BACKGROUND Some bacterial and viral infections may reduce the risk of atopy, and this is based on the concept of their ability to divert the immune system towards the Th1 responses. Most of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections occur in the developing countries and this is where atopic disorders are least prevalent. Th1 responses are important for the viral clearance of HBV and also for antibo...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine in susceptible spouses at the time of marriage. METHODS From April 2003 to December 2005, 60 cases of susceptible wives of infected husbands and 32 cases of susceptible husbands of the infected wives in Babol north of Iran, received recombinant hepatitis B (HB) vaccine at the time of marriage followed with the second and th...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) immune globulin (HBIg) administration will prevent HBV graft reinfection in HBV patients after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). However, the expenditure for such prophylaxis is extremely high ranging between $2,000 to $10,000 per month in various countries for an undefined period and presumably for life. As a consequence, there is a need for introduction of additi...

BACKGROUND In 2001, two hexavalent vaccines were licensed in Italy (Hexavac, Infanrix Hexa), and since 2002 were extensively used for primary immunization in the first year of life (at 3, 5, 11/12 months of age). In 2005, the market authorization of Hexavac was precautionary suspended by EMEA, because of doubts on long-term protection against hepatitis B virus. The objectives of this study were...

BACKGROUND Patients on chronic hemodialysis have a lower immune response to vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) than the general population. AIM To identify factors that may interfere with immunization against hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Brazilian hemodialysis patients and analyze the evolution of the level of antibodies. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective longitudinal study, using...

BACKGROUND Detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genomes without detectable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBs-Ag) is termed occult HBV infection (OHBV) that may be transmitted by blood transfusion or organ transplantation and has acute reactivation when an immunosuppressive status like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection occurs. We aimed to evaluate OHBV in HIV-infected patients with iso...

Haemangioblastoma (HBs) may occur sporadically in the central nervous system, or in association with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. Haemangioblastoma of the central nervous system is often seen in the posterior cranial fossa. VHL is an autosomaly dominant disorder. In sporadic HBs tumours, VHL alleles are reported to be inactive in up to 50% of tumours. Five patients with tumours of the poste...

Background. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection poses a major health problem worldwide. approximately 1 million deaths annually due to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Objectives. This study was conducted to determine the coverage rate of HBV vaccine and assess the vaccine protective response among children under five years old in rural areas of Yemen. Methods. A cross-sectional study was ...