Hepatitis B e antigen levels and response to peginterferon: influence of precore and basal core promoter mutants.

Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) levels may predict response to peginterferon (PEG-IFN) but are also influenced by presence of precore (PC) and core promoter (BCP) mutants. HBeAg was measured in 214 patients treated with PEG-IFN±lamivudine for 52weeks. Patients were classified at baseline as wildtype (WT) or non-WT (detectable PC/BCP mutants).

Close monitoring of hepatitis B surface antigen levels helps classify flares during peginterferon therapy and predicts treatment response.

Background: Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) flares occur frequently during peginterferon (PEG-IFN) therapy. We related occurrence of flares to presence of precore (PC) and/or basal core promoter (BCP) mutants and studied kinetics of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels during flares.

Methods: Fifty of 214 (23%) patients treated with PEG-IFN ± lamivudine for 52 weeks experienced flares.

A comparison of two assays for quantification of Hepatitis B surface Antigen in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Background And Objectives: Serum Hepatitis B surface Antigen (HBsAg) levels correlate with hepatitis B virus intrahepatic covalently closed circular DNA and may predict response to treatment. Currently, 2 commercial platforms are available for HBsAg quantification in clinical practice, the Architect HBsAg QT and the Elecsys HBsAg. We aimed to directly compare the results of these assays.

The association of the dopamine transporter gene and the dopamine receptor 2 gene with delirium, a meta-analysis.

Delirium is the most common neuropsychiatric syndrome in elderly ill patients. Previously, associations between delirium and the dopamine transporter gene (solute carrier family 6, member 3 (SLC6A3)) and dopamine receptor 2 gene (DRD2) were found. The aim of this study was to validate whether markers of the SLC6A3 and DRD2 genes are were associated with delirium in independent populations.

Atorvastatin affects low density lipoprotein and non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol relations with apolipoprotein B in type 2 diabetes mellitus: modification by triglycerides and cholesteryl ester transfer protein.

Objectives: Non-HDL-cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and apolipoprotein (apo) B are proposed as treatment targets. The extent to which statin therapy affects relationships of LDL-C and non-HDL-C with apoB was examined in type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Analyses were performed in 217 hypertriglyceridaemic type 2 diabetic patients (Diabetes Atorvastatin Lipid Intervention (DALI) cohort).