Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0019158 (hepatitis)
 30,205 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is responsible for 80% of the cases of primary liver cancer and cirrhosis world-wide. Every year almost a million people, of whom 25% are chronic carriers of the virus, die from these diseases. Anti-HBV vaccine is the best means of prevention and can be considered the first immunization against a type of cancer, owing to the sequelae that hepatitis produces in many chronically infected patients. This vaccine is made from the surface antigen of hepatitis B virus (HBsAg); it is manufactured from plasma derivatives or through recombinant DNA and confers up to 95% protection. It is suggested that this vaccine be given at the same time as other vaccines to avoid the need for additional contacts with the immunization services. In 1992 the World Health Assembly proposed that the vaccine should be available in all countries by 1997. In its Ninth General Program of Work, WHO established the goal of reducing the number of new carriers by 80% through the introduction of this vaccine into national child immunization programs. Recently, a quadrivalent DTP-HB vaccine has been produced, resulting in increased benefits and lower cost. However, countries should not wait until the combined vaccines are marketed to begin vaccination against hepatitis B.
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PMID:[Advances in the campaign against hepatitis b]. 930 16

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and a public health concern in many developing countries. The main risk factor is the chronic carriage state of the hepatitis B virus which is found in about 20% of the adult population in many African and Asian countries. Other important risk factors are HCV infection, aflatoxin exposure and alcohol consumption. The Gambia Hepatitis Intervention Study was launched in 1986 with the aim of evaluating the efficacy of the hepatitis B vaccination, given in early infancy, in preventing HBV infection, its chronic carriage status, and later, HCC. For this purpose, a randomised vaccine trial was designed and carried out. Over a period of four years a total of 124.577 children were recruited, one half received the usual EPI vaccines (BCG, DTP, OPV, measles, yellow fever) and the other half the hepatitis B vaccine in addition to the EPI ones. Hepatitis B vaccination has been successfully integrated into the "Expanded Programme of Immunization" in The Gambia, since every new born baby can receive this vaccination in addition to the EPI vaccine. The first mid point evaluation showed that in four-year-old children, hepatitis B vaccine efficacy was 84% in preventing infection and 94% in preventing chronic carriage status of HBV. Other mid point evaluations are still ongoing. A nationwide Cancer Registry was set up to detect HCC cases in the cohort under study. Follow-up through the Cancer Registry is planned for the next 30 years.
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PMID:[Hepatocellular carcinoma: a preventable cancer]. 937 80

Because of uncertainties associated with a possible rise in neuro-developmental deficits among vaccinated children, thimerosal-preserved vaccines have not been used since 2004 in the USA (with the exception of thimerosal-containing influenza vaccines which are routinely recommended for administration to pregnant women and children), and the EU but are widely produced and used in other countries. We investigated the impact of thimerosal on the total Hg in hair of 82 breast-fed infants during the first 6 months of life. The infants received three doses of the hepatitis-B vaccine (at birth, 1 and 6 months) and three DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) doses at 2, 4 and 6 months, according to the immunization schedule recommended by the Ministry of Health of Brazil. The thimerosal in vaccines provided an ethylmercury (EtHg) exposure of 25 microgHg at birth, 30, 60 and 120 days, and 50 microgHg at 180 days. The exposure to vaccine-EtHg represents 80% of that expected from total breast milk-Hg in the first month but only 40% of the expected exposure integrated in the 6 months of breastfeeding. However, the Hg exposure corrected for body weight at the day of immunization was much higher from thimerosal- EtHg (5.7 to 11.3 microgHg/kg b.w.) than from breastfeeding (0.266 microgHg/kg b.w.). While mothers showed a relative decrease (-57%) in total hair-Hg during the 6 months lactation there was substantial increase in the infant's hair-Hg (446%). We speculate that dose and parenteral mode of thimerosal-EtHg exposure modulated the relative increase in hair-Hg of breast-fed infants at 6 months of age.
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PMID:Hair mercury in breast-fed infants exposed to thimerosal-preserved vaccines. 1723 65