The relationship between duck hepatitis B virus infection and duck liver diseases in Qitong, China

The relationship between duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) infection and duck liver diseases was analysed by spot and gel blot hybridization in sera and liver tissues. One hundred and forty ducks were obtained from Qitong county in China. The DHBV-infected rate was 65.7% and the incidence of duck liver diseases was 70%. The state of DHBV DNA was free in the hepatocytes. The detection rate of DHBV DNA in liver was higher than in serum. The results showed that Qitong duck liver diseases are closely correlated to DHBV infection. The incidence of Qitong duck liver diseases and the DHBV infection rate were different in various species of ducks. Qitong ducks have several hepatic pathological changes as seen in human beings. Therefore, Qitong ducks are most appropriate as an experimental model for human HBV infection.     

乙型肝炎病毒感染时的骨髓造血干细胞

目的研究乙型肝炎患者骨髓造血干细胞中HBV的感染、复制及对造血干细胞增殖的影响。方法收集乙型肝炎患者9例,健康者7例骨髓液,磁珠分离仪分离纯化骨髓液CD34＋细胞,取部分干细胞进行免疫组化和原位杂交,以感染HBV的干细胞（2.2.15细胞）为阳性对照,并设健康人骨髓干细胞为阴性对照。余两组干细胞分别分为两组,一组在含有干细胞生长因子（SCF）、酪氨酸激酶受体家族Ⅲ的配体（FLT3）、促血小板生成素（TPO）、白介素-3（IL-3）和10%FBS的IMDM培养基中孵育,另一组在无细胞因子的同样培养基中孵育。第0、1、6、12d进行PCR病毒载量检测并做细胞计数。结果患者组骨髓干细胞经免疫组化染色后为变为棕黄色与阳性对照组一致,经原位杂交后细胞染色为蓝紫色与阳性对照组一致,而阴性对照组均未染色。对患者组骨髓干细胞加细胞因子和无细胞因子第1、6、12d细胞计数分别比较,均明显少于正常对照组（t=0.818,P〈0.05;t=3.599,P〈0.05;t=2.967,P〈0.05）。加细胞因子患者组第6、12d细胞内病毒载量明显高于不加细胞因子患者组（t=3.36,P〈0.05;t=5.71,P〈0.01）。结论 HBV可以感染骨髓造血干细胞并且可随干细胞的增殖不断复制。感染了HBV的干细胞增殖能力减弱。     

乙型肝炎病毒S基因变异、基因型与宫内感染免疫失败的关系

目的 探讨HBV S基因变异、基因型与宫内感染免疫失败的关系.方法选择东南大学附属南京第二医院出生的35例宫内感染免疫失败的幼儿及其母亲,实时荧光定量PCR法检测血清HBV DNA含量;并扩增其HBV S基因序列,测序并通过DNASTAR软件与基因库标准序列比对.结果幼儿及其母亲HBV DNA定量检测结果均＞1×106拷贝/mL;幼儿及母亲HBV S基因核苷酸变异率分别为11.4%和17.1%;母婴序列同源性＞99.3%;35对母婴中,23对HBV基因型为C型,血清型为adr亚型,12对为B型,血清型为adw亚型,母婴基因型相同.结论 HBV S基因是否变异可能不是高病毒血症患者宫内感染免疫失败的主要因素;基因分型并不能预测和评价新生儿是否发生宫内感染和免疫失败.     

广西肝癌中HBV感染与N_ras基因突变的研究

AIM To observe the roles of N-ras gene mutation and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the carcinogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Guangxi, China.METHODS The polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and immunohistochemistry were used to detect N-ras gene mutation and HBV infection in 29 cases of HCC.RESULTS The aberration rates at codon 2-37 of N-ras were 79.31% in HCCs and 80.77% in adjacent non-tumorous liver tissues. More than 2 point mutations of N-ras gene were observed in 22 (75.86%) cases. HBsAg and HBxAg positive rates were 86.2% and 79.3%. There was a parallel tendency between HBV marker detections and the mutation rate of N-ras gene.CONCLUSION HBV infection and N-ras gene mutation may be involved in the carcinogenesis and development of HCC in Guangxi. Since the aflatoxin B1 contamination is one of risk factors for HCC in this area, it may contribute to the mutation of N-ras gene in carcinogenesis of HCC.INTRODUCTIONHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of common malignant tumors in People′s Republic of China. Guangxi is a high incidence area of HCC. Many factors are involved in hepatocarcinogenesis. Many studies revealed that hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection might be a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinogenesis. One theory for hepatocarcinogenesis is that the oncogene(s) may be transactivated by hepatitis B x antigen (HBxAg)[1]. It is found recently that activation of N-ras gene may be the molecular basis for the carcinogenesis and development of HCC[2,3]. There have been reports about overexpression of N-ras oncogene in human HCC[4], but a few dealt with the roles of N-ras gene mutation and HBV infection, and their relationship with HCC. We analyzed the N-ras gene mutation and HBV infection in HCC by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and immunohistochemistry in 29 cases of human HCC.     

白细胞介素与HBV感染的关系

HBV进入宿主体内后,多种免疫细胞及其分泌的细胞因子参与了机体的免疫应答。白细胞介素是一类对免疫应答各个环节都有重要调节作用的细胞因子,介绍了几种在乙型肝炎发生、发展及转归中作用较大的白细胞介素及其与HBV感染的相关性,分析表明对白细胞介素免疫调节机制的深入研究可为各种类型乙型肝炎的诊断和治疗提供新的依据和方法。     

慢性乙型肝炎病毒感染与信号肽酶关系的研究进展

信号肽酶是一组细胞内膜蛋白,在各种蛋白质的成熟过程中,通过切割前蛋白质的信号肽区域而促使其成为成熟的分泌型蛋白,从而发挥关键作用。在乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）感染中,信号肽酶促进Pre—C基因初始产物P25前体向HBeAg的转化,进一步影响慢性HBV感染患者的转归。上述过程受阻时,导致慢性乙型肝炎患者HBeAg阴性,肝硬化及肝癌的发生率随之升高。本文就信号肽酶及慢性HBV感染的关系进展作一综述。     

Genotypes of hepatitis C virus in Guangxi Province, southern China

Abstract Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been subdivided into at least four genotypes, and the prevalence of each genotype has been reported to differ widely in different countries. Of 304 patients with chronic liver diseases (68 with chronic hepatitis, 50 with liver cirrhosis and 186 with hepatocellular carcinoma) from Guangxi Province in southern China, only 9 (3.0%) had antibodies to HCV as determined by a second-generation enzyme immunoassay with a cut-off index of 2.0 or more. The HCV genotypes of these nine cases were examined using polymerase chain reaction with type-specific primers deduced from putative core gene. Seven of the nine cases had type II infection and the other two cases showed double infection with types II and IV. These findings indicate that the predominant HCV genotype in the Guangxi area is type II, as is the case in Japan, although the prevalence of HCV infection in patients with chronic liver diseases is much lower.     

N-ras gene mutation and hepatitis B virus infection in hepatocellular carcinomas in Guangxi,China

ＮｒａｓｇｅｎｅｍｕｔａｔｉｏｎａｎｄｈｅｐａｔｉｔｉｓＢｖｉｒｕｓｉｎｆｅｃｔｉｏｎｉｎｈｅｐａｔｏｃｅｌｕｌａｒｃａｒｃｉｎｏｍａｓｉｎＧｕａｎｇｘｉ，ＣｈｉｎａＬＩＵＱｉＦｕ１，ＬＵＯＤａｎ１，ＳＵＪｉａｎＪｉａ１，ＣＧｏｖｅ２ａｎｄＲ...     

Overt and occult hepatitis B virus infection among community children in Northwest China

Although a universal newborn hepatitis B (HB) immunization programme has been implemented in China, hepatitis B virus (HBV) breakthrough infection, including HB surface antigen (HBsAg)‐positive infection and occult HBV infection (OBI), still occurs during infancy or childhood. Obtaining the actual prevalence of HBV infection in general children is important for preventing and controlling the spread of HB. Accordingly, we investigated the prevalence of overt infection and OBI in community children and compared the serological and virological characteristics of OBI and HBsAg carrier children to clarify the mechanisms related to OBI. In total, 6 706 community children <12 years of age were included from a population‐based HBV seroepidemiological investigation in Northwest China. The HBsAg carrier rate in community children was 1.60% (107/6706), and the anti‐HBs positive rate was 57.35% (3846/6706). Additionally, 1192 HBsAg‐negative children were examined for OBI using nested PCR. The prevalence of OBI in local children was 1.26% (15/1192), and the predominant OBI genotypes were C and D. The 15 OBI children and 29 HBsAg‐positive children from the same population did not have a statistical significant difference in age, gender, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), proportion of anti‐HBs or anti‐HBc, viral genotypes or mutations. Children with chronic overt infection had higher viral loads than OBI children (P=.004). These results suggested that HBV overt and occult infection of children was more serious in underdeveloped north‐west regions. HBV neonatal immunization and catch‐up programmes should be strengthened and supplemented. None of specific viral mutations or genotypes related to OBI were found. OBI may be a specific stage of HBV infection.     

肿瘤坏死因子α基因多态性与慢性乙型肝炎病毒感染的相关性

乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）感染后临床表现的多样性，除与病毒因素有关，还与宿主的遗传因素密切相关。细胞因子在宿主清除病毒的免疫应答中发挥着重要作用，其基因多态性可影响细胞因子的整个转录，翻译和分泌过程，导致不同人群中细胞因子水平的差异，从而影响HBV感染后的转归。肿瘤坏死因子（TNF）α基因启动子区存在有多个多态性位点，分别为-1031（T／C）、-863（C／A）、-857（C／T）、-376（G／A）、-308（G／A）、-238（G／A）和-163（G／A）。     

Possible transmission of hepatitis B virus between spouses and their children in Babol, Northern Iran

To determine the possible routes of transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection between spouses and their children in Babol, Northern Iran, the spouses of 54 infected husbands and 49 wives without any evidence of HBV infection in their family members were evaluated from March 1998 to April 2005. All of these cases were hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-hepatitis B 'e' antigen positive. Mean duration of marriage for husbands was 14.4+/-6.49 and for wives 12.46+/-6.24 years. Past HBV infection was found in 46.3% wives of infected husbands and in 65.3% husbands of infected wives (P = 0.074). HBV markers were seen in 32.5% children of infected fathers and 64.5% children of infected mothers (P = 0.0001). HBV carrier rates in boys and girls of infected mothers were significantly higher than in those of infected fathers (P = 0.002 and P = 0.0001, respectively). The results show that transmission of HBV between spouses and their children were the main routes of transmission of HBV in our region.     

Natural history of hepatitis B virus infection in children

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection during childhood can cause acute, fulminant or chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Approximately 90% of the infants of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seropositive mothers become hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers. Children chronically infected are mostly asymptomatic. Although liver damage is usually mild during childhood, severe liver disease, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, may develop insidiously for 2–7 years. Spontaneous HBeAg seroconversion occurs gradually as the age of the child increases. Viral replication is reduced during this process, which is usually preceded by an elevation of aminotransferases. In a long‐term follow‐up study, the annual HBeAg seroconversion rate was 4–5% in children older than 3 years of age and less than 2% in children under 3 years. The annual seroconversion rate of HBsAg was very low (0.56%). Age at infection, maternal HBsAg and HBeAg status, host immune status, and possibly the HBV strain are the main factors determining the course of HBV infection in children.     

Treatment of hepatitis B virus infection in children and adolescents

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Most children acquire the infection perinatally or during early childhood and develop a chronic hepatitis characterized by a high viral replication and a low-inflammation phase of infection, with normal or only slightly raised aminotransferases. Although a conservative approach in children is usually recommended, different therapies exist and different therapeutic approaches are possible. The main goals of antiviral treatment for children with chronic HBV infection are to suppress viral replication and to warn the disease progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, although these complications are rare in children. Both United States Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have approved interferon alfa-2b for children aged 1 year and older, pegylated interferon alfa-2a and lamivudine for children aged 3 years and older, entecavir for use in children aged 2 years and older, and adefovir for use in those 12 years of age and older. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate is approved by EMA for children aged 2 years and older and by US-FDA for treatment in children aged 12 years and older. Finally, EMA has approved the use of tenofovir alafenamide for treatment of children aged 12 years and older or for children weighing more than 35 kg independent of age. This narrative review will provide the framework for summarizing indications to antiviral therapy in the management of chronic HBV infection in children and adolescents.     

Absence of relationship between Schistosoma mansoni and hepatitis B virus infection in the Qalyub Governate, Egypt

In order to determine whether infection with S. mansoni is related to a higher rate of infection with HBV and/or to a higher probability of HBsAg chronic carriage, a population based survey was carried out in Egypt in which HBV markers were studied in 67 subjects with heavy long-lasting S. mansoni infection. Controls were 67 subjects with no or low grade S. mansoni infection individually matched with the cases for age, sex and village of origin. 41.8% of the cases and 37.3% of controls showed no marker of HBV infection. The prevalence rate of anti-HBc alone was 4.5% in the cases and 7.5% in the controls. For anti-HBs the figures were 53.7% and 55.2% respectively. No cases or controls were positive for HBsAg. These data do not support the hypothesis of an interaction between infection with hepatitis B virus and S. mansoni.     

乙型肝炎病毒感染临床转归与宿主细胞免疫的相关性研究

目的 比较慢性乙型肝炎患者、HBV携带者、HBV既往无症状感染者之间T细胞亚群和HBV特异性CD4+ T细胞应答强度的差异,分析宿主的细胞免疫状态对HBV感染后临床转归的影响,探讨乙型肝炎的发病机制,为慢性乙型肝炎的治疗提供新的线索.方法 选取2004年2-10月在北京协和医院肝炎门诊就诊的慢性乙型肝炎患者30例、HBV携带者22例、HBV既往无症状感染者9例以及正常对照11例,使用流式细胞仪检测其T细胞亚群,使用酶联免疫斑点法检测病毒特异性CD4+T细胞应答强度,分析其差异及临床意义.结果 慢性乙型肝炎组CD4+T细胞计数显著低于HBV既往无症状感染组和正常对照组;慢性乙型肝炎组、HBV携带者组、HBV既往无症状感染组病毒特异性CD4+ T细胞应答强度分别为(156±105)、(56±68)、(229±114)SFC/106PBMC(每106个外周血单个核细胞中斑点形成细胞的个数);慢性乙型肝炎组明显高于HBV携带者组(P＜0.01),而低于HBV既往无症状感染组(P＜0.05).结论 慢性乙型肝炎患者、HBV携带者、HBV既往无症状感染者病毒特异性T细胞应答强度存在差异,这种差异可能是造成HBV感染后不同临床转归的主要因素之一.     

乙型肝炎病毒基因型与血清HBV DNA水平的关系

目的　探讨乙型肝炎病毒 (HBV)基因型与血清HBVDNA水平的关系。方法　采用PCR、核酸杂交和酶联显色技术以及荧光定量PCR技术 ,分别对 12 3例慢性乙型肝炎 (CHB)患者进行HBVDNA基因分型和血清HBVDNA水平的测定。结果　泉州地区CHB患者的HBV基因型以B型为主 ,其次为C型 ,部分以D型和混合型存在 ,分别占 74 80 %、17 0 7%、3 2 5 %和 5 69% ,无A、E、F型。C基因型的HBVDNA水平 (log值 )为 7 0 5± 1 3 5 ,显著高于B基因型的 6 3 2± 1 0 6,P <0 0 1;而C基因型的HBeAg含量为5 3 62± 2 5 3 2 ,亦显著高于B基因型的 40 1l± 15 17,P <0 0 1。C基因型患者的TBIL、ALT、AST均显著高于B基因型 ,而白蛋白水平则显著低于B基因型 ,P <0 0 1。结论　泉州地区CHB患者以B基因型为主 ,部分以C型、D型和混合型存在。C基因型的血清HBVDNA水平显著高于B型 ,其肝损伤程度亦显著高于B型