Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B ; therapy ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Interferons ; therapeutic use ; United States

China ; epidemiology ; Hepatitis B ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; therapeutic use ; Humans

Adolescent ; Child ; Female ; Hepatitis B Antibodies ; blood ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; immunology ; Humans ; Male ; Thymosin ; therapeutic use ; Vaccination ; Vaccines, Synthetic ; immunology

Antiviral Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Humans ; Interferons ; therapeutic use ; Nucleotides ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been a major global cause of morbidity and mortality. The recognition of the problem led to a worldwide effort to reduce transmission of HBV through routine infant vaccination. HBV infection is the most common cause of chronic liver diseases and hepatocellular carcinoma in Korea. After hepatitis B vaccine era, seroprevalence of hepatits B surface antigen is decreasing, particularly in children. Hepatitis B vaccine is remarkably safe and shows high immunogenicity. Universal childhood immunization with three doses of hepatitis B vaccine in the first year of life is a highly effective method for prevention and control of hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B/*epidemiology/immunology/*prevention & control ; Hepatitis B Antibodies/blood/immunology ; Hepatitis B Vaccines/immunology/therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B virus/genetics/immunology ; Humans ; Vaccination

Child ; Hepatitis B ; immunology ; prevention & control ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care ; Vaccination

Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; China ; Hepatitis B ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; immunology ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; immunology ; Humans

Global Health ; Hepatitis B ; prevention & control ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; immunology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Immunization Programs ; Vaccination ; World Health Organization

<b>OBJECTIVEb>The objective of this study was to observe the interventional effect of cod liver oil supplementation on re-vaccination to hepatitis B virus (HBV) among infants and young children.

<b>METHODSb>All 7-36 months old infants and young children, who had been vaccinated with obligatory HBV vaccines routinely by the national technical and administrative procedures for HBV vaccination on children of China, were convened among villages in Linyi, Shandong province, from October 2008 to March 2009. After detection of serum anti-HBV, one hundred children with lower serum anti-HBV were picked out for the randomized, double blinded, placebo controlled vitamin A supplementation study. The children in the intervention group (50 subjects) took 0.5 g condensed cod liver oil (containing 25 000 IU vitamin A and 2500 IU vitamin D(2)) every 15 days for six times. The children in the control group (50 subjects) were given corn oil with same volume. All children were re-vaccinated at the 30th and the 60th day of the experiment. The serum samples were collected from each child at the 90th day of the experiment. Retinol concentration in serum samples was analyzed with HPLC method before and after the intervention. The levels of serum anti-HBs were detected by the electro-chemi-luminescence immunoassay (ECLIA).

<b>RESULTSb>Total 74 children finished the supplemental experiment and blood collection, 37 subjects in each group, respectively. After intervention, the serum retinol level in the experimental and control group were (404.1 ± 123.1) and (240.8 ± 92.8) µg/L (t = 6.441, P < 0.01), respectively. The serum anti-HBs levels in the experimental and control group were (2737.2 ± 2492.6) and (1199.7 ± 2141.6) U/L (t = 2.846, P < 0.01), respectively. The rate of weak or no-answer case in experimental and control groups was 0.00% (0/37) and 10.81% (4/37) (χ(2) = 4.229, P = 0.040), respectively.

<b>CONCLUSIONb>The results showed that vitamin A supplementation might enhance the re-vaccination reaction against HB vaccine in infants and young children.

Child, Preschool ; Cod Liver Oil ; therapeutic use ; Dietary Supplements ; Double-Blind Method ; Hepatitis B ; prevention & control ; Hepatitis B Antibodies ; blood ; immunology ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; immunology ; Hepatitis B virus ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunity, Active ; Infant ; Vitamin A ; therapeutic use ; Vitamins ; therapeutic use

<b>OBJECTIVEb>To evaluate the incidence of precore mutation in HBeAg negative HBV infected patients and the therapeutic effect of the immune therapy (levamisole + HBV vaccine + dipyridamole) on patients chronically infected by HBV with precore mutation.

<b>METHODSb>The precore region of HBV from the HBeAg (-) chronic hepatitis patients was sequenced and the patients suffered from HBV with precore mutation were treated with immune therapy.

<b>RESULTSb>The precore mutation rate was 10/12. The therapeutic effect of the immune therapy on the precore mutation patients (5/7) was better than that on the HBsAg(+), HBeAg(+) patients (2/11), P less than 0.05.

<b>CONCLUSIONb>The precore mutation rate was quite high in the HBsAg(+), HBeAg(-) patients we studied. The immune-therapy has some therapeutic effects on the patients with precore mutation. But the number of cases was too small, further study is needed.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Combined Modality Therapy ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Dipyridamole ; therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; therapy ; virology ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Lamivudine ; therapeutic use ; Levamisole ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Mutation