Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of combination therapy with lamivudine (LAM) and hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) versus LAM monotherapy in prevention of hepatitis B virus recurrence after liver transplantation. Methods Databases including MEDLINE (Ovid), PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), CBM, VIP, and CNKI were searched up to Dec. 2008. Clinical trials including randomized controlled, non-randomized concurrent-control and case-control studies about combination therapy with HBIG and LAM versus LAM monotherapy in prevention of hepatitis B virus recurrence after liver transplantation were screened. Trial selection and data extraction were conducted by two reviewers independently. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.0.18 software. Results Eleven non-randomized concurrent-control studies involving 1 421 patients (1 035 patients in combination therapy group, and 386 patients in LAM monotherapy group) were included. The results of meta-analyses showed: Compared with LAM monotherapy group, the risks of hepatitis B virus recurrence, YMDD mutation, and death associated with HBV recurrence were significantly reduced by 73% (RR=0.27, 95%CI 0.20 to 0.37, Plt;0.000 01), 72% (RR=0.28, 95%CI 0.15 to 0.53, P=0.000 01), and 79% (RR=0.21, 95%CI 0.09 to 0.49, P=0.000 3) respectively in combination therapy group after liver transplantation; overall survival rates of both recipients and grafts in combination therapy group were similar to LAM monotherapy group (RR=1.03, 95%CI 0.95 to 1.11, P=0.51; RR=1.04, 95%CI 0.97 to 1.12, P=0.26). Conclusion Current evidence indicates that compared with LAM monotherapy, combination therapy with LAM and HBIG could reduce the risks of hepatitis B virus recurrence, YMDD mutation, and death associated with HBV recurrence after liver transplantation.
Objective To assess the effectiveness and safety of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) in interrupting the intrauterine transmission of HBV.Methods The Cochrane Library (Issue 3, 2007), MEDLINE (1996 to April 2007), CBM (1978 to April 2007), and EMBASE (1980 to April 2007) were searched. The quality of included studies was evaluated and meta-analysis was performed. Results Four studies involving 359 participants with HBVDNA (+) were included. All the included studies were judged to be inadequate in regard to the reporting of randomization, concealment of allocation and blinding. Meta-analysis based on the included studies showed that HBIG significantly decreased the intrauterine transmission rate of HBV compared to the control group [OR 0.17, 95%CI (0.09 to 0.31), Plt;0.000 01]. No HBIG-related severe adverse reactions were reported. Conclusions HBIG is effective and safe for the interruption of intrauterine transmission of HBV. However, because of the high risk of selection and detection bias in the included studies, this evidence is not b enough. Large-scale randomised trials on the use of HIBG for the interruption of intrauterine transmission of HBV are needed