Use of glucocorticoid in treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome cases / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of glucocorticoid in the treatment for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical data of 70 patients with SARS admitted to Youan Hospital in Beijing during March to May, 2003 were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) Sixty-three of 70 cases of SARS recovered and seven cases died, with a case-fatality ratio of 10%. (2) Average length of hospital stay was 16.9 days for the all 70 cases, and 16.8 days for the 11 cases without glucocorticoid treatment, without statistical significance (F = 1.018, P = 0.39). (3) The other 59 cases were administered with 40 mg to 640 mg of methylprednisolone daily. (4) Average hospital stay was 15 days for the 23 cases with lower dose of 40 mg to 80 mg methylprednisolone daily, 18.5 days for the 27 cases with medium dose of 120 mg to 240 mg daily, and 17.9 days for the nine cases with higher dose of 320 mg to 640 mg daily (F = 1.018, P = 0.39).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Earlier use of glucocorticoid therapy with suitable doses could alleviate their clinical symptoms, improve their clinical courses, and promote the absorbance of infiltration in their lungs on chest-X-ray films for the cases with SARS. However, current clinical data showed that glucocorticoid therapy could not shorten the length of hospitalization for the cases with SARS.</p>

Detection of the mutation in HBV polymerase gene by RFLP PCR method in hepatitis B patients treated with lamivudine / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>To investigate the mutation of HBV polymerase gene in chronic hepatitis B patients treated with lamivudine.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The restriction-fragment-length-polymorphism (RFLP) assay for HBV DNA sequence determination at the codon 528 and 552 in the HBV polymerase gene associated with lamivudine resistance in vitro. HBV DNA samples extracted from sera of 240 patients were subjected to PCR amplification with primer pairs F2/R2 (552), F3/R2 (528). Each PCR product was digested with Nde I or Nla III.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Serum HBV DNA mutation was found in 51/240 patients (38/51M552V, 26/38L528M, 13/51M552I) after therapy for 52 weeks. DNA sequence analysis was performed on samples of 3 patients, and the results were consistent with those of RFLP assay.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The RFLP assay was able to detect the mutation of HBV DNA at codon 552 and 528 which are the principal site of HBV DNA resistant to lamivudine. The specific PCR method for HBV DNA mutation is rapid, simple and specific.</p>

A clinical research on oxymatrine for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinical effect of oxymatrine on chronic viral hepatitis B and to look for new methods for treating hepatitis B.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Multi-center, controlled study was used. In this study, 196 patients were allocated to oxymatrine, oxymatrine with Ara-AMP, IFN-a1b, and glucose groups to observe ALT, AST and viral marker changes.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At the end of treatment, the rate of normal ALT, the negative rate of HBV DNA and HBeAg, and the positive rate of HBeAb were similar in oxymatrine, oxymatrine with Ara-AMP, and IFN-a1b groups. It was higher than that of glucose group. After 12 months follow up, the total effective rate is 40.8%, 60.8% and 43.1% in oxymatrine, oxymatrine with Ara-AMP, and IFN-a1b groups, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Oxymatrine, oxymatrine with Ara-AMP, and IFN-a1b are effective to treat hepatitis B with a good negative rate of HBV DNA and HBeAg and positive rate of HBeAb.</p>