in chronic hepatitis B associated with HBe-minus HBV mutant: Cellular immune reactions and response to interferon trea…

1994

The case of a young female patient with chronic active hepatitis B, vasculitic purpura, edema, and circulating immune complexes due to mixed Cryoglobulinemia is described. Serum transami-nases were elevated. Serological assays showed hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody to hepatitis B e antigen (anti-HBe), and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) antibodies but no antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) or antibody to hepatitis delta virus (anti-HDV) antibodies. Using hepatitis B virus-polymerase chain reaction (HBV-PCR) and direct sequencing a precore/core (preC/C) mutant unable to synthesize HBeAg was detected in serum. HBV antigens were demonstrated in the circulatin…

Chronic hepatitis B: Do we know everything or is there still something to learn?

2009

Chronic hepatitis B is a dynamic process with different phases. The progression of liver damage is related to time of infection, linked to the persistence of viral replication, and based on the virus–host interaction. [1]. The course of liver disease can be modified by virological events related to the kinetics of HBV replication and influenced by the host immune system. Knowledge of the natural history of HBV infection and of its viral replication mechanisms suggest the treatment end points and guide the choice of antiviral drugs [2–4]. The key points for the management of chronic hepatitis Ba re: Evaluation of viral status (HBeAg positive or HBeAg negative), staging of liver disease (chro…

Ligase Chain Reaction (LCR®) assay for semi-quantitative detection of HBV DNA in mononuclear leukocytes of patients with chronic hepatitis B

1996

Summary. A ligase chain reaction (LCR®)-based approach to detect hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) is described. Using this new amplification technique, we determined semi-quantitatively the amount of a short HBV S-gene fragment in PBMC lysates of 25 patients with different forms of chronic hepatitis (group A (n= 8), hepatitis B s antigen (HBsAg)+/hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)+; group B (n= 9), HBsAg+/HBeAg-; group C (n= 8), HBsAg-/HBeAg-). The LCR results were compared with the findings obtained with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of three distinct HBV gene regions (preS1/2, S and C) and related to the serological profiles of the patien…

Treatment options in HBV.

2005

The available evidence on interferon-alpha (IFN) treatment for chronic hepatitis B is sufficient to conclude that in patients with HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis, standard IFN therapy significantly improves clearance of HBeAg (number needed to treat [NNT] = 4), loss of HBV-DNA (NNT = 4) and clearance of HBsAg (NNT = 18). HBeAg positive patients with normal or slightly raised ALT should be treated only if there is histological evidence of progressive disease. In patients with HBeAg negative chronic hepatitis, less than 20% of subjects who have achieved an end-of-treatment virological response after a course of standard IFN maintain a sustained virological response in the long-term. IFN tre…