20 research outputs found
New Data concerning the Epidemiology of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Greece
There is an obvious, significant, and diachronic reduction of the
prevalence of HBV infection in Greece, concerning the general population as
well as some traditionally high-risk groups, mainly as a result of constant
informing and the widespread initiation of preventive and prophylactic
measures, as well as the improvement of health care services. Nevertheless,
there are special groups and populations (economical refugees, religious
minorities, HIV-positive patients, abroad pregnant women, prostitutes, etc.) who
represent sacs of high HBV endemicity and need epidemiological supervision and intervention, in order to limit the spread of the infection and to further
improve the existing epidemiological data
Impact of Hepatitis B Exposure on Sustained Virological Response Rates of Highly Viremic Chronic Hepatitis C Patients
Aim. To evaluate the impact of hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) seropositivity in sustained virological response (SVR) rates in treatment-naïve, chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with high pretreatment viral load (>800000 IU/mL). Methods. 185 consecutive CHC patients (14.4% cirrhotics, 70.2% prior intravenous drug users) treated with pegylated interferon-a2b plus ribavirin, for 24 or 48 weeks based on viral genotype, were retrospectively analyzed. SVR was confirmed by undetectable serum HCV-RNA six months after the end of treatment schedule.
Results. Thirty percent of CHC/HBsAg-negative patients were anti-HBc-positive. Anti-HBc positivity was more prevalent in cirrhotic, compared to noncirrhotic patients (76.9% versus 19.5%, P < .05). Serum HBV-DNA was detected in the minority of anti-HBc-positive patients (1.97%). Overall, 62.1% of patients exhibited SVR, while 28.6% did not; 71.4% of non-SVRs were infected with genotype 1. In the univariate analysis, the anti-HBc positivity was negatively associated with treatment outcome (P = .065). In the multivariate model, only the advanced stage of liver disease (P = .015) and genotype-1 HCV infection (P = .003), but not anti-HBc-status (P = .726), proved to be independent predictors of non-SVR.
Conclusion. Serum anti-HBc positivity does not affect the SVR rates in treatment-naïve CHC patients with high pretreatment viral load, receiving the currently approved combination treatment
Large Intestine Histopathology of Pegylated-Interferon-Alpha Plus Ribavirin Treated Chronic Hepatitis C Patients
Case Report: Mixed Cholestatic/Hepatocellular Liver Injury Induced by the Herbicide Quizalofop-p-ethyl
Prevalence of HPV infection among Greek women attending a gynecological outpatient clinic
Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a causative factor for cervical cancer. Early detection of high risk HPV types might help to identify women at high risk of cervical cancer. The aim of the present study was to examine the HPV prevalence and distribution in cervical smears in a sample of Greek women attending a gynecological outpatient clinic and to explore the determinants of the infection.Methods: A total of 225 women were studied. All women underwent a regular gynecological control. 35 HPV types were studied; 6, 11, 16, 18, 26, 31, 33, 35, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 58, 59, 61, 62, 66, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 and 89. Also, basic demographic information, sociodemographic characteristics and sexual behavior were recorded.Results: HPV was detected in 22.7% of the study population. The percentage of the newly diagnosed women with HPV infection was 17.3%. HPV-16 was the most common type detected (5.3%) followed by HPV-53 (4.9%). 66.2% of the study participants had a Pap test during the last year without any abnormalities. HPV infection was related positively with alcohol consumption (OR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.04-4.63, P = 0.04) and number of sexual partners (OR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.44-3.25, P < 0.001), and negatively with age (OR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.87-0.99, P = 0.03), and monthly income (OR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.44-0.89, P = 0.01).Conclusion: The prevalence of HPV in women attending an outpatient clinic is high. Number of sexual partners and alcohol consumption were the most significant risk factors for HPV infection, followed by young age and lower income
Immunogenicity of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced chronic hepatitis C patients: The effect of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin treatment
Relationship between serum b2-microglobulin levels and virological breakthrough in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients, under long-term treatment schedules including lamivudine
HBeAg negative serological status and low viral replication levels characterize chronic hepatitis B virus-infected women at reproductive age in Greece: A one-year prospective single center study
New Data concerning the Epidemiology of Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Greece
There is an obvious, significant, and diachronic reduction of the
prevalence of HBV infection in Greece, concerning the general population
as well as some traditionally high-risk groups, mainly as a result of
constant informing and the widespread initiation of preventive and
prophylactic measures, as well as the improvement of health care
services. Nevertheless, there are special groups and populations
(economical refugees, religious minorities, HIV-positive patients,
abroad pregnant women, prostitutes, etc.) who represent sacs of high HBV
endemicity and need epidemiological supervision and intervention, in
order to limit the spread of the infection and to further improve the
existing epidemiological data. Copyright (c) 2008 Konstantinos D.
Pantazis et al
Hepatitis B markers and vaccination-induced protection rate among Albanian pregnant women in Greece
Hepatitis B has long been a serious public health problem both in Greece and in Albania. In the February 2009 issue of World Journal of Gastroenterology, Resuli et al presented the interesting epidemiological data concerning hepatitis B virus infection in Albania. The results of this study were discussed and several data from our similar research were provided