Prevention of recurrent hepatitis B infection after liver transplantation

BACKGROUND:Recurrence of hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection after liver transplantation can lead to graft loss and a reduction in long-term survival.The purpose of this review is to summarize the current therapeutic options for preventing HBV recurrence in liver transplant recipients.DATA SOURCES:Up to January 2013,studies that were published in MEDLINE and EMBASE on prevention of HBV recurrence after liver transplantation were reviewed.RESULTS:There have been remarkable advancements in the past two decades on the prevention of HBV recurrence after liver transplantation,from the discovery of hepatitis B immune globulin(HBIG) and lamivudine monotherapy to the combination therapy using HBIG and lamivudine.With the development of newer and stronger antiviral agents,the need for life-long HBIG is doubtful.With their low resistance profile,oral antiviral prophylaxis using these new agents alone is sufficient and is associated with excellent outcome.CONCLUSIONS:Restoration of host HBV immunity with adoptive immunity transfer and vaccination may represent the ultimate strategy to withdraw prophylactic treatment and to achieve a drug free regimen against HBV recurrence after liver transplantation.

Role of general practitioners in prevention and treatment of hepatitis B in China

BACKGROUND： Hepatitis B virus（HBV） infection may impose an economic burden to patients or their families. The prevention and control of HBV could effectively reduce the burden. However, the management of HBV-related patients has not been well controlled in China. With the development of general practitioner（GP） system in this country, GPs may greatly improve the management of the patients with HBV infection. However, the role of GPs in controlling HBV infection has been rarely studied.DATA SOURCES： A literature search of PubMed, CNKI,Wanfang data and VIP was performed with the following key words： ＂general practitioner＂, ＂family physician＂, ＂community management＂, ＂community health care workers＂, ＂family practice＂, ＂hepatitis B virus＂, ＂HBV＂, ＂HBV vaccination＂, ＂HBV prevention＂, ＂HBV management＂, ＂HBV treatment＂, ＂antiviral therapy＂ and ＂chronic hepatitis B（CHB）＂. The information about the GPs-involved prevention, diagnosis and treatment of CHB was reviewed.RESULTS： The reports on the role of GPs in the prevention,diagnosis and treatment of HBV infection are few. But the experiences from Western countries demonstrated that GPs could play a significant role in the management of patients withCHB. The importance of GPs is obvious although there are some difficulties in China. GPs and health officials at different levels should work together in the management of patients with CHB.CONCLUSIONS： The involvement of GPs in the management of patients with HBV infection is effective in China. But GPs＇ knowledge and skills for the control of HBV infection have to be improved currently. GPs＇ involvement will enforce the management of CHB in China in the near future.

Prevention and therapy of hepatitis B

To review the achievements of the prevention and therapy of hepatitis B (HB) in China during the thirty years after the discovery of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 1967 Data source Data come from an English language literature search using MEDLINE 1966-1999, especially 1982-1999, and Chinese language literature, published and unpublished, from the Chinese Health Administration Study selection After reviewing of the literature we select 14 articles to address our statement Data extraction Two observers independently evaluated the quality of the data materials obtaining from these articles Results Investigation of HBV vaccine development in China was almost simultaneously with the same kind of work in the international At least 200 million people have accepted the vaccination of HBV vaccine The vaccination of the HBV vaccine in China has decreased the prevalence of HBV infection no matter in urban cities or in rural area The protection against HBV infection can be maintained at least for 9-11 years Conclusions Vaccination of HBV vaccine in China is successful and has obtained great achievements in the prevention and therapy of HB