Sustained virologic response can be attained with pegylated interferon-alpha plus ribavirin combination therapy in hepatitis C virus–infected patients, but a relapse may occur in some patients, according to a recent study.
A quantitative HBsAg test can be used to ascertain high levels of hepatitis B viremia in women who might transmit the virus to their children, rather than a test for HBeAg or HBV DNA, according to a research letter in Hepatology.
A Chinese study found a robust relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and chronic hepatitis B. This is especially true during hepatitis B virus progression.
The prevalence of antihepatitis E virus (HEV) antibodies was 49% (153/313) among blood donors in central Italy, according to a study published in Eurosurveillance. The authors said HEV infection is hyperendemic among blood donors (80% men, 18- to 64-years-old) from central Italy and associated with local dietary habits, such as eating raw dried pig liver sausage.
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