Occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) is the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in the liver and/or serum (< 200 IU/mL) in HBsAgnegative patients with or without serologic markers of previous viral exposure. The clinical significance of OBI is of concern in posttransfusional hepatitis B infection, hepatitis B reactivation, chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The diagnosis of OBI relays on the use of highly sensitive and specific laboratory techniques. Herein, comments derived from a study analyzing the frequency and characteristics of OBI in HCC Japanese patients are stated. While OBI and other causes of HCC have been highly studied in Asia and Europe, research in Latin America in these topics is limited. Several findings such as population risk groups with high prevalence of overt and OBI infection, HBV genotype F in Argentinean HCC patients, and the clinical impact of the foreign A-D genotypes suggest the need of further investigation. Additionally, alcoholism, obesity, NASH and type 2 diabetes may override the presence of OBI. Therefore, OBI diagnosis is essential. It is known that anti-HBc alone is a predictive signal of potential OBI and given the fluctuations of the HBV infection markers, testing for HBsAg and anti-HBc at baseline and follow-up is recommended. In conclusion, OBI and other causes involved in the epidemiology of HCC in Latin America are unexplored risk factors. Genome-based research is required to decipher the role of gene-environmental interactions associated with chronic liver disease. Novel algorithms to detect OBI supported by basic/applied/clinical research are also needed.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0012.0914 | DOI Listing |
Andes Pediatr
August 2023
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Unlabelled: Early detection of Autism is a challenge in Chile and Latin America. Gold-standard evaluations are expensive and difficult to access. The Autism Mental Status Exam (AMSE) is a brief, structured, observational instrument for clinical use with promising results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpidemiol Infect
January 2025
Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA.
Surveillance of antimicrobial consumption (AMC) is essential to anticipate and inform policies and public health decisions to prevent and/or contain antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This manuscript shares the experience on AMC data collection in Latin American & Caribbean (LAC). The WHO GLASS-AMC methodology for AMC surveillance was used for data registration during the period 2019-2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Cancer
January 2025
Discipline of Public Health Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu- Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Background: Globally, estimates of cancer cases and deaths have increased since 2018, particularly in Latin America and Caribbean countries. In Antigua and Barbuda, understanding the burden of common cancers such as female breast, cervical, colorectal and prostate cancers is critical. This study aimed to assess the incidence, trends, and patterns of these four cancers from 2017 to 2021.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFValue Health Reg Issues
January 2025
Departamento de Ingeniería Informática, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Objectives: Despite the increasing investments in Latin American healthcare, the corresponding improvement in population health is not proportional. This discrepancy may be attributed to the efficiency of resource utilization. This study used the data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology to assess the efficiency of healthcare systems in 23 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Centre de Recherche sur la Biodiversité et l'Environnement, Université de Toulouse, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, Université Toulouse 3 - Paul Sabatier, Toulouse F-31062, France.
Unlike most rivers globally, nearly all lowland Amazonian rivers have unregulated flow, supporting seasonally flooded floodplain forests. Floodplain forests harbor a unique tree species assemblage adapted to flooding and specialized fauna, including fruit-eating fish that migrate seasonally into floodplains, favoring expansive floodplain areas. Frugivorous fish are forest-dependent fauna critical to forest regeneration via seed dispersal and support commercial and artisanal fisheries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!