Hepatitis B
Is Routine Hepatitis B Screening Necessary Before Starting Cancer Chemotherapy?
- Details
- Category: HBV Testing & Diagnosis
- Published on Tuesday, 13 July 2010 12:49
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Immunosuppressive chemotherapy drugs can potentially cause the immune system to lose control over hepatitis B virus, but HBV screening is not required for all patients about to start cancer treatment, according to a controversial provisional clinical opinion from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) published in the July 1, 2010 Journal of Clinical Oncology. Clinicians may, however, test individuals at risk for infection or known to have been exposed to HBV.
U.S. Hepatitis B Prevalence in the U.S. in the HBV Vaccine Era
- Details
- Category: HBV Prevention
- Published on Friday, 02 July 2010 12:49
- Written by Liz Highleyman
The prevalence of past and present hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection fell by nearly 70% among children in a large household survey of U.S. residents a decade after the introduction of universal HBV vaccination, according to a report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers published in the July 15, 2010 Journal of Infectious Diseases. Hepatitis B prevalence among adults remains high, however, varying considerably among racial/ethnic groups and much greater among foreign-born individuals.
HBeAg Decrease during Treatment Predicts Sustained Response to Pegylated Interferon for Chronic Hepatitis B
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- Category: HBV Treatment
- Published on Friday, 04 June 2010 12:49
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Levels of hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg) during treatment may be a more accurate predictor than hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or HBV viral load for determining which patients will respond to pegylated interferon for chronic hepatitis B, according to a study from Thailand published in the March 2010 issue of Hepatology Research.
How Long Do Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Need to be Treated to Sustain HBeAg Seroconversion?
- Details
- Category: HBV Treatment
- Published on Friday, 25 June 2010 12:49
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Longer treatment with antiviral agents such as lamivudine, and use of pegylated interferon for selected individuals, increases the likelihood of sustained hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion and viral suppression in people with chronic hepatitis B, according to a set of recently published reports. Across the studies, younger age and longer duration of lamivudine therapy predicted sustained response. The data were not entirely consistent, however, indicating the need for further research in this area.
Advocates Rally in San Francisco and Washington to Raise Awareness and Demand Funding for Hepatitis B an C
- Details
- Category: HBV Policy & Advocacy
- Published on Friday, 21 May 2010 14:02
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Hepatitis advocates gathered in San Francisco and Washington, DC, on May 19 -- World Hepatitis Day -- to bring attention to chronic hepatitis B and C and to call for increased funding for public education, testing, treatment, and care. Speakers described their experiences with stigma, difficulty accessing treatment, and side effects and suboptimal effectiveness of current hepatitis C therapies, while expressing hope for new directing-acting HCV drugs that are expected to start becoming available in the next couple years.
Sex Hormone Receptor May Explain Higher Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Men
- Details
- Category: Fibrosis & Cirrhosis
- Published on Tuesday, 08 June 2010 12:49
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Interaction between hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the androgen receptor in the liver promotes viral replication and triggers cell changes that lead to development of hepatocellular carcinoma, according to a study in mice described in the May 19, 2010 issue of Science Translational Medicine. Since men have more active androgen receptors than women, these findings help explain why men with hepatitis B are more prone to liver cancer, and suggest that blocking androgen receptors in the liver might be an effective treatment.
EASL 2010: Spontaneous Undetectable Hepatitis B Virus DNA Is Uncommon, especially without HBeAg Clearance
- Details
- Category: HBV Treatment
- Published on Friday, 14 May 2010 19:17
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Clearance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA from the blood seldom occurs without treatment even after a decade, researchers reported at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL 2010) last month in Vienna. Among people who experience hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg) clearance, however, the likelihood of also achieving undetectable viral load was higher, approaching 50% at 10 years.
Safety Review Clears Continuation of Hepislav Hepatitis B Vaccine
- Details
- Category: Experimental HBV Drugs
- Published on Friday, 04 June 2010 12:49
- Written by Dynavax
Dynavax Technologies announced this week that a Data Safety Monitoring Board has reviewed interim data from more than 2000 participants in 2 Phase 3 studies of the company's investigational hepatitis B vaccine, Hepislav, and determined that the trial may go forward without modification.
EASL 2010: Measurable Neurocognitive Impairment Persists after Episodes of Hepatic Encephalopathy in People with Liver Cirrhosis
- Details
- Category: HBV Disease Progression
- Published on Tuesday, 11 May 2010 12:56
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Changes in working memory, psychomotor speed, and other neurocognitive measures persist in patients with hepatic encephalopathy due to decompensated liver cirrhosis, according to research presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL 2010) last month in Vienna. A related study presented at the Digestive Disease Week conference (DDW 2010) last week in New Orleans found that more than half of people with compensated cirrhosis (mostly due to hepatitis C) showed signs of neurocognitive impairment, indicating that mild hepatic encephalopathy is common even among individuals without severe liver disease.
More Articles...
- Longer Treatment with Pegylated Interferon Works Better for Hepatitis B Genotype D
- San Francisco Launches Hepatitis B Campaign to Raise Awareness in Asian Community
- EASL 2010: Tenofovir (Viread) Effective for Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with Suboptimal Response to Adefovir (Hepsera)
- EASL 2010: MARS and Prometheus Artificial Liver Devices Offer Some Benefits for Patients with Liver Failure, but Did Not Improve Survival
- EASL 2010: HBV DNA and HBsAg Levels Predict Likelihood of Sustained Response to Pegylated Interferon for Hepatitis B
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