Evaluation and influencing factor analysis of the detection effect of hepatitis B virus surface antigen and treponema pallidum using rapid screening immunochromatography technology / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To evaluate the effectiveness of rapid initial screening using HBsAg and syphilis reagents of immunochromatography technology before blood donation, and explore the influencing factors. 【Methods】 The pre-donation screening of HBsAg and anti-TP and post-donation blood test results of blood donors in Yangzhou region from January 2020 to June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The HBsAg and anti-TP reactive samples by ELISA from January to June 2023 were, retested using colloidal gold immunochromatographic reagents, and the results were compared and analyzed. 【Results】 A total of 200 414 blood donors were screened, among which 781 were HBsAg and anti-TP positive, accounting for 0.39%. A total of 191 717 blood donors successfully donated blood, and 986 were HBsAg and anti-TP positive by ELISA, accounting for 0.51%. 62 HBsAg and 61 anti-TP reactive samples were retested using the initial screening reagent, with 24 HBsAg reactive samples and 26 anti-TP reactive samples, accounting for 38.71% and 42.62% respectively. 14 HBsAg and 6 anti-TP gray area samples were retested, but no reactivity was found.The reactivity rates of 9 samples with HBsAg detection S/CO values greater than 25.0 and 10 samples with anti-TP detection S/CO values greater than 15.0 were all 100%.There was a negative correlation between the reaction intensity (S/CO value) of reactive samples and interpretation time of initial screening reaction. 【Conclusion】 The rapid primary screening of hepatitis B and syphilis with immunochromatography technology among blood donors can effectively improve the quality of blood and the qualification rate of blood after collection. Through targeted training of primary screening staff, the quality of primary screening can be further improved, the rate of missed detection can be reduced, and costs can be saved, thus reducing the risk of transfusion transmitted infection and ensuring the health of blood donors.

Detection of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subpopulations among patients positive for both hepatitis B virus surface antigen and surface antibody / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To investigate the frequency of peripheral blood T cells among patients positive for both hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) and surface antibody (HBsAb). Methods　 Thirty six patients with co-existence of HBsAg and HBsAb diagnosed were enrolled as the experimental group, who were admitted by Shanghai tenth people's hospital and Wuxi 9th people's hospital from 2014 to 2020. while 40 patients tested positive for HBsAg and negative for HBsAb served as controls, who were admitted by Wuxi 9th people's hospital. Flow cytometry was used to detect and compare the proportions of peripheral blood CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells between the experimental and control groups. In addition, the associations of serum HBsAb level with peripheral blood T cell proportions, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were examined among chronic hepatitis B patients with co-existence of HBsAg and HBsAb using Pearson correlation analysis. Results　The median age, gender distribution, mean ALT and AST concentrations, proportion of HBV DNA viral load>103 copies/mL, seroprevalence of HBV E antigen (HBeAg), seroprevalence of HBV E antibody (HBeAb), seroprevalence of HBV core antibody (HBcAb) were comparable between the experimental and control groups, and there were no significant difference in them (P>0.05). There were no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of CD3+ T cell proportion [(71.83±1.50)% vs (72.75±1.47)%; t=0.66, P>0.05], CD4+ T cell proportion [(36.81±1.53)% vs (39.88±1.57)%; t=1.43, P>0.05] and CD8+ T cell proportion [(33.17±2.04)% vs (32.40±1.75)%; t=0.77, P>0.05]. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the serum HBsAb level did not significantly correlate with peripheral blood CD3+ (r=0.026, P=0.65), CD4+ (r=‒0.08, P=0.16) and CD8+ T cell proportions (r=0.09, P=0.24), CD4+/CD8+ T proportion (r=‒0.005, P=0.35), serum ALT (r=0.04, P=0.56) and AST levels (r=0.002, P=0.69) among chronic hepatitis B patients with co-existence of HBsAg and HBsAb. Conclusions　There are no significant differences between HBsAg+/HBsAb+ and HBsAg+/HBsAb- CHB patients in terms of peripheral blood CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cell proportions.

Seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus surface antigen among pregnant females attending antenatal clinic at a tertiary care hospital in North India

Background: Hepatitis B infection is one of the most common public health problems worldwide. Hepatitis B virus Surface Antigen (HBsAg) positive mothers may transmit the virus vertically to neonates transplacentally during pregnancy, perinatally during delivery or postnatally through breast milk. Such neonates being carriers of virus are at a very high risk of developing chronic liver diseases at a younger age and also, they act as reservoirs of infection in the community. Objective of the study is to evaluate the seroprevalence of HBsAg in pregnant females attending Antenatal Clinic.Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was done from January to June 2019. A total of 840 pregnant females were included in the study who attended Antenatal Clinic for routine checkup whose blood samples were sent to Microbiology Laboratory for screening of HBsAg by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA).Results: Out of 840 pregnant females included in the study, 8 were reactive to HBsAg, hence, prevalence was found to be 0.95%. The seroprevalence of HBsAg was found to be more (1.40%) in 26-35 year females. Maximum seropositivity was seen in females from urban areas (1.0%), those attending OPD of ANC (1.03%) and those who belonged to lower socio-economic class (1.02%).Conclusions: Routine free screening for HBV infection should be offered to all antenatal females to reduce the risk of vertical transmission to the neonates born to infected mothers, thereby, preventing them from becoming carriers and developing chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma later in life.

Analysis of detection results of serum markers of four infectious diseases in 34 080 patients / 公共卫生与预防医学

Objective To investigate the positive rate of serum biomarkers of 4 infectious diseases including HBV, HCV, HIV, and TP in patients in Jinniu District People’s Hosptial of Chengdu. Methods The results of serum markers of the 4 infectious diseases in 34 080 patients detected in the Laboratory Department of Chengdu Jinniu District People's Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Results Of these 34 080 patients, the positive rate of HIV antibody (anti-HIV1/2) was 0.32%, the positive rate of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was 11.34%, the positive rate of hepatitis C antibody (anti-HCV) was 0.42%, and the positive rate of Treponema pallidum antibody (anti-TP) was 3.08%. The positive rates of anti-HIV1/2, HBsAg and anti-TP in males were higher than those in females (PsAg, and anti-HCV had the highest positive rate in the 30-59 age group, while anti-TP had the highest positive rate in the group older than 60 years old. Conclusion The positive detection rate of serum markers in four infectious diseases in patients in Chengdu Jinniu District People's Hospital before surgery, childbirth and blood transfusion was higher, and the male positive rate was higher than that of the female.

Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Among Blood Donors in Eastern Saudi Arabia: Results From a Five-Year Retrospective Study of HBV Seromarkers

BACKGROUND: Transfusion-transmissible hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major problem worldwide. Recently, confirmatory nucleic acid tests (NATs) for HBV DNA have been employed in several countries. We assessed the prevalence and yearly trends of HBV infection in blood donors in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, screening for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody against HBV core antigen (anti-HBc), and HBV DNA. METHODS: Between 2011 and 2015, a total of 22,842 donors were screenedfor HBsAg, anti-HBc, and HBV DNA using the HBsAg Qualitative II kit (Abbott, Ireland Diagnostics Division, Sligo, Ireland), ARCHITECT Anti-hepatitis B core antigen antibody (HBc) II Assay kit (Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Wiesbaden, Germany), and NAT Procleix Ultrio Elite Assay kit (Grifols Diagnostic Solutions Inc., Los Angeles, CA, USA), respectively. RESULTS: A total of 739 (3.24%) donors were HbsAg(+), anti-HBc(+), or HBV DNA(+); 63 (0.28%) were HbsAg(+), anti-HBc(+), and HBV DNA(+). Twelve (0.05%) were anti-HBc(+) and HBV DNA(+) but HBsAg(−); they were considered to have occult infection. Further, 664 (2.91%) were HBsAg(−) but anti-HBc(+), indicating chronic or resolving infection. HBV prevalence increased significantly from 2011 to 2012, increased marginally till 2013, and showed a decreasing trend from 2013 (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The five-year prevalence of HBV infection among blood donors in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia (3.24%) is lower than that reported for other regions in the country. The occult HBV infection rate of 0.05% emphasizes the importance of NATs in isolating potential infectious blood units.

Evaluation of immune response to hepatitis B vaccine in healthcare workers at a tertiary care hospital

Purpose: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of acquiring hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection through occupational exposure which is preventable through hepatitis B vaccination. In the current study, the response to HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) vaccine was assessed in a selected group of HCWs by testing for antibodies against HBsAg (anti-HBs). Methods: Blood samples were collected in all HCWs, who have received the complete schedule of hepatitis B vaccination and anti-HBs levels, were assessed quantitatively in sera using ELISA. Results: The age range of the study participants was 20–55 years. The mean months after the last dose of vaccination were 60.36. Among the 85 participants, 96.5% (n = 82) have protective immunity to hepatitis B. The anti-Hbs response was similar in both male and female (P > 0.05). There was a decline in immune response as the age was increasing (P < 0.05). The results of the study found a significant decline in the immune response with time (P < 0.05). The anti-Hbs response was declined with smoking habit (P < 0.05) and with increasing body mass index (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Post-HBsAg vaccination immunity to hepatitis B was 96.5% in HCW and was similar to that of global rates. Increasing age, time period, smoking habit, and overweight were associated with decreased immunity. Many studies are needed in developing newer HBV vaccines with very high immunogenicity. Giving highly immunogenic vaccine to HCWs will ensure safety at work by reducing nosocomial transmission which is very much desired in a resource-limited country.

Analysis of the serological testing results from Aier Eye Bank / 中华实验眼科杂志

Objective This study was to evaluate the safety of 640 corneal donors by analysing the serological testing results.Methods We retrospectively analyzed the serological testing results from Changsha Aier Eye Bank and Chengdu Kangqiao Aier Eye Bank from January 2011 to December 2015,hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg),hepatitis C virus (HCV),treponema pallidum (TP) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were detected by colloidal gold or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results There were 83 out of 640 serum samples showed positive immuno-reaction assayed markers,the positive rate was 12.97％,including HBsAg(n=60,9.38％),HCV(n=3,0.47％),TP(n=11,1.72％) and HIV(n=2,0.31％).Moreover,3 corneal donors were both positive against HBsAg and HCV,2 donors positive against HCV and TP,1 donor positive against HBsAg and HIV,1 donor positive against HBsAg and TP.Conclusions There is a high proportion of positive results of blood-borne diseases in cornea donors,which is a potential threat to corneal receptors and eye bank workers.Therefore,it is very important to detect serological test strictly for corneal donors.

Association of Cytokines with Alanine Aminotransferase, Hepatitis B Virus Surface Antigen and Hepatitis B Envelope Antigen Levels in Chronic Hepatitis B / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Background@#Cytokines play an important role in occurrence and recovery of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of cytokines concentration and its correlation to alanine aminotransferase (ALT), HBV deoxyribonucleic acid (HBV-DNA), hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg), and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) in the development of chronic hepatitis B (CHB).@*Methods@#Thirteen healthy individuals (HI), 30 chronic HBV-infected patients in immune tolerant (IT) phase, and 55 CHB patients were enrolled between August 2015 and May 2017. The peripheral blood samples were collected from all individuals. The levels of interferon (IFN)-α2, interleukin (IL)-10, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, HBV-DNA, HBsAg, and HBeAg and liver function were measured. The quantitative determinations of cytokines levels, including IFN-α2, IL-10, and TGF-β1 were performed using Luminex multiplex technology. The correlation of cytokines to ALT, HBV-DNA, HBsAg, and HBeAg was analyzed by linear regression analysis.@*Results@#IFN-α2 levels were similar between HI and IT groups (15.35 [5.70, 67.65] pg/ml vs. 15.24 [4.07, 30.73] pg/ml, Z = -0.610, P = 0.542), while it elevated significantly in CHB group (35.29 [15.94, 70.15] pg/ml vs. 15.24 [4.07, 30.73] pg/ml; Z = -2.522, P = 0.012). Compared with HI group (3.73 [2.98, 11.92] pg/ml), IL-10 concentrations in IT group (5.02 [2.98, 10.11] pg/ml), and CHB group (7.48 [3.10, 18.00] pg/ml) slightly increased (χ = 2.015, P = 0.365), and there was no significant difference between IT and CHB group (Z = -1.419, P = 0.156). The TGF-β1 levels among HI (3.59 ± 0.20 pg/ml), IT (3.62 ± 0.55 pg/ml), and CHB groups (3.64 ± 0.30 pg/ml) were similar (χ = 2.739, P = 0.254). In all chronic HBV-infected patients (including patients in IT and CHB groups), the elevation of IFN-α2 level was significantly associated with ALT level (β= 0.389, t = 2.423, P = 0.018), and was also negatively correlated to HBV-DNA load (β = -0.358, t = -2.308, P = 0.024), HBsAg (β = -0.359, t = -2.288, P = 0.025), and HBeAg contents (β = -0.355, t = -2.258, P = 0.027). However, when both ALT level and cytokines were included as independent variable, HBV-DNA load, HBsAg, and HBeAg contents were only correlated to ALT level (β = -0.459, t = -4.225, P = 0.000; β = -0.616, t = -6.334, P = 0.000; and β = -0.290, t = -2.433, P = 0.018; respectively).@*Conclusions@#IFN-α2 elevation was associated with ALT level in patients with chronic HBV infection. However, in CHB patients, only ALT level was correlated to HBV-DNA, HBsAg and HBeAg contents.

The analysis of monitoring results of school students' HBsAg in Xianju county / 中国生化药物杂志

Objective To investigate the distribution of school students' HBsAg in Xianju county, and the effect of the Hepatitis B vaccine in terms of students' HBV infection after the implementation of planned immunization. Methods HBsAg was tested by ELISA, and then analyze the students' HBsAg carrier rate. Results The positive rate of students' HBsAg in Xianju county was 2.28%. There was no significant difference between boys and girls.The HBsAg-positive rate is highest in high school and secondary in junior school and lowest in primary school, there was significant difference in different grades (P<0.05). The HBsAg-positive rate was increased with increasing age. Conclusion Xianju county achieved remarkable results in the prevention of Hepatitis B in children and adolescents in recently 20 years. Hepatitis B vaccine immunization program is the main effective measures to prevent Hepatitis B infection in children.

Epidemiological and molecular virological characteristics of HBV infected patients of hospital with simultaneously positive HBsAg and anti-HBs / 临床检验杂志

Objective To investigate the epidemiological and molecular virological characteristics in HBV-infected patients with copositive HBsAg and anti-HBs.Methods HBV serological markers were analyzed in 52 070 specimens.The epidemiological characteristics of HBsAg and anti-HBs simultaneously positive patients (the experimental group) and HBsAg positive and auti-HBs negative patients (the control group) were compared.The S protein of HBV coding region was amplified by semi-nested PCR and sequenced.The statistical differences between the two groups were compared in different gene regions,genotypes and different clinical diagnosis.Results HBsAg was positive in 20.40％ (10 621/52 070) of all specimens.In the patients with positive HBsAg,2.48％ (263/10 621) was positive anti-HBs.The prevalence of co-positive HBsAg and auti-HBs was higher in aged 0 to 9 years and greater than or equal to 80 years than that in other age,and the prevalence of positive HBsAg and negative anti-HBs was completely opposite.The mutation rate of S protein in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (1.52％ vs 0.81％,P ＜0.01) with the mutation in the major hydrophilic region (MHR) (1.68％ vs 0.57％,P ＜0.01).The mutation rates of S protein of HBV carriers,chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (1.47％ vs 0.65％,1.28％ vs 0.84％,2.21％ vs 0.44％,P ＜0.05,respectively),except for the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (1.97％ vs 2.21％,P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Co-positive HBsAg and anti-HBs in HBV-infected patients was more common in HBsAg positive patients aged 0 to 9 years and greater than or equal to 80 years than the others.Coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs in HBV-infected patients may relate to immune escape caused by mutation of S protein (mainly MHR).The mutation rates of S protein in the two groups of patients,co-positive HBsAg and anti-HBs and the positive HBsAg combined with negative anti-HBs,were associated with the stage of liver disease.

ELISA for Quantitative Determination of Hepatitis B Virus Surface Antigen

Several studies have reported a good correlation between levels of serum hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) and covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) before and after antiviral therapy. As a result, the quantification of HBsAg levels has attracted much attention in recent years as an important approach to evaluate viral activity. In this study, mAbs against HBsAg were generated and 9 mAbs (H17, H30, H31, H67, H73, H97, H101, H118, and H128) were investigated for optimization of HBsAg quantitation ELISA. Determination of the best combinations of mAbs for sandwich ELISA identified H17 and H31 mAbs as the ideal capture and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) conjugate mAbs, respectively. A standard curve for the current assay system exhibited linearity up to 40 ng/ml of HBsAg while a detection limit of approximately 1 ng/ml of HBsAg was also estimated, which was comparable to that of the other commercial ELISA kits. The ELISA system established in this study is particularly differentiated from other commercial kits in using mAbs for both capture and HRP conjugate, which provides a solution to inconsistency of quality and ethical issues in polyclonal antibodies production using laboratory animals.

Expression and clinical significance of liver tissue HBVcccDNA and serum markers for chronic hepatitis B antiviral treatment / 中国基层医药

Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of liver tissue hepatitis B virus covalently closed circular DNA ( HBV cccDNA) and three serum markers ( including serum HBV DNA, HBsAg, HBeAg) for chronic hepatitis B antiviral treatment.Methods 80 patients with chronic hepatitis B were collected, they were treated with telbivudine tablets,and the liver tissue HBVcccDNA and serum HBV DNA expression were detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR( FQ-PCR) .Serum HBsAg,HBeAg expressions were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay ( ELISA) before treatment,12 weeks,28 weeks,44 weeks,52 weeks after treatment. Then,the correlation of liver tissue HBVcccDNA with serum markers was analyzed.Results Liver tissue HBVcccD-NA,serum DNA HBV,serum HBsAg and serum HBeAg were significantly decreased with the time of treatment,the differences were statistically significant(F=3.786,4.785,3.806,3.452,P=0.034,0.009,0.031,0.042),and the liver tissue HBVcccDNA, serum DNA HBV and serum HBeAg before treatment compared with after treatment had statistically significant differences(all P<0.05).And the differences of serum HBsAg in the treatment of 44 and 52 weeks compared with before treatment were statistically significant(all P<0.05).The results of correlation analy-sis showed that the expression of HBVcccDNA was positively correlated with serum HBV DNA and HBeAg ( r =0.674,0.672,P=0.015,0.036),and had no significant correlation with serum HBsAg expression(r=0.125,P=0.142 ) .Conclusion The expressions of serum HBV DNA and HBeAg could reflect HBVcccDNA expression of liver tissue,and the detection method is simple and non-invasive,which is worthy of recommendation in clinical.

Analysis of the Results of ELISA by Detecting Low Quantitative HBsAg(CMIA)in Serums / 现代检验医学杂志

Objective To evaluate the performance of ELISA by detecting low quantitative HBsAg in serums.Methods 305 serum samples that the quantitation range was from 0.05 IU/ml to 9.99 IU/ml were collected,and then detected by ELISA. Results The rate of patients with low quantitation of HBsAg was 18.12% in patients with positive HBsAg.The total de-tected rate of ELISA was 87.87%,and the rate of 0.05~0.11,0.12~0.20,0.21 ~0.50,0.51 ~ 1.00,1.01~5.00 IU/ml and 5.01~9.99IU/ml were 36.00%,61.11%,78.38%,84.62%,99.11% and 100.00%,respectively.The differences were statistically significant between the detected rates of each group(χ2 =99.84,P =0.000).There was high correlation coeffi-cient between the results detected by ELISA and by CMIA(r = 0.874,P = 0.000).Conclusion The clinical laboratory should be careful to apply the method of ELISA to detect HBsAg for its missing detection in samples with low quantitation of HBsAg.

Correlation Analysis of Maternal and Neonatal HBV Test Results / 现代检验医学杂志

Objective To investigate the risk factors of intrauterine hepatitis B virus (HBV)infection and its preventive measures.Methods 254 cases of pregnant women with positive HBsAg and their neonatuses from Shaanxi People’s Hospi-tal were selected as the research object.The serum of pregnant women were tested HBV markers and HBV-DNA,their neo-natal umbilical cord blood were only detected HBV markers.Results In 254 samples,the positive rates of HBsAg and HBeAg within their neonatal umbilical cord blood were 5.12% and 13.78% respectively;the positive rate of HBV infection in neonatal umbilical cord blood among maternal HBeAg-positive group was 53.33%,far higher than 3.61% in HBeAg-neg-ative group (χ2 =99.44,P <0.001);the positive rates of HBsAg and HBeAg in neonatal umbilical cord blood were elevated along with the increase of maternal HBV-DNA copy (Hc= 13.50,66.70;P < 0.001).The positive rate of HBV-DNA in pregnant women with HBeAg-positive group was 100%,far more than 19.59% in HBeAg-negative group (P <0.001).Con-clusion Both maternal positive HBeAg and HBV-DNA are risk factors for neonatal intrauterine HBV infection.Prenatal HBeAg screening is predominant,especially in some hospitals without real-time quantitative assay.An effective measure to reduce intrauterine HBV infection is to be pregnant when HBV DNA and HBeAg are turned into negative after HBV inter-vention and treatment for women in reproductive age.

Detection of low-concentration HBsAg and its clinical significance / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To investigate the methods for the detection of serum samples with low-concentration HBsAg and its clin-ical value.Methods Serum samples with HBsAg weak positive were measured by ELISA or using Roch cobas e601 were collected from the clinical laboratory.The samples with low-concentration HBsAg were confirmed by neutralization assay by using Lizhu ELISA reagent Kit or Roch cobas e601 analyzer.at the same time,ALT/AST concentrations and HBV DNA copies were also deter-mined.Results Among 53 samples that showed weak positive reaction by using Kehua reagent kit,37 samples were positive in neu-tralization test,while the other 16 samples were negative.Among 18 samples that showed weak positive reaction tested by using Roch cobas e601 analyzer,13 samples showed positive in neutralization test,and the other 5 samples showed negative.Conclusion The results of HBsAg test varies in different detection System.The clinical significance of samples with low-concentration HBsAg needs further study.

Study on the risk factors of HBV infection among spouses of HBsAg carriers / 重庆医学

Objective To investigate the risks of HBV infection among the spouses of HBV surface antigen (HBsAg)carriers and to find out effective control strategies on hepatitis B control and prevention .Methods To use case-control study(1∶2) including spouses of HBsAg carriers aged 18 -59 years-old from the nationwide sero-epidemiological survey for Hepatitis B in Chonqing province in 2005 ,and the spouses of the healthy(HBsAg negative persons)as the control groups ,adopt euzymelinked immunosor-bent assay(ELISA) to carry out the sero-epidemiological testing (HBsAg ,anti-HBc ,anti-HBs) for Hepatitis B .Results The posi-tive rate of HBsAgamong the spouses of HBsAg carriers (14 .8% ) was higher than the rate of spouse among the healthy (7 .5% ) , with difference statistically significant (P<0 .01) ,the positive rate of HBsAg in female spouse was uptrend as the marriage age grown ,multiple factor analysis found that the risks of HBV infection among the spouses were their spouse with HBsAg and without condom when the sexual behavior .Conclusion The spouses of HBsAg carriers have high risks of HBV .Premarital examinations , safety sexual behaviors with condom ,timely hepatitis B vaccination etc .are helpful for the spouses of HBsAg carriers free of hepati-tis B virus ,especially female spouses should insist on using condom when the sexual behavior because of them easier to be infected by the hepatitis B virus .

Iscom matrix enhances the immunogenicity of hepatitis B virus surface antigen containing Pres epitopes / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of Iscom matrix on the immunogenicity of recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen containing PreS epitopes(SS1S2). Methods SS1S2+ Al(OH)3 and SS1S2+Iscom vaccines were made by combining purified SS1S2 antigen with Al( OH)3 adjuvant or Iscom matrix.Groups of BALB/c mice were injected i. m or s. c by either of the two vaccines at day 0 and day 14. Half of the mice were sacrificed and sera were taken and spleen cells separated from the mice 14 days after each injection. Anti-S, anti-PreS1, and anti-PreS2 antibody titers were measured, and total IgG1 and IgG2a titers were further detected for each serum sample. IFN-γ ELISPOT assay was performed to detect IFN-γsecreting cells from the pooled spleen cells for each vaccine group. Results The seroconversion rates and geometric mean titers(GMTs) and the numbers of IFN-γ secreting cells were approximately at the same level for the differently formulated vaccines after the first injection except that the ratio of IgG2a to IgG1 in the Iscom group was higher than the Al(OH)3 group. After boost injection, the GMTs of total IgG rise slightly in the Al(OH)3 group but significantly in the Iscom group. The IgG2a to IgG1 ratio in the Iscom group kept balanced while dropped further in the Al(OH)3 group. The number of specific IFN-γsecreting cells triggered by the Iscom vaccine exceeded significantly the number of Al( OH)3 vaccine, showinga stronger cellular response. Conclusion The results in this study shows that Iscom matrix is more potent in enhancing the immunogenicity of recombinant hepatitis B virus surface antigen containing PreS epitopes than Al( OH)3 adjuvant.

Situación actual de la hepatitis B en Chile / Present situation of hepatitis B in Chile

Background: Hepatitis B virus infection generates carriers and 8 percent will evolve to a chronic phase. Aim: To perform a compilation of studies on hepatitis B in Chile and other sources of information to estímate the impact of this disease in our country. Material and methods: Published and unpublished evidence about the infection, in the general population and risk groups in our country, was compiled and reviewed critically. Informal interviews to experts, revisión of the mandatory notification book of the Ministry of Health and collection of data from laboratories that study hepatitis B virus, were also carried out. Results: The seroprevalence of chronic carriers in blood donors is nearly O.3 percent. Among risk groups such as health care personnel, the figure is O.7 percent, among homosexuals 29 percent, among HIV positive patients 30 percent, among sexual workers 2 percent and among children with chronic hemodialysis, 9 percent. Prevalence rate according to notified cases in 2004 was 1.8 x 100,000 habitants. Detection of viral hepatitis B surface antigen in ¡aboratories occurs in 0.2 percent of donors and 1.396 of non donors. Conclusions: The seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus, the lack of notification, and the introduction of hepatitis B vaccine to our Regular Program of Immunizations, are arguments to develop in Chile a hepatitis B and C surveillance system.

Preparation and immunological properties of hepatitis B virus surface antigen-tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective To prepare and study the immunogenicity of hepatitis B virus surface anti-gen (HBsAg)-tetanus toxoid (TT) conjugate vaccine. Methods Tr was activated by cyangen bromide and reacted with adipic acid dihydrazide, then HBsAg-TT conjugate was prepared by carbediimide. Conjugate, HBsAg or hepatitis B vaccine was injected subcutaneously into mice. Anti-HBsAg and HBsAg-specific T cell response elicited by these immunogens were assayed. Results New HBsAg-TT conjugate elicited higher levels of anti-HBsAg and HBsAg positive conversion rates after the immunization than did HBsAg alone or hepatitis B vaccine. Conjugate induced mesdy antibodies of the IgG2a subclass, while HBsAg alone or hepa-titis B vaccine mainly elicited anti-HBsAg in the IgG1 subclass. The number of IFN-γand IL-2 secreting T cells induced by conjugate was also significantly higher than that did by HBsAg or hepatitis B vaccine. Con-clusion This study indicated new HBsAg-TT conjugate can induce both stronger humoral and TH1 type of cellular immune response.

Preparation of Monoclonal Antibody Against "a" Determinant With Mutation on Site 145 and Rapid Diagnosis Assay for HBV Mutant Strain / 生物化学与生物物理进展

Hepatitis B virus surface antigen with mutation on site 145 may cause omission in detection of hepatitis B virus with HBsAg diagnostic reagent. Monoclonal antibody against this mutation was obtained through hybridoma technique. The sub-class of the monoclonal antibody was determined to be IgG1(? type, the titer is 1∶9?104), and the monoclonal antibody has no cross-reaction to other hepatitis virus. The method of AC-ELISA which was established with monoclonal antibody and polyclonal antibody showed high analysing susceptibility for HBV mutant samples.