Hepatitis B Virus News and Research

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New upper limit defined for normal ALT in adolescent males

A new cohort study of adolescent offenders in Australia has identified an upper limit for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) that is more sensitive for the diagnosis of liver disease.

4 Dec 2007

Vaccination against hepatitis B does not seem to increase the risk of a first episode of MS in childhood

Vaccinating against the hepatitis B virus does not appear to be associated with the risk of developing multiple sclerosis in childhood, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

4 Dec 2007

New drug, eltrombopag boosts platelets in hepatitis C patients

It's not a cure, but this may be some of the best news patients infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have heard in a long time: A new drug, eltrombopag, appears to be effective in boosting low platelet counts, one of the major reasons why patients can't endure antiviral treatments.

29 Nov 2007

Most UK citizens susceptible to hep B infection

The failure of the UK to introduce universal hepatitis B immunisation means that most UK citizens are susceptible to infection, warns an infectious diseases expert in this week's BMJ.

13 Nov 2007

Hepatitis C treatment reduces the virus but serious liver problems may progress

Patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who did not respond to previous standard therapy experienced significant decreases in their liver enzymes, viral levels, and liver inflammation following treatment with long-term pegylated interferon.

6 Nov 2007

Hepatitis C virus found to spread directly from cell to cell by-passing antibodies

Scientists looking for an effective treatment for Hepatitis C may face an even bigger task than anticipated. Recent studies looking into how the virus spreads in liver tumour cells have demonstrated that the virus uses two different routes, which may explain why the body's natural occurring antibodies are ineffective at controlling the virus.

5 Nov 2007

Is it pancreatitis in acute abdominal pain in acute viral hepatitis?

Hepatitis viruses have a strong tropism for hepatocytes; viral antigen also has been detected in pancreas and gallbladder.

1 Nov 2007

Strong association between tattoos and hepatitis C virus infection

The connection between tattoos and hepatitis C virus (HCV) has long been suspected but never completely substantiated.

22 Oct 2007

New virus drug will have to shoot at moving targets

The reproduction of

22 Oct 2007

New mechanism discovered that mammalian cells employ to fight infections of the Hepatitis C virus

A team of researchers led by biologists at the University of California, San Diego has discovered a completely new mechanism that mammalian cells employ to fight infections of the Hepatitis C virus, which affects approximately 2.7 million Americans and 170 million people worldwide.

18 Oct 2007

Can liver cirrhosis be partially cured?

The diffusion of hepatitis C virus infection worldwide is astonishing. Liver cirrhosis is present in at least 10-20% of these infected patients, with highly increasing health care and emotional costs.

10 Oct 2007

Nerve growth factor positively related with liver cancer - potential therapy target

Nerve growth factor (NGF), as the name says, is an essential peptide factor for the growth and differentiation of neuronal cells.

20 Sep 2007

Rapid test to screen blood approved by the FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given it's approval for the first rapid test to detect bacterial contamination in blood platelets prior to transfusion.

20 Sep 2007

Possible hepatitis C vaccine

The British Midlands Development Corporation has announced that the University of Nottingham in the British Midlands has released a statement promoting the development of a possible Hepatitis C Vaccine.

18 Sep 2007

Liver cancer marker could yield blood test for early detection

In the face of an emerging liver cancer crisis in Asia, researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have developed a test that could help millions.

18 Sep 2007

FDA clears for marketing rapid test to screen for bacterial contamination in blood platelets

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared for marketing the first rapid test to detect bacterial contamination in blood platelets prior to transfusion.

18 Sep 2007

Virus experts step closer to treatment for hepatitis C

Nine hundred of the world's hepatitis C experts are meeting in Glasgow this week to discuss the latest research into the disease at the 14th International Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus and Related Viruses.

13 Sep 2007

Discovery of monoclonal antibodies which may make a successful Hepatitis C vaccine a reality

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infects up to 500,000 people in the UK alone, many of the infections going undiagnosed.

4 Sep 2007

Hepatitis E virus in Europe

Hepatitis E virus infections can be fatal in pregnant women, but until recently doctors thought the disease was confined to China, India and developing countries.

4 Sep 2007

Research looks at hepatitis C recovery

More than 3% of world population is infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The outcome of HCV infections is either self recovery or chronic hepatitis, and many of the chronic infections will develop into liver cirrhosis or liver cancer.

30 Aug 2007