1/104. Chronic hepatitis B and neurogenic muscle disease: case report.A 17 year-old boy with chronic hepatitis B who developed left-sided muscle wasting is reported. When other possible known diseases as the cause of the neurogenic muscle disease were excluded it was hypothesised that there was a relation between the chronic hepatitis B infection and the neurogenic muscle disease. An immunopathogenesis could be explained by the presence of HBsAg in the cerebral spinal fluid.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/104. Highly active antiretroviral therapy used to treat concurrent hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus infections.We report a case of simultaneous infection with hepatitis b virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (hiv-1) in a 26-year-old Japanese homosexual man. He was admitted to our hospital for acute hepatitis caused by HBV. At that time, HIV-1antibody (Ab) was not detected in his serum. After 6 months, he was readmitted to our hospital for further examination of his liver because of confined liver enzyme abnormalities. Anti-HIV- Ab was detected in his serum by both enzyme immunosorbent assay (EIA) and particle agglutination (PA). His serum hiv-1 RNA level was 50 x 10(4) copies/ml and serum levels of HBV dna polymerase (dna-P) and HBV dna were 6535cpm and 3 plus (>1000 copies/ml). His clinical course and laboratory data suggested progression from acute to chronic hepatitis related to coinfection with hiv-1. The diagnosis was chronic active hepatitis caused by HBV as an opportunistic infection due to coinfection with hiv-1. We began highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) because interferon (IFN) therapy was ineffective. HAART was started at an initial dosage of 600 mg zidovudine (AZT), 300 mg lamivudine (3TC), and 2400 mg indinavir (IDV) daily. After 4 weeks, the serum level of HBV dna-polymerase (p) had decreased markedly to 37cpm and that of hiv-1 RNA had decreased to below the sensitivity threshold, indicating considerable suppression of the replication of these viruses by the treatment. But HBV dna remained at low levels. Although the incidence of HBV infection in patients with hiv-1 infection has been reported to be high in the united states and europe, simultaneous HBV and hiv-1 infection leading to persistent HBV infection is rare.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 12keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/104. Successful treatment of decompensated chronic viral hepatitis by bursal disease virus vaccine.Three cases of women with chronic liver inflammation caused by hepatitis B (two) and C (one) viral infections, were followed up to twelve years after diagnosis. As conventional therapy was ineffective and the patients progressed into decompensated liver disease, they were superinfected with massive doses of an attenuated variant (MTH-68/B) of the apathogenic avian Bursal disease virus (a double-stranded RNA virus from the birnaviridae family). Clinical symptoms and biochemical abnormalities were resolved in two patients following few months of virus treatment. Cirrhosis was stabilized and significant clinical improvement was achieved in the third patient--who before the virus therapy was moribund with recurring, diuretic-resistant ascites, variceal bleedings, portal encephalopathy and renal failure. To our knowledge, these are the first recorded cases of decompensated chronic viral hepatitis which went to long-lasting remission or were stabilized by superinfection with an apathogenic virus.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/104. Prominent effect of immunoadsorption plasmapheresis therapy in a patient with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy associated with hepatitis B infection.We encountered a patient with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy associated with hepatitis B infection. Immunohistochemical study revealed the deposition of immune complex composed of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) both around the endoneural capillary and in the endoneurium. Neurological signs were significantly improved by immunoadsorption plasmapheresis (IAPP) treatment without incorporating corticosteroid hormone therapy; weekly long-term IAPP has successfully maintained the patient's condition.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/104. An unusual cause of back pain.This case describes what may become an increasingly common clinical problem in australia as the proportion of our population originally derived from South East Asia, ages. Our patient was of Chinese origin and presented with back pain which was eventually found to be due to metastatic disease from an otherwise silent hepatoma, in association with unrecognised chronic hepatitis B infection.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/104. Antiviral treatment for human immunodeficiency virus patients co-infected with hepatitis b virus: combined effect for both infections, an obtainable goal?A large percentage of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients have serological evidence of a past or present hepatitis b virus infection (HBV). Long-term survival is increasing for HIV patients because of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Therefore, the chronic hepatitis B infection may become an important determinant of disease outcome in these co-infected patients. We describe two HIV/HBV co-infected patients who were treated with extended antiviral therapy, initially indicated for the HIV infection. lamivudine, a suppressor of viral replication in both infections, was one of these antiviral drugs. One patient showed a severe rebound of the HBV after withdrawal of lamivudine, the other patient developed a mutant hepatitis b virus after 18 months of treatment. This mutation was exclusively induced by lamivudine. These patients show that, with improved HIV-related survival, the HBV infection should be monitored carefully, thereby enabling the physician to interfere with therapy when necessary.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 9keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/104. A novel deletion mutant of hepatitis b virus surface antigen.HBsAg is the most important serological marker for acute or chronic hepatitis B. Nevertheless, there are reports of HBsAg-negative virus carriers, either with anti-HBc as the only marker for hepatitis b virus (HBV) infection or even positive for anti-HBs and anti-HBc. We report isolates from a patient, in which a deletion in the HBs-gene was associated with persisting viremia in the presence of anti-HBs. The 62-year-old female, infected most likely by her husband, had detectable markers of chronic active hepatitis B, such as HBsAg, HBeAg, and anti-HBc-IgM, for 2 years. The patient then seroconverted to anti-HBs, although HBeAg and anti-HBc-IgM remained detectable. At this time, semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction showed about 10(4) viral genomes per milliliter of serum. Direct sequencing of the amplified products revealed a major population of dna molecules with a deletion of nucleotide 31 of the HBs-gene, which up to now has not been described. This deletion led to a frame-shift and introduced a stop-codon after 21 amino acids of the sHBsAg. We suspect that this deletion, and the resulting HBsAg lacking the major epitopes recognized by specific antibodies, could favor ongoing viral replication, despite the presence of anti-HBs. However, because the reading frame of the polymerase was also severely damaged by this deletion, it is assumed that a minor population of intact genomes was present to help in the formation of virus particles.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/104. Fatal virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome associated with coexistent chronic active hepatitis B and acute hepatitis c virus infection.A 28-year-old man was admitted to our department with intermittent fever, hepatosplenomegaly and pancytopenia. liver parameters and serum ferritin were markedly elevated. bone marrow biopsy showed hypocellularity, histiocytic hyperplasia, and hemophagocytosis consistent with a virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (VAHS). There was serological evidence of chronic active hepatitis B and acute hepatitis c virus infection. The patient died despite aggressive immunosuppressive and supportive treatment. autopsy revealed signs of acute viral hepatitis with cholestasis. histiocytes engaged in hemophagocytosis were observed in bone marrow and spleen. The condition was interpreted as VAHS associated with chronic active hepatitis B and acute hepatitis c virus infection. To our knowledge this is the first report of a hemophagocytic syndrome in that setting.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 6keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/104. Quantitative dna analysis of low-level hepatitis B viremia in two patients with serologically negative chronic hepatitis B.Low-level viremia due to hepatitis b virus (HBV) was demonstrated in the sera of two patients diagnosed previously as having non-B, non-C chronic hepatitis. Both patients had a "silent" HBV infection, because they were negative for both hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-hepatitis B core antibody. The TaqMan chemistry polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified the HBV dna, enabling quantitation of the virus in their sera. Their serum HBV dna concentrations were low: the amount of each HBV S or X gene amplified showed there were approximately 10(3) copies/ml and HBV dna was detected occasionally during clinical follow-up. Positive HBsAg staining in liver tissues was demonstrated by an immunoperoxidase technique. Vertical transmission of silent HBV from one patient to her daughter was confirmed. Direct nucleotide sequencing of the amplified HBV X region revealed several mutations, suggesting reduced viral replication. One patient had a T-to-C mutation at the extreme 5'-terminus of the direct repeat 2 region and the other exhibited a coexisting X region with a 155-nucleotide deletion. These findings suggest that HBV replication is suppressed considerably in patients with silent hepatitis B.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/104. Chronic active hepatitis B exacerbations in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients following development of resistance to or withdrawal of lamivudine.lamivudine is a nucleoside analog with activity against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis b virus (HBV). patients coinfected with HIV and HBV may have hepatitis flares when lamivudine therapy is discontinued or when resistance of HBV to lamivudine emerges. This retrospective, descriptive study conducted in three tertiary care medical centers describes patients coinfected with HIV type 1 and HBV who presented with a spectrum of clinical and subclinical hepatitic responses to lamivudine withdrawal or resistance. One patient had fulminant hepatic failure and a second patient had subclinical hepatitis when lamivudine therapy was discontinued and a more efficacious antiretroviral regimen was substituted. Three patients had flares of hepatitis after 13 to 18 months of lamivudine therapy. lamivudine withdrawal or emergence of lamivudine-resistant mutants in patients coinfected with HIV and HBV may result in severe hepatitis. Clinicians caring for patients with coinfection with HIV and HBV should be aware of the possibility that a hepatitis B flare may occur in previously asymptomatic carrier patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = infection (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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