Search results for "Viral hepatitis"

Chronic hepatitis B: who to treat and which choice of treatment?

2009

The goal of antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B is to prevent, through persistent suppression of HBV replication, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, seven drugs are available: IFN-alpha, pegylated interferon, lamivudine, adefovir dipivoxil, entecavir, telbivudine and tenofovir. The choice of the drugs should always take into consideration the clinical features of patients, the antiviral efficacy of each drug, the risk of developing resistance, the long-term safety profile, the method of administration and the cost of therapy. Ideal candidates for treatment are hepatitis B e antigen-positive patients with a prolonged phase of immune clearance and hepatitis …

Epidemiology and molecular investigation of hepatitis C infection following holiday haemodialysis

2012

Background: Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) is not infrequent among haemodialysis patients. Most published reports suggest that patient-to-patient spread, either directly or indirectly, is the most common mode of transmission in renal units. Aim: To investigate the source of an outbreak, and the route of transmission, of acute HCV infection in two Scottish patients occurring within eight weeks of receiving haemodialysis in the same unit while on holiday in Majorca. Methods: This was an international epidemiological and molecular investigation of HCV infection among a cohort of haemodialysis patients from nine countries. Findings: No further HCV-positive infections were observed among resi…

A molecular assembly system that renders antigens of choice highly repetitive for induction of protective B cell responses.

2002

Virus like particles (VLPs) are known to induce potent B cell responses in the absence of adjuvants. Moreover, epitope-specific antibody responses may be induced by VLPs that contain peptides inserted in their immunodominant regions. However, due to steric problems, the size of the peptides capable of being incorporated into VLPs while still permitting capsid assembly, is rather limited. While peptides genetically fused to either the N- or C-terminus of VLPs present fewer assembly problems, the immune responses obtained against such epitopes are often limited, most likely because the epitopes are not optimally exposed. In addition, such particles may be less stable in vivo. Here, we show th…

Surgical therapy of liver cancer: resection and transplantation

2008

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and is estimated to cause approximately half a million deaths per year. Most tumours (80%) develop in cirrhotic livers caused by viral hepatitis C or B and alcoholic liver disease. In the natural course survival depends on the stage of the disease. At an early stage 3-year survival is 65% without treatment, in the intermediate stage between 10% and 50% of patients are reported to be alive after 2 years, and in the final stage median survival only rarely exceeds 6 months. Surgical treatment is capable of doubling survival. The results of local ablative treatment in early carcinoma are very similar to surgical treatment1…

The impact of antiviral treatments on the course of chronic hepatitis C: an evidence-based approach.

2004

Hepatitis C virus chronic infection is currently the most common cause of end-stage liver disease. The benefit of antiviral therapy on liver histology and its impact on the long-term course of the disease has been extensively studied. However, the results are still equivocal and the overall assessment of treatment effect remains difficult to evaluate. Although the conclusions of the last National Institute of Health Consensus Development Conferences on Hepatitis C have recently been published, several important issues still remain unanswered. We review the available data by an evidence-based approach and conclude that: 1) peginterferon alfa is more effective than conventional interferon in …

Experimental Hepatitis

1994

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the animal models of experimental hepatitis (EAH). EAH was developed as a model of human autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). AIH in humans is a heterogeneous disease, which most often occurs in young females and generally responds very well to immunosuppressive therapy. AIH is often not recognized or is misdiagnosed as chronic non-A, non-B (non-C) viral hepatitis. Even when left untreated for considerable time periods, the disease in some patients is moderate to mild, and transient spontaneous remissions can be observed. EAH in many ways reflects this disease process. EAH also is often mild to moderate, and spontaneous remission occurs. Autoantibodies are cri…

Fibrospleen: Measuring spleen stiffness by transient elastography increases accuracy of staging of liver fibrosis and of portal hypertension in chron…

2009

HSV hepatitis in the mouse: A light and electron microscopic study with immunohistology and in situ hybridization

1988

In order to characterize better the morphology and immune response in acute necrotizing HSV infection, murine HSV hepatitis was examined. BALB/c mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with 10(6) plaque-forming units (PFU) of HSV-1 (Lenette) and HSV-2 (D316). In both groups half the animals were pretreated with silica particles to block macrophage function. Up to 6 days after infection four mice from each group were sacrificed at daily intervals and the livers were examined by light and electron microscopy, immunohistology, in situ hybridization, combined immunohistology/in situ hybridization and titration of viral PFU. HSV-2 infected mice developed severe necrotizing hepatitis with persiste…

Hepatitis C virus prevalence and level of intervention required to achieve the WHO targets for elimination in the European Union by 2030: a modelling…

2017

Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. In the European Union (EU), treatment and cure of HCV with direct-acting antiviral therapies began in 2014. WHO targets are to achieve a 65% reduction in liver-related deaths, a 90% reduction of new viral hepatitis infections, and 90% of patients with viral hepatitis infections being diagnosed by 2030. This study assessed the prevalence of HCV in the EU and the level of intervention required to achieve WHO targets for HCV elimination. Methods We populated country Markov models for the 28 EU countries through a literature search of PubMed and Embase between Jan 1, 2000, and March 31, 201…

Clinical course and management of acute and chronic viral hepatitis during pregnancy.

2014

Summary Pregnancy is a para-physiologic condition, which usually evolves without any complications in the majority of women, even if in some circumstances moderate or severe clinical problems can also occur. Among complications occurring during the second and the third trimester very important are those considered as concurrent to pregnancy such as hyperemesis gravidarum, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, HELLP syndrome and acute fatty liver of pregnancy. The liver diseases concurrent to pregnancy typically occur at specific times during the gestation and they may lead to significant maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality. Commonly, delivery of the foetus, even preterm, usually te…