ABSTRACT
Background@#Few data are available regarding the progression of liver disease and therapeutic efficacy in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers infected by mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). This study aimed to investigate these two aspects by comparing the adult chronic HBV carriers in MTCT group with those in horizontal transmission group.@*Methods@#The 683 adult chronic HBV patients qualified for liver biopsy including 191 with MTCT and 492 with horizontal transmission entered the multi-center prospective study from October 2013 to May 2016. Biopsy results from 217 patients at baseline and 78 weeks post antiviral therapy were collected.@*Results@#Patients infected by MTCT were more likely to have e antigen positive (68.6% vs. 58.2%, χ2 = -2.491, P = 0.012) than those with horizontal transmission. However, in patients with MTCT, levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (P = 0.031), Fibroscan (P = 0.013), N-terminal propeptide of Type III procollagen (PIIINP) (P = 0.014), and Laminin (LN) (P = 0.006) were high, in contrast to the patients with horizontal transmission for whom the levels of albumin (ALB) (P = 0.041), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) (P = 0.001) were high. The 47.2% of patients with MTCT and 36.8% of those with horizontal transmission had significant liver fibrosis (P = 0.013). Following antiviral therapy for 78 weeks, 21.2% and 38.0% patients with MTCT and horizontal transmission acquired hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) clearance, respectively (P = 0.043), and the virological response rates were 54.7% and 74.1% in the MTCT and horizontal groups, respectively (P = 0.005). MTCT was a risk factor for HBeAg clearance and virological response.@*Conclusion@#Adult patients with MTCT were more prone to severe liver diseases, and the therapeutic efficacy was relatively poor, which underlined the importance of earlier, long-term treatment and interrupting perinatal transmission.@*Trial Registration@#NCT01962155; https://clinicaltrials.gov.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#Few data are available regarding the progression of liver disease and therapeutic efficacy in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers infected by mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). This study aimed to investigate these two aspects by comparing the adult chronic HBV carriers in MTCT group with those in horizontal transmission group.@*METHODS@#The 683 adult chronic HBV patients qualified for liver biopsy including 191 with MTCT and 492 with horizontal transmission entered the multi-center prospective study from October 2013 to May 2016. Biopsy results from 217 patients at baseline and 78 weeks post antiviral therapy were collected.@*RESULTS@#Patients infected by MTCT were more likely to have e antigen positive (68.6% vs. 58.2%, χ = -2.491, P = 0.012) than those with horizontal transmission. However, in patients with MTCT, levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (P = 0.031), Fibroscan (P = 0.013), N-terminal propeptide of Type III procollagen (PIIINP) (P = 0.014), and Laminin (LN) (P = 0.006) were high, in contrast to the patients with horizontal transmission for whom the levels of albumin (ALB) (P = 0.041), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) (P = 0.001) were high. The 47.2% of patients with MTCT and 36.8% of those with horizontal transmission had significant liver fibrosis (P = 0.013). Following antiviral therapy for 78 weeks, 21.2% and 38.0% patients with MTCT and horizontal transmission acquired hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) clearance, respectively (P = 0.043), and the virological response rates were 54.7% and 74.1% in the MTCT and horizontal groups, respectively (P = 0.005). MTCT was a risk factor for HBeAg clearance and virological response.@*CONCLUSION@#Adult patients with MTCT were more prone to severe liver diseases, and the therapeutic efficacy was relatively poor, which underlined the importance of earlier, long-term treatment and interrupting perinatal transmission.@*TRIAL REGISTRATION@#NCT01962155; https://clinicaltrials.gov.
ABSTRACT
[Objective] To explore the value of serum procalcitonin (PCT) and percentage of neutrophils (NE％) in early diagnosis of bacterial infection in decompensated liver cirrhosis.[Methods] The clinical data of 244 in the patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis in the Department of Infectious Diseases,The third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2016 to June 2017 were retrospectively analyzed.According to whether complicated with bacterial infection,patients were divided into infection group (n=120) and non-infection group (n=124).The infection group consisted of 60 cases with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP),25 cases with pulmonary infection,16 cases with bloodstream infection,19 cases with other kinds of infections.The levels of PCT,peripheral white blood cells (WBC),peripheral neutrophils (NEUT),percentage of neutrophils (NE％) and ratio of WBC to platelets (PLT)(WBC/PLT) in each group were compared.The receiver characteristic curve (ROC) was applied and area under curve (AUROC),sensitivity and specificity were computed.The parallel test was applied to explore the diagnostic value of PCT with NE％.[Results] The levels of PCT,WBC,NEUT,NE％ and WBC/PLT in infection group were higher than those in non-infection group (P＜0.05).The levels of PCT,NE％ and WBC/PLT in bloodstream infection group were higher than in non-blood-stream infection group (P＜0.05).The AUROC of the PCT was 0.947 (95％CI=0.922～0.971).When PCT was≥0.38 ng/mL,the sensitivity,specificity and Youden index(YDI) were 76.7％,97.6％,and 0.742.The AUROC of NE％ was 0.806 (95％CI=0.751～0.861).With a cutoff value of 75.0％ in NE％,the sensitivity and specificity were 83.3％ and 92.7％,respectively.[Conclusion] Serum PCT,with a suggesting cut-off value of 0.38 ng/mL,could be used as an marker for early diagnosis of bacterial infection in decompensated liver cirrhosis.PCT combined with NE％ can improve diagnostic accuracy.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the influence of Fuzhenghuayu decoction on fibrotic liver tissue and activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) using a carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver cirrhosis rat model system.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following groups: normal (non-model, non-drug intervention), CCl4 liver fibrosis model, and CCl4 liver fibrosis model Fuzhenghuayu drug intervention at low dose (0.75 g/kg/d) and high dose (1.5 g/kg/d). The drug intervention was administered via oral-gastric irrigation once daily for 6 times per week over a 6-week period. Four rats from each group were sacrificed at the end of week 2, 4, and 6 for serum and liver tissue collection. Liver fibrosis was evaluated by histology, and expression of a-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA) was determined by immunohistochemistry. Liver function was assessed by measuring levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and total bilirubin (TBil). Between-group comparisons were made by completely random design and ANOVA with Bonferroni correction.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At the end of weeks 2, 4 and 6, all four groups showed significantly different levels of ALT, AST, and TBil; in addition, the model group and drug intervention groups had significantly higher levels of ALT, AST, and TBil than the control group, the drug intervention groups showed significantly lower levels of ALT, AST, and TBil than the model group (P less than 0.01 or less than 0.05), and the differences between the low dose and high dose groups reached statistical significance (P less than 0.01 or less than 0.05). At the end of weeks 2, 4 and 6, the model group and drug intervention groups had significantly higher area ratio of liver fibrosis than the normal group (F = model: 18.68, low dose: 49.95, high dose: 82.44, P less than 0.01), but the two drug intervention groups had significantly less area ratio of liver fibrosis than the model group (P less than 0.05) and the high dose group showed the most robust decrease. In addition, the model group and drug intervention groups showed higher expression of a-SMA than the normal group (F = model: 18.68, low dose: 49.95, high dose: 82.44, P less than 0.01), but two drug intervention groups had significantly less a-SMA than the model group (F = model: 46.32, low dose: 40.30, high dose: 58.42, P less than 0.05) and the high dose group showed the most robust decrease.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The Fuzhenghuayu decoction reduces the numbers of activated HSCs, thereby leading to down-regulated a-SMA expression and reduced degree of liver fibrosis; these effects may represent the mechanism by which this drug suppresses hepatic fibrosis.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Rats , Actins , Metabolism , Drugs, Chinese Herbal , Pharmacology , Hepatic Stellate Cells , Liver , Pathology , Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental , Pathology , Rats, Sprague-DawleyABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship between the serum HBV DNA loads normalized to hepatic parenchyma cell volume and the liver histopathologic inflammation gradings in the immune clearance phase during the natural history of hepatitis B.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Serum HBV DNA loads were detected by fluorescence polymerase chain reaction and normalized to hepatic parenchyma cell volume. The association between normalized HBV DNA loads and liver inflammation histopathologic grade were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The serum HBV DNA loads in patients with liver inflammation histopathologic grading 1, 2, 3 and 4 were 8.20*10(5)+/-9.11*10, 1.36*10(6)+/-5.96*10, 8.12*10(5)+/-8.01*10 and 2.08*10(6)+/-3.69*10 copies/ml, respectively (P more than 0.05). But the serum HBV DNA loads normalized to hepatic parenchyma cell volume in their located fibrosis stage were 9.24*10(8)+/-935, 5.33*10(9)+/-756, 1.06*10(10)+/-1770 and 3.31*10(11)+/-518 copies/ml, respectively (P less than 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The serum HBV DNA load normalized to hepatic parenchyma cell volume in patients with different fibrosis stages is associated with liver histopathologic inflammation gradings.</p>