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Background: Chronic viral hepatitis is a major global public health problem, an important cause of morbidity and mortality. We conducted this study to evaluate the behavioral risk factors of HBV infection and its association with HBsAg positivity among residents of Kaza sub-division of district Lahaul & Spiti in Himachal Pradesh. Material & Methods: The study was carried out by the Gastroenterology, Community Medicine, and Microbiology Department at Indira Gandhi Medical College Shimla at Kaza, a subdivision of Lahaul & Spiti. The cluster sampling technique was used to get the desired sample size of 4000. Forty clusters were chosen using a probability proportionate to size sampling method, and 100 research participants were added to each cluster using a simple random sampling method. The data was gathered using a pre-tested interview plan. A blood sample of 5ml from each study participant was obtained, and its HBsAg content was examined. Results: In our study, 2.7% of the interviewed respondents’ parents were positive for hepatitis B and 3.7% reported one positive family member. Injectable drug use was reported by 1.6 (68/4231). Among these users 8.8% (6/68) shared needles with other IDUs in last 12 months and 35.3% (24/68) used a common container to draw up drug solution. Sexual intercourse was reported to be experienced by 15.5 (655/4231) and 12.2% either did not disclose or were children. Out of those who ever experienced sexual/penetrative intercourse 38.3% (251/655) had reported it with someone else other than a spouse. Majority of these had two partners other than a spouse (30.3%; 76/251). Around 30% (195/655) reported of using a condom in their last intercourse. Body piercings or a tattoo from someone who doesn’t sterilize his or her equipment, including local treatment from lamas, was prevalent among 16.3% of the population (689/4231). Acupuncture was taken as a remedy for any medical condition by 9% of participants. Regression analysis also revealed that one infected family member emerged as an independent factor associated with HBsAg positive test after adjusting for confounders. Conclusion: Our study provided much important information concerning hepatitis B risk factors in this tribal group. Health education about behavioral risk factors among this tribal population should be the main intervention that might help limit the spread of these blood-borne infections.
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Objective To investigate the independent predictive factors for functional cure after long-term nucleos(t)ide analogue (NUC) antiviral therapy followed by pegylated interferon α-2b therapy in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Methods A total of 162 CHB patients who were admitted to several hospitals in Qingdao, China, from 2018 to 2021 were enrolled as subjects, and all patients received pegylated interferon α-2b for at least 48 weeks after NUC therapy for one year or longer. According to whether HBsAg clearance was achieved at week 48 of pegylated interferon α-2b treatment, the patients were divided into functional cure group with 79 patients and non-cure group with 83 patients, and related clinical indices were compared between the two groups. The two-independent-samples t test and the Mann-Whitney U rank sum test were used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The Spearman correlation analysis was performed, and the univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the independent predictive factors for functional cure. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted for related variables, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the prediction accuracy of the variables. Results Compared with the non-cure group, the functional cure group had a significantly lower HBsAg level at baseline [21.63 (3.33-157.60) IU/mL vs 794.70 (336.10-1 185.34) IU/mL, Z =-8.869, P 1000 IU/mL (0 vs 8.4%, χ 2 =5.073, P =0.024), a significantly lower level of total bilirubin at baseline [12.60 (10.12-15.93) μmol/L vs 15.50 (11.80-24.10) μmol/L, Z =-3.611, P 2×upper limit of normal (16.5% vs 4.8%, χ 2 =5.835, P =0.016). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that baseline HBsAg (odds ratio [ OR ]=0.996, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 0.995-0.997, P < 0.001), HBsAg at week 12 of pegylated interferon α-2b treatment ( OR =0.990, 95% CI : 0.986-0.994, P < 0.001), HBsAg at week 24 of pegylated interferon α-2b treatment ( OR =0.983, 95% CI : 0.975-0.991, P < 0.001), and baseline total bilirubin ( OR =0.885, 95% CI : 0.826-0.949, P =0.001) were independent predictive factors for functional cure. The ROC curve of baseline HBsAg showed an AUC of 0.904 and the optimal cut-off value of 118.24 IU/mL; the ROC curve of HBsAg at week 12 of pegylated interferon α-2b treatment showed an AUC of 0.948 and the optimal cut-off value of 73.74 IU/mL; the ROC curve of HBsAg at week 24 of pegylated interferon α-2b treatment showed an AUC of 0.975 and the optimal cut-off value of 11.01 IU/mL; the ROC curve of baseline total bilirubin showed an AUC of 0.664 and the optimal cut-off value of 19.9 μmol/L. Conclusion Baseline HBsAg, HBsAg at week 12 of pegylated interferon α-2b treatment, HBsAg at week 24 of pegylated interferon α-2b, and baseline total bilirubin are independent predictive factors for functional cure at week 48 of pegylated interferon α-2b treatment in CHB patients receiving sequential therapy with NUC and pegylated interferon α-2b.
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SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to determine and compare hepatitis B surface antigen level, anti-hepatitis B surface, and anti-hepatitis C virus positivity in Turkish pregnant women and Syrian refugee pregnant women residing in Turkey. METHODS: The study was conducted on Syrian refugee pregnant women aged 15-45 years and Turkish pregnant women who applied to state hospital's gynecology and obstetrics outpatient clinics between April 30, 2012, and April 30, 2022. In our study, 136,376 pregnant women (104,629 Turkish and 31,747 Syrian) tested for hepatitis B surface antigen, 72,035 pregnant women (53,070 Turkish and 18,965 Syrian) tested for anti-hepatitis B surface, and 120,611 pregnant women (92,514 Turkish and 28,097 Syrian) tested for anti-hepatitis C virus were included. The patients were divided into six groups for hepatitis B surface antigen, anti-hepatitis B surface, and anti-hepatitis C virus results based on their age: <20 years, 20-24 years, 25-29 years, 30-34 years, 35-39 years, and >40 years. For each age group, the results of Syrian refugee pregnant women and Turkish pregnant women were compared. RESULTS: Hepatitis B surface antigen positivity and anti-hepatitis B surface positivity were significantly higher in Turkish pregnant women compared to Syrian refugee pregnant women. Anti-hepatitis C virus positivity was significantly higher in Syrian refugee pregnant women compared to Turkish pregnant women. CONCLUSION: Based on the available data, we think that hepatitis B surface antigen, anti-hepatitis B surface, and anti-hepatitis C virus tests should be done routinely for pregnant women. Raising awareness among Syrian refugees about the hepatitis B virus vaccine as well as encouraging them to be vaccinated may reduce the negative impact of migration.
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Objective:To explore clinical value of nucleic acid detection for hepatitis B virus (HBV) screening in hospitalized patients.Methods:This cross-sectional study collected and analyzed plasma samples from patients admitted to 10 domestic medical institutions from July 2021 to December 2021. Serological immunoassay and nucleic acid screening were used to simultaneously detect hepatitis B markers such as hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb), hepatitis B e Antigen (HBeAg), hepatitis B e antibody (HBeAb), hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb),and HBV DNA. Statistical analysis was performed on the serology, nucleic acid test results and clinical information of the patients.Results:Of the 8 655 collected samples, HBsAg was positive in 216 (2.50%) samples,HBV DNA was positive in 238 (2.75%) samples ( P>0.05); 210 (2.43%) samples were positive for both HBsAg and HBV DNA, 28 (0.32%) were HBsAg negative and HBV DNA positive, 6 cases (0.07%) were HBsAg positive and HBV DNA negative. Conclusion:These results indicate that the HBV DNA testing is equally effective as hepatitis B virus serological detection for hepatitis B virus screening in hospitalized patients.
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Objective:To analyze the anti effect of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells targeting hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) on hepatocellular carcinoma cells.Methods:HBsAg-CAR gene was transduced into T cells (obtained from the blood of healthy donors) through a lentiviral vector. CD19-CAR-T cells were included as mock group, and untransduced T cells were included as control group. Cells of the three groups were co-cultured with hepatocellular carcinoma cells expressing HBsAg or not to detect the anti effect and releasing level of anti-tumor cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, interleukin-2). Subcutaneous xenograft PLC/PRF/5 tumor model using NPG mice were established and HBsAg-CAR-T cells (experimental group, n=5) or untransfected T cells (control group, n=5) were injected through tail vein. Tumor volume was measured 15 days after injection. Results:HBsAg-CAR-T cells proliferation was good under in vitro culture, and the expression rate of CAR was stable. After co-cultured with hepatocellular carcinoma cells expressing HBsAg, the level of anti-tumor cytokines released by HBsAg-CAR-T cells was significantly higher than that of the other two groups of T cells, and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05); the anti rate of HBsAg-CAR-T cell group on HBsAg-positive hepatocellular carcinoma cells was significantly higher than that of the other two groups, and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). The tumor volume of NPG mice in the experimental group was (250.8±62.8) mm 3, which was lower than that of the control group (757.5±102.6) mm 3, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusion:HBsAg-CAR-T cells can specifically recognize and kill HBsAg-positive hepatocellular carcinoma cells and release high level of anti-tumor cytokines.
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Functional cure of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), defined as negative hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) with or without the presence of hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs), is considered the optimal endpoint for CHB treatment at present. Studies have shown that HBsAg clearance can reduce the risk of HBV complications such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, HBsAg clearance rate remains at a relatively low level, which may be associated with the immune tolerance state caused by HBV infection. HBsAg clearance and/or the presence of anti-HBs indicate the partial recovery of HBV-specific immunity. This article discusses the influencing factors for the functional cure of CHB and the underlying mechanisms.
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Objective To investigate the onset of liver inflammation and related predictive factors in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection who have normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and a high viral load. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 183 patients with HBeAg-positive chronic HBV infection who had normal ALT and a high viral load and were treated from October 2008 to May 2015, and according to the results of liver biopsy, they were divided into hepatitis group and non- hepatitis group. The t -test or Mann-Whitney U testwas used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups, the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data. The predictive factors were analyzed by univariate binary logistic regression, the multivariate binary logistic regression was carried out by stepback method, and the cut-off values were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and Jordan index. Results There were 37 patients (20.2%) in the hepatitis group and 146 patients (79.8%) in the non-hepatitis group. Compared with the non-hepatitis group, the hepatitis group had a significantly lower proportion of male patients (45.9% vs 68.5%, χ 2 =6.508, P =0.011), a significantly higher level of aspartate aminotransferase [24 (21.25~35.55) U/L vs 21.2 (18.08~ 24.65) U/L, Z =-3.344, P =0.001], and a significantly lower log(HBsAg) value [4.4(4.28~4.49) vs 4.46(4.4~4.74), Z =-2.184, P =0.029]. Log(HBsAg) value was a predictive factor for hepatitis (odds ratio=0.077, P =0.017), and the cutoff value of HBsAg was 33884.4I U/mL. Conclusion Among the patients with HBeAg-positive chronic HBV infection who have normal ALT and a high viral load, 20.2% have liver inflammation, and HBsAg may be a predictive factor for liver inflammation.
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This article summarizes the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection after HBsAg seroclearance, as well as its mechanism and implications.
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ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of HBsAg on the expression of interferon-α (IFN-α) in peripheral blood plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) induced by the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway activated by cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP). MethodPeripheral venous blood was collected from healthy adults and the patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection who attended the outpatient service or were hospitalized in Department of Infectious Diseases, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, from February to December 2016, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and extracted. After the STING agonist cGAMP was added to PBMCs, ELISA was used to measure the levels of IFN-α, interferon-β, and tumor necrosis factor-α in supernatant. PBMCs from healthy adults were pre-incubated with HBsAg and then stimulated by cGAMP, and supernatant was collected to measure IFN-α. The magnetic-activated cell sorting method was used to remove pDCs from PBMCs, and after culture with cGAMP, ELISA was used to measure the level of IFN-α in supernatant. PBMCs from healthy adults were stimulated by HBsAg and/or cGAMP, and then flow cytometry was used to measure the frequency of pDCs. The independent samples t-test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups. ResultsPBMCs from the patients with chronic HBV infection stimulated by cGAMP in vitro had a significantly lower level of IFN-α than healthy controls (469.72±18.95 vs 599.90±84.06, t=4.868, P=0.001). PBMCs from healthy adults co-cultured with HBsAg and stimulated by cGAMP had a significantly lower level of IFN-α than those in the non-HBsAg group (448.5±52.0 vs 571.0±30.8, t=4.500, P=0.011). Compared with PBMCs containing pDCs, PBMCs without pDCs stimulated by cGAMP had a significant reduction in the level of IFN-α (164.50±40.73 vs 339.50±35.33, t=6.482, P=0.001). Compared with PBMCs from healthy adults stimulated by cGAMP, PBMCs pre-incubated with HBsAg and then stimulated by cGAMP had a significant reduction in the frequency of pDCs (0.12%±0.04% vs 0.24%±0.04%, t=5.176, P=0.014). ConclusionHBsAg can inhibit the expression of IFN-α induced by the STING pathway in pDCs activated by cGAMP.
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ObjectiveTo investigate the dynamic changes of serum HBsAg and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in chronic hepatitis B patients (CHB) with entecavir (ETV) monotherapy for 5 years. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 918 CHB patients who attended the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University from January 2012 to August 2020 and received ETV monotherapy for ≥5 years, among whom 556 had positive HBeAg and 362 had negative HBeAg at initial treatment. Serum HBsAg level and HBV DNA load at baseline and at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years of treatment were collected to analyze their dynamic changes. The t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; log10 logarithmic transformation was performed for non-normally distributed repeated measurement data, and then a repeated-measures analysis of variance was used for comparison between groups or within each group; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. ResultsBoth HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients had a significant reduction in HBsAg level over the time of ETV treatment (F=174.168 and 49.845, both P＜0.001). The HBeAg-positive patients had a baseline HBsAg level of 18 043.1 (7868.9-26 342.4) IU/ml, which significantly decreased to 13976 (626.4-3419.4) IU/ml after 5 years of ETV treatment (P＜0.001); the HBeAg-positive patients had a baseline HBV DNA load of (67±1.7) log10 IU/ml and achieved an HBV DNA clearance rate of 100% after 5 years of ETV treatment. The HBeAg-negative patients had a baseline HBsAg level of 2420.0 (662.6-5621.2) IU/ml, which significantly decreased to 407.2 (56.7-1104.7) IU/ml after 5 years of ETV treatment (P＜0.001); the HBeAg-negative patients had a baseline HBV DNA load of 4.9±1.4 log10 IU/ml and achieved an HBV DNA clearance rate of 100% after 5 years of ETV treatment. The HBeAg-positive patients had a significantly higher median HBsAg level than the HBeAg-negative patients at each time point (all P＜0.001). Both HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients showed a changing trend of rapid reduction followed by slow reduction in HBsAg, and the mean annual rate of reduction in HBsAg in the first 2 years of ETV treatment was significantly higher than that in the last 3 years of ETV treatment (HBeAg-positive: Z=-13.605, P＜0001; HBeAg-negative: Z=-5.950, P＜0.001). The HBeAg-positive patients had a significantly lower HBV DNA clearance rate than the HBeAg-negative patients at 1 year of ETV treatment (χ2=71.013, P＜0.001), and both HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative patients achieved an HBV DNA clearance rate of 100% at 2, 3, 4, and 5 years of treatment. After 5 years of ETV treatment, the cumulative proportions of patients with HBsAg clearance, HBsAg ＜200 IU/ml, HBsAg ＜1000 IU/ml, and HBsAg＜1500 IU/ml were 3.6%, 23.9%, 57.0%, and 67.3%, respectively. ConclusionDuring the EVT treatment of CHB, the levels of HBsAg and HBV DNA gradually decrease, and the level of HBsAg shows a trend of rapid reduction followed by slow reduction. After 5 years of ETV monotherapy, 67.3% of the patients can achieve an HBsAg level of ＜1500 IU/ml.
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Objective To investigate whether there are differences in lymphocyte subsets between chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients receiving different antiviral treatment regimens, and to determine related predictive factors for HBsAg decline. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for 68 treatment-experienced CHB patients who attended the outpatient service in Department of Infectious Diseases, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, from October to December 2019, and according to the antiviral treatment regimen, they were divided into PEG-IFNα treatment group with 10 patients, PEG-IFNα+nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) treatment group with 21 patients, and NAs treatment group with 37 patients. Related data were recorded, including demographic features, blood routine, albumin, HBsAg, and measurement of lymphocyte subsets. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups; the multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate independent influencing factors for HBsAg decline. Results There were significant differences between the three groups in HBsAg decline ( H =8.348, P =0.015), absolute value of lymphocytes ( F =4.643, P =0.013), and T lymphocyte count ( F =7.721, P =0.001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that sex (odds ratio [ OR ]=0.227, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 0.059-0.878, P =0.032), age ( OR =0.931, 95% CI : 0.868-0.999, P =0.047), antiviral treatment regimen (PEG-IFN-α treatment group vs NAs treatment group: OR =9.600, 95% CI : 1.982-46.498, P =0.005; PEG-IFN-α+NAs treatment group vs NAs treatment group: OR =4.800, 95% CI : 1.336-17.243, P =0.016), and T lymphocyte count ( OR =0.804, 95% CI : 0.684-0.944, P =0.008) were independent influencing factors for HBsAg decline. Conclusion For CHB patients receiving PEG-IFNα alone or in combination with NAs, monitoring of lymphocyte subsets during the treatment process may help to judge HBsAg decline, and the lower the absolute value of T lymphocytes, the greater the possibility of HBsAg decline.
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Chronic hepatitis B caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major public health problem worldwide, and functional cure and even complete cure of chronic hepatitis B are the goals pursued by drug researchers. At present, widely used nucleos(t)ide analogues and interferon therapy fail to achieve a high cure rate. This article reviews the anti-HBV drugs/therapies under research, including viral entry inhibitors, capsid inhibitors, HBsAg inhibitors, immune modulators, gene editing, and cell therapies, and summarizes related clinical research findings, so as to clarify the latest advances in this field and the new ideas in drug research and development.
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ObjectiveTo investigate the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection rate among pregnant women in Shaanxi Province, China and the high-risk population of mother-to-infant transmission (MTIT). MethodsA survey was performed for 13 451 pregnant women in 18 hospitals in Shaanxi Province to investigate the status of HBV infection, and combined immunization was performed for the infants born to HBsAg-positive women. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the risk factors for MTIT. The t-test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. ResultsThe prevalence rate of HBsAg was 7.07% among the pregnant women in Shaanxi Province, and the rate reached as high as 9.40% in southern Shaanxi. The MTIT rate of HBV was 5.21%. The univariate analysis showed that HBsAg titer, HBeAg titer, positive HBeAg, and HBV DNA load in mothers were associated with HBV infection in infants, and the multivariate analysis showed that HBV DNA load in mothers is an independent risk factor for MTIT (relative risk=1.586, 95% confidence interval: 1.020-2.465, P=0.041). Among the pregnant women with HBV infection and MTIT, 84.62% had positive HBeAg and an HBV DNA load of ＞106 IU/ml; among the infants with MTIT, 15.38% were the infants born to the HBeAg-negative pregnant women. For the pregnant women with positive HBeAg and HBV DNA＞106 IU/ml, the relative risk of MTIT in infants was 1.210 (1.129-1.297); for the pregnant women with negative HBeAg, HBV DNA＞2×103 IU/ml, and HBsAg ＞104 IU/ml, the relative risk of MTIT in infants was 26.062 (2.633-258024). ConclusionThere is a high HBV infection rate among pregnant women in Shaanxi Province. Pregnant women with positive HBeAg and a high HBV DNA load have a high risk of MTIT. Although the infants born to HBeAg-negative mothers have a low HBV infection rate, there is still a high risk of MTIT when the mother has an HBV DNA load of ＞2×103 IU/ml and an HBsAg level of ＞104 IU/ml.
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Nucleos(t)ide analogues can effectively prevent or delay disease progression in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but the course of treatment is long and long-term medication may bring the risk of adverse drug reactions and drug resistance. Recent studies have found that HBsAg quantification has an important value in individualized antiviral treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis B. This article reviews the research advances in the value of HBsAg quantification in judgment of indication for antiviral treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues, prediction of therapeutic outcome, and timing of drug withdrawal, and it is pointed out that HBsAg quantification can help to determine the timing of antiviral treatment and predict the treatment outcome of patients at the beginning of antiviral treatment, during the treatment process, and when drug withdrawal is considered. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal predictive thresholds for different stages of HBeAg-positive or HBeAg-negative patients, as well as the optimal time point and thresholds for predicting treatment outcome during antiviral treatment with different nucleos(t)ide analogues.
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ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of dual positivity of HBsAg and anti-HBs on the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. MethodsPubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wanfang Data were searched for articles on the influence of dual positivity of HBsAg and anti-HBs on the risk of HCC published from July 1, 1975 to March 27, 2019. RevMan5.3 and Stata11.2 were used for statistical analysis of data. A heterogeneity analysis was performed for the studies included; a random effects model was used in case of significant heterogeneity, and a fixed effects model was used in case of non-significant heterogeneity. Odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to investigate the association of dual positivity of HBsAg and anti-HBs with the development of HCC. Begg funnel plots were used to investigate publication bias. By removing one article each time, the sensitivity analysis was used to assess the quality and reliability of the Meta-analysis. ResultsA total of 4 articles were included, with 2 studies in the Korean population and 2 in the Chinese population, and there were 3042 patients in total. The meta-analysis showed that there was no significant association between dual positivity of HBsAg and anti-HBs and the development of HCC (OR=1.46, 95%CI: 0.76-2.80, P=0.25). A country-based subgroup analysis showed significant association between dual positivity of HBsAg and anti-HBs and the development of HCC in the Korean population (OR=2.67, 95%CI: 1.61-4.43, P=0.000 1), while no significant association was found in the Chinese population (OR=0.89, 95%CI: 0.48-1.64, P=0.70). ConclusionThere is no significant association between dual positivity of HBsAg and anti-HBs and the development of HCC, and further studies are needed in future.
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HBsAg is one of the oldest diagnostic markers for HBV infection, and serum HBsAg level is associated with HBV cccDNA level in hepatocytes, HBV replication capability, and host immune response. In recent years, with the development of serum HBsAg quantification and the concept of functional cure, HBsAg quantification has been taken more and more seriously in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of HBV infection. This article analyzes the role of serum HBsAg quantification from the aspects of natural disease course of chronic hepatitis B, prediction of response to antiviral therapy, and prediction of drug withdrawal.
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Objective Investigate the effect of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia on the detection of HBsAg by chemiluminescence and its elimination methods.Methods Case control study.The HBsAg in human serum was detected in 200 cases of hyperbilirubinemia neonates who were hospitalized in Beijing Children's Hospital,Capital Medical University from July 2015 to May 2016 and whose serum total bilirubin level exceeded 200 μmol/L.The positive serum was further detected by 16 200×g high-spoed centrifugation or blue light irradiation for 8 hours,and the results of re-assay of HBsAg were recorded.The retest positive serum wastested for HBV DNA load and checked the results of their mother's examination in HBV.136 adult serum samples with total bilirubin levels exceeding 200 μmol/L in the Peking University First Hospital,were taken as reference to compare the influence of hyperbilirubinemia between adults and newborns on the determination of HBsAg.Results The median level of serum total bilirubin in neonates was 259.0 μ mol/L (226.5,312.5);median level of indirect bilirubin 244.1 μmol / L(212.5,295.8).Median level of serum total bilirubin in adults 356.4 μmol/L(295.9,435.1);median level ofindirect bilirubin 137.1 μmol/L (107.8,172.7).The HBsAg test was negative in adults,11 cases (5.5％) were positive in newborns,their" HBV DNA load was less than＜100 IU/ml.Among them,9 have inoculated hepatitis B vaccine and 2 were unknown.10 of 11 mothers of infants were healthy and 1 was positive for HBsAg,HBeAb,HBcAb.2 of the 11 positive specimens turned negative of HBsAg after high-speed centrifugation.In addition to high speed centrifugation,4 cases turned negative after blue light irradiation.5 cases remained positive after high speed centrifugation and blue light irradiation.Conclusions Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia,which is different from that of adults,is mainly caused by indirectly bilirubin increased,which is one of the main reasons for false positive detection of HBsAg by chemiluminescence in neonates.High-speed centrifugation and blue light irradiation can eliminate the influence of serum indirect bilirubin on the detection of HBsAg to the greatest extent.
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Objective To investigate the relationship between HBV -DNA load and serum markers in chronic hepatitis B( CHB) patients in Hohhot,Inner Mongolia,and to explore the mutation of HBV genotype and nucleoside analogue.Methods From January 2015 to December 2017,one hundred and ninety-three CHB patients hospitalized in the People＇s Hospital of Inner Mongolia were selected randomly.The clinical diagnostic criteria for all admitted patients were based on the " Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B" jointly formulated by the Infectious Diseases Society of 2010. The HBV -DNA load of HBV was detected by real -time quantitative PCR,and the correlation between HBV -DNA load and serum markers was analyzed. Seventy -nine patients were selected from 193 hospitalized patients,PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization was used to analyze HBV genotyping and the drug resistance mutations of different genotypes.Results The differences of HBeAb level and HBV-DNA load between HBeAg positive patients and negative patients were statistically significant(all P<0.001). Of 79 serum specimens of HBV infected people,9 cases(11.4% ) were B genotypes,and 70 cases of C genotype (88.6% ).Of them,25 cases had different loci variation,the rate of variation was 31.6% (25/79),with the unit point rtS213T mutation dominated,accounting for about 24.0% (6/25).Conclusion In Hohhot Inner Mongolia patients with CHB,HBV-DNA load with HBeAg and HBe Ab level are correlated;genotype in patients including B type and C type,which is mainly genotype C;patients with CHB mainly had drug resistance to lamivudine and adefovir dipivoxil, mutations including rtS213T,and hybrid mutation.
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Objective Human milk of mothers with positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) contains hepatitis B virus (HBV). However, breastfeeding does not increase the risk of mother-to-infant transmission of HBV. Previous investigations demonstrated that breast milk has a property of binding with HBsAg. This study aimed to identify the component in human milk that can bind to HBsAg. Methods This study was performed in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, from June 2015 to February 2017. Human milk samples from two postpartum women with negative HBV markers and two control samples of cow milk and goat milk were analyzed by Far-Western blot, in which highly purified recombinant yeast HBsAg was used to bind with whey proteins. Based on the results of mass-spectrum analysis, competition inhibition test was used to confirm the functioning component. Results Far-Western blot showed remarkable protein bands at the relative molecular weight of about 80 000 in both lanes of human milk, but none in the lane of cow or goat milk. Mass-spectrum analysis of the protein band indicated there were proteins sharing 28.4%-93.4% homology in amino acid sequences with five proteins with the highest homology to lactoferrin (93.4%). Further Far-Western blot with purified recombinant lactoferrin showed that lactoferrin could bind to the recombinant HBsAg. Competition inhibition test suggested that the purified recombinant lactoferrin inhibited the binding of HBsAg to its antibody in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions This study confirms the capability of lactoferrin in human milk to combine with HBsAg, suggesting that lactoferrin can bind to HBV. Further study on whether lactoferrin can inhibit the infectivity of HBV would be valuable to clarify the reason for not increasing the risk of mother-to-infant transmission of HBV by breastfeeding.
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Objective To reveal the characteristics of S gene sequence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients with low HBsAg level.Methods From February 2016 to December 2017, 1 308 serum samples of inactive HBsAg carriers were collected from the 903rd Hospital of PLA and Hangzhou Jianggan District People′s Hospital.The cases were divided into high-level group and low-level group according to the level of serum HBsAg (10 IU／mL) expression.The HBV S gene was sequenced in patients with low-level HBsAg expression.In addition, in patients with high-level HBsAg, 100 patients were randomly selected (stratified sampling) for HBV S gene sequencing based on the matching of age and serological pattern (hepatitis B e antigen [HBeAg] negative) of low-level HBsAg group.A comparative analysis was conducted between HBV S gene sequences from inactive HBsAg carrier in low HBsAg expression group and the HBV reference S gene sequences from inactive HBsAg carrier in high HBsAg expression group .The results of normal distribution data were expressed as Mean ±SD, and analyzed using t-test.The results of non-normal distribution data were expressed by M(QR), and analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test.Chi-square test or Fisher exact test was used to compare continuous variables and classification variables between the two groups .Results There were 276 serum samples from the low level group and 1 032 serum samples from the high level group , including 257 HBsAg／HBeAg／anti-HBc-positive cases, 753 HBsAg／anti-HBe／anti-HBc-positive cases, and 22 HBsAg／anti-HBc-positive cases.Successful HBV S gene sequencing was performed on 126 out of 276 patients in the low-level HBsAg group.According to the age inthe low-level HBsAg group, 100 samples with negative HBeAg in the high-level HBsAg group were randomly selected , among which 94 patients were genotyped and hemotyped.The results showed that there were statistically significant differences in HBV serological markers , HBV DNA level and HBV genotype distribution between the high level group (94 cases) and the low level group (126 cases) (all P＜0.05).The ASC-R-B and ASC-R-C genotypes reported in this study had high homology (99.6%-100.0%) with those reported in Shanghai , Chengdu, Wuhan, Yunnan and Beijing of China , and high homology (98.2%-99.6%) with those reported in Japan and Korea of NCBI genotype B and C reference sequences, but had low homology with patients far away from China (98.2% in Canada and 98.7% in Indonesia).In genotype B of the low level group , the amino acid mutation number of SHB protein was 71, and the hot spot mutation number was 19, both higher than those in the high level group (39 and 8, respectively). The difference was statistically significant (χ2 ＝12.303 and 4.766, respectively, both P＜0.05).Amino acid mutation sites in the low HBsAg group were mainly distributed on both sides of the major hydrophilic region (MHR) (amino acid residues 40 -49 and 198 -220).There were no significant differences in amino acid mutation number and hot spot mutation number between the two groups of C genotype (χ2 ＝0.383 and 0.409, respectively, both P＞0.05).For genotype B, 12 single point mutations and 4 dual co-mutations were found in low level group.Among them, one single point mutation (S210R) and 3 dual co-mutations (G44E／V+T45P／I, G44E／V+L49P／R and N40S+I208T) were not hot spot mutations , while 2 dual co-mutations and 2 single point mutations were found in high level group.The difference between two groups was statistical significant (χ2 ＝7.533,P ＝0.006).For genotype C, 5 single point mutations ( T5A, A45T, T47A／K, Q101R and I126S／T) were found in low level group and 1 single point mutation (N3S) in high level group.The difference in mutation frequency between two groups were statistical significant (χ2 ＝47.914,P＝0.000).Conclusions Significant mutations in multiple regions and at multiple sites ( including co-mutations) on both sides of the MHR may be one of the causes of low HBsAg expression level in this population .