Search results for "HBeAg"
showing 10 items of 61 documents
Alpha-Interferon Treatment in HBeAg Positive Children with Chronic Hepatitis B and Associated Hepatitis D
1998
The main problem of children with HBeAg positive hepatitis B and associated hepatitis D is progression to liver cirrhosis with decompensation of liver function and need for liver replacement therapy within 15-20 years after infection. To determine whether interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy has a positive effect on HBV replication and inflammatory activity, we evaluated clinical and serological data of 8 children treated with IFN-alpha and 6 historic control patients without treatment. 4 of the nontreated patients seroconverted from HBeAg to anti-HBe between 7 to 17 years after initial diagnosis and showed decreased inflammatory activity in the liver. In the treatment group, the rate of se…
Add-on peginterferon alfa-2a to nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy for Caucasian patients with hepatitis B ‘e’ antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B genot…
2019
Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) and peginterferon have complementary effects in chronic hepatitis B, but it is unclear whether combination therapy improves responses in genotype D-infected patients. We conducted an open-label study of peginterferon alfa-2a 180 μg/week added to ongoing NA therapy in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative, genotype D-infected patients with HBV DNA <20 IU/mL. The primary endpoint was proportion of patients with ≥50% decline in serum HBsAg by the end of the 48-week add-on phase. Seventy patients received treatment, 11 were withdrawn at week 24 for no decrease in HBsAg, and 14 withdrew for other reasons. Response rate (per-protocol population) was 67.4% (29/43) at…
Modification of Hepatitis B Virus Infection by Recombinant Leukocyte Alpha A Interferon
1986
A defect in alpha interferon production in patients with chronic type B hepatitis offers a rationale principle for treating this disease with interferon. Two trials with interferon in chronic type B hepatitis indicate that this therapy achieves an elimination of HBsAg and HBeAg significantly higher than spontaneous. Our study and that of others indicate, however, that the response to interferon therapy is dependent on many variables including: the type of interferon, the interferon dose, duration of interferon treatment, sex, sexual preference in men and coinfection with other viruses. As of the multiple modes of action of interferon, a better understanding of viral replication, of the anti…
Treatment of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive chronic hepatitis with recombinant leucocyte α-A interferon
1986
A total of 32 individuals with HBsAg-positive and anti-delta-negative chronic hepatitis were treated with recombinant alpha-A interferon in phase I and phase II studies. In 5/32 patients HBsAg could be eliminated and in 19/32 individuals HBeAg became negative including all those who also eliminated HBsAg. Side-effects were tolerable in most patients and were readily reversible upon discontinuation of interferon therapy. In conclusion, treatment of HBsAg-positive chronic hepatitis with interferon seems to be a promising therapeutic approach. Future studies will have to establish the optimal dose, duration of treatment and factors predicting a favourable outcome of the treatment.
Evolving clinical landscape of chronic hepatitis B: A multicenter Italian study
2009
The aim of the study was to evaluate the characteristics of chronic hepatitis B with special reference to the geographical origin of the patients and to the prevalence of HBeAg and viral and non-viral co-factors of liver disease. A cross-sectional multicenter survey was undertaken, which enrolled 1,386 HBsAg chronic carriers observed consecutively in 21 referral centers over a 6-month period. The prevalence of HBeAg in patients was 11%; the presence of HBeAg was associated independently with a younger age and co-infection with HIV. Anti-HDV, anti-HCV, or anti-HIV antibodies were detected in 8.1%, 6.5%, and 2%, respectively. However, among the patients first diagnosed during the study period…
Hepatitis B Virus DNA in Liver Tissue of Chronic HBsAg Carriers in Childhood and Its Relationship to Other Viral Markers
1992
The aim of the study was to examine the state of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in liver tissue of 103 children with chronic hepatitis B aged 0.5-18 years to detect free and integrated viral sequences by Southern blot hybridization. HBV DNA was found in 74 patients. Seventy-two were seropositive for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and two had anti-HBe antibodies. Integrated sequences could be demonstrated in two children. One of them had only integrated HBV DNA and was anti-HBe seropositive. The other one presented both free and integrated viral sequences and developed seroconversion from HBeAg to anti-HBe 5 months after biopsy. In 29 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers, no HBV DNA coul…
Hepatitis B virus infection in native versus immigrant or adopted children in Italy following the compulsory vaccination.
2001
Background: Compulsory vaccination of children against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was introduced in Italy in 1991. Patients and Methods: To evaluate the current importance of pediatric HBV infection, we studied 359 HBsAg-positive children admitted to 16 centers in Italy from 1991 to 1998. 185 patients were natives of Italy and 174 (39 immigrants and 135 adopted) came from highly endemic countries (eastern Europe: 60.9%, Asia: 16.7%, Africa: 14.9% and Central and South America: 5.7%). Results: Transaminase levels were moderately altered in both Italian (mean 134 UI/l) and foreign children (mean 168 UI/l). In total, 77% of Italian children and 88% of foreign children tested HBeAg posit…
Long-term interferon-α treatment of children with chronic hepatitis delta: A multicentre study
1996
We assessed the efficacy of prolonged interferon-alpha (IFN) therapy in children with chronic hepatitis caused by hepatitis delta virus (HDV) by treating 26 paediatric cases with IFN-alpha 2b (5 MU m-2, then 3 MU m-2 three times weekly for 12 (medium-term group MTG) or 24 months (long-term group, LTG). Compliance and tolerability were acceptable. At the end of therapy a complete biochemical response [normalization of alanine aminotransferase (ALT)] occurred in 12 children (5/13 in MTG and 7/13 in LTG). A relapse occurred after stopping IFN in 10 cases (five in MTG and five in LTG). Two patients from the LTG had normal liver function tests during 12 months of follow-up. Six of the eight hepa…
Hepatocytes of double-transgenic mice expressing high levels of hepatitis B virus e antigen and interferon-gamma are not injured by HBeAg specific au…
2000
Seroconversion from HBeAg to alphaHBe of persons chronically infected by HBV is usually associated with a transient exacerbation of liver disease and subsequent normalization of liver histology. It is speculated that these clinico-pathological features may be due to the activation of cytodestructive mechanisms by alphaHBe antibodies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the pathogenic potential of alphaHBe antibodies in a transgenic mouse model. Therefore, alphaHBe autoantibodies were elicited in double-transgenic mice expressing high amounts of HBeAg and interferon-gamma in the liver. Interferon-gamma has reviously been shown to play an important role in the development of hepat…
Detection of hepatitis B virus DNA by polymerase chain reaction in serum and liver of children with chronic hepatitis B negative for hepatitis B viru…
1992
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction in the serum of 87 and liver tissue of 40 children with chronic hepatitis B, negative for HBV DNA by dot blot and Southern blot hybridization, respectively. In sera HBV DNA could be detected in 73 hepatitis B surface antigen carriers; 14 were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), 56 were anti-HBe-seropositive and 3 had neither HBeAg nor positive anti-HBe. In 14 anti-HBe-positive patients no HBV DNA could be found. Viral sequences in liver tissue were present in 33 specimens; 20 were HBeAg and 13 were anti-HBe-seropositive. All of the 7 negative children had anti-HBe. Our results confirm polymerase chain reaction to be a more sen…