Acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is typically distinguished from chronic disease by a positive IgM anti-hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) test. Patients with chronic hepatitis B remain hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive, often with raised serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities, for more than six months. The presence of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and HBV-DNA correl...

background: hbv and hcv coinfection is common, particularly in endemic areas and among high risk groups. in this study we have investigated the prevalence of hbv/hcv coinfection and compared the biochemical and serological characteristics of such patients compare with the patients having hepatitis c infection alone.   methods: we studied 207 patients diagnosed as having chronic hepatitis c, wit...

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection continues to be an important worldwide cause of morbidity and mortality. All the currently approved therapeutic drugs have their limitations: interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) has limited efficacy and a high incidence of adverse effects; nucleoside analogues are very efficient HBV DNA inhibitors, but resistance occurs eventually. Therefore, it is important t...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the smallest enveloped DNA viruses and infects more than 350 million people worldwide. HBV infection causes acute and chronic hepatitis, and is one of the major causes of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently available therapies can achieve viral suppression, but not termination of HBV infection. HBV replicates its genome via an RNA intermediate in ...

Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in developed countries. Epidemiological reports indicate that the incidence of HBV-related HCC is higher in males and postmenopausal females than other females. Increasing evidence suggests that sex hormones such as androgens and estrogens play an important role in the progression of an HBV infectio...

Human hepatitis B virus (HBV) HBx protein is a multifunctional protein that activates cellular signaling pathways and is thought to be essential for viral infection. Woodchuck HBV mutants that lack HBx are unable to replicate in vivo or are severely impaired. HBV replication in HepG2 cells, a human hepatoblastoma cell line, is stimulated 5- to 10-fold by HBx protein. We have utilized the HepG2,...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects more than 300 million people worldwide and is a common cause of liver disease and liver cancer. HBV, a member of the Hepadnaviridae family, is a small DNA virus with unusual features similar to retroviruses. HBV replicates through an RNA intermediate and can integrate into the host genome. The unique features of the HBV replication cycle confer a distinct ability...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Co-infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals results in increased hepatic complications. We undertook this study to evaluate the presence of HBV and HCV in HIV infected individuals attending a tertiary care centre in southern India. METHODS A total of 120 cases with HIV infection and 12...

BACKGROUND/AIMS The role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in fulminant hepatitis remains controversial. This study was conducted to investigate the risk of fulminant hepatitis C in relation to HCV genotypes and concurrent infection of other viruses. PATIENTS 109 HCV RNA positive patients from 334 consecutive cases hospitalised to a medical centre in northern Taiwan for overt acute viral hepatitis w...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Despite the availability of effective therapies for hepatitis B (HBV) and C virus (HCV), only a minority of these patients receive treatment. We systematically reviewed published data on barriers to management for chronic HBV/HCV patients in Europe. METHODS Literature search to identify studies including adult patients with chronic HBV/HCV infection from European countries a...