Hepatitis B News and Research

Latest Hepatitis B News and Research

Mice study shows that Western diet can lead to NASH, liver fibrosis

Apart from lifestyle interventions, there are currently no approved treatments for NASH. A liver transplant is sometimes the only remedy.

2 Jun 2021

Molecular subtype of cancer preferentially affects people with Indigenous ancestry

Oncotarget published "Global DNA hypermethylation pattern and unique gene expression signature in liver cancer from patients with Indigenous American ancestry" which reported that contrasting with this pattern, the age structure of HCC in Andean people displays a bimodal distribution with half of the patients developing HCC in adolescence and early adulthood.

2 Jun 2021

New resolution urges Member States to focus on prevention and management of diabetes, obesity

A new resolution urges Member States to raise the priority given to the prevention, diagnosis and control of diabetes as well as prevention and management of risk factors such as obesity.

29 May 2021

Study shows more evidence that vaccines are safe for children, adults

A new study looking across a large body of research finds further evidence for the safety of vaccines that are Food and Drug Administration-approved and routinely recommended for children, adults and pregnant women.

27 May 2021

Reduced levels of leptin are linked to poor vaccine responses in general population

Reduced levels of a metabolic hormone known as leptin is linked to poor vaccine antibody responses in the general population, a University of Queensland study has found.

24 May 2021

Childhood immunization rates in Texas declined sharply during COVID-19 pandemic

Despite expert recommendations that children continue to get regularly scheduled vaccines during the pandemic, vaccination rates have decreased in several states.

20 May 2021

Glucosidase inhibitors hold promise as novel therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2

In a new study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers from the United States report that two iminosugar glucosidase inhibitors have the ability to suppress the replication of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in tissue culture – at concentrations of at least 100 times lower than required for cytotoxic effects.

19 May 2021

UCL scientists identify new immunotherapy to combat hepatitis B virus

Scientists at UCL have identified a new immunotherapy to combat the hepatitis B virus (HBV), the most common cause of liver cancer in the world.

14 May 2021

Natural products a rich source for novel antiviral compounds

In a recent review in the journal Viruses, researchers look at natural products that can be identified as potential alternative antiviral agents. The reviewers discussed the antiviral activities of several natural products towards DNA and RNA viruses with an analytical approach. The researchers detailed the cellular/viral targets of the active molecules and their impact on the infection and viral replication cycle.

10 May 2021

Stem cell therapy for COVID-19 and ARDS

In a review paper recently uploaded to the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy by Mahendiratta et al. (May 2021) the applicability of stem cells in treating severe SARS-CoV-2 infection is investigated, with regard to ARDS therapy.

5 May 2021

New study launched to more accurately diagnose early hepatocellular carcinoma

A first of its kind cohort study on patients at high risk of developing primary liver cancer also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has been launched to diagnose HCC more accurately at an earlier stage and to predict an individual's likelihood of developing the cancer.

3 May 2021

Vaccines can save lives and safeguard health and well-being

Effectively and safely protecting against disease--this is what makes vaccines a vital and successful public health tool that saves lives and safeguards health and well-being. Today, vaccines shield us from more than 20 life-threatening diseases.

30 Apr 2021

You don’t have to suffer to benefit from Covid vaccination — but some prefer it

If you think vaccination is an ordeal now, consider the 18th-century version. After having pus from a smallpox boil scratched into your arm, you would be subject to three weeks of fever, sweats, chills, bleeding and purging with dangerous medicines, accompanied by hymns, prayers and hell-fire sermons by dour preachers.

28 Apr 2021

Scientists design 'smart' cellular biosensors for detecting SARS-CoV-2 spike

New research led by Hana El-Samad of the University of California, San Francisco, and the Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub confirmed the beneficial use of an antiviral therapeutic called SARSNotch, which uses a combination of the SynNotch platform and de-novo designed protein binders. SARSNotch uses sentinel T cells to detect and mount a genetic response toward the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein.

28 Apr 2021

Disruptions to essential health services due to COVID-19 pandemic persist in 90% of countries

The second round of a World Health Organization "pulse survey" reveals that over one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, substantial disruptions persist, with about 90% of countries still reporting one or more disruptions to essential health services, marking no substantial global change since the first survey conducted in the summer of 2020.

23 Apr 2021

Artificial intelligence helps identify new key-lock pairs against coronavirus

The human immune defense is based on the ability of white blood cells to accurately identify disease-causing pathogens and to initiate a defense reaction against them.

23 Apr 2021

Alpaca nanobodies effective against South African SARS-CoV-2 variant

Researchers in South Africa and the UK have identified alpaca-derived nanoantibodies that potently neutralize variants of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

13 Apr 2021