Mass Protection Program of Perinatal Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Japan and Impact of an Optional Booster Vaccination on Its Efficacy

We assessed the efficacy of a government-sponsored mass protection program in Osaka, Japan, for perinatal HBV infection in infants born to HBeAg positive HBV carrier mothers. We also evaluated the impact of optional follow-up procedures in such infants, including an evaluation of anti-HBs response and a booster dose of HBV vaccine for poor responders. The results demonstrated that this mass protection program protected 94.4% of the infants from perinatal HBV infection in the Osaka area. However, the proportion of infants with an unprotective level of anti-HBs was higher in the standard group than in the follow-up group both at 1.0 and 1.5 years of age, which was also the case for HBV events. Furthermore, the present study showed that a booster dose of vaccine in poor responders was very effective in promoting an anti-HBs response. In conclusion, we recommend that a follow-up blood test to confirm a response of anti-HBs to HBV vaccine should be performed at 4–8 weeks after the third injection of HBV vaccine in infants born to HBeAg positive HBV carrier mothers. We also recommend that a booster injection of HBV vaccine should be immediately given to poor responding infants who otherwise are at a considerable risk of developing HBV infection in late infancy.     

Non-A,Non-B hepatitis; Factors involved in progression to chronicity

A cross-sectional, longitudinal study was undertaken on a group of acute non-A, non-B hepatitis patients, as well as on a control group of hepatitis B patients, in order to assess both the prevalence of the most important factors favoring infection, and the relevance of these factors in promoting evolution towards chronic liver disease. Exposures to unknown risk factors were present in 47.4% of acute non-A, non-B infections, followed by blood transfusions (17.9%), sporadic exposures (17.9%) and drug addiction (16.6%). Unknown as well as sporadic exposures showed a greater prevalence in control population if compared to non-A, non-B cases, while drug addiction was equally represented in the two groups, and blood transfusion nearly absent from control group. The risk of evolution to chronic liver disease was about 13 times greater in non-A, non-B group than in controls, with the greatest risk for drug addicts and the lowest for patients with unknown exposures. Among patients with known exposures, the lowest risk of chronic hepatitis was observed in post-transfusion and in sporadic cases, while the greatest was observed in drug addicts.Corresponding author.     

丙型肝炎病毒H株包膜蛋白在昆虫细胞中的表达及意义

目的　获得丙型肝炎病毒 (HCV) H株包膜糖蛋白的重组杆状病毒 ,在昆虫细胞中稳定表达包膜糖蛋白 E1和 E2 ,并初步应用于丙型肝炎患者血清抗体的检测。方法　用 PCR方法自 HCV H株扩增出包膜蛋白 E基因 ,构建重组杆状病毒 ,并在昆虫细胞中稳定表达包膜糖蛋白 E1和 E2。免疫荧光及 Western blot方法鉴定表达产物。用表达的 E1和 E2蛋白与 35例丙型肝炎患者血清反应。结果　昆虫细胞中表达的 E蛋白呈现 3种分子大小 ,E1的相对分子量为 2 1× 10 3和 33× 10 3 ,E2的相对分子量为 6 0× 10 3。在 35份感染者血清中 ,有 4例 E1抗体阳性 ,其中 1例检出 E2抗体。在 9例 PCR检测 HCV RNA阳性而抗 HCV检测阴性的血清中 ,有 3例血清与表达的 E蛋白反应。结论　 HCV E蛋白基因可在昆虫细胞中稳定表达 ,表达的 E1和 E2蛋白可用于 HCV患者的血清学诊断     

腺病毒介导的HSV—tk基因治疗大鼠脑胶质瘤实验研究

目的：带有ＨＳＶ－ｔｋ基因的重组腺病毒（ＡｄＨＣＭＶ－ｔｋ）结合核苷类似物（ＮＡ）治疗大鼠Ｃ６脑胶质瘤。方法：用Ｘ－ｇａｌ染色测定ＡｄＨＣＭＶ－ｌａｃＺ转染大鼠Ｃ６胶质瘤细胞的效率。用ＡｄＨＣＭＶ－ｔｋ／ＡＣＶ、ＧＣＶ离体及活体治疗大鼠Ｃ６胶质瘤。结果：ＡｄＨＣＭＶ－ｌａｃＺ感染Ｃ６细胞效率达１００％，ＡｄＨＣＭＶ－ｔｋ感染Ｃ６细胞，在病毒感染复数为１０００时，ＧＣＶ和ＡＣＶ半致死剂量分别为３μｇ／ｍｌ和２０μｇ／ｍｌ，Ａｄ－ＨＣＭＶ－ｔｋ／ＡＣＶ治疗大鼠Ｃ６胶质瘤模型，大鼠生存期超过９０天，而对照组分别为１７．０±１．６天（生理盐水组）、１４．５±１．３天（ＡｄＨＣＭＶ－ｌａｃＺ组），Ｐ＜０．００１。结论：重组腺病毒对靶细胞感染效率可达１００％，ＡｄＨＣＭＶ－ｔｋ用ＧＣＶ的杀伤Ｃ６胶质瘤细胞比ＡＣＶ强，而ＨＳＶ－ｔｋ／ＡＣＶ用腺病毒介导治疗大鼠脑肿瘤疗效显著。     

CYP2E1 and ALDH2 Genotypes and Alcohol Dependence in Japanese

The genotypes of the CYP2E1 and ALDH2 loci of alcoholic (alcohol dependence) and nonalcoholic (healthy) Japanese were investigated to examine the relationship between the polymorphism of CYP2E1 (C₁/C₂) and ALDH2 ( ALDH2*1/ALDH2*2 ), and the susceptibility to alcoholism. There was no significant difference in C₂ gene frequency between alcoholics (0.19) and nonalcoholics (controls) (0.20), whereas there was a significant difference in ALDH2 allele frequency, suggesting that, in Japanese, the C₂ genotype of CYP2E1 may have nothing to do with the risk of developing alcohol dependence. However, the ALDH2*1 allele may influence drinking behavior and the development of alcohol dependence. Furthermore, racial interethnic differences in the frequency of the mutated allele of the CYP2E1 gene (CJ were found, like the ALDH2 gene. Japanese healthy controls showed a significantly higher frequency of the C₂ allele than did Swedish healthy controls (0.05; reported by Persson et al., FEBS Lett. 319:207-211,1993).     

非鼻咽部T细胞淋巴瘤与EB病毒的相关性

目的：探讨EB病毒（EBV）感染与非鼻咽部T细胞淋巴瘤的关系。方法：用单克隆抗体UCHL-1、L26及EB病毒编码的潜在膜蛋白-1（LMP-1），免疫组化染色确定肿瘤的免疫表型及EB病毒转化蛋白的表达。采用原位杂交方法检测EBV编码的EBERs。结果：21例非鼻咽部T细胞淋巴瘤EBERs5例阳性的（23．8％），其中给内淋巴瘤3例，肺和胃肠淋巴瘤各1例。阳性细胞约占肿瘤细胞的10％～70％。5例EBERs阳性病例中仅1例表达LMP-1，为结内淋巴瘤。结论：非鼻咽部T细胞淋巴瘤可能与EBV的感染有关，LMP-1的阳性率较EBERs低。     

Comparison of gas-liquid chromatography and EMIT assay for serum valproic acid

We describe a simple direct extraction method for the gas-liquid chromatography determination of serum valproic acid. The working range for the assay is 2-180 mg/L and our within-run precision was 5.8 and 4.3% at the 40 and 90 mg/L concentrations respectively. Hemolyzed and lipemic sera as well as samples from patients with hyperbilirubinemia and from patients with decreased renal function were put through the assay and no interfering peaks were noted. Interference occurred when teflon-lined screw caps were used during the extraction step. The method was proven to be accurate by linear regression analysis of samples containing weighed-in amounts of valproic acid. The above assay was compared to an enzyme immunoassay technique (EMIT). The working range for the latter is 10-150 mg/L and the with-run precision was 10.8 and 5.9% and 90 mg/L concentration respectively. Samples were run by both the gas-liquid chromatograph and enzyme immunoassay methods and gave very similar results over the range 16-139 mg/L.     

Active production of anti-human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) IgM antibody in HTLV-I-associated myelopathy

We investigated the presence of anti-human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) IgM in sera and cerebrospinal fluid from patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM) by Western blot analysis. Analyses of 36 serum samples revealed that most patients (31/36; 86.1%) had anti-HTLV-I IgM, whereas only four of 23 (17.4%) HTLV-I carriers had it. In studies of cerebrospinal fluid, anti-HTLV-I IgM was detected in 24 of 36 (66.7%) HAM patients, whereas none was detected in nine HTLV-I carriers. The differences were statistically significant (p less than 0.01). These results suggest that persistent active replication of HTLV-I occurs in the central nervous system as well as in the peripheral blood of HAM patients, and may contribute to the development of HAM.     

电镜下的乙型肝炎表面抗原

本文对81例乙型肝炎病人的肝活检组织进行了电镜观察,发现HBsAg的阳性率达93.8％。电镜下,HBsAg细丝不仅有一般的管状细丝型,还有分枝管型和管泡型,而且CAH病人肝组织不易找到HBsAg丝(易见者仅9％),CPH,CLH则多数(79.5％)为易见及可见,二者有高度显著性差异(P<0.01)。