An RNA virus, designated hepatitis G virus (HGV), was identified from the plasma of a patient with chronic hepatitis. Extension from an immunoreactive complementary DNA clone yielded the entire genome (9392 nucleotides) encoding a polyprotein of 2873 amino acids. The virus is closely related to GB virus C (GBV-C) and distantly related to hepatitis C virus, GBV-A, and GBV-B. HGV was associated with acute and chronic hepatitis. Persistent viremia was detected for up to 9 years in patients with hepatitis. The virus is transfusion-transmissible. It has a global distribution and is present within the volunteer blood donor population in the United States.

Patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B had significantly higher rates of response, sustained for 24 weeks after the cessation of therapy, with peginterferon alfa-2a than with lamivudine. The addition of lamivudine to peginterferon alfa-2a did not improve post-therapy response rates.

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In patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B, 48 weeks of adefovir dipivoxil treatment resulted in significant histologic, virologic, and biochemical improvement, with an adverse-event profile similar to that of placebo. There was no evidence of the emergence of adefovir-resistant HBV polymerase mutations.

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We investigated the relationship between hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) serum level decline and posttreatment response in patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B from a large multinational study of pegylated interferon alfa-2a (peginterferon alfa-2a), with or without lamivudine, versus lamivudine alone. Serum HBsAg was quantified using the Architect assay (Abbott Diagnostics) at pretreatment, end of treatment (week 48), and 6 months after the end of treatment (week 72) in sera from 386 of the 537 patients who participated in the multinational study (peginterferon alfa-2a, 127; peginterferon alfa-2a plus lamivudine, 137; lamivudine monotherapy, 122). Pretreatment HBsAg levels varied according to genotype, with the highest levels present in patients infected with genotypes A (median, 4.11 log 10 IU/mL) and D (median, 3.85 log 10 IU/mL). Significant on-treatment decline in HBsAg was observed during treatment with peginterferon alfa-2a (alone or combined with lamivudine; mean decline at week 48, ؊0.71 and ؊0.67 log 10 IU/mL, respectively, P < 0.001), but not during treatment with lamivudine alone (؊0.02 log 10 IU/mL). Significantly more patients treated with peginterferon alfa-2a (21%) or peginterferon alfa-2a plus lamivudine (17%) achieved HBsAg levels <100 IU/mL at the end of treatment compared with lamivudine (1%) (both P < 0.001 versus lamivudine). End-of-treatment HBsAg level correlated strongly with HBV DNA suppression to <400 copies/mL 6 months posttreatment. An HBsAg level <10 IU/mL at week 48 and on-treatment decline >1 log 10 IU/mL were significantly associated with sustained HBsAg clearance 3 years after treatment (both P < 0.0001). Conclusion: On-treatment quantification of HBsAg in patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B treated with peginterferon alfa-2a may help identify those likely to be cured by this therapy and optimize treatment strategies. C hronic hepatitis B is a global health problem accounting for 1 million deaths each year. 1 Ageadjusted death rates are 3 to 3.6 times higher in carriers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) than in persons without HBV infection. 2 The aim of treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is to decrease progression of liver disease to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, with the ultimate aim of improving survival. This can be pursued by maintaining constant inhibition of viral replication through a longterm treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogs or by inducing, through the combined antiviral and immunomodulatory Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; CART, classification and regression tree; CHB, chronic hepatitis B; HBeAg, hepatitis B e antigen; HBsAg, hepatitis B virus surface antigen; HBV, hepatitis B virus;

Approximately one third of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 patients achieved a sustained virological response (SVR) after 24 weeks of treatment with peginterferon ␣-2a (40 kd) plus ribavirin in a randomized, multinational trial. We aimed to identify factors associated with a rapid virological response (RVR) at week 4 (HCV RNA <50 IU/mL) and a SVR (HCV RNA <50 IU/mL at the end of follow-up) in these patients. Stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis was used to explore the prognostic factors for a RVR and SVR in genotype 1 patients treated for 24 weeks. Fifty-one of 216 (24%) genotype 1 patients in the 24-week treatment groups had a RVR. SVR rates were considerably higher in patients with than without a RVR (89% vs. 19%, respectively). Patients with a baseline HCV RNA of less than 200,000 IU/mL (OR 9.7, 95% CI 4.2-22.5; P < .0001) or 200,000-600,000 IU/mL (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.5-9.1; P ‫؍‬ .0057) were more likely to achieve a RVR than those with HCV RNA greater than 600,000 IU/mL. HCV subtype (1b vs. 1a) was also independently associated with RVR (OR 1.8, 95% CI 0.9-3.7; P ‫؍‬ .0954). RVR (OR 23.7 vs. no RVR, 95% CI 9.1-61.7) and baseline HCV RNA less than 200,000 IU/mL (OR 2.7 vs. >600,000 IU/mL, 95% CI 1.1-6.3; P < .026) were significant and independent predictors of SVR in patients treated for 24 weeks. T he treatment of choice for chronic hepatitis C is the combination of a pegylated interferon plus ribavirin. Overall sustained virological response (SVR) rates of up to 63% have been achieved with optimal regimens of peginterferon ␣-2a (40 kd) plus ribavirin in randomized phase III trials, 1,2 although SVR rates are heterogenous and vary significantly by hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype. Current guidelines for the management of chronic hepatitis C recommend the combination of a pegylated interferon plus ribavirin 1,000 or 1,200 mg/d for 48 weeks as initial treatment for patients infected with HCV genotype 1. 3 Treatment for a shorter duration (24 weeks), with a lower dose of ribavirin (800 mg/d), or both, is associated with markedly reduced SVR rates in this frequently encountered but difficult-to-treat subpopulation. These recommendations are based on the results of a large, multinational, phase III trial in which patients were randomized to 1 of 4 combination regimens of peginterferon ␣-2a (40 kd) plus ribavirin. 2 The timing and magnitude of the virological response to antiviral therapy in patients infected with HCV genoAbbreviations: SVR, sustained virological response; HCV, hepatitis C virus; RVR, rapid virological response; LD, low dose; SD, standard dose. From the

Thirty years ago, the diagnosis of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) was thought to require the presence of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), as a reliable and sensitive marker of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication. 1 Individuals positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) but negative for HBeAg were considered to have nonreplicative HBV infection, and if their liver enzymes were normal or nearly normal they were referred to as asymptomatic or healthy HBsAg or HBV carriers. 2 If, on the other hand, they displayed elevated serum aminotransferases and liver histology indicative of chronic hepatitis, they were generally thought to be suffering from other superimposed or complicating conditions such as hepatitis D virus infection, alcohol-induced, metabolic, autoimmune, drug-induced, or other forms of chronic liver disease. 3 In the early 1980s it became apparent that HBV could replicate in the absence of HBeAg. [4][5][6] Patients from the Mediterranean area, although negative for HBeAg and positive for antibodies to HBeAg (anti-HBe), were reported to have CHB with replicating HBV. 7 The term anti-HBe-positive or HBeAgnegative CHB was then proposed 4 and subsequently became widely accepted. In 1989 the molecular basis of this form of CHB was discovered 8,9 with the identification of HBV mutations preventing HBeAg formation from an otherwise normally replicating HBV. 10,11 With time, it became apparent that HBeAg-negative CHB, initially viewed as an atypical and rare form of CHB mainly restricted in the Mediterranean area, had a much wider geographical distribution and that its frequency was increasing. 12 Its molecular virology and immunology were found to be more complex than initially thought, 13 whereas the selection of precore HBV mutants was shown to be largely determined by the HBV genotype. 14 Mutations abolishing or diminishing HBeAg formation were identified along with changes in other parts of the HBV genome. 14 More recently, the new nucleoside analog, lamivudine, has been used to treat a sizeable number of patients with HBeAg-negative CHB, and important information on its efficacy and the development of resistance has been collected. [15][16][17][18] DEFINITION AND NOMENCLATUREThe term HBeAg-negative CHB defines the condition as disease caused by strains of HBV that are not producing HBeAg. 12 It does not specify the mutations responsible for the lack of HBeAg, i.e., a precore stop-codon mutation, 10 a double basic core promoter (BCP) mutation, or other, 14 and it says nothing about the level of HBV replication. The alternative term "precore mutant CHB," used by some investigators, also does not specify the nature of the precore mutation. In clinical practice, the term HBeAg-negative CHB is appropriate for patients with chronic HBV infection who test negative for HBeAg, are usually positive for anti-HBe, have increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and display detectable HBV DNA in serum by classical hybridization techniques. 12 Despite the fact that the identification of the underlying mutations in ...