Hepatitis B and C infection and liver disease trends among human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals

AIM:To examine trends in and correlates of liver disease and viral hepatitis in an human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected cohort. METHODS:The multi-site adult/adolescent spectrum of HIV-related diseases (ASD) followed 29 490 HIVinfected individuals receiving medical care in 11 U.S. metropolitan areas for an average of 2.4 years,and a total of 69 487 person-years,between 1998 and 2004. ASD collected data on the presentation,treatment,and outcomes of HIV,including liver disease,hepatitis screening,and he...     

乙型肝炎病毒X蛋白对人肝L-02细胞中COX-2表达的影响

目的:研究在人肝细胞L-02中乙型肝炎病毒X蛋白(HBx)对环氧化酶2(COX-2)表达的影响.方法:构建HBx基因表达载体pIRES2-AcGFP-HBx,转染入人肝细胞L-02中,RT-PCR和Westernblot检测HBx对COX-2表达的影响;通过细胞生长曲线和细胞周期变化,检测HBx蛋白对细胞分裂增殖的作用.同时将含有COX-2启动子核心片段的荧光素酶报告载体pGL3-COX-2转染入上述转染细胞,检测细胞荧光素酶荧光值以观察HBx蛋白对COX-2启动子活性的影响.结果:RT-PCR结果显示仅在HBx基因转染组细胞中有HBxmRNA的表达,且该组细胞中COX-2mRNA相对表达量显著高于空载体对照组和空白对照组(0.76±0.12vs0.28±0.04,0.25±0.03,均P<0.01);Westernblot结果显示,仅HBx基因转染组可见HBx蛋白有明显印迹条带,且该组细胞中COX-2蛋白免疫印迹较两对照组深;细胞生长曲线测定表明HBx基因转染组细胞在第3、4、5天的生长较两对照组显著加快(P<0.05);细胞周期测定显示与两对照组相比,HBx基因转染组G0-G1期比例显著降低,S期和G2-...     

Expanding the donor pool: Hepatitis C,hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus-positive donors in liver transplantation

Liver transplantation (LT) remains the best option for patients with end-stage liver disease but the demand for organs from deceased donors continues to outweigh the available supply. The advent of highly effective anti-viral treatments has reduced the number of patients undergoing LT for hepatitis C (HCV) and hepatitis B (HBV) related liver disease and yet the number of patients waiting for LT continues to increase, driven by an increase in the patients listed with a diagnosis of cirrhosis due to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and alcohol-related liver disease. In addition, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, which was previously a contra-indication for LT, is no longer a fatal disease due to the effectiveness of HIV therapy and patients with HIV and liver disease are now developing indications for LT. The rising demand for LT is projected to increase further in the future, thus driving the need to investigate potential means of expanding the pool of potential donors. One mechanism for doing so is utilizing organs from donors that previously would have been discarded or used only in exceptional circumstances such as HCV-positive, HBV-positive, and HIV-positive donors. The advent of highly effective anti-viral therapy has meant that these organs can now be used with excellent outcomes in HCV, HBV or HIV infected recipients and in some cases uninfected recipients.     

Exploitation of host clock gene machinery by hepatitis viruses B and C

Many aspects of cellular physiology display circadian(approximately 24-h)rhythms.Dysfunction of the circadian clock molecular circuitry is associated with human health derangements,including neurodegeneration,increased risk of cancer,cardiovascular diseases and the metabolic syndrome.Viruses triggering hepatitis depend tightly on the host cell synthesis machinery for their own replication,survival and spreading.Recent evidences support a link between the circadian clock circuitry and viruses’biological cycle within host cells.Currently,in vitro models for chronobiological studies of cells infected with viruses need to be implemented.The establishment of such in vitro models would be helpful to better understand the link between the clock gene machinery and viral replication/viral persistence in order to develop specifically targeted therapeutic regimens.Here we review the recent literature dealing with the interplay between hepatitis B and C viruses and clock genes.     

Combination Therapy in Liver Transplant Recipients with Hepatitis B Virus Without Hepatitis B Immune Globulin

Introduction: Conventional therapy to prevent HBV recurrence in liver transplant (LTx) recipients consists of Hepatitis B Immune Globulin (HBIg). The aim of this review is to investigate the safety and efficacy of converting HBIg and LAM therapy to ADV and LAM therapy. Methods: A retrospective review involving all liver transplant patients with HBV maintained on HBIg and LAM therapy. Results collected included: gender, age, HBV serological and DNA status (COBAS AmpliScreen PCR-based testing). Serologic testing was done every three months. Patients were followed for drug reactions, therapy compliance, and immune suppression compliance. A cost benefit analysis was done for drug comparisons using United States currency values. Results: Patient demographics included: Male (n=6), Female (n=4), mean age 44 years (range 33 to 65). The mean length of follow up since therapy conversion (from HBIg and LMV to ADV and LMV) was 21 months (range 16 to 25 months). Serological status at time of conversion revealed that DNA status remained negative in all patients, HBsAg negative in 10/10, HB eAg (+) (5/10) and HBeAb (+)(5/10). None of the patients experienced an increase in transaminases while on dual ADV and LAM therapy. All patients were maintained on immune suppression monotherapy (tacrolimus) at 7–9 ng/mL. All patients reported compliance with the dual therapy and that they experienced no drug related side effects. Mean yearly costs for ADV and LAM was 7,235.00 United States dollars (range 6,550.00 to 8,225.00); while mean monthly costs for HBIg and LAM; 9225.00 (range 7205.00 to 12005.00). Conclusion: The above results demonstrate beneficial effects of ADV and LAM in place of the current standard of HBIg and LAM therapy. Safety and short term results show nucleoside therapy is adequate at preventing HBV viral recurrence. Lastly, the economic benefit for ADV and LAM vastly outweighed the HBIg and LAM group.     

乙型肝炎病毒基因疫苗诱导小鼠产生免疫应答的效应

目的 :构建编码乙型肝炎病毒 (HBV)表面蛋白S的重组质粒pCR 3 .1 S,将之直接肌肉注射balb/c小鼠 ,观察小鼠HBV特异的免疫应答。方法 :以ELISA法检测小鼠血清 ,3H TdR掺入法测定淋巴细胞增殖 ,51 Cr 4h释放法检测淋巴细胞杀伤功能。结果 :与空载体对照组相比较 ,基因疫苗诱发小鼠产生良好的抗HBs反应及HBV特异的细胞免疫应答 (P <0 .0 5)。结论 :基因疫苗pCR 3 .1 S可诱导balb/c小鼠产生全面的免疫应答     

Randomized trial of lamivudine versus hepatitis B immunoglobulin for long-term prophylaxis of hepatitis B recurrence after liver transplantation

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The long-term prophylaxis of hepatitis B after liver transplantation requires further optimization. In a randomized trial we investigated a regimen where the initially given hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIg) is replaced by long-term lamivudine treatment. METHODS: Twenty-four liver transplant recipients (all HBsAg-positive/HBV DNA-negative before transplantation), who had received HBIg for at least 6 months without HBV recurrence, were randomized to receive lamivudine (n = 12) or HBIg (n = 12) for 52 weeks. The efficacy criteria involved seronegativity for HBsAg and undetectable HBsAg/ HBcAg in the liver. RESULTS: Twenty-one of 24 patients completed the study without hepatitis B virus (HBV) recurrence (11 on HBIg, ten on lamivudine), while three patients became HBsAg-positive. Amongst those without HBV recurrence HBV DNA was detectable only by polymerase chain reaction, intermittently in serum and lymphocytes, and in liver specimens from six of eight patients receiving HBIg and five of seven receiving lamivudine. YMDD variant was found in four cases with no viral antigen expression. Eight patients continued lamivudine after the study and during an additional 6-22 months remained HBsAg-negative with normal graft function. CONCLUSIONS: Substitution of HBIg with lamivudine is effective for prevention of HBV recurrence in low-risk liver transplant recipients and offers a convenient and cost-effective alternative for long-term HBV prophylaxis.     

Hepatitis B virus DNA is more powerful than HBeAg in predicting peripheral T-lymphocyte subpopulations in chronic HBV-infected individuals with normal liver function tests

AIM： To investigate the peripheral T-lymphocyte subpopulation profile, and its correlations with hepatitis B virus （HBV） replication level in chronic HBV-infected （CHI） individuals with normal liver function tests （LFTs）. METHODS： Frequencies of T-lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood were measured by flow cytometry in 216 CHI individuals. HBV markers were detected with ELISA. Serum HBV DNA load was assessed with quantitative real-time PCR. Information of age at HBV infection, and maternal HBV infection status was collected. ANOVA linear trend test and linear regression were used in statistical analysis.
RESULTS： CHI individuals had significantly decreased relative frequencies of CD^3＋, CD^4＋ subpopulations and CD^4＋/CD^8＋ ratio, and increased CD^8＋ subset percentage compared with uninfected individuals （all P 〈 0.001）. There was a significant linear relationship between the load of HBV DNA and the parameters of T-lymphocyte subpopulations （ANOVA linear trend test P 〈 0.01）. The parameters were also significantly worse among individuals whose mothers were known to be HBV carriers, and those having gained infection before the age of 8 years. In multiple regressions, after adjustment for age at HBV infection and status of maternal HBV infection, log copies of HBV DNA maintained its highly significant predictive coefficient on T-lymphocyte subpopulations, whereas the effect of HBeAg was not significant.
CONCLUSION： HBV DNA correlates with modification in the relative T-lymphocyte subpopulation frequencies. High viral load is more powerful than HBeAg in predicting the impaired balance of T-cell subsets.     

circadian clock circuitry in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is the most prevalent among digestive system cancers.Carcinogenesis relies on disrupted control of cellular processes,such as metabolism,proliferation,DNA damage recognition and repair,and apoptosis.Cell,tissue,organ and body physiology is characterized by periodic fluctuations driven by biological clocks operating through the clock gene machinery.Dysfunction of molecular clockworks and cellular oscillators is involved in tumorigenesis,and altered expression of clock genes has been found in cancer patients.Epidemiological studies have shown that circadian disruption,that is,alteration of bodily temporal organization,is a cancer risk factor,and an increased incidence of colorectal neoplastic disease is reported in shift workers.In this review we describe the involvement of the circadian clock circuitry in colorectal carcinogenesis and the therapeutic strategies addressing temporal deregulation in colorectal cancer.     

Relationship between hepatitis B virus DNA levels and liver histology in patients with chronic hepatitis B

AIM： To study the relationship between hepatitis B virus （HBV） DNA levels and liver histology in patients with chronic hepatitis B （CHB） and to determine the prevalence and characteristics of hepatitis B e antigen （HBeAg） negative patients.
METHODS： A total of 213 patients with CHB were studied, and serum HBV DNA levels were measured by the COBAS Amplicor HBV Monitor test. All patients were divided into two groups according to the HBeAg status.The correlation between serum HBV DNA levels and liver damage （liver histology and biochemistry） was explored.
RESULTS： Of the 213 patients with serum HBV DNA levels higher than 10^5 copies/mL, 178 （83.6%） were HBeAg positive, 35 （16.4%） were HBeAg negative. The serum HBV DNA levels were not correlated to the age,history of CHB, histological grade and stage of liver disease in either HBeAg negative or HBeAg positive patients. There was no correlation between serum levels of HBV DNA and alanine aminotransferanse （ALT）,aspartate aminotrans-ferase （AST） in HBeAg positive patients. In HBeAg negative patients, there was no correlation between serum levels of HBV DNA and AST,while serum DNA levels correlated with ALT （r = 0.351, P = 0.042）. The grade （G） of liver disease correlated with ALT and AST （P 〈 0.05, r = 0.205, 0.327 respectively）in HBeAg positive patients. In HBeAg negative patients,correlations were shown between ALT, AST and the G （P 〈 0.01, and r = 0.862, 0.802 respectively）. HBeAg negative patients were older （35 ± 9 years vs 30 ±9 years, P 〈 0.05 ） and had a longer history of HBV infection （8 ± 4 years vs 6 ± 4 years, P 〈 0.05） and a lower HBV DNA level than HBeAg positive patients （8.4± 1.7 Log HBV DNA vs 9.8 ± 1.3 Log HBV DNA, P 〈0.001）. There were no significant differences in sex ratio,ALT and AST levels and liver histology between the two groups.
CONCLUSION： Serum HBV DNA level is not correlated to histological grade or stage of liver disease in CHB patients with HBV DNA mor     

Hepatitis B virus pre-S2 start codon mutations in Indonesian liver disease patients

AIM: To identify the prevalence of pre-S2 start codon mutations and to assess their association with liver disease progression. METHODS: The mutations were identified by direct sequencing from 73 asymptomatic carriers, 66 chronic hepatitis (CH), 66 liver cirrhosis (LC) and 63 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Statistical significances were determined using Fisher's exact test, χ 2 test, and t -test analyses whenever appropriate. Pre-S mutation as a risk factor for advanced liver disease was estimated by unconditional logistic regression model adjusted with age, sex, and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). P 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Mutation of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) pre-S2 start codon was found in 59 samples from 268 subjects (22.0%), with higher prevalence in patients with cirrhosis 27/66 (40.9%) followed by HCC 18/63 (28.6%), chronic hepatitis 12/66 (18.2%) and asymptomatic carriers 2/73 (2.7%) (P 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that pre-S2 start codon mutation was an independent factor for progressive liver disease. Other mutations, at T130, Q132, and A138, were also associated with LC and HCC, although this was not statistically significant when adjusted for age, sex, and HBeAg. The prevalence of pre-S2 start codon mutation was higher in HBV/B than in HBV/C (23.0% vs 19.1%), whilst the prevalence of T130, Q132, and A138 mutation was higher in HBV/C than in HBV/B. The prevalence of pre-S2 start codon mutation was higher in LC (38.9%) and HCC (40.0%) than CH (5.6%) in HBeAg(+) group, but it was similar between CH, LC and HCC in HBeAg(-) group. CONCLUSION: Pre-S2 start codon mutation was higher in Indonesian patients compared to other Asian countries, and its prevalence was associated with advanced liver disease, particularly in HBeAg(+) patients.     

Hepatitis D virus and liver transplantation: Indications and outcomes

Hepatitis D virus(HDV) is a dependent virus that relies on hepatitis B virus for its replication and transmission. Chronic hepatitis D is a severe form of viral hepatitis that can result in end stage liver disease. Currently, pegylated interferon alpha is the only approved therapy for chronic HDV infection and is associated with significant side effects. Liver transplantation(LT) is the only treatment option for patients with end-stage liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, or fulminant hepatitis due to coinfection with HDV. As LT for HDV and hepatitis B virus coinfection is uncommon in the United States, most data on the long-term impact of LT on HDV are from international centers. In this review, we discuss the indications and results of LT with treatment options in HDV patients.     

乙型和丙型肝炎病毒感染与肝细胞癌

为探讨乙型和丙型肝炎病毒（ＨＢＶ和ＨＣＶ）感染与肝细胞癌（肝癌）发生的关系，采用ＥＬＩＳＡ和聚合酶链反应（ＰＣＲ）对沈阳地区１１７例肝癌、１０７例肝硬化和４５例血液透析患者血清进行了ＨＢＶ和ＨＣＶ血清标志及ＨＢＶＤＮＡ和ＨＣＶＲＮＡ检测，并采用限制性片段长度多态性对其中７３例ＨＣＶＲＮＡ阳性血清进行了ＨＣＶ基因分型。结果，肝癌组ＨＢＶ感染率（６０７％）显著高于ＨＣＶ感染率（３３３％，Ｐ＜００１），肝硬化组ＨＢＶ感染率（４３９％）明显高于ＨＣＶ感染率（２９０％，Ｐ＜００５）；血液透析组ＨＢＶ和ＨＣＶ重叠感染率（２６７％）明显高于肝硬化组（１０３％，Ｐ＜００５）；各组均以ＨＣＶⅡ型为主（６５２％～８００％），ＨＣＶⅢ型次之（２００％～３１４％）。结果提示：沈阳地区肝癌的诱发因素仍以ＨＢＶ为主，血液透析患者ＨＢＶ和ＨＣＶ重叠感染的机会更大，ＨＣＶⅡ型感染在本地区ＨＣＶ相关性肝癌和肝硬化的发生中可能起主要作用。     

Hepatitis B virus infection and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma

Epidemiological studies have provided overwhelming evidence for a causal role of chronic hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).However,the pathogenesis of HBV infection and carcinogenesis of HBV-associated HCC are still elusive.This review will summarize the current knowledge on the mechanisms involved in HBV-related liver carcinogenesis.The role of HBV in tumor formation appears to be complex,and may involve both direct and indirect mechanisms.Integration of H...     

Hepatitis B viral infection and role of alcohol

End-stage liver disease is frequently caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and alcohol consumption. Notably, the mechanism by which alcohol affects the course of HBV-associated liver disease is unknown, and additional research is needed in this area. A reduced immunological response, oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, Golgi apparatus stress, and enhanced HBV replication are a few potential causes.     

血清甘胆酸检测用于慢性HBV携带者肝脏早期损害的研究

目的 :探讨慢性乙肝病毒 (HBV)携带者血清甘胆酸 (CG)水平与肝功能早期损害的关系。方法 :对 384例慢性HBV携带者和 1 2 0例健康人对照 ,用RIA进行血清CG检测 ,同时随机抽取 40例病例做肝组织活检。结果 :慢性HBV携带者血清CG含量为 6 .62±4.2 4mg/L ,明显高于正常健康对照组的 1 .49± 0 .71mg/L(P <0 .0 1 ) ,但HBeAg阳性组与HBeAg阴性组血清CG含量无明显差异 (P >0 .0 5) ,其中HBeAg阳性组CG含量超过正常上限者 66例 (34 .38% ) ,HBeAg阴性组CG含量超过正常上限者 56例 (2 9.1 7% ) ,两者无明显差异 (P >0 .0 5)。病例组血清CG含量与CG异常率随年龄增长有明显增高趋势 (P <0 .0 1 )。 40例病理分析 ,34例 (85 .0 0 % )出现不同程度的炎症性和纤维化改变。且与CG含量呈明显正相关。结论 :慢性HBV携带者多存在早期肝脏损害 ,血清CG检测是一项无创、敏感的肝功能指标 ,它反映肝脏早期受损的程度 ,动态观察肝脏受损情况 ,对于指导临床早期护肝治疗具有重要的实用价值