ABSTRACT
Objective::Through the retrospective study of Hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) patients, the clinical features and the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome distribution of HBV-ACLF complicated with bacterial infection were preliminarily expounded, so as to provide the corresponding theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of HBV-ACLF secondary bacterial infection. Method::A unified data collection form for patients with slow plus acute liver failure was designed by the retrospective epidemiological investigation method. The clinical data of 307 patients with HBV-ACLF who were hospitalized at the Hepatology Institute of the First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine were collected in strict accordance with the inclusion and exclusion standards, and the main symptoms and the TCM symptoms were screened. Then, according to whether or not there was a bacterial infection, the patients were divided into a combined bacterial infection group and a non-combined bacterial infection group. The distribution characteristics of the main symptoms and the TCM symptoms in two groups were compared, and the distribution characteristics of TCM symptoms of HBV-ACLF with bacterial infection were obtained. Result::Compared with patients with uncombined bacterial infection, patients with combined bacterial infection had significantly increased abdominal distension, puffiness, purple and dark tongue color, abdominal varicose tendons, subcutaneous stasis spots, and tooth marks on the side of the tongue. Compared with patients with combined bacterial infections, patients with uncombined bacterial infections mainly showed bright yellow head, yellow tongue coating, and significantly increased dry mouth (P<0.05, P<0.01). The main symptoms of patients with combined bacterial infections was the combination of syndrome (93.6%), and more spleen deficiency syndrome (81.6%), patients with uncombined bacterial infections mainly suffered from a single syndrome (53.5%), which was mostly damp-heat syndrome (51.9%), patients of concurrent syndrome with combined bacterial infections mostly suffered from false and real syndrome (94.4%), which was significantly higher than those with uncombined bacterial infections (58.9%). Conclusion::The patients with HBV-ACLF without bacterial infection mainly suffered from damp-heat symptoms and signs. With the combination of bacterial infection, the symptoms and signs of spleen deficiency and blood stasis gradually worsened. HBV-ACLF patients with bacterial infection mainly suffered from spleen deficiency and blood stasis, while patients with unincorporated bacterial infection mainly suffered from the single damp-heat symptoms and signs.
ABSTRACT
Objective::To detect the expression levels of peripheral blood Treg/Th17 cells and related cytokines in patients with Hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) with different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome " Yanghuang-Yinyanghuang-Yinhuang" , in order to explore the cellular immunological characteristics of different TCM syndromes of liver failure. Method::The 32 cases of patients with HBV-ACLF in early, middle and late stages in line with the " Yanghuang-Yinyanghuang-Yinhuang" TCM syndrome grouping were selected. Flow cytometry was used to detect the frequency expression of Treg/Th17 cells in peripheral blood. The expression levels of interleukin-10(IL-10), transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β), interleukin-17A(IL-17A), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and interleukin-23(IL-23) were detected by cytometric bead array (CBA). The expressions of transcription factor forkhead box P3(FoxP3) and retinoid-related orphan nuclear receptor-γt(ROR-γt) mRNA were detected by Real-time PCR. The SPSS 20.0 software was applied in data statistics and processing to analyze the expression characteristics of Treg/Th17 cells and related cytokines in patients with different TCM syndrome types of HBV-ACLF. Result::The patients with HBV-ACLF Yanghuang syndrome were mainly distributed in the early stage of liver failure, those with Yinyanghuang syndrome were mainly distributed in the middle stage, and those with Yinhuang syndrome were distributed in the late stage. From Yanghuang syndrome, Yinyanghuang syndrome to Yinhuang syndrome, the frequency of Treg and Th17 cells gradually increased, and the differences among the groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). From Yanghuang syndrome, Yinyanghuang syndrome to Yinhuang syndrome, Treg cytokines IL-10, TGF-β gradually increased, and the differences among the groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). Th17 cytokines IL-17A, TNF-α, IL-23 gradually increased, of which IL-17A were differences between Yanghuang syndrome and the Yinyanghuang syndrome, as well as Yanghuang syndrome and Yinhuang syndrome (P<0.05). From Yanghuang syndrome, Yinyanghuang syndrome to Yinhuang syndrome, the expression of FoxP3 was gradually decreased, while that of ROR-γt was gradually increased, and the differences among the groups were statistically significant (P<0.01). Conclusion::There is a certain correlation between the different course of early, middle and late stages of HBV-ACLF and the distribution of TCM syndromes. The frequency of Treg and Th17 cells and the correlation of IL-17A, TGF-β and IL-10 with TCM syndrome differentiation are related, suggesting that Treg and Th17 cells have a certain reference value for the diagnosis of patients with HBV-ACLF and the syndrome differentiation of TCM syndromes.