Patient records from the Guam Cancer Registry were compared with patients listed in a health department viral hepatitis case registry and the numbers of liver cancer and viral hepatitis cases were compared by ethnicity. Hepatitis C was the form of viral hepatitis most common among liver cancer cases on Guam (63.3% of viral hepatitis-associated liver cancer cases). Since viral hepatitis is an im...

BACKGROUND At present, therapy of children with chronic hepatitis B and C is still based on few drugs, all burdened by a series of side-effects, unsatisfactory serum conversion rates, and/or drug-resistance. Moreover, selection of subjects to treat with conventional therapies is not univocal, especially during the pediatric age when the disease course is often mild with significant spontaneous ...

The large decrease in the cost of vaccines against hepatitis virus B prompts a re-examination of nationwide vaccination campaign strategies. The present study estimates the costs and benefits that would result from a viral hepatitis B prevention programme (with no prior screening) targeted at all under-16-year-olds in Israel in 1990 and only neonates in the period 1991-2034. Israel is situated ...

Although currently available therapies for chronic hepatitis B virus infection can suppress viremia and provide long-term benefits for patients, they do not lead to a functional cure for most patients. Advances in our understanding of the virus-host interaction and the recent remarkable success of immunotherapy in cancer offer new and promising strategies for developing immune modulators that m...

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), a small, non-enveloped RNA virus in the family Hepeviridae, is associated with endemic and epidemic acute viral hepatitis in developing countries. Our 3.5-A structure of a HEV-like particle (VLP) shows that each capsid protein contains 3 linear domains that form distinct structural elements: S, the continuous capsid; P1, 3-fold protrusions; and P2, 2-fold spikes. The S ...

The present study was designed to determine if highly conserved hepatitis B virus (HBV)-derived peptides that bind multiple HLA class I alleles with high affinity are recognized as cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes in acutely infected patients. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 67 patients with acute hepatitis B, and 12 patients convalescent from acute hepatitis B, were stimulated wit...

Hepatitis a general term which refers to inflammation of the liver. It may result from various causes, both infectious ( viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic) noninfectious (alcohol, drugs, autoimmune diseases, metabolic diseases). The hepatitis B X protein (HBx) plays role in epigenetic regulation HBV replication. Real-time PCR has catalysed wider acceptance because it is more rapid, sensit...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of posttransfusion and community-acquired hepatitis, and a majority of individuals infected with this virus will subsequently develop chronic hepatitis. Characterization of the host immune response to this infection is an important first step that should facilitate the development of immunomodulatory agents and vaccines. Cellular immune responses, especi...

PROBLEM/CONDITION In the United States, acute viral hepatitis most frequently is caused by infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), or hepatitis C virus (HCV). These unrelated viruses are transmitted through different routes and have different epidemiologic profiles. Safe and effective vaccines have been available for hepatitis B since 1981 and, for hepatitis A, since 19...