A randomized study comparing lamivudine monotherapy after a short course of hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIg) and lamivudine with long-term lamivudine plus HBIg in the prevention of hepatitis B virus recurrence after liver transplantation.

Background/aims: To compare the efficacy in preventing hepatitis B virus (HBV) recurrence of lamivudine vs. lamivudine plus hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIg) after a short course of HBIg and lamivudine in liver transplanted chronic hepatitis B patients.

Methods: Forty-six patients with HBV cirrhosis received lamivudine before liver transplantation and were then randomized to receive lamivudine plus HBIg for 1 month followed by lamivudine or both drugs for 17 months.

Hepatitis E virus epidemiology in industrialized countries.

To determine the prevalence of Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in industrialized nations, we analyzed the excretion of HEV strains by the populations of Spain, France, Greece, Sweden, and the United States. Twenty of 46 (43.5%) urban sewage samples collected in Barcelona from 1994 to 2002 tested positive for HEV.

Adefovir dipivoxil.

In chronic hepatitis B therapy there are new and exciting developments in antivirals such as nucleotide analogues. Adefovir is the latest drug approved for therapy of chronic hepatitis B. This agent has a potent in vitro and in vivo effect against herpes virus, retroviruses and hepadnaviruses.

Improvement of regeneration with predegenerated nerve transplants in silicone chambers.

We compared regeneration and reinnervation of target organs after sciatic nerve resection and repair with silicone tubes filled with saline solution or with a peroneal nerve segment as a nerve transplant versus an autologous sciatic nerve graft leaving either 4 mm or 6 mm gaps. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of predegeneration and donor immunogenicity of nerve transplants. Functional reinnervation was assessed by noninvasive methods to determine recovery of sweating, sensory and motor functions in the hindpaw after three months postoperation for 4 mm and four months postoperation for 6 mm gap groups.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin for the treatment of naive patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Aim: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of therapy and analyse the effect of therapy compliance in naive patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Methods: A decision analysis using the Markov model was performed for four different therapeutic strategies using peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin or interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin. Clinical data were obtained from available published reports and from the Spanish health system perspective.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of therapeutic strategies for patients with chronic hepatitis C previously not responding to interferon.

Background: The efficacy of combination therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C previously not responding to interferon monotherapy is lower than that in naive patients, and there has been no economic evaluation in this population.

Aim: To develop a cost-effectiveness analysis of therapeutic regimens with interferon-alpha and ribavirin in previous interferon non-responders.

Methods: A Markov simulation model was used to project the clinical and economic outcomes of five different therapeutic strategies, including a 'no treatment' alternative, using the health care system perspective.

Clinical impact and efficacy of lamivudine therapy in de novo hepatitis B infection after liver transplantation.

De novo hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in patients negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is between 1.7% and 3.5% in areas with a low prevalence of HBV infection.

Meta-analysis: combination therapy with interferon-alpha 2a/2b and ribavirin for patients with chronic hepatitis C previously non-responsive to interferon.

Background: The efficacy of interferon-alpha plus ribavirin treatment for patients not responding to interferon monotherapy is not well established.

Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of combination therapy with interferon-alpha 2a/2b plus ribavirin by performing a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases for randomized clinical trials of interferon-alpha 2a/2b plus ribavirin was conducted independently by two investigators.

[Study of hepatitis B virus replication and infection by other hepatitis viruses in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection].

Aim: To study hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication in a series of patients with HBV infection and to analyze the frequency of associated hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis D (HDV) infection.

Patients And Method: Serological markers of HBV, HCV and HDV, transaminase values and HBV DNA were studied in serum samples from 463 patients with chronic HBV infection.

Results: Three hundred ninety-six (85.

Viral kinetics in genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C patients during therapy with 2 different doses of peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin.

Pegylated interferon (peginterferon) alfa-2b plus ribavirin achieves a higher sustained response rate in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) than standard combination therapy. This study evaluated HCV kinetics throughout therapy with 2 doses of peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin in 55 patients. Twenty-eight patients were randomized to receive a high once-weekly dose of peginterferon alfa-2b (3 microg/kg for 1 week, 1.

Genetic analysis of hepatitis A virus strains recovered from the environment and from patients with acute hepatitis.

The molecular epidemiology of hepatitis A virus (HAV) was studied by analysing HAV strains recovered from environmental water samples over a 7 year period and strains recovered from patients with acute hepatitis over a 5 year period. A total of 54 samples of raw domestic sewage and 66 samples of river water were collected. HAV particles were concentrated and detected by nested RT-PCR.

High-Dose interferon-alpha2b plus ribavirin for retreatment of interferon-nonresponsive patients infected with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus.

Ten patients with interferon-nonresponsive chronic hepatitis C were treated with high-dose interferon-alpha2b (IFN-alpha2b; 20 MU/day for two days, then 3 MU/day for 24 weeks, followed by 3 MU three times weekly for 24 more weeks) plus ribavirin (1000-1200 mg/day). End-of-treatment virologic responses occurred in 50% of cases and sustained virologic responses in 37.5%.

Quantitative detection of hepatitis B virus DNA in serum by a new rapid real-time fluorescence PCR assay.

A sensitive and accurate HBV DNA quantification assay is essential for monitoring hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication. This study evaluated a real-time PCR method performed in the LightCycler analyser for quantitative HBV DNA assay. HBV DNA results with this method were compared with those obtained using a branched-chain DNA (bDNA) solution hybridization assay.

Role of hepatitis B, C, and D viruses in dual and triple infection: influence of viral genotypes and hepatitis B precore and basal core promoter mutations on viral replicative interference.

The interactions among hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis delta virus (HDV) were studied by measuring HBV-DNA and HCV-RNA levels and by determining the influence of viral genotypes and mutations in HBV basal core promoter (BCP) and precore regions. We included 65 consecutive patients, 25 HBV/HCV, 18 HBV/HDV, and 22 HBV/HCV/HDV. Controls consisted of 55 patients with chronic HBV and 55 with chronic HCV infection.

Two years of lamivudine therapy in anti-HBe-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B.

There is no standard therapy for patients with anti-HBe-positive chronic hepatitis B. The aims of this study were to analyse the efficacy of lamivudine therapy for two years in these patients and to study the sequence variations in the precore and polymerase hepatitis B virus (HBV) regions in relation to therapy. Sixteen patients with chronic anti-HBe-positive hepatitis were treated with lamivudine (100 mg) once daily for 2 years.

Quantitative hepatitis B virus DNA testing for the early prediction of the maintenance of response during lamivudine therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

To determine whether a dramatic decrease in hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels within the first months of lamivudine therapy can predict the emergence of YMDD variants in patients with chronic hepatitis B, quantitative testing was done every 3 months on serum samples from 35 patients who were treated with lamivudine for >1 year. The decline in HBV DNA levels from baseline to month 3 was higher in 22 responders than in 13 nonresponders (mean+/-SD, 4.16+/-1.