Viral Hepatitis Treatment 2.0

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Virology and Viral Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 15112

Special Issue Editors

DSMCN, Università degli Studi di Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Interests: viral hepatitis; liver tumors; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; cirrhosis; liver transplantation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
1. Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Division of Internal Medicine, Maternal-Infantile and Adult, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41126 Modena, Italy
2. Postgraduate School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41126 Modena, Italy
Interests: chronic hepatitis; liver cirrhosis; autoimmune liver diseases; hepatocellular carcinoma; liver transplantation; hepatic stem cells; metabolic liver diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The last 30 years have represented a continuous evolution of therapies in the management of viral liver infections that have a chronic course, in particular hepatitis B and C.

At present, recovery for those suffering from hepatitis C is practically universal. For those suffering from hepatitis B, in addition to a more refined diagnostic evaluation, several drugs with different therapeutic targets are being studied with the aim of a definitive cure. Moreover, for delta hepatitis, we are finally on the road to being able to achieve the same goals as hepatitis B through the development of drugs that block viral replication, with the hope that they can also be effective for a definitive recovery.

Finally, in the recent COVID-19 pandemic, infection occurs in the liver, which appears to be one of the target organs of the virus, and we still do not know the possible outcomes of this.

This Special Issue of Viruses is dedicated to the diagnostic and therapeutic advancements of viral liver diseases with the aim of giving a complete update not only on the treatments currently available and future developments, but also on the still unmet needs in the management of special patient populations.

Prof. Dr. Stefano Brillanti
Prof. Dr. Pietro Andreone
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hepatitis A
  • hepatitis B
  • hepatitis C
  • hepatitis delta
  • hepatitis E
  • COVID-19 hepatitis
  • antiviral treatment
  • viral hepatitis diagnosis

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

11 pages, 1171 KiB  
Article
Direct-Acting Antivirals Reduce the De Novo Development of Esophageal Varices in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus Related Liver Cirrhosis
by Yung-Yu Hsieh, Wei-Ming Chen, Kao-Chi Chang, Te-Sheng Chang, Chao-Hung Hung, Yao-Hsu Yang, Shui-Yi Tung, Kuo-Liang Wei, Chen-Heng Shen, Cheng-Shyong Wu, Yuan-Jie Ding, Jing-Hong Hu, Yu-Ting Huang, Meng-Hung Lin, Chung-Kuang Lu, Yi-Hsiung Lin and Ming-Shyan Lin
Viruses 2023, 15(1), 252; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v15010252 - 16 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1822
Abstract
The real-world benefits of direct-acting antiviral (DAA)-induced sustained virologic response (SVR) on the de novo occurrence and progression of esophageal varices (EV) remain unclear in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver cirrhosis (LC). This is a retrospective cohort study evaluating all patients [...] Read more.
The real-world benefits of direct-acting antiviral (DAA)-induced sustained virologic response (SVR) on the de novo occurrence and progression of esophageal varices (EV) remain unclear in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver cirrhosis (LC). This is a retrospective cohort study evaluating all patients with Child-Pugh class A HCV-related LC during 2013 to 2020 in the Chang Gung Medical System. A total of 215 patients fit the inclusion criteria and were enrolled. Of them, 132 (61.4%) patients achieved DAA induced-SVR and 83 (38.6%) did not receive anti-viral treatment. During a median follow-up of 18.4 (interquartile range, 10.1–30.9) months, the 2-year incidence of de novo EV occurrence was 8 (7.0%) in the SVR group and 7 (12.7%) in the treatment-naïve group. Compared to the treatment-naïve group, the SVR group was associated with a significantly lower incidence of EV occurrence (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.47, p = 0.030) and a significantly lower incidence of EV progression (aHR: 0.55, p = 0.033). The risk of EV progression was strongly correlated with the presence of baseline EV (p < 0.001). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that DAA-induced SVR is associated with decreased risk of de novo EV occurrence and progression in the real world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viral Hepatitis Treatment 2.0)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2863 KiB  
Article
Ritonavir Blocks Hepatitis E Virus Internalization and Clears Hepatitis E Virus In Vitro with Ribavirin
by Putu Prathiwi Primadharsini, Shigeo Nagashima, Masaharu Takahashi, Kazumoto Murata and Hiroaki Okamoto
Viruses 2022, 14(11), 2440; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v14112440 - 03 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1535
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is increasingly recognized as the leading cause of acute hepatitis. Although HEV infections are mostly self-limiting, a chronic course can develop especially in those with immunocompromised state. Ribavirin is currently used to treat such patients. According to various reports [...] Read more.
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is increasingly recognized as the leading cause of acute hepatitis. Although HEV infections are mostly self-limiting, a chronic course can develop especially in those with immunocompromised state. Ribavirin is currently used to treat such patients. According to various reports on chronic HEV infections, a sustained virological response (SVR) was achieved in approximately 80% of patients receiving ribavirin monotherapy. To increase the SVR rate, drug combination might be a viable strategy, which we attempted in the current study. Ritonavir was identified in our previous drug screening while searching for candidate novel anti-HEV drugs. It demonstrated potent inhibition of HEV growth in cultured cells. In the present study, ritonavir blocked HEV internalization as shown through time-of-addition and immunofluorescence assays. Its combination with ribavirin significantly increased the efficiency of inhibiting HEV growth compared to that shown by ribavirin monotherapy, even in PLC/PRF/5 cells with robust HEV production, and resulted in viral clearance. Similar efficiency was seen for HEV genotypes 3 and 4, the main causes of chronic infection. The present findings provide insight concerning the advantage of combination therapy using drugs blocking different steps in the HEV life cycle (internalization and RNA replication) as a potential novel treatment strategy for chronic hepatitis E. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viral Hepatitis Treatment 2.0)
Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 797 KiB  
Article
Kinetics in HBsAg after Stopping Entecavir or Tenofovir in Patients with Virological Relapse but Not Clinical Relapse
by Tzu-Ning Tseng, Yuan-Hung Kuo, Tsung-Hui Hu, Chao-Hung Hung, Jing-Houng Wang, Sheng-Nan Lu and Chien-Hung Chen
Viruses 2022, 14(6), 1189; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v14061189 - 30 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1472
Abstract
This study investigated the kinetics in HBsAg and the HBsAg loss rate after entecavir or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) cessation in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who achieved virological suppression after virological relapse without clinical relapse. A total 504 HBeAg-negative, non-cirrhotic patients [...] Read more.
This study investigated the kinetics in HBsAg and the HBsAg loss rate after entecavir or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) cessation in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who achieved virological suppression after virological relapse without clinical relapse. A total 504 HBeAg-negative, non-cirrhotic patients who previously received entecavir or TDF with post-treatment and who were followed up for at least 30 months were included. Of the 504 patients, 128 achieved sustained virological suppression (Group I), and 81 experienced virological relapse without clinical relapse. Of the 81 patients, 52 had intermittent or persistent HBV DNA > 2000 IU/mL (Group II), and 29 achieved persistent virological suppression (HBV DNA < 2000 IU/mL) for at least 1.5 years (Group III) after virological relapse. A generalized estimating equations analysis showed that Groups I and III experienced larger off-treatment HBsAg declines than Group II (both, p < 0.001). The post-treatment HBsAg declines of Group I and Group III were similar (p = 0.414). A multivariate analysis showed that there were no differences in the HBsAg change and HBsAg decline (p = 0.920 and 0.886, respectively) or HBsAg loss rate (p = 0.192) between Group I and Group III. The patients who achieved persistent viral suppression after HBV relapse without clinical relapse have a similar decline in HBsAg and the HBsAg loss rate as the sustained responders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viral Hepatitis Treatment 2.0)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

21 pages, 1443 KiB  
Review
Evidence for Benefits of Early Treatment Initiation for Chronic Hepatitis B
by Young-Suk Lim, W. Ray Kim, Douglas Dieterich, Jia-Horng Kao, John F. Flaherty, Leland J. Yee, Lewis R. Roberts, Homie Razavi and Patrick T. F. Kennedy
Viruses 2023, 15(4), 997; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v15040997 - 18 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3638
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is the most common cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. Antiviral treatment reduces the risk of HCC and mortality; nonetheless, globally in 2019, only 2.2% of CHB patients received treatment. Current international CHB guidelines recommend antiviral treatment only in [...] Read more.
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is the most common cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. Antiviral treatment reduces the risk of HCC and mortality; nonetheless, globally in 2019, only 2.2% of CHB patients received treatment. Current international CHB guidelines recommend antiviral treatment only in subsets of patients with clear evidence of liver damage. This contrasts with hepatitis C or HIV where early treatment is recommended in all infected patients, regardless of end-organ damage. This narrative review aims to provide an overview of data on the early initiation of antiviral treatment and its related potential economic impact. Literature searches were performed using PubMed and abstracts from international liver congresses (2019–2021). Data on risk of disease progression and HCC and the impact of antiviral treatment in currently ineligible patients were summarized. Cost-effectiveness data on early antiviral treatment initiation were also collated. Accumulating molecular, clinical, and economic data suggest that early initiation of antiviral treatment could save many lives through HCC prevention in a highly cost-effective manner. In light of these data, we consider several alternative expanded treatment strategies that might further a simplified ‘treatment as prevention’ approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viral Hepatitis Treatment 2.0)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 681 KiB  
Review
Dual Infection of Hepatitis A Virus and Hepatitis E Virus— What Is Known?
by Ibrahim M. Sayed
Viruses 2023, 15(2), 298; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v15020298 - 20 Jan 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2935
Abstract
Viral hepatitis is an infection of human hepatocytes resulting in liver damage. Dual infection of two hepatotropic viruses affects disease outcomes. The hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) are two enterically transmitted viruses; they are single-stranded RNA viruses and have [...] Read more.
Viral hepatitis is an infection of human hepatocytes resulting in liver damage. Dual infection of two hepatotropic viruses affects disease outcomes. The hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) are two enterically transmitted viruses; they are single-stranded RNA viruses and have common modes of transmission. They are transmitted mainly by the fecal-oral route and ingestion of contaminated food, though the HAV has no animal reservoirs. The HAV and HEV cause acute self-limiting disease; however, the HEV, but not HAV, can progress to chronic and extrahepatic infections. The HAV/HEV dual infection was reported among acute hepatitis patients present in developing countries. The impact of the HAV/HEV on the prognosis for acute hepatitis is not completely understood. Studies showed that the HAV/HEV dual infection increased abnormalities in the liver leading to fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) with a higher mortality rate compared to infection with a single virus. On the other hand, other reports showed that the clinical symptoms of the HAV/HEV dual infection were comparable to symptoms associated with the HAV or HEV monoinfection. This review highlights the modes of transmission, the prevalence of the HAV/HEV dual infection in various countries and among several study subjects, the possible outcomes of this dual infection, potential model systems for studying this dual infection, and methods of prevention of this dual infection and its associated complications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viral Hepatitis Treatment 2.0)
Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 419 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in Protective Vaccines against Hepatitis Viruses: A Narrative Review
by Ashraf Elbahrawy, Hassan Atalla, Mohamed Alboraie, Ahmed Alwassief, Ali Madian, Mohammed El Fayoumie, Ashraf A. Tabll and Hussein H. Aly
Viruses 2023, 15(1), 214; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v15010214 - 12 Jan 2023
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2984
Abstract
Vaccination has been confirmed to be the safest and, sometimes, the only tool of defense against threats from infectious diseases. The successful history of vaccination is evident in the control of serious viral infections, such as smallpox and polio. Viruses that infect human [...] Read more.
Vaccination has been confirmed to be the safest and, sometimes, the only tool of defense against threats from infectious diseases. The successful history of vaccination is evident in the control of serious viral infections, such as smallpox and polio. Viruses that infect human livers are known as hepatitis viruses and are classified into five major types from A to E, alphabetically. Although infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV) is known to be self-resolving after rest and symptomatic treatment, there were 7134 deaths from HAV worldwide in 2016. In 2019, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) resulted in an estimated 820,000 and 290,000 deaths, respectively. Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a satellite virus that depends on HBV for producing its infectious particles in order to spread. The combination of HDV and HBV infection is considered the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is another orally transmitted virus, common in low- and middle-income countries. In 2015, it caused 44,000 deaths worldwide. Safe and effective vaccines are already available to prevent hepatitis A and B. Here, we review the recent advances in protective vaccines against the five major hepatitis viruses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viral Hepatitis Treatment 2.0)
Back to TopTop