Publications by authors named "Marcin Dreczewski"

Liver cirrhosis (LC), contributing to more than 1 million of deaths annually, is a major healthcare concern worldwide. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major LC etiological factor, and 15% of patients with chronic HBV infection (CHB) develop LC within 5 years. Recently, novel host genetic determinants were shown to influence HBV lifecycle and CHB course.

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Objectives: The outcomes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection vary substantially among affected individuals, providing evidence of the role of host genetic background in the susceptibility to HBV persistence and the dynamics of liver injury progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Six single-nucleotide polymorphisms within the interleukin 10 gene (IL10) were genotyped by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry in 857 patients with chronic HBV infection (CHB), 48 patients with resolved HBV infection, and 100 healthy volunteers. Associations of the selected polymorphisms with susceptibility to chronic HBV infection, liver injury progression, and outcomes were investigated.

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Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) utilizes proteins encoded by the host to infect hepatocytes and replicate. Recently, several novel host factors have been identified and described as important to the HBV lifecycle. The influence of host genetic background on chronic hepatitis B (CHB) pathogenesis is still poorly understood.

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Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are a major threat worldwide. Disease progression and outcome is diverse and depends on host genetic background. Recently, a high rate of HBV reactivation in individuals receiving tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) antagonists showed the importance of this cytokine in HBV infection control.

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The hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome exists in two forms: circular covalently closed DNA (cccDNA) and relaxed circular DNA (RCDNA). Here, we investigated the presence of differences in the sequences of both forms in paired samples of serum and liver tissue. The serum and liver biopsy samples were collected at the same time from 67 chronically infected patients.

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Background: Success in treating hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with nucleoside analogues drugs is limited by the emergence of drug-resistant viral strains upon prolonged therapy. In addition to mutation patterns in the viral polymerase gene, host factors are assumed to contribute to failure of treatment in chronic HBV infections. The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between efficacy of antiviral therapy and the prevalence of HBV pretreatment drug-resistant variants.

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Long-term antiviral therapy of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can lead to the selection of drug-resistant HBV variants and treatment failure. Moreover, these HBV strains are possibly present in treatment-naive patients. Currently available assays for the detection of HBV drug resistance can identify mutants that constitute ≥5% of the viral population.

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