[Not Available].

Diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B and D virus infections mean that the patient is able to maintain working capacity, increase quality of life, prevent cancer, and prolong life expectancy, while the society benefits from eliminating the chances of further transmission of the viruses, and decreasing the overall costs of serious complications. The guideline delineates the treatment algorithms for 2015, which is agreed on a consensus meeting of specialists involved in the treatment of the above diseases. The prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in the Hungarian general population is 0.

[Not Available].

Approximately 70,000 people are infected with hepatitis C virus in Hungary, and more than half of them are not aware of their infection. From the point of infected individuals early recognition and effective treatment of related liver injury may prevent consequent advanced liver diseases and complications (liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer) and can increase work productivity and life expectancy. From a socioeconomic aspect, this could also prevent further spread of the virus as well as reduce substantially long term financial burden of related morbidity.

[Hepatitis C: diagnosis, anti-viral therapy, after-care. Hungarian consensus guideline].

Approximately 70,000 people are infected with hepatitis C virus in Hungary, and more than half of them are not aware of their infection. From the point of infected individuals early recognition and effective treatment of related liver injury may prevent consequent advanced liver diseases and complications (liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer) and can increase work productivity and life expectancy. Furthermore, these could from prevent further spread of the virus as well as reduce substantially long term financial burden of related morbidity, as a socioeconomic aspect.

[Diagnosis and treatment of chronic hepatitis B and D. Hungarian national consensus guideline].

Diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B and D virus infections mean that the patient is able to maintain working capacity, increase quality of life, prevent cancer, and prolong life expectancy, while the society benefits from eliminating the chances of further transmission of the viruses, and decreasing the overall costs of serious complications. The guideline delineates the treatment algorithms for 2014, which is agreed on a consensus meeting of specialists involved in the treatment of the above diseases. The prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in the Hungarian general population is 0.

[Diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of hepatitis C-virus related liver disease. Hungarian national consensus guideline].

Approximately 70 000 people are infected with hepatitis C virus in Hungary, more than half of whom are not aware of their infection. Early recognition and effective treatment of related liver injury may prevent consequent advanced liver diseases (liver cirrhosis and liver cancer) and its complications. In addition, it may increase work productivity and life expectancy of infected individual, and can prevent further viral transmission.

[Hungarian consensus guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of B, C, and D viral hepatitis].

More than 1% of the Hungarian population is infected with hepatitis B, C, or D viruses. Since 2006 the diagnostics and therapy of these infections are carried out in treatment centers according to national guidelines - since 2010 according to financial protocols. The consensus-based guidelines for 2012 are published in this paper.

[The recurrence of hepatitis C virus after liver transplantation].

Unlabelled: The main indication of the Hungarian Liver Transplant Program is liver cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C.

Aim: Authors present the results of liver transplantations performed due to HCV infection.

Method: The data (donor-, recipient-, perioperative characteristics, survival, serum titer of C RNA, histology) of 111 HCV positive recipients were evaluated, that are 37.

Human serum fetuin A/alpha2HS-glycoprotein level is associated with long-term survival in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis, comparison with the Child-Pugh and MELD scores.

Background: Serum concentration of fetuin A/alpha2HS-glycoprotein (AHSG) is a good indicator of liver cell function and 1-month mortality in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. We intended to determine whether decreased serum AHSG levels are associated with long-term mortality and whether the follow-up of serum AHSG levels can add to the predictive value of the Child-Pugh (CP) and MELD scores.

Methods: We determined serum AHSG concentrations in 89 patients by radial immunodiffusion.

[The demographic, perioperative and mortality characteristics of the Hungarian Liver Transplant Program].

Introductions: The authors summarize the demographic, morbidity and mortality characteristics of the Hungarian Liver Transplant Program.

Aims: They evaluate the changes and development, that has taken place with regard to indications, recipient population and characteristics, operation technique, and peroperative patient management.

Method: In order to present the development, data are compared between two time periods (before and after 1999).

[Treatment of hepatitis B].

Treatment of hepatitis B. Treatment of acute icteric hepatitis B is similar to the principles of treatment of acute hepatitis syndrome. Special care must be given to the possibility of fulminant outcome and to the trend to chronicity.

Paradoxical alteration of acute-phase protein levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with IFN-alpha2b.

Previously we observed elevation of the serum concentration of two acute-phase protein (AFP) complement components (C9 and C1-inhibitor) in patients with chronic hepatitis C who responded (R) to IFN-alpha therapy, but not in non-responders (NR). In the present study we investigated the effect of high-dose IFN-alpha therapy on serum concentrations of two positive [orosomucoid (OROSO) and C-reactive protein (CRP)] and two negative [transferrin (TF) and fetuin/alpha2HS-glycoprotein (AHSG)] AFP in an outpatient setting. We investigated blood samples of 40 patients with chronic hepatitis C at the onset and at the end of a 3-month treatment with high-dose IFN-alpha2b (5 MIU/day for 6 weeks, followed by 5 MIU t.

[Determination of the lamivudine-resistant mutants of hepatitis B virus].

Introduction: In addition to interferon, lamivudine is the other widely used antiviral agent in the therapy of chronic hepatitis B. This nucleoside analogue inhibits the RNA-dependent DNA polimerase and the reverse transcription by integrating in the viral DNA, which results in the secondary suppression of viral protein synthesis and replication of HBV. It has numerous advantages such as effective viral inhibition, mild side effects and the possibility of oral administration; on the other hand it poses the problem of time-correlated appearance of lamivudine resistant mutants during therapy.

Serum anti-cholesterol antibodies in chronic hepatitis-C patients during IFN-alpha-2b treatment.

Previously we detected more than 3 times higher anti-cholesterol antibody (ACHA) levels in HIV positive patients compared to healthy individuals, however, this level significantly decreased during highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). In our present study we examined whether these findings could also be detected in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). We calculated the correlation between the ACHA levels and the C5b-9 complement activation product.

[Fungal esophagitis].

The gastrointestinal mucosa is one of the principal portal of entry in systemic fungal infections. Esophagitis is the most frequent among the fungal infections of the gastrointestinal tract. The etiologic factors of fungal infections are various Candida species, most frequently Candida albicans.

Localization of hepatitis C virus RNA on human erythrocytes by RT in situ PCR technique.

Background: Our previous results showed that hepatitis C virus (HCV) is detectable on erythrocytes by RT in situ PCR. The aims of the present study were to compare the sensitivity of this erythrocyte in situ PCR to routine serum solution phase HCV PCR as well as to obtain more data about the binding and cellular localization of HCV in the erythrocyte.

Methods: 105 previously HCV-infected patients and 20 control individuals were studied using RT in situ PCR on erythrocytes and solution phase RT-PCR from serum samples.

Human fetuin/alpha2HS-glycoprotein level as a novel indicator of liver cell function and short-term mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Objective: Human fetuin/alpha2HS-glycoprotein (AHSG) is synthesized by hepatocytes. We intended to determine whether liver dysfunction or acute phase reaction is dominant in the regulation of its serum concentrations and to see if decreased AHGS levels are associated with short-term mortality.

Design: We determined the serum AHSG levels in patients with acute alcoholic, acute A, B, and Epstein-Barr virus hepatitis, alcoholic cirrhosis, and hepatocellular cancer and correlated them to conventional laboratory parameters of inflammation and liver function.

Prevalence, genotype distribution and outcome of hepatitis C infections among the employees of the Hungarian Central Hospital for infectious diseases.

Blood samples from 477 hospital workers (HWs) at the Central Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Budapest, Hungary were tested for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), and 13 (2.7%) of these were found to be HCV antibody positive. Ten (2.

Therapy for chronic hepatitis C.

Background/aims: in Hungary, over the past 5 years more than 900 patients with chronic hepatitis C have been examined for treatment with interferon at 16 major hepatology centres, using unified diagnostic and therapeutical criteria. Authors give an account of their experiences on the clinical features of patients with chronic hepatitis C and report the results of the interferon therapy.

Methods: a total of 993 patients--virtually the entire Hungarian hepatitis C patient population who had been referred for interferon treatment--were included in the program.

[Adult-onset Kawasaki syndrome in the differential diagnosis of liver disease].

The authors present a case of an adult with Kawasaki syndrome, who, due to jaundice, enlarged liver and abnormal liver function tests, was admitted the hospital with the suspicion of liver disease. The symptoms of Kawasaki syndrome appeared during the first nine days of the hospital stay. The authors emphasise, that liver function tests are frequently abnormal in adults presenting with this clinical entity, therefore Kawasaki syndrome should be taken into consideration in the differential diagnosis of liver diseases.

Hepatocyte proliferation and cell cycle phase fractions in chronic viral hepatitis C by image analysis method.

Objective: Chronic hepatitis is characterized by necrosis of liver cells, accompanied by an inflammatory reaction and compensatory cell proliferation. The interaction of the core and non-structural proteins of hepatitis C virus (HCV) with several cellular factors suggests that cell proliferation may be influenced by HCV. The aim of this study was to investigate hepatocyte proliferation and DNA ploidy patterns in patients with chronic viral hepatitis C (CH-C) compared with chronic non-viral hepatitis (CH-N), using a TV image analysis method.

C5b-9 and interleukin-6 in chronic hepatitis C. Surrogate markers predicting short-term response to interferon alpha-2b.

Background: Available data and our observations suggest that elevated levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and -10 and some complement parameters may be associated with a poor response to IFN alpha. We evaluated how baseline levels of C5b-9, IL-6, and IL-10 influence the outcome of IFN alpha treatment.

Methods: Fifty-one patients with established chronic hepatitis C were enrolled and treated with IFN alpha-2b.