Hepatitis B Precore Protein: Pathogenic Potential and Therapeutic Promise

Hepatitis B virus (HBV), a small and economically packaged double-stranded DNA virus, represents an enormous global health care burden. In spite of an effective vaccine, HBV is endemic in many countries. Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) results in the development of significant clinical outcomes such as liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which are associated with high mortality rates. HBV is a non-cytopathic virus, with the host's immune response responsible for the associated liver damage. Indeed, HBV appears to be a master of manipulating and modulating the immune response to achieve persistent and chronic infection. The HBV precore protein or hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) is a key viral protein involved in these processes, for instance though the down-regulation of the innate immune response. The development of new therapies that target viral proteins, such as HBeAg, which regulates of the immune system, may offer a new wave of potential therapeutics to circumvent progression to CHB and liver disease.

Construction and Validation of Galvanic Coupling Human Intra-body Communication Model with Quasistatic Approximation / 航天医学与医学工程

Objective To establish intra-body communication(IBC)model with quasi-static approximation and validate its correctness.Methods The quasi-static approximation conditions of human tissues were discussed.Based on the Maxwell Equations,the model of galvanic coupling IBC was developed analytically.It was assumed that the human forearm was equal to column with a pair of ring electrodes.Sausage column was selected to be the experimental object for validating the correctness of the model.Results Galvanic coupling IBC model was established.The deviation of model calculated results from test measured potentials was less than 10%,and the correlation coefficient was more than 0.998.The potential distribution and attenuation were depicted with the model.Conclusion Under quasi-static approximation condition the galvanic coupling IBC electromagnetic theoretic model is developed and validated.It is provided the preliminary theoretic base on IBC technique.

Discovery Strategy for Toxic-invited Constituents and Toxic-effective Substances on Chinese Material Medica Based on Processes of Metabolism and Disposition in Intra-body / 中华中医药杂志

Chinese material medica is the natural therapeutic agent used under the guidance of the theories of traditional Chinese medicine.Its sources are mainly derived from plants,some derived from animals and minerals,and a few derived from chemical drugs and biologic products.It was made up into a colossal complex system because of its diversity of biological sources,ecological environments, chemical constituent structures,processing methods,processes of metabolism-disposition and their products in intra-body,biological activity and clinical use,and involved a lot of scientific problems.The elucidation of the toxic-invited constituents and toxic-effective substances is one of basic and scientific problem to clarify complex system of Chinese material medica.Along with the research progress of processes of metabolism and disposition of Chinese material medica in intra-body and metabonomics,a new and rapid-developing technology,the discovery strategy for toxic-invited constituents and toxic-effective substances on Chinese material medica based on the processes of metabolism and disposition would be made up,which will provide a new methodology and pathway to clarify of complex system of Chinese material medica.

Isolation and Characterization of Human scFv Molecules Specific for Recombinant Human Heat Shock Protein (HSP) 70.1

BACKGROUND: The heat shock proteins (HSPs) play an important role in cellular protection mechanisms against physical or chemical stresses. In this study scFv antibodies specific for human HSP70.1 were isolated from a semi-synthetic human scFv library with the ultimate goal of developing anti-HSP70.1 intracellular antibody (intrabody) that may offer an attractive alternative to gene targeting to study the function of the protein in cells. METHODS: A semi-synthetic human scFv display library (5 X 10(8) size) was constructed using pCANTAB-5E vector and the selection of the library against bacterially expressed recombinant human HSP70.1 was attempted by panning. RESULTS: Three positive clones specific for recombinant HSP70.1 were identified. All three clones used V(H) subgroup III. On the other hand, V(L) of two clones belonged to the kappa light chain subgroup I, but the other utilized V(k) subgroup IV Interestingly, these scFv molecules specifically reacted to the recombinant HSP70.1, yet failed to recognize native HSP70 induced in U937 human monocytic cells by heat treatment. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that affinity selection of an scFv phage display library using recombinant antigens produced in E. coli might not guarantee the isolation of scFv antibody molecules specific for a native form of the antigen. Therefore, the source of target antigens needs to be chosen carefully in order to isolate biofunctional antibody molecules.