Hepatitis B News and Research

Latest Hepatitis B News and Research

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

Femtosecond lasers to destroy blood-borne diseases like AIDS

Physicists in Arizona State University have designed a revolutionary laser technique which can destroy viruses and bacteria such as AIDS without damaging human cells and may also help reduce the spread of hospital infections such as MRSA.

2 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

Cancers successfully treated by targeting the viruses that cause them

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have shown for the first time that cancers can be successfully treated by targeting the viruses that cause them.

31 Oct 2007

Homelessness increases risk of infection for injecting drug users

A new report from the Health Protection Agency shows that around three-quarters of injecting drug users (IDUs) have been homeless at some point. In addition, those who have been homeless have higher levels of injecting risk and associated infections, primarily through the sharing of needles and low standards of hygiene.

29 Oct 2007

WHO aims to improve injection safety across the globe

In an effort to improve injection safety across the globe, the World Health Organization (WHO) has began a 3-day meeting with experts to explore strategies aimed at promoting the use of safer needles.

24 Oct 2007

Diffusion-weighted MRI predicts liver fibrosis

Moderate to severe chronic liver disease can be predicted with the use of diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI), according to a recent study conducted by researchers at New York University Medical Center in New York, NY.

24 Oct 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

Implicit wins $16.3 million U.S. government contract to develop its clinical stage drug oglufanide disodium

Implicit Bioscience has announced that it has been awarded a US$16.34 million (AU$18.2million) contract payable over 37 months from the United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to develop its clinical stage drug oglufanide disodium as a broad spectrum therapeutic for the treatment of a number of intracellularbacterial diseases.

22 Oct 2007

T-cell exhaustion

A new study of immune cells battling a chronic viral infection shows that the cells, called T cells, become exhausted by the fight in specific ways, undergoing profound changes that make them progressively less effective over time.

19 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

Liver fibrosis will be treated by a potential target

The outcome of hepatitis is either self recovery or its development into liver fibrosis or, further, liver cirrhosis.

17 Oct 2007

Over 2 decades experiences shows that ultrasound-guided liver biopsy is the procedure of choice

Liver biopsy is a widely used tool in the investigation of liver diseases. It is invasive and has a mortality risk ranging between 0.01% and 0.17%. A liver biopsy should therefore only be performed in patients who would potentially benefit from it.

16 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

Combination vaccine OK for toddlers

A University of Rochester study brings relief to new parents who, while navigating a jam-packed childhood vaccine schedule, can expect to soothe their newborn through as many as 15 "pokes" by his or her six-month checkup.

8 Oct 2007

Osteoarthritis drug Prexige withdrawn from Canadian market

Health authorities in Canada have withdrawn the osteoarthritis drug Prexige from the market amid concerns the drug increases the risk for serious liver-related damage including hepatitis.

4 Oct 2007

Vaccine combo okay for infants

4 Oct 2007

Irish Government launches program to provide life insurance to people with HIV, Hep C through contaminated blood products

The Irish government on Thursday launched a program to provide life insurance, mortgage protection and travel insurance to people who contracted HIV or hepatitis C through contaminated blood products, Ireland's Evening Echo reports (Evening Echo, 9/27).

2 Oct 2007