Clinical significance of pre-S mutations in patients with genotype C hepatitis B virus infection

We investigated the overall and site-specific prevalence of pre-S mutations and its clinical significance in patients with genotype C hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Three hundred subjects were included: 50 asymptomatic carriers (AC), 87 chronic hepatitis (CH), 91 liver cirrhosis (LC) and 72 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Pre-S mutations were determined by nucleotide sequence analysis. Possible correlations between pre-S mutations and clinical/virological parameters were examined. Pre-S mutations were detected in 82 cases (27.3%); it was more frequently found in HCC (43.1%) and LC (35.2%) group than in the CH (20.7%) and AC (2.0%) group. Pre-S2 deletion was the most commonly found mutation (10.7%), followed by pre-S2 start codon mutation (9.7%), pre-S1-S2 deletion (3.0%) and both pre-S2 deletion and start codon mutation (2.7%). Pre-S2 deletion and pre-S2 start codon mutation were more frequently detected in advanced diseases (LC and HCC). Pre-S mutations were associated with older age and higher rates of positive HBV DNA (>/=0.5 pg/mL). Advanced disease and positive HBV DNA were shown to be independent predictors of pre-S mutations by logistic regression analysis. These findings suggest that pre-S mutations, especially pre-S2 deletions and pre-S2 start codon mutations, are common in patients with genotype C HBV infection and are associated with advanced liver disease and active viral replication.     

中国贵州地区乙型肝炎病毒前S基因变异的研究

目的研究HBV前S基因变异与基因型及疾病类型的关系。方法建立聚合酶链反应-限制性片段长度多态性检测HBV前S2起始码变异的方法;用聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳分析HBV前S区缺失变异;用直接测序验证方法的准确性。用S基因聚合酶链反应-限制性片段长度多态性确定HBV基因型。检测160份HBV感染者血清,并结合基因型、疾病类型分析。结果160份标本中B基因型81份,C基因型79份。C基因型前S2起始码变异的检出率为43.04%,高于B型的1.23%(P<0.05)。前S区缺失变异在C基因型中的检出率也高于B型(36.71%与19.75%,P<0.05)。前S2起始码变异在HCC、LC组的检出率分别为50.00%、39.47%,明显高于慢性肝炎组的8.00%、慢性无症状乙型肝炎表面抗原携带者组的0(P值均<0.05)。前S区缺失变异检出率在HCC、LC组分别为53.13%和42.11%,也高于慢性肝炎组的18.00%及慢性无症状乙型肝炎表面抗原携带者组的7.50%(P值均<0.05)。经多因素Logistic回归分析,C基因型和严重肝病是影响前S基因变异的重要因素(OR分别为6.26、11.99,P值均<0.01)。测序结果与酶切,聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳结果一致。结论与B基因型相比,C型HBV感染者更易发生前S2起始码、前S区缺失变异;前S基因变异与肝病进展及预后相关。     

Different pre-S deletion patterns and their association with hepatitis B virus genotypes

AIMTo investigate the associations of different types of pre-S deletions with hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes.METHODSThe sequences of the pre-S region, basal core promoter (BCP) mutation, and precore (PC) mutation were examined through direct DNA sequencing or clonal analysis and sequencing in 273 HBV carriers, namely 55 asymptomatic carriers, 55 carriers with chronic hepatitis (CH), 55 with liver cirrhosis (LC), 53 with liver cirrhotic hepatocellular carcinoma (LC-HCC), and 55 with noncirrhotic HCC. A total of 126 HBV carriers (46.2%) harbored pre-S deletions. The DNA sequences of pre-S deletion mutants from 43 age-matched genotype B (HBV/B)-infected carriers and 43 age-matched genotype C (HBV/C)-infected carriers were further examined, aligned, and compared.RESULTSNo significant difference was observed in the mean age distribution (P = 0.464), male sex (P = 0.805), viral load (P = 0.635), or BCP mutation (P = 0.117) between the HBV/B and HBV/C groups. However, the rate of PC mutation was significantly higher in the HBV/B-infected carriers than in the HBV/C-infected carriers (P = 0.003). Both genotypes exhibited a high rate of deletion in the C-terminal half of the pre-S1 region and N-terminus of the pre-S2 region (86.0% and 79.1% in the HBV/B group; 69.8% and 72.1% in the HBV/C group, respectively). Epitope mapping showed that deletion in several epitope sites was frequent in both genotypes, particularly pS1-BT and pS2-B2. Conversely, the rate of pS2-B1 deletion was significantly higher in the HBV/B group (72.1% vs 37.2%, P = 0.002), and the rate of pS2-T deletion was significantly higher in the HBV/C group (48.8% vs 25.6%, P = 0.044). Functional mapping showed that the rate of deletion in three functional sites (the nucleocapsid binding site, start codon of M, and site for viral secretion) located in the N-terminus of the pre-S2 region was significantly higher in the HBV/B group (P < 0.05). One type of N-terminus pre-S1 deletion mutant with deletion of the start codon of the L protein was frequently observed in the HBV/C group (20.9% vs 9.3%, P = 0.228), particularly in the LC patients (42.9% vs 12.5%). Different patterns of pre-S deletions were also found between the HBV/B and HBV/C groups according to different clinical outcomes. In CH patients, deletion in the site for polymerized human serum albumin was more frequent in the HBV/B group (88.9% vs 36.4%, P = 0.028). In the LC-HCC patients, the rate of deletion in the pre-S2 region was significantly higher in the HBV/B group than in the HBV/C group (P < 0.05).CONCLUSIONHBV/B- and HBV/C-infected carriers exhibit different patterns of pre-S deletion, which may be associated with the progression of liver diseases.     

乙型肝炎病毒表面抗原阳性患者前-S1抗原和前-S2抗原与HBV DNA和HBV-M相关性分析

目的检测乙型肝炎病毒患者乙型肝炎病毒前-S1抗原（HBV pre-S1-Ag）、前-S2抗原（HBV pre-S2-Ag）、乙型肝炎病毒DNA（HBV DNA）和乙型肝炎病毒E抗原（HBeAg）,探讨其相关性和临床应用价值。方法应用酶联免疫测定法（ELISA）分别检测HBV pre-S1-Ag、HBV pre-S2-Ag和乙型肝炎病毒标志物（HBV-M）,荧光定量聚合酶链反应法（FQ-PCR）检测HBV DNA,并对检测结果进行统计学分析。结果 HBsAg阳性者中,pre-S1-Ag、pre-S2-Ag、HBV DNA阳性者分别为594例、541例、629例,其阳性率分别为66.29%、60.38%、70.20%。HBeAg阳性组pre-S1-Ag、pre-S2-Ag、HBV DNA的阳性率分别为90.21%、74.46%、93.32%,显著高于HBeAg阴性组的45.28%、48.01%、49.89%,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.01）。随着HBV DNA载量的增高,pre-S1-Ag、pre-S2-Ag、HBeAg阳性率随之增高。结论 pre-S1-Ag、pre-S2-Ag与HBV DNA和HBeAg阳性检出率具有显著相关性。联合检测pre-S1-Ag、pre-S2-Ag、HBV DNA及HBV-M,有助于HBV早期诊断、疗效观察和预后判断。     

Molecular epidemiological study of hepatitis B virus in Thailand based on the analysis of pre-S and S genes.

Aims: This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and characteristics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes, antigen subtypes, "a" determinant variants and pre-S gene mutations circulating on a large scale in Thailand. Methods: The sequences of the Pre-S1, Pre-S2 and S regions were determined in serum samples of 147 HBsAg and HBV DNA-positive subjects who had been enrolled from the nationwide seroepidemiological survey conducted on 6213 individuals in 2004. Results: The results showed that genotypes C, B and A accounted for 87.1%, 11.6% and 1.3%, respectively. The distribution of the HBV antigen subtypes was: adr (84.4%), adw (14.2%) and ayw (1.4%). Regarding the "a" determinant, 2/43 (4.65%) and 2/104 (1.92%) samples of vaccinated and non-vaccinated subjects, respectively, displayed mutations, all ofwhich were Thr126Asn. Sequencing analysis showed the pre-S mutations in 14 (9.5%) samples, with pre-S2 deletion as the most common mutant (4.1%) followed by pre-S2 start codon mutation (2.9%), both pre-S2 deletion and start codon mutation (2.0%), and pre-S1 deletion (0.7%). The pre-S mutations were associated with older age and higher mean serum HBsAg level. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that HBV genotype/subtype C/adr and B/adw were the predominant strains circulating in Thailand. The "a" determinant variants seemed to be uncommon, and might not be attributed to vaccine-induced mutation.     

Expression of pre-S gene-encoded proteins in liver and serum during chronic hepatitis B virus infection in comparison to other markers of active virus replication

Pre-S gene-encoded proteins of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) were studied in the liver by immunofluorescence and in serum by radioimmunoassay in 30 patients with chronic HBV infection. The results were compared with molecular hybridization analysis of HBV-DNA in liver and serum, with serum hepatitis B e antigen/antibody (HBeAg/anti-HBe) status and with underlying liver histology. Pre-S peptides were detected in the serum of 11 patients, 10 of whom were positive for serum HBV-DNA and/or liver hepatitis B core antigen. Only 4 of these patients were HBeAg positive. The prevalence of serum pre-S among HBV replicating carriers was 59% (10/17) compared to only 8% (1/13) among those with non-replicating virus (P less than 0.01). All patients with circulating pre-S peptides had active liver disease. Anti-pre-S was detected in the serum of only 4 patients, 3 with integrated HBV-DNA. In contrast to serum findings, pre-S peptides were detected in the liver of all patients with histochemically demonstrable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), regardless of HBV replicative status. HBsAg carriers with integrated HBV-DNA had abundant cytoplasmic pre-S1 and pre-S2 localized in numerous ground-glass hepatocytes. It is concluded that pre-S peptides are usually displayed in the liver simultaneously with histochemically detectable HBsAg; they are secreted in the serum in association with high HBV replication and release of HBV particles, but in the absence of episomal HBV replication, pre-S peptides seem to be largely retained within hepatocytic membranes.     

Hepatitis B virus subgenotypes and basal core promoter mutations in Indonesia

AIM： To identify the distribution of hepatitis B virus （HBV） subgenotype and basal core promoter （BCP） mutations among patients with HBV-associated liver disease in Indonesia.
METHODS： Patients with chronic hepatitis （CH, n =61）, liver cirrhosis （LC, n = 62）, and hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC, n = 48） were included in this study. HBV subgenotype was identified based on S or preS gene sequence, and mutations in the HBx gene including the overlapping BCP region were examined by direct sequencing.
RESULTS： HBV genotype B （subgenotypes B2, B3, B4, 85 and B7） the major genotype in the samples, accounted for 75.4%, 71.0% and 75.0% of CH, LC and HCC patients, respectively, while the genotype C （subgenotypes C1, C2 and C3） was detected in 24.6%, 29.0%, and 25.0% of CH, LC, and HCC patients, respectively. Subgenotypes B3 （84.9%） and C1 （82.2%） were the main subgenotype in HBV genotype B and C, respectively. Serotype adw2 （84.9%） and adrq＋ （89.4%） were the most prevalent in HBV genotype B and C, respectively. Double mutation （A1762T/G1764A） in the BCP was significantly higher in LC （59.7%） and HCC （54.2%） than in CH （19.7%）, suggesting that this mutation was associated with severity of liver disease. The T1753V was also higher in LC （46.8%）, but lower in HCC （22.9%） and CH （18.0%）, suggesting that this mutation may be an indicator of cirrhosis.
CONCLUSION： HBV genotype B/B3 and C/C1 are the major genotypes in Indonesia. Mutations in BCP, such as A1762T/G1764A and T1753V, might have an association with manifestations of liver disease.     

Association of pre-S deletion mutant of hepatitis B virus with risk of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Pre-S deletion mutant of hepatitis B virus (HBV) affects the expression of middle and small surface proteins, resulting in intracellular accumulation of large surface protein. The correlation between pre-S deletion mutant and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in hepatitis B virus carriers remains unclear. METHODS: Using molecular assays, pre-S deletion mutant of HBV were determined in 266 patients with chronic HBV genotype B or C infection. They included 202 asymptomatic carriers and 64 HCC patients. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of pre-S deletion mutant was 16.5%. Hepatocellular carcinoma (odds ratio [OR], 3.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-8.48, P = 0.02) and genotype C (OR, 3.19; 95%CI, 1.54-6.62, P = 0.002) were independently associated with the presence of pre-S deletion mutant. The prevalence of pre-S deletion mutant was comparable between HCC patients with genotype B and C infection. Nevertheless, in asymptomatic carriers, patients with genotype C infection were significantly associated with the presence of pre-S deletion mutant compared to those with genotype B infection (20.8% vs 7.2%, P = 0.007). Compared with age- and genotype B-matched asymptomatic carriers, young HCC patients (<50 years of age) had a significantly higher frequency of pre-S deletion (3.4% vs 20%, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-S deletion mutant is more frequent in HBV carriers with genotype C infection, and those with pre-S deletion mutant may be associated with the development of HCC, irrespective of HBV genotype.     

慢性HBV感染者不同病程阶段HBV前S基因缺失突变的比较分析

目的 探讨慢性HBV感染者不同病程阶段前S(pre-S)基因缺失的临床流行特点及其临床意义. 方法 采用巢式PCR方法扩增测序146例慢性乙型肝炎(chronic hepatitis B, CHB)患者(CHB组)、111例HBV相关肝硬化(liver cirrhosis, LC)患者(LC组)、146例慢加急性肝衰竭(acute-on-chronic liver failure, ACLF)患者(ACLF组)和136例HBV相关肝细胞癌(hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC)患者(HCC组)的HBV pre-S基因(nt 2848-154).分析比较不同组pre-S基因缺失发生率、缺失热点区域和缺失片段长度. 结果 LC组和HCC组HBV pre-S基因缺失率显著高于CHB组(26.1%vs. 15.8%,P=0.040;34.6%vs. 15.8%,P<0.001);LC组pre-S1基因单独缺失率显著高于CHB组(17.1%vs. 4.8%,P=0.001);HCC组pre-S2基因单独缺失率显著高于CHB组(19.1%vs. 4.8%,P<0.001). 不同病程阶段患者发生缺失的热点区域也不相同,CHB组发生缺失的热点区域为nt 3031-3215(30.4%)和nt 24-57(30.4%);LC组为nt 2849-2866(55.2%)和nt 5-55(31.0%);ACLF组为nt 2849-2866(28.6%)和nt 1-54(25.7%);HCC组为nt 5-55(57.4%)和nt 2849-2866(12.8%).不同病程阶段患者发生pre-S基因缺失的片段长度差异无统计学意义. 结论 慢性HBV感染者中,随着疾病进展HBV pre-S基因缺失率呈上升趋势,其中pre-S1基因缺失突变在LC患者中显著增高,pre-S2基因缺失突变在HCC患者中显著增高.pre-S基因缺失可能参与驱动HBV慢性感染的疾病进展.     

High prevalence and mapping of pre-S deletion in hepatitis B virus carriers with progressive liver diseases

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The interactions among pre-S deletion, precore (PC) mutation, and basal core promoter (BCP) mutation in various stages of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remain unclear and were thus investigated in this study. METHODS: The sequences of the pre-S region and the BCP (A1762T, G1764A) and PC (G1896A) mutations were determined in 46 HBV chronic carriers (CC) and 106 age-matched carriers with different stages of liver diseases, including 38 chronic hepatitis (CH), 18 cirrhosis (LC), and 50 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). RESULTS: A higher prevalence of pre-S deletion and BCP and PC mutations was found in carriers with progressive liver diseases compared with the CC group. By logistic regression analysis, patients with pre-S deletion and BCP mutation were significantly associated with the development of progressive liver diseases than those without. Combination of mutations rather than single mutation was associated with the development of progressive liver diseases, especially in combination with pre-S deletion. Sequencing analysis showed that the deleted regions were more often in the 3' terminus of pre-S1 and the 5' terminus of pre-S2. Further mapping of these pre-S deletion sequences found that all the deletion regions encompassed T- and B-cell epitopes, and most of them lost 1 or more functional sites. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that patients with progressive liver diseases have a higher frequency of pre-S deletion.     

Novel approach to identifying the hepatitis B virus pre-S deletions associated with hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To develop a novel non-sequencing method for the detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) pre-S deletion mutants in HBV carriers.METHODS: The entire region of HBV pre-S1 and pre-S2 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The size of PCR products was subsequently determined by capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE). CGE were carried out in a PACE-MDQ instrument equipped with a UV detector set at 254 nm. The samples were separated in 50 μm ID eCAP Neutral Coated Capillaries using a voltage of 6 kV for 30 min. Data acquisition and analysis were performed using the 32 Karat Software. A total of 114 DNA clones containing different sizes of the HBV pre-S gene were used to determine the accuracy of the CGE method. One hundred and fifty seven hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 160 non-HCC patients were recruited into the study to assess the association between HBV pre-S deletion and HCC by using the newly-established CGE method. Nine HCC cases with HBV pre-S deletion at the diagnosis year were selected to conduct a longitudinal observation using serial serum samples collected 2-9 years prior to HCC diagnosis.RESULTS: CGE allowed the separation of PCR products differing in size > 3 bp and was able to identify 10% of the deleted DNA in a background of wild-type DNA. The accuracy rate of CGE-based analysis was 99.1% compared with the clone sequencing results. Using this assay, pre-S deletion was more frequently found in HCC patients than in non-HCC controls (47.1% vs 28.1%, P < 0.001). Interestingly, the increased risk of HCC was mainly contributed by the short deletion of pre-S. While the deletion ≤ 99 bp was associated with a 2.971-fold increased risk of HCC (95%CI: 1.723-5.122, P < 0.001), large deletion (> 99 bp) did not show any association with HCC (P = 0.918, OR = 0.966, 95%CI: 0.501-1.863). Of the 9 patients who carried pre-S deletions at the stage of HCC, 88.9% (8/9) had deletions 2-5 years prior to HCC, while only 44.4%4 (4/9) contained such deletions 6-9 years prior to HCC.CONCLUSION: CGE is a sensitive approach for HBV pre-S deletion analysis. Pre-S deletion, especially for short DNA fragment deletion, is a useful predictive marker for HCC.     

Genomic change in hepatitis B virus associated with development of hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To determine the genomic changes in hepatitis B virus (HBV) and evaluate their role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients chronically infected with genotype C HBV.METHODS: Two hundred and forty chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients were subjected and followed for a median of 105 mo. HCC was diagnosed in accordance with AASLD guidelines. The whole X, S, basal core promoter (BCP), and precore regions of HBV were sequenced using the direct sequencing method.RESULTS: All of the subjects were infected with genotype C HBV. Out of 240 CHB patients, 25 (10%) had C1653T and 33 (14%) had T1753V mutation in X region; 157 (65%) had A1762T/G1764A mutations in BCP region, 50 (21%) had G1896A mutation in precore region and 67 (28%) had pre-S deletions. HCC occurred in 6 patients (3%). The prevalence of T1753V mutation was significantly higher in patients who developed HCC than in those without HCC. The cumulative occurrence rates of HCC were 5% and 19% at 10 and 15 years, respectively, in patients with T1753V mutant, which were significantly higher than 1% and 1% in those with wild type HBV (P < 0.001).CONCLUSION: The presence of T1753V mutation in HBV X-gene significantly increases the risk of HCC development in patients chronically infected with genotype C HBV.     

Virological and clinical implication of core promoter C1752/V1753 and T1764/G1766 mutations in hepatitis B virus genotype D infection in Mongolia

Background and Aim: The aim of the present study was to reveal virological and clinical features of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype D infection. Methods: One hundred and twenty‐two Mongolian chronic liver disease (CLD) patients infected with HBV were subjected for serological HBV‐markers screening and HBV‐enzyme immunoassay (EIA) genotyping. Nucleotide sequences were analyzed for 48 HBV/D strains (23 isolated from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 25 from CLD patients). Results: Prevalence of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positivity was low (25.9%) in young patients (≤30 years old) indicating early HBeAg seroclearance in HBV/D carriers. The T1764/G1766 double mutation was the most common basal core promoter (BCP) mutation (29.2%) and was frequent in HBeAg‐negative patients (39.3%). Patients harboring T1764/G1766 mutants exhibited lower HBV‐DNA and HBV core antigen (HBcAg) levels than those with wild‐type BCP strains (P = 0.024, 0.049, respectively). C1752 and/or V (not T) 1753 mutation was significantly prevalent in HCC patients (HCC vs CLD; 52.2% vs 20%, P = 0.033). T1762/A1764 mutation was detected in 75.0% of HCC patients with high viral load (≥5 log copies/mL). Precore stop codon mutation A1896 was detected in (70.8%) of HBV/D‐infected patients. Conclusions: In Mongolians infected with HBV/D, C1752 and/or V1753 mutation was associated with HCC.     

乙型肝炎前S2抗原／抗体的检测与其病毒标志物的关系及临床意义

目的:探讨乙型肝炎患者前S_2抗原、前S_2抗体与乙型肝炎病毒标志物(HBV M)之间的关系及临床意义。方法:对176例乙型肝炎患者用ELISA法检测前S_2抗原、前S_2抗体及HBV M;用聚合酶链反应(PCR)法检测乙型肝炎病毒HBV-DNA。结果:急性肝炎、慢性肝炎、肝硬变患者前S_2抗原检出率分别为11.11％、73.73％、75%;前S_2抗体在上述患者中的检出率分别为77.78％、11.02％、5％。前S_2抗原在HBV-DNA、HBeAg阳性病例中的检出率明显高于阴性组(P<0.001)。前S_2抗体阳性病例中,HBV-DNA、HBeAg均为阴性。结论:前S_2抗原的检出意味着病毒有复制或有传染性。前S_2抗体的出现标志着病毒被清除,在慢性肝病中检出并不意味着病情稳定,同时发现该抗体可以在急性乙型肝炎的急性期及血清乙肝病毒标志物全部阴性的患者中检出。     

G1896A Precore Mutation and Association With HBeAg Status,Genotype and Clinical Status in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B

Background:

Precore stop codon (G1896A) mutation is one of the commonest mutations found in patients with chronic hepatitis B. However, over the years, this mutation was not reported much in Malaysia.

Objectives:

We therefore investigated the presence of G1896A mutation in Malaysian population and its association with HBeAg status, clinical stage, hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype and e-seroconversion rate.

Patients and Methods:

Serum samples from 93 patients confirmed as hepatitis B carriers were collected for molecular assay. The whole genome of HBV was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and directly sequenced. The precore and basal core promoter regions were analyzed for presence of mutations.

Results:

The most commonly observed mutation in the precore region was C1858T with 64.5% prevalence. The precore mutation of interest (G1896A) was identified in 25.8% of isolates. The basal core promoter mutations detected were A1762T-G1764A (26.9%), C1653T (8.6%), A1752G (10.8%) and C1766T (2.2%). No significant association was observed between G1896A mutation and HBeAg-negativity. Nonetheless, G1896A was highly prevalent among HBV genotype B. Clinical association revealed that subjects with G1896A mutations were mainly detected in asymptomatic chronic hepatitis B (58.3%) and liver cirrhosis (41.7%). One subject was diagnosed with fulminant hepatitis (4.2%) and 8.3% had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Conclusions:

Our data suggested an intermediate prevalence of G1896A mutation among Malaysian hepatitis B carriers. The stop codon mutation has a significant association with genotype B and patients with chronic hepatitis B and liver cirrhosis.     

前S2抗原与HBVDNA及HBV血清标志物的关系分析

目的探讨乙型肝炎病毒前S2（Pre-S2）抗原与乙肝病毒血清标志物五项、乙肝病毒DNA之间的相关性及临床意义。方法用酶联免疫吸附试验对982例乙肝患者血清标志物和乙肝病毒Pre-S2抗原进行检测;并用荧光定量PCR法对其进行HBVDNA检测。对HBV血清标志物不同阳性血清学模式进行分组分析。结果在HBeAg阳性模式组中,乙肝病毒Pre-S2和HBVDNA的检出率高,平均为95.34%和97.8%。在HBeAg阴性模式组中,乙肝病毒Pre-S2和HBVDNA的检出率低,平均为39.7%和32.3%。在HBsAg、HBeAg均为阴性的模式中Pre-S2抗原为1.45%。结论 Pre-S2抗原与HBeAg和HBVDNA密切相关;Pre-S2抗原检测完善和补充了乙肝病毒血清标志物检测的不足。     

HBsAg及HBV DNA定量水平在慢性乙型肝炎、肝硬化和肝癌患者中的变化

目的 了解HBsAg定量水平在慢性乙型肝炎、乙型肝炎肝硬化、HBsAg阳性的原发性肝癌患者中的变化及其在3组患者中与HBV DNA的相关性. 方法 采集47例慢性乙型肝炎患者(乙型肝炎组),72例乙型肝炎肝硬化患者(肝硬化组)及54例肝癌患者(肝癌组)的血清标本,用雅培化学发光法进行HBsAg定量测定,荧光PCR定量法检测HBV DNA量水平.多组分析采用Kruskal-Wallis检验,两组间比较采用Mann-WhitneyU检验,相关性分析采用Spearman检验.结果 HBsAg定量值在乙型肝炎、肝硬化、肝癌组患者中的中位数分别为2361.10、1001.64、594.35IU/ml,3组间呈逐渐下降趋势,x2= 24.394,P＜0.05,差异有统计学意义;乙型肝炎组与肝硬化组比较,Z= -3.754,P＜0.05,差异有统计学意义;乙型肝炎组与肝癌组比较,Z=-4.630,P＜0.05,差异有统计学意义;而肝硬化组与肝癌组比较,差异无统计学意义.HBeAg阳性患者,HBsAg定量值在乙型肝炎组、肝硬化组、肝癌组患者的中位数分别为3259.83、1077.30、789.72 IU/ml,3组间呈下降趋势,x2= 15.643,P＜0.01,差异有统计学意义.对于HBeAg阴性患者,HBsAg定量值在乙型肝炎组、肝硬化组、肝癌组患者的中位数分别为1669.00、1001.64、582.05 IU/ml,3组间呈下降趋势,x2 =6.423,P＜0.05,差异有统计学意义.HBV DNA定量值在乙型肝炎组、肝硬化组、肝癌组患者的中位数分别为5.3579、 4.2207、1.0000 log10拷贝/ml,4分位数间距分别为(4.3579 ～6.8745)、(0.0000 ～ 5.7393)、(0.0000 ～ 4.6651)log10拷贝/ml,3组HBV DNA定量值比较,x2=31.412,P＜0.05,差异有统计学意义; HBsAg与HBV DNA在乙型肝炎组(r= 0.297,P＜0.05)、肝硬化组(r= 0.346,P＜0.05)、肝癌组(r=0.452,P＜0.05)均呈正相关.结论 HBsAg定量值在慢性乙型肝炎、肝硬化、肝癌患者中逐渐降低,且与HBV DNA水平正相关.     

Intrahepatic distribution of hepatitis B virus antigens in patients with and without hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To study the intrahepatic expression of hepatitis B surface antigen(HBs Ag) and hepatitis B core antigen(HBc Ag) in chronic hepatitis B patients with and without hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: A total of 33 chronic hepatitis B patients(mean age of 40.3 ± 2.5 years), comprising of 14 HBe Ag positive and 19 HBe Ag negative patients; and 13 patients with hepatitis B virus related hepatocellular carcinoma(mean age of 49.6 ± 4.7 years), were included in our study. Immunohistochemical staining for HBc Ag and HBs Ag was done using standard streptavidin-biotin-immunoperoxidase technique on paraffin-embedded liver biopsies. The HBc Agand HBs Ag staining distributions and patterns were described according to a modified classification system. RESULTS: Compared to the HBe Ag negative patients, the HBe Ag positive patients were younger, had higher mean HBV DNA and alanine transaminases levels. All the HBe Ag positive patients had intrahepatic HBc Ag staining; predominantly with "diffuse" distribution(79%) and "mixed cytoplasmic/nuclear " pattern(79%). In comparison, only 5% of the HBe Ag-negative patients had intrahepatic HBc Ag staining. However, the intrahepatic HBs Ag staining has wider distribution among the HBe Ag negative patients, namely; majority of the HBe Ag negative cases had "patchy" HBs Ag distribution compared to "rare" distribution among the HBe Ag positive cases. All but one patient with HCC were HBe Ag negative with either undetectable HBV DNA or very low level of viremia. Intrahepatic HBc Ag and HBs Ag were seen in 13(100%) and 10(77%) of the HCC patients respectively. Interestingly, among the 9 HCC patients on anti-viral therapy with suppressed HBV DNA, HBc Ag and HBs Ag were detected in tumor tissues but not the adjacent liver in 4(44%) and 1(11%) patient respectively. CONCLUSION: Isolated intrahepatic HBc Ag and HBs Ag can be present in tumors of patients with suppressed HBV DNA on antiviral therapy; that may predispose them to cancer development.     

慢性乙型肝炎和肝硬化患者血清HBV基因型分析

目的 分析慢性乙型肝炎和肝硬化患者血清乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)分型分布情况。方法 2015年6月～2018年5月南京中医药大学附属南京市第二医院就诊的慢性乙型肝炎患者261例,乙型肝炎肝硬化患者30例,肝细胞癌4例,采用测序法检测血清HBV基因型。结果 在295例HBV感染者中,有132例(44.7%)为B型感染,161例(54.6%)为C型感染,2例(0.7%)为D型感染;慢性乙型肝炎患者与肝硬化患者血清TBIL、ALT和AST水平比较差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05);肝硬化患者血清肝纤维化指标(P<0.05)、血清HBV DNA载量(P<0.05)和血清HBeAg阳性率(x²=5.798,P<0.05)均显著高于慢性乙型肝炎患者;乙型肝炎肝硬化患者和肝细胞癌患者C型感染比例均显著高于慢性乙型肝炎患者,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)结论 慢性乙型肝炎和肝硬化患者HBV感染以B基因型和C基因型为主,而肝硬化患者以C型感染居多,提示C型感染患者可能比B型患者更容易出现严重的肝损伤,并产生严重的临床结局。