Active clinical trials for "Hepatitis B"

This prospective, multicenter, observational study will evaluate on-treatment predictors of response in patients with HBeAg positive or HBeAg negative chronic hepatitis B receiving treatment with peginterferon alfa-2a (PEGASYS®) in accordance with local labeling and the summary of product characteristics. Data will be collected from patients for the duration of their treatment and for up to 24 weeks thereafter.

The purpose of this study is to compare the liver toxicity in HIV-infected patients with chronic hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C, who start a new antiretroviral drug regimen, as well as the influence of the degree of pre-existing liver fibrosis on the incidence of liver toxicity.

This post-marketing surveillance (PMS) is conducted to collect safety and efficacy data among subjects with chronic hepatitis B and hepatic cirrhosis B who is treated with adefovir tablets.

This open--label, multicenter, national observational study will investigate the effectiveness of standard of care treatment with peginterferon alfa-2a in participants with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Participants who have never received any hepatitis B virus (HBV) treatment and participants previously treated with nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) are qualified for enrollment. The observation period is 48 weeks (peginterferon alfa--2a standard of care treatment) and for up to 24 weeks thereafter (72 weeks in total).

The purpose of this study is to collect epidemiological data in children and adolescents with chronic hepatitis B(CHB), in particular data on the prevalence of HBeAg positive disease with associated ALT levels , active HBeAg negative disease and decompensated CHB in the pediatric population. Family history and history of HBV transmission is essential to assess the course of the disease and can be used to determine the best mode of treatment This information will be used to assist with the feasibility and design of studies for the Novartis clinical pediatric development program, as the current epidemiology of ediatric CHB is not accurately known in Western countries or the rest of the world making pediatric studies difficult to plan and conduct. This study forms part of the Novartis Pediatric Investigational Plan, a post marketing approval commitment to the EMEA Pediatric Committee.

Background: The hepatitis B vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective in preventing transmission of the hepatitis B virus. Response rates to the initial three doses of the vaccine are high, with significant or even complete immune response. However, this level has been reported to decline rapidly within the first year and more slowly thereafter. There is little data on the durability and long-term protection provided by the hepatitis B vaccine administered to adults in the United States. Vaccinated individuals are believed to be protected against hepatitis B virus infection because of a memory immune response. Even if antibody levels are low, the immune system will still be able to produce enough antibody to neutralize the hepatitis B virus. Therefore, booster doses of the vaccine are not recommended, except for some high-risk individuals such as patients on dialysis. Researchers are interested in determining the durability of the immune response of the hepatitis B vaccine in adults with low or intermediate risk for hepatitis B virus infection. Objectives: - To examine the long-term immune status of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive and negative individuals who received the hepatitis B vaccine during adulthood, compared with the immune status of individuals who acquired natural immunity by recovering from acute hepatitis B during adulthood. Eligibility: Individuals at least 18 years of age who were vaccinated against hepatitis B at least 10 years ago. Individuals at least 18 years of age who contracted and recovered from acute hepatitis B at least 10 years ago. Individuals at least 18 years of age who have well-controlled HIV and were vaccinated against hepatitis B at least 10 years ago. Design: Participants will have a single outpatient study visit and potential follow-up visits as part of this protocol. Participants will complete a questionnaire assessing possible risk factors for hepatitis B infection, and will provide blood samples to test for hepatitis B antibodies and other immune system studies. Participants will receive a letter or phone call with the results of the blood tests: Those who no longer have protective levels of antibody against the hepatitis B virus will be offered a booster dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. To monitor immune response to the booster vaccine, additional study visits will be scheduled at 1 and 3 weeks following the booster. Those who have chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus will be advised to follow up with their primary care physician, and may be eligible to participate in ongoing treatment trials for chronic hepatitis B. Those who have abnormal blood tests will be referred back to their primary care physician for investigation of the abnormal tests results, and may also be referred to other National Institutes of Health protocols. Additional tests will evaluate immune response to the measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles) viruses. Some participants may be advised to have an additional MMR vaccine through their primary care physician.

Previous studies have shown that 5-10% of Hepatitis B Virus vaccine recipients produce none or to few antibodies after a standard immunization with 3 vaccines. These individuals are defined as non-responders. The investigators wish to investigate if mounting another kind of immune response, called the cellular immune (CMI) response, protects these non-responders. Aim/Hypothesis Primary aims: To estimate the CMI response in serologic non-responders after receiving a standard course of HBV immunization Secondary aims: To establish the prevalence of serological non-responders after a standard course of HBV vaccination. To assess the safety of the vaccine. Evaluate predictors of serologic non-response in young, healthy individuals receiving a standard course of HBV immunization To compare the immunological profile before and after a standard HBV vaccination regimen on non-responders and responders Establish a rapid test for measuring CMI after being HBV vaccinated. A total of 400 healthy volunteers receive a standard course of immunization with a combined hepatitis A and B vaccine (Twinrix®) at 0, 1, and 6 months. Blood is drawn at 0 and 8 months from all participants. The blood will be analysed to see if there is antibodies or/and if there is mounted a cellular immune response by measuring on parameters called cytokines.

Background and rationale Chronic hepatitis B is the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide.(1) Antiviral therapy with oral nucleoside analogs and interferon can reduce viral load and hepatic necroinflammation, and may reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhotic complications. (2-4) Peginterferon has both direct antiviral and immunomodulatory effects. The advantages of this drug include a finite course of treatment and the lack of drug resistance. However, it requires subcutaneous injections and carries some side effects. Besides, only 30% to 40% of treated patients have sustained response to treatment.(5-8) To reduce the costs and side effects of treatment, it is important to predict if a patient will respond to peginterferon. Genetic host studies on peginterferon response will provide a lot of knowledge on the interaction between the host and the virus to induce immune control, also outside the setting of immune modifying therapy. Recently, genome wide association studies (GWAS) identified genetic polymorphisms of the IL28B gene that were shown to be associated with treatment response to interferon and ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C.(9-12) The same polymorphisms are also associated with natural clearance of hepatitis C virus. Whether the same phenomenon applies to patients with chronic hepatitis B is unclear. Furthermore, response to conventional interferon has shown to decrease the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and to prolong survival.(13) Virological and serological response to PEG-IFN is durable in a substantial proportion of patients through 3 years of follow-up (14), but whether treatment benefits are sustained after that period and amount to clinically meaningful results is unknown. To date, a GWAS to predict the response to peginterferon in chronic hepatitis B patients has not been performed. Polymorphisms in genes such as IL28B can be identified through a GWAS and can be used to assess the chance of response to treatment and select patients who have a high probability of response to peginterferon. We aim to perform a GWAS in chronic hepatitis B patients previously treated with peginterferon to identify polymorphisms in genes that are associated with response to this treatment regimen.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the general anesthesia immunosuppressive could effect hepatitis B Virus replication

Impaired activity of Natural Killer (NK) cells has been proposed as a mechanism contributing to viral persistence in Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection. NK cells display anti-fibrotic activities by killing activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) that have lost the self-recognition marker; Major Histocompatibility (MHC) class I. Determining the down-expressed genes on NK cells necessary for their anti-fibrotic activity was never studied previously. This will allow us to study their role fully in phagocytosis process as well as their interaction of HSCs and therefore manipulating these genes using molecular techniques. Exploring the cellular functions of these genes will highlight their involvement in the progression of liver fibrosis and could be used as a therapeutic tool for preventing the disease.