Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection affects about 350 million individuals worldwide. Management of HBV infection in pregnancy is difficult because of several peculiar and somewhat controversial aspects. The aim of the present review is to provide a tool that may help physicians to correctly manage HBV infection in pregnancy. This review focuses on (1) the effect of pregnancy on HBV infection and of HBV infection on pregnancy; (2) the potential viral transmission from mother to newborn despite at-birth prophylaxis with immunoglobulin and vaccine; (3) possible prevention of mother-to-child transmission through antiviral drugs, the type of antiviral drug to use considering their efficacy and potential teratogenic effect, and the timing of their administration and discontinuation; and (4) the evidence for the use of elective caesarean section vs vaginal delivery and the possibility of breastfeeding.

More than 240 million people worldwide are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Mother-to-child transmission remains the most important mechanism of infection in countries with a high prevalence of HBV. Universal screening of all pregnant women, at-birth prophylaxis with specific anti-HBV immune globulin, as well as HBV vaccination for newborns of infected mothers are effective in reducing the risk of vertical transmission. However, in cases of a high viral load and hepatitis B e antigen positivity, there is a residual risk of HBV transmission to the newborn despite prophylaxis. This review focuses on the above-indicated strategies and on the efficacy and safety of antiviral drugs administered during the third trimester of pregnancy.

COVID-19 is a global threat that has spread since the end of 2019, causing severe clinical sequelae and deaths, in the context of a world pandemic. The infection of the highly pathogenetic and infectious SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has been proven to exert systemic effects impacting the metabolism. Yet, the metabolic pathways involved in the pathophysiology and progression of COVID-19 are still unclear. Here, we present the results of a mass spectrometry-based targeted metabolomic analysis on a cohort of 52 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, classified according to disease severity as mild, moderate, and severe. Our analysis defines a clear signature of COVID-19 that includes increased serum levels of lactic acid in all the forms of the disease. Pathway analysis revealed dysregulation of energy production and amino acid metabolism. Globally, the variations found in the serum metabolome of COVID-19 patients may reflect a more complex systemic perturbation induced by SARS-CoV-2, possibly affecting carbon and nitrogen liver metabolism.

Sustained virological response: A milestone in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the main causes of liver disease worldwide. Its treatment is currently based on the combination of peg-interferon, ribavirin, and, for patients with genotype 1, a protease inhibitor (telaprevir or boceprevir). However, interferon-based combinations are not effective in all patients. Moreover, they are contraindicated in patients who cannot receive interferon (e.g. those with decompensated cirrhosis), and are frequently associated with adverse events. Consequently, there is a need to develop new drugs to treat HCV infection. This review focuses on preclinical and clinical data regarding sofosbuvir (GS-7977), a uridine nucleotide analogue inhibitor of HCV NS5 B polymerase that is effective against HCV genotypes 1,2, 3,4 and 6. Thanks to its excellent pharmacokinetic profile, sofosbuvir can be administered in an oral single daily dose. In vitro it exerts a potent antiviral effect against HCV. Clinical data show that combined with peg-interferon and ribavirin for 12 weeks it yields SVR of about 90% in subjects with HCV genotype 1 and about 100% in patients with HCV genotype 2 or 3. Moreover, sofosbuvir and ribavirin administered for 12 weeks yield similar high SVR rate (84% for genotype 1 and 100% for genotype 2/3 patients) as well as sofosbuvir and daclatasvir (an inhibitor of NS5A) which produce SVR rate of about 100% regardless of genotype or of ribavirin employment. Safety and tolerability of sofosbuvir appear to be excellent. In conclusion, sofosbuvir especially in interferon-free combinations represents a very promising option in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.

Drug-Induced Hypersensitivity Syndrome (DIHS) is a severe and rare systemic reaction triggered by a drug (usually an antiepileptic drug). We present a case of DISH and we review studies on the clinical features and treatment of DIHS, and on its pathogenesis in which two elements (Herpesvirus infection and the drug) interact with the immune system to trigger such a syndrome that can lead to death in about 20% of cases.