Hepatitis B: News from the research world

Hepatitis B is the leading cause of viral hepatitis in the developing world; about 400 million people are infected with chronic hepatitis B worldwide. Continuing research on hepatitis B over the last few decades has added considerably to our understanding of its replication, pathology, natural history, diagnosis and treatment. This section highlights a few selected landmark research articles published during the past year in the field of Hepatitis B. These articles enhance our understanding of the basic nature of this infection and help us to treat patients with chronic infection better. Comments have been added after each abstract to highlight the reasons for selecting these articles.