| a prospective study of transfusion-transmitted gb virus c infection: similar frequency but different clinical presentation compared with hepatitis c virus. | to study the incidence and outcome of gb virus c (gbv-c) infection in blood recipients. serum samples collected in a prospective study were examined for gbv-c rna by a nested polymerase chain reaction assay. among the 400 adults who underwent cardiac surgery, 40 were positive for gbv-c rna, including six whose pretransfusion sera were already positive and seven coinfected with hepatitis c virus (hcv) during transfusion. the risk of transmission was estimated to be approximately 0.46% per donor. ... | 1996 | 8781448 |
| effects of gb virus-c/hepatitis g virus on hepatitis b and c viremia in multiple hepatitis virus infections. | we found that patients with dual hbv and gbv-c/hgv infection had comparable serum hbv dna positivity and mean virus concentration compared with age-matched hbv carriers, and those with triple infection had a significantly lower hbv dna positivity. serum hcv rna positivity and mean virus titer were similar between hcv carriers with or without gbv-c/hgv co-infection, and those with gbv-c/hgv co-infection seemed to have a lower serum alt level. these data suggest that gbv-c/hgv infection exerts no ... | 1998 | 9638149 |
| gb virus-c/hepatitis g virus infection in taiwan: a virus that fails to cause a disease? | recently, an rna virus designated gb virus-c or hepatitis g virus (gbv-c/hgv) was identified; however, its clinical significance remains uncertain. this discovery prompted us to investigate the virological, epidemiological and clinical implications of gbv-c/hgv infection in taiwan where chronic liver diseases and liver cancer are endemic. our results showed that genetic heterogeneity of gbv-c/hgv isolates exists, and primers from the highly conserved 5' untranslated region of viral genome can ef ... | 1999 | 10420079 |
| seroprevalence of cmv antibodies in a blood donor population and premature neonates in the south-central taiwan. | infection of cytomegalovirus (cmv) via contaminated blood may endanger immunocompromised patients that require transfusion therapy. the aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of cmv antibodies in the blood donor population in southern-central taiwan. a total of 1800 consecutive sera, obtained from tainan blood center of chinese blood services foundation (cbsf), were tested for cmv antibodies by two commercial enzyme immunoassays (eias). of the sera tested, 150 (8.3%) were found to be c ... | 1999 | 10603708 |
| prevalence and risk factor analysis of ttv infection in prostitutes. | ttv, a dna virus, has been isolated from patients with non-a to non-e post-transfusion hepatitis. in the past it was assumed that ttv was transmitted parenterally. it is unclear whether sexual contact leads to transmission of this virus. in this study, two sets of ttv-specific polymerase chain reaction primers were used to detect serum ttv dna in 140 prostitutes and 136 controls. the prevalence of ttv dna in prostitutes was significantly higher than in the control group (46/140 [32.9%] vs. 29/13 ... | 2000 | 10686021 |
| gb virus c/hepatitis g virus infection in chronic hepatitis c patients with and without interferon-alpha therapy. | gb virus c/hepatitis g virus (gbv-c/hgv) rna, detected by polymerase chain reaction, and antibodies to the gbv-c/hgv envelope protein (anti-e2), detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, were used to evaluate both the impact of gbv-c/hgv on the coexistent hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection and the course of gbv-c/hgv infection in chronic hepatitis c patients with and without interferon-alpha (ifn-alpha) treatment. of the 162 chronic hepatitis c patients treated with inf-alpha, 17.9% were ... | 2001 | 11675141 |
| habitual betel quid chewing as a risk factor for cirrhosis: a case-control study. | betel quid chewing, part of traditional taiwanese culture, is common in 10%-20% of the human population worldwide. in this case-control study we assessed the independent and interactive role of habitual betel quid chewing and chronic hepatitis b virus (hbv) and hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection on risk of cirrhosis. subjects enrolled included 210 pairs of sex- and age-matched cirrhotic patients and healthy controls. information on risk factors was obtained through serologic examination of hepati ... | 2003 | 14530785 |
| sen and hepatitis virus infections in nontransfused children and pediatric thalassemia patients with multiple transfusions in taiwan. | southern taiwan is a hepatitis b and c viruses (hbv, hcv) endemic area. sen virus (senv) infection has been suggested as transfusion-related hepatitis. two variants of senv (senv-d and senv-h) have been studied in non-transfused children and transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients. | 2007 | 17341855 |
| increased risk of viral hepatitis in taiwanese male conscriptees with tattoos. | a number of previous literature reviews and research studies have found a correlation between viral hepatitis infections and tattoos. the 1897 subjects of the current study were young adult male military recruits in southern taiwan (476 with tattoos and 1421 without tattoos) who underwent induction physical examinations before conscription. during the examination, blood samples were collected to screen for hepatitis b surface antigen, antibodies to hepatitis c virus (anti-hepatitis b hcv), syphi ... | 2007 | 17521106 |
| molecular epidemiology of hepatitis d virus infection among injecting drug users with and without human immunodeficiency virus infection in taiwan. | an outbreak of human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) infection occurred among injecting drug users (idu) in taiwan between 2003 and 2006, when an extremely high prevalence of hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection was also detected. to determine whether clusters of hepatitis d virus (hdv) infection occurred in this outbreak, 4 groups of subjects were studied: group 1, hiv-infected idu (n = 904); group 2, hiv-infected non-idu (n = 880); group 3, hiv-uninfected idu (n = 211); and group 4, hiv-uninfected n ... | 2010 | 21191061 |
| natural history of chronic hepatitis b revealed. | chronic hepatitis b is a worldwide public health challenge. knowledge of natural history of chronic hepatitis b is important for the management of the disease. a community-based prospective cohort study was carried out to evaluate the risk predictors of progression of chronic hepatitis b in taiwan. a total of 23,820 participants were enrolled in 1991-1992 from seven townships in taiwan. their serum samples were collected at study entry and tested for hepatitis b surface antigen (hbsag) and e ant ... | 2011 | 21323729 |
| possible role of high-titer maternal viremia in perinatal transmission of hepatitis c virus. | to study perinatal transmission of hepatitis c virus (hcv), 15 anti-hcv-positive carrier mothers without human immunodeficiency virus coinfection were recruited. at delivery, maternal blood was taken and anti-hcv titer was determined and hcv rna measured in each serum sample by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (pcr). a competitive pcr was used in selected samples to quantitate hcv concentration. the 15 neonates were followed regularly for 1 year and their sera were also assayed fo ... | 1994 | 8158040 |
| clinical characteristics and risk behavior as a function of hiv status among heroin users enrolled in methadone treatment in northern taiwan. | methadone treatment was introduced in taiwan in 2006 as a harm-reduction program in response to the human immunodeficiency virus (hiv), which is endemic among taiwanese heroin users. the present study was aimed at examining the clinical and behavioral characteristics of methadone patients in northern taiwan according to their hiv status. | 2011 | 21473789 |
| molecular epidemiology of hcv genotypes among injection drug users in taiwan: full-length sequences of two new subtype 6w strains and a recombinant form_2b6w. | human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (hiv-1) circulating recombinant form (crf) 07_bc strain has caused serious outbreaks among injection drug users in taiwan since 2004. the objective of this study was to conduct a molecular epidemiological study of hcv genotypes in intravenous drug users in taiwan. blood samples and questionnaires from 591 intravenous drug users infected with hiv-1 were collected nationwide. in total, 180 samples were selected for hcv genotyping using multiplex pcr and phylogen ... | 2010 | 19950240 |
| il-10 promoter gene polymorphisms and sustained response to combination therapy in taiwanese chronic hepatitis c patients. | host genetic factors may affect clinical outcomes of hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection; however, the possible mechanisms remain largely unknown. the role of immunopathogenesis in chronic hepatitis c leads to extensive exploration of host immunity including inflammatory cytokines. | 2009 | 19004675 |
| genetic predispositions for the presence of cryoglobulinemia and serum autoantibodies in chinese patients with chronic hepatitis c. | chronic hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection may induce immunological disorders in the host such as the presence of cryoglobulinemia or serum autoantibodies. the pathogenesis of these phenomena remains unclear but may reflect the host's genetic predispositions. the aim of this study was to evaluate the association between these immunological manifestations and human leukocyte antigen (hla) expression in chinese patients with chronic hepatitis c. the presence of serum cryoglobulin and autoantibodies ... | 2002 | 11972876 |
| prevalence and implication of tt virus infection: minimal role in patients with non-a-e hepatitis in taiwan. | tt virus (ttv) is a newly identified human dna virus and little is known about its clinical significance. the aim of the study was to explore the prevalence of ttv infection in different risk populations and in patients with various liver diseases. viral dna was studied in 190 high-risk individuals, 97 household contacts, 52 patients with acute hepatitis a, 32 patients with non-a-e hepatitis including 13 fulminant hepatitis, 200 asymptomatic hepatitis b surface antigen (hbsag) carriers, 100 pati ... | 1999 | 10502261 |