جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « Hepatitis C » در نشریات گروه « پزشکی »

We assessed the feasibility of point-of-care testing to gain insights into participants’ knowledge, experience and its effect on hepatitis C management.

In New Zealand, only 50% of people infected with hepatitis C (HCV) are currently diagnosed. HCV infection is the most common diagnosis leading to liver transplantation in New Zealand. A point-of-care test can streamline HCV management.

The OraQuick HCV test (mouth swab or finger-prick) was offered to participants aged 45 to 65 and anyone with a risk factor for hepatitis C. Data collected included demographics, risk factors, and participant experience with testing.

A total of 218 participants were recruited. The median age was 29 years (IQR 22 to 46). All the tests via the finger-prick method were negative. Fourteen positive mouth-swab tests were negative on ELISA testing. One person was detected to have HCV infection and treated. Knowledge regarding HCV was low. There were no statistically significant differences in knowledge between participants with different education levels, F (4213=0.857, P=0.491 and different ethnicities, F (4,213)0.857, P=0.491. The majority of study participants preferred the point-of-care test.

Point-of-care testing for HCV is feasible and preferred. Knowledge regarding HCV was low. This study has also provided valuable insights into the viability and experience of offering point-of-care testing.

On a global scale, approximately 350 million are affected by hepatitis B, and 71 million by hepatitis C. People in custody face elevated risks for these infections. The prevalence and risk factors in Iranian prisons are insufficiently documented. The principal objective of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of hepatitis B and C, coupled with the identification of pertinent influencing factors, within the confines of Zahedan central prison, situated in the southeastern region of Iran.

In 2019, we conducted an analytical cross-sectional study involving 407 people in custody, using stratified random sampling. To definitively diagnose hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (P<0.05), a checklist developed by the researchers, along with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques, were employed.

This study comprised 406 participants (96.3% male) with a median age of 32 years (27-38). Approximately 62% were married, and a substantial proportion of the participants had low education levels (47%), unemployment (64%), and belonged to the Baloch ethnicity (64%). The overall prevalence of hepatitis C and B infections was 2.7% and 10.6%, respectively. Tattooing (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.9-4.5) and marriage (AOR: 1.78, 95% CI: 1.05-3.04) were identified as risk factors for hepatitis B. Moreover, hepatitis C showed a statistically significant association with a family history of hepatitis B and C (AOR: 3.31, 95% CI: 3.93-24.64) and intravenous (IV) drug use (AOR: 7.01, 95% CI: 1.52-32.78) according to the multivariable logistic regression analysis.

The prevalence of hepatitis B and C was higher among people in custody in Zahedan central prison. Consequently, targeted interventions are vital to address and reduce viral hepatitis burden in custodial settings.

Sofosbuvir (SOF) is a revolutionary treatment for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, its efficacy and safety among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) remains controversial. In this study, we examined the levels of SOF metabolite (GS-331007) (SOF-007) in human plasma of patients infected with HCV having ESRD using an optimized liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analytical method.

In this case-control study, 10 clinically confirmed cases and five controls were enrolled. SOF-007 was extracted from plasma using methanol precipitation. The limit of detection (LOD) for the drug and its metabolite were 0.85 and 2.3, respectively. Such a wide range of quantification in a period of separation time shorter than 3.0 minutes (run time) allowed monitoring of the plasma concentration of analytes up to 4 hours (pre-dialysis and post-dialysis) for 12 weeks in non-cirrhotic patients with HCV infection undergoing dialysis.

SOF-007 in the plasma of HCV patients with healthy kidneys showed no cumulative effect. An analysis comparing patients with ESRD and healthy participants showed that their behaviour was similar, followed by dialysis with a relatively small cumulative effect.

The plasma concentrations of SOF-007 decreased significantly after the 4-hour period of dialysis compared with the plasma concentrations hemodialysis of pre-dialysis in HCV patients with ESRD.

Hepatitis A is a widespread viral infection with significant public health implications. Assessing glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency in hepatitis A patients is essential for various reasons, including prognosis, disease severity evaluation, encephalopathy risk identification, tailored management, and advancing scientific understanding. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and clinical implications of G6PD impairment in individuals with fulminant hepatitis A.

A cross-sectional descriptive analysis was conducted, involving hospitalized patients with fulminant hepatitis A. Demographic data, prevalence rates, and clinical findings were recorded in a database. The diagnosis of hepatitis A infection was confirmed using an anti-HAV IgM antibody test, and G6PD enzyme activity was measured with a fluorescent spot assay.

Out of 81 patients with hepatitis A, 57 (70.4%) were males, and 24 (29.5%) were females, with an average age of 24.6 years. Dark yellow urine and anorexia were the most common clinical symptoms. Notably, 30 (37%) patients lacked G6PD. The group with G6PD deficiency showed significantly higher rates of encephalopathy and mortality (P<0.01), along with elevated bilirubin (P=0.00), abnormal coagulation parameters, and low hemoglobin levels (P=0.00).

In light of these findings, the present study proposes the implementation of routine G6PD level assessments and the evaluation of other relevant markers in regions where hepatitis A is endemic. Furthermore, the study underscores the need for vigilant monitoring of hemolysis and encephalopathy in affected patients to optimize clinical management and reduce morbidity and mortality associated with this condition.

 Hepatitis C and B virus infections significantly contribute to global chronic liver disease mortality.

 This study explores the role of serum markers (AST/ALT ratio, APRI Score, FIB-4 Score, and Forns index) in non-invasively assessing liver damage in patients with chronic hepatitis C and B.

 In this single-center, retrospective, observational study, we analyzed data from 327 patients to establish correlations between serological markers and fibrosis grade using Spearman's correlation. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis evaluated the ability of these markers to predict advanced fibrosis.

 In hepatitis B and C cohorts, all markers show significant positive correlations with liver fibrosis (P < 0.001). FIB-4 and the Forns index exhibit moderate correlation (Spearman’s rho 0.48), while AST/ALT and APRI score show mild correlation (Spearman’s rho 0.21 and 0.31). In hepatitis C, the Forns index (0.814) and FIB-4 (0.80) outperform other markers. In hepatitis B, Forns (AUC = 0.73), APRI (AUC = 0.68), and FIB-4 (AUC = 0.68) demonstrate significant predictive ability.

 FIB-4 and the Forns index hold clinical significance as fibrosis biomarkers in the management of chronic viral hepatitis. FIB-4 is a universal marker, while the interpretation of the Forns index requires consideration of the etiology of chronic viral hepatitis.

Immune responses are pivotal in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, where Regulatory T cells (Treg) can contribute to sustaining the infection by suppressing immune responses. Forkhead box P3 (FoxP3) is the central regulator of Treg cells. In this case-control study, we investigated the role of FoxP3 -3279 (rs3761548) C/A polymorphism in the context of HBV infection. The study encompassed 140 healthy individuals as the control group and 70 individuals with chronic hepatitis B virus (CHBV) as the case group. The rs3761548 polymorphism was analyzed using the restriction fragment length polymorphism-PCR (PCR-RFLP) method. Furthermore, we evaluated FoxP3 gene expression in both HBV-positive and control groups using Real-Time PCR. The results revealed that the frequency of the AA genotype in the case and control groups was 52.9% and 44.3%, respectively, yielding an odds ratio (OR) of 1.411 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) ranging from 0.793 to 2.509. However, this difference did not achieve statistical significance (P = 0.242). Notably, the AC genotype was significantly more prevalent in the control group compared to the case group (P = 0.000). Moreover, FoxP3 gene expression was significantly higher in CHBV infection cases compared to the control group (P = 0.000). These findings suggest that the observed polymorphism may play a role in the pathogenesis and persistence of HBV infection. Nevertheless, further research is warranted to comprehensively investigate this phenomenon.

 A significant portion of individuals with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the Netherlands remain undiagnosed, with a majority from migrant backgrounds.

 This study explored whether targeting HBV/HCV screening among individuals with metabolic risk factors enhances screening efficacy within a diverse ethnic cohort.

 Participants from six ethnic backgrounds were enlisted from the population-based, prospective HELIUS study in the Netherlands. Included were participants at elevated risk for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), identified by elevated non-invasive tests (NITs) and/or metabolic risk factors, who were then tested for HBV/HCV. We evaluated screening efficiency, defined as the prevalence of HBV/HCV, by implementing two targeted screening strategies: (1) Testing individuals with elevated NITs; and (2) those with metabolic risk factors. These strategies were compared to a generic testing approach previously utilized in a subset of HELIUS participants. For non-Dutch origin participants, analyses were stratified based on the HBsAg-prevalence in their region of origin: Low (< 2%) and intermediate (2 - 8%).

 The study included 346 participants at risk for NAFLD, predominantly of Surinamese (n = 180; 45%), Dutch (n = 103; 26%), or Ghanaian (n = 63; 16%) origin. The generic testing approach encompassed 3,050 individuals. Among individuals from low and intermediate HBV-endemic countries, HBsAg-prevalence was 4.7% and 5.3% for those with elevated NITs, 3.9%, and 3.5% for those with metabolic risk factors, and 0.8% and 3.7% for generic testing, respectively. Regarding HCV, two individuals were anti-HCV-positive, with none being HCV-RNA-positive.

 Targeted screening based on metabolic risk factors or elevated NITs may be more efficient than generic screening among migrants from regions with low HBV prevalence.

Despite antiviral treatment, some patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) progress to cirrhosis. Enhancement of autophagy was implicated in the proliferation of hepatitis B in hepatocytes. This study aimed to evaluate the potential role of autophagy in the progression of liver fibrosis in patients receiving antiviral treatments and having completely inhibited viral replication. This descriptive-analytical study was designed and conducted in 2020 at Mottahhari Hepatitis Clinic affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Science (Shiraz, Iran). Patients who were on anti-hepatitis B nucleotide treatments for at least two years, and those who were not cirrhotic at baseline but later  progressed to cirrhosis were identified to be included in the case group. Besides, for the control group, patients on the nucleotide regimens who did not have cirrhosis at baseline or during follow-up were randomly selected. Ultimately, 16 cases and 14 controls were included in the study. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Serum Beclin-1 and LC3 levels were compared between the two groups using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The t test was used to assess the statistical differences between the case and control groups. Beclin-1 level was significantly higher in cirrhosis patients than the control group (1283±244 vs. 1063±257, P=0.024). However, there was no statistical difference between the level of LC3 in the cirrhotic group (168±31) and the control group (150±16) (P=0.065). Autophagy may have a role in the progression of cirrhosis in patients with CHB. Future larger prospective studies are required to determine the effect of blocking on the progression of liver disease in this population.

Hepatitis B is one of the most important diseases in the world that imposes substantial financial burdens upon patients and health systems. Women with hepatitis B, like any other woman, have the right to access reproductive and sexual health services tailored to their needs as well as those of their sexual partners and children. However, the reproductive health needs of this group of patients have been subject to negligence. This qualitative study was conducted using in-depth semi-structured interviews in randomly selected hospitals and health centers of Tehran, Iran in 2015. A total of 40 women with hepatitis B and 30 reproductive health care providers were individually interviewed. Interviews were conducted based on topic guides, including a series of broad questions used to explore and probe the experiences of the interviewees. All interviews were recorded and each interview lasted from 60 to 90 minutes. The collected data were analyzed using the content analysis method. Data analysis yielded 88 codes and 186 items. Two main themes were extracted from the analyzed data including the need for information and the need for health care. The first theme involved two categories (the patient’s need for information and the health provider’s need for information) and four subcategories. The second theme included three categories (supportive care, disease and reproductive health care, and capacity building) and thirteen subcategories. From the viewpoint of women with hepatitis B interviewed in this study, a successful program that meets the special reproductive health needs of these patients is required to respond to the need for information and the need for health care. Meeting treatment needs should include responding to the informational needs of both patients and service providers. Besides, satisfying the need for health services should focus on support services, disease care, reproductive health care, and capacity building.

Hepatitis B is a common chronic viral infection in humans. Universal use of hepatitis B vaccine is crucial for controlling the infection, but the duration of vaccine-induced immunity remains uncertain. This study aimed to assess hepatitis B antibody levels (anti-HBs) after vaccination in infancy and adolescence, and explore the relation- ship between immunity levels and variables such as age, sex, BMI, place of birth, and duration since last vaccination among students at Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences from 2019 to 2021.

The study included 1134 students who completed a questionnaire and provided blood samples for ELISA-based measurement of antibody titers.

The findings revealed that 727 students (64.1%) had no protective antibody level (anti-HBs <10 mIU/ml), 299 (26.4%) had partial immunity (anti-HBs 10-100 mIU/ml), and 108 (9.5%) had complete immunity (anti-HBs >100 mIU/ml). No statistically significant relationships were observed between anti-HBs titer and age, sex, or BMI. However, antibody titer decreased with increasing time since last vaccination (P<0.001).

This study highlights the decline in antibody titer over time following primary vaccination. Sustained immunity against hepatitis B virus relies on antibody durability or robust immunological memory, suggesting the importance of timing booster vaccinations.

 Agaricus blazei mushroom is used as a food and medicine, its effective composition is beta-glucan, which is used to treat some cancers and infections, including hepatitis C.Hepatitis C is an inflammatory disease that causes liver necrosis. Caspase2 protein is one of the factors promoting cell apoptosis and plays a role in tumor suppression. The purpose of this study is to determine the expression changes of the caspase2 gene and its effects on liver cancer.

 In this project, raw expression data was obtained from the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) database section and using bioinformatics tools and methods and system biology such as Matlab (An abbreviation of "MATrix LABoratory), GEOR2 (Online software) and Cytoscape, the effect of consuming the desired mushroom on caspase2 gene expression was investigated.

 It was found that the beta-glucan combination has an increasing effect on target gene expression (p-value=0.05692).

 The results show that the beta-glucan present in the mushroom can play a role as a prevention and even treatment of liver cancer by increasing the expression of caspase 2 protein by directing the damaged cell towards apoptosis.

Abstract Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) infection is a benign, self-limited gastrointestinal infection of children. Autoimmune hematological manifestation is very rare in children. Here, we report an 11 -year -old male child having HAV infection with acute liver failure, complicated with persistent thrombocytopenia and haematuria during the course of illness and eventually diagnosed as a case of HAV infection associated with immune thrombocytopenic purpura. The child was treated successfully with a short course of steroid therapy.

Hepatitis B and C are now recognized worldwide as dangerous infectious diseases which impose many physical and economic problems on individuals, families, and society.

This research was designed to demonstrate the trends of hepatitis B and C in the south of Fars province, southern Iran, from 2015 to 2021.

The current research was a cross-sectional analytical study. All patients infected with hepatitis B and C from 2015 to mid-2021 were enrolled, and their information was registered in the health department of the Larestan Faculty of Medical Sciences. The Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to determine hepatitis B and C incidences.

A total of 306 cases of hepatitis B and 128 cases of hepatitis C were registered. Themean age of the individuals with hepatitis B was 40.15 ± 18.95 years, and that of those with hepatitis C was 45.12 ± 13.31 years. The overall incidence of hepatitis B and C was estimated at 18.44 and 7.71 per 100,000 population, respectively. The highest incidence of hepatitis B was observed, with 50.91 and 26.01 per 100,000 population in 2019 and 2018, respectively, and the lowest incidence was reported in 2016 (1.46 cases per 100,000 population). The highest incidence of hepatitis C, with 17.94and15.01 per 100,000 people, wasreported in 2018and2019, respectively, and the lowest incidence (0.36 per 100,000 population) was in 2016. The finding of the Cochrane-Armitage trend test for both types of hepatitis B and C indicated that the trend of hepatitis incidence from 2015 to 2021 had significantly increased (P Trend < 0.001).

In general, the incidence of hepatitis B and C has increased significantly; therefore, it is necessary to implement preventive and control programs.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a causative agent of acute hepatitis in humans, infecting more than one million individuals every year, including both symptomatic and asymptomatic infections. The currently available preventive vaccines for HAV are based on either wild-type or live-attenuated virus strains, which can contribute to the costliness of the vaccination process. Therefore, it may be worthwhile to explore the potential of subunit vaccines that utilize immunogenic viral products.

This study presents the results of a novel recombinant protein production study that employed the native structures of HAV-VP1 and HBs-Ag. The fusion protein underwent comprehensive characterization to evaluate its potential applications in diagnostics and immunization. The truncated recombinant protein, HAV-VP1 (position 99-259 aa) -HBs-Ag, was successfully expressed in the Escherichia coli BL21-DE3 system.

The recombinant protein, with a molecular weight of 46 kDa, was evaluated using SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis and confirmed by western blotting. The fusion protein was successfully detected in serum samples positive for HBV or HAV using anti-HBs and anti-VP1 antibodies. Additionally, it elicited a potent humoral response in BALB/c mice.

The novel recombinant protein described in this study has the potential to serve as a bivalent vaccine against HAV and HBV infections. The next step involves evaluating the immunogenicity and safety profile of the protein.

In travel medicine, vaccinations play a crucial role in both protecting passengers and preventing the spread of diseases that can be prevented by vaccination in both the travelers' home countries and the places they go to. The first smallpox vaccine, created by Edward Jenner, was initially made available in 1796, marking the beginning of travel-related vaccination. Typhoid, Rabies, and cholera vaccines were created after this discovery, albeit it took over a century to make such a substantial advancement.Travelers now have access to vaccinations for hepatitis A, yellow fever, poliomyelitis, tetravalent meningococcal disease, and poliomyelitis as the 20th century came to a close. To make it easier for tourists to prove their immunizations, the International Certificate of Inoculation and Vaccination was developed in 1933. Nowadays, in addition to following the rules outlined in the 2005 International Health Regulations and the unique requirements of other countries, passengers receive vaccinations based on individual risk assessments. The COVID-19 pandemic's appearance was of particular significance because it ignited a never-before-seen rush to create vaccinations. The first COVID-19 vaccinations received emergency use authorisation to stop the spread of the virus within a year of the pandemic's announcement. The verification of COVID-19 vaccination status has been widespread, especially in foreign travel, since the spring of 2021, while confronting a number of practical and ethical problems. In this article, we provide a summary of the historical development of travel-related vaccinations with a focus on those for which vaccination documentation has been or is still required.

Several studies have elucidated vitamin D as an important immunomodulatory factor regulating immune responses to different viral infections and vaccines. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of 25(OH) D serum levels on immune responses to hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine.
Materials &

This study was conducted on 134 healthy individuals aged 18-35 years, referring to health centers for HBV vaccination in Mane and Samalghan city in North Khorasan, Iran from June to September 2021. Demographic data were collected through a questionnaire. Serum 25(OH) D levels were analyzed using commercial sandwich ELISA kits. Anti-hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBsAb) levels were determined in blood samples 4-6 weeks post-vaccination.

The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency among the participants was 46.3 was 34.3%, respectively. The level of 25(OH) D was insignificantly higher in women than in men. There was no significant association between serum 25(OH) D levels and participants' ethnicities and BMI ranges. Anti-HBsAb titer was significantly higher in participants with sufficient vitamin D levels compared to those with insufficient and deficient levels (1835 ± 252.55 vs. 1129 ± 120.7 and 1363 ± 0.125 ng/ml). Serum anti-HBsAb levels post HBV vaccination were significantly higher in women and younger individuals than in men and older individuals, respectively.  

This study findings suggest that participants with different serum vitamin D levels produce seroprotective antibody titers post HBV vaccination, while those with sufficient vitamin D levels may produce higher titers against HBV vaccine.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health threat, which can be treated if diagnosed early, but unfortunately, many people with chronic diseases are not diagnosed until the final stages. Machine learning and its techniques can be very helpful in diagnosis. This study examines the factors affecting hepatitis C diagnosis using machine learning.

A total of 27 features were used with a dataset containing 1385 records of patients with different grades of HCV. The dataset was clean and preprocessed to ensure accuracy and consistency. To reduce the dimension of the dataset and determine the effective features three feature selection, Pearson Correlation, ANOVA, and Random Forest, were applied. Among all the algorithms, KNN, random forests, and Deep Neural Networks were selected to be utilized, and then their evaluation metrics, such as Accuracy and Recall. To create prediction models, fifteen features were selected for the mentioned machine learning algorithms.

Performance evaluation of these models based on accuracy showed that Deep Learning with Accuracy = 92.067 had the highest performance. KNN and Random Forest had almost the same performance after Deep Learning. This performance was achieved on dataset containing features that were selected by ANOVA feature selection.

Machine learning has been very effective in solving many challenges in the field of health. This study showed that using data-mining algorithms also can be useful for HCV diagnosing. The proposed model in this study can help physicians diagnose the degree of HCV at an affordable and with high accuracy.

Antigen presentation using bacterial surface display systems, on one hand, has the benefits of bacterial carriers, including low-cost production and ease of manipulation. On the other hand, the bacteria can help in stimulating the immune system as an adjuvant. For example, using bacterial surface display technology, we developed a hepatitis C virus (HCV) multiple antigens displaying bacteria's surface and then turned it into a bacterial ghost.

The HCV core and NS3 proteins' conserved epitopes were cloned into the AIDA gene plasmid as an auto transporter. The recombinant plasmid was then transformed into Escherichia coli (E. coli) Bl21 (DE3). Recombinant bacteria were then turned into a bacterial ghost, an empty cell envelope. Whole-cell ELISA, flow cytometry, and Western blot techniques were used for monitoring the expression of proteins on the surface of bacteria.

A fusion protein of HCV core-NS3-AIDA was successfully expressed on the E. coli Bl21 (DE3) surface and confirmed by western blotting, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), and flow cytometry detection techniques.

The presence of HCV antigens on non-pathogen bacteria surfaces holds promise for developing safe and cost-benefit-accessible vaccines with optimal intrinsic adjuvant effects and exposure of heterologous antigens to the immune system.