Interleukin-12, a cytokine with an important role against intracellular pathogens, promotes Th1 cell development, cellmediated cytotoxicity, and interferon-gamma production. We investigated the immunoregulatory role of IL-12 in 72 chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers, 33 of whom were monitored longitudinally during interferon-alpha treatment. Serum levels of IL-12 heterodimer, IL-12 p40 sub...

conclusions this study showed a low rate of isolated anti-hbc and occult hbv infection in hd patients. it can be due to improvement of people’s knowledge about hbv transmission routes, hbv vaccination of hd patients and regular surveillance of hbv infection. results a hundredpatients with a mean age of 58.5 ± 16.1 years were enrolled in this study. in total, 56.7% were male and 43.3% female. an...

The competence of non-hepatocytes to support hepatitis B virus (HBV) gene expression and replication was studied by transient transfection of various human cell lines with a head-to-tail dimer of HBV DNA. Independent of their neuroectodermal, mesenchymal or epithelial origin, all non-hepatocyte cell lines tested synthesized and secreted hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B core/e...

OBJECTIVE To determine an association between transmission of hepatitis B virus and secretor and non-secretor status of salivary blood group antigens. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional, analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY The Department of Physiology and Division of Hepatology, College of Medicine, King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of hepatitis B vaccine when added to the routine expanded programme on immunisation under field conditions in rural Africa. DESIGN Infants were immunised according to two schedules--an early schedule at birth, 3 months, and 6 months and a later schedule to correspond with routine vaccination in the expanded programme on immunisation at 3 months, 4 1/2 month...

To evaluate the role of the expression of hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) in liver cell damage the immunoperoxidase staining pattern of cryostat liver biopsy specimens from 16 chronic carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was investigated using three different kinds of anti-HBc antibodies. Polyclonal antibody prepared from recombinant HBcAg seemed to be more sensitive in detecting HB...