Search results for "HBeAg"
showing 10 items of 61 documents
Mutation specific PCR and direct solid phase sequencing assay for the detection of hepatitis B virus pre-C/C mutants in anti-HBe-positive, chronic he…
1994
Sequence analysis of the HBV DNA from patients with anti-HBe+, chronic hepatitis B revealed that the lack of HBeAg is mostly due to a single GA transition at nucleotide position 1896, resulting in a translational stop codon. A point mutation-specific polymerase chain reaction (msPCR) for the detection of this genetic variant was established. Two serologically defined groups of patients with symptomatic chronic hepatitis B (HBeAg+ n = 14, anti-HBe+ n = 11) were included in this study. Viral DNA from 43 sera (26 eAg+/17 anti-HBe+) was amplified twice, using two different sets of PCR primers. Each set contained the same — strand primer, but the + strand primers differed at their 3′-end, thus b…
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…
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.…
Survival and prognostic factors in 366 patients with compensated cirrhosis type B: a multicenter study.
1994
A multicenter longitudinal study was performed to assess the survival of hepatitis B surface antigen positive compensated cirrhosis, primarily in relation to hepatitis B virus replication and hepatitis delta virus infection, and to construct a prognostic index based on entry characteristics. This cohort study involved nine university medical centers in Europe. Three hundred and sixty-six Caucasian HBsAg positive patients with cirrhosis who had never had clinical manifestations of hepatic decompensation were enrolled and followed for a mean period of 72 months (6 to 202 months). Inclusion criteria were biopsy-proven cirrhosis, information on serum hepatitis B e antigen and antibody to hepati…
Interferon alfa for chronic hepatitis B infection: Increased efficacy of prolonged treatment
1999
Interferon alfa (IFN-alpha) is the primary treatment for chronic hepatitis B. The standard duration of IFN-alpha therapy is considered 16 weeks; however, the optimal treatment length is still poorly defined. We evaluated the efficacy and acceptability of prolonged IFN-alpha treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B. To investigate whether treatment prolongation could enhance the rate of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion, we conducted a prospective, controlled, multicenter trial in which all patients were treated with a standard regimen of 10 million units IFN-alpha 3 times per week over 16 weeks. Patients who were still HBeAg-positive after 16 weeks of therapy were randomize…
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 …
Pilot study of natural human interleukin-2 in patients with chronic hepatitis B
1993
Ten patients with chronic hepatitis B received increasing doses of nIL-2 (30 000 U, 100 000 U, 300 000 U, 1.0 million U) subcutaneously in a phase I trial. Each dose was applied once per week over 3 weeks. Serum samples were taken before and 2, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after the first application of each dose level. Serum concentrations of interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-2, IL-6, interferon-alfa (IFN- α ), IFN- γ , tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α ) and GM-CSF as well as the cytokine-dependent serum components neopterin, beta-2-microglobulin (B2M), C-reactive protein (CPR), soluble IL-2-receptor (sIL-2R) and 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthetase (2–5 OA) were assayed using ELISAs and RIAs. None of the sample…
IN SITU HYBRIDIZATION FOR DETECTION OF HEPATITIS B VIRUS GENOMES IN LIVER TISSUE OF CHRONIC INFECTED CHILDREN
1990
Detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA in the liver of chronic infected patients is presently the most sensitive marker of viral replication and infectivity. In situ hybridization (ISH) allows the direct visualization of HBV infected liver cells and distribution of the viral sequences. This study was done to establish ISH and correlate the findings with conventional markers for HBV infection. Methods. Liver biopsies of 50 patients (28 ♂, 22 ♀) aged 0.5-20 years (mean 10.3) with various histological diagnoses were tested by 1SH. The HBV-DNA probe was labeled by nick translation with 35S-CTP to a specific activity of 3-5×108 cpm/μg DNA. Results. HBV-DNA/mRNA could be demonstrated in 38 pati…
CHARACTERIZATION OF CHRONIC HEPATITIS B IN CHILDHOOD USING MOLECULAR BIOLOGY TECHNIQUES
1992
The introduction of molecular biology techniques in the diagnostics of chronic hepatitis B virus infection proved HBV DNA to be the most sensitive marker of viral replication and infectivity. The aim of our study was to characterize the HBV DNA status in children with chronic hepatitis B with various molecular biology techniques in relation to conventional HBV markers. Methods: 206 sera of 172 and liver tissue of 108 children with chronic hepatitis B infection were investigated by dot blot-, Southern blot-, and in situ hybridization. In dot blot and Southern blot negative specimens polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed. Results: 111 of the 206 sera were positive for HBV DNA by dot b…