Viral adaptation to host immune responses occurs in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and adaptation is greatest in HBV e antigen-negative disease.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific T-cell responses are important in the natural history of HBV infection. The number of known HBV-specific T-cell epitopes is limited, and it is not clear whether viral evolution occurs in chronic HBV infection. We aimed to identify novel HBV T-cell epitopes by examining the relationship between HBV sequence variation and the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type in a large prospective clinic-based cohort of Asian patients with chronic HBV infection recruited in Australia and China (n = 119).

A systematic review of T-cell epitopes in hepatitis B virus: identification, genotypic variation and relevance to antiviral therapeutics.

Background: The immune response to hepatitis B virus (HBV) is important for both viral control and disease pathogenesis. A detailed understanding of the HBV-specific T-cell responses may potentially lead to novel therapeutic strategies for HBV.

Methods: All English language journal articles (including articles in press) up to October 2007 were retrieved using searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Controlled Trial Registry.

The benign course of liver disease in adults with cystic fibrosis and the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid.

Background And Aims: The life expectancy of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) has been increasing and the associated liver disease has emerged as a significant medical issue. Our aim was to describe the clinical features, course and effect of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on liver disease in an adult CF population.

Study: From 1983 to 2005, 278 patients with CF were followed up at the Alfred Hospital, an adult tertiary referral centre.