A Systematic Review of the Current Hepatitis B Viral Infection and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Situation in Mediterranean Countries.

Viral hepatitis B is a global public health problem affecting nearly two billion subjects; 3.3% of whom are from the WHO (World Health Organization) Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO). It induces both acute and chronic hepatic disorders with subsequent liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a considerable percentage of patients based on the age of exposure.

Performance Comparison of the HBV QS-RGQ and the CAP/CTM HBV v2.0 Assays regarding Hepatitis B Virus DNA Quantification.

Background: Over 240 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), the leading cause of liver cancer worldwide. The quantification of the HBV DNA level is critical for monitoring the efficacy of antiviral treatment of chronic HBV patients.

Methods: In our study, we compared the performance of the HBV QS-RGQ assay to the CAP/CTM v2.

Development and validation of an RT-qPCR assay for rapid detection and quantification of hepatitis C virus RNA for routine testing in Moroccan clinical specimens.

A one-step reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay in combination with rapid RNA extraction was evaluated for routine testing of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA. Specific primers and probes were designed for the detection of a 150 bp sequence located in the 5'untranslated region (5'UTR) of HCV RNA. The target sequence was selected as the most conserved region between the six known HCV subtype sequences following an alignment.

Prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B and C virus infections among the general population and blood donors in Morocco.

Background: Viral hepatitis is a serious public health problem affecting billions of people globally. Limited information is available on this issue in Morocco. This cross-sectional study was undertaken with the aim of determining the seroprevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among the general population and among blood donors.

HBV genotypes prevalence, precore and basal core mutants in Morocco.

The study of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genomic heterogeneity has become a major issue in investigations aimed at understanding the relationship between HBV mutants and the wide spectrum of clinical and pathological conditions associated with HBV infection. The objective of the current study was to find out the pattern of HBV genotypes circulating in Morocco and to investigate the precore (PC) and basal core promoter (BCP) mutants' status in Moroccan chronic hepatitis B patients. Viral genotypes were determined in 221 chronic carriers using INNO-LiPA HBV assay and hemi-nested PCR.