Hepatitis B core antigen expression pattern predicts response to lamivudine therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B / 대한간학회지

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: Negative hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) staining in hepatocytes is indicative of viral replication by an active immune response. HBcAg is expressed mainly in the cytoplasm in patients with active hepatitis and hepatocyte regeneration, and mainly in the nuclei of hepatocytes in patients with minimal liver injury in the absence of hepatocyte regeneration. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether the existence and expression pattern of HBcAg predicts the response to antiviral treatment. METHODS: The study involved 58 patients with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis B who were treated with lamivudine. Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), antibody to HBeAg, hepatitis B virus DNA, and alanine aminotransferase in serum were recorded every 3 months. The inflammation grade and the fibrosis stage of chronic hepatitis were scored from 0 to 4 according to lobular inflammation, portal inflammation, periportal inflammation, and fibrosis. RESULTS: The 58 patients included 49(84%) HBcAg-positive patients, with HBcAg staining confined to the cytoplasm in 15(31%) and in both cytoplasm and nuclei in 34(69%). The grade of lobular inflammation and the total histology score were significantly higher in patients with cytoplasmic expression of HBcAg than in HBcAg-negative patients (lobular inflammation: 2.9 vs 2.1, P=0.02; total histology score: 12.2 vs 10.3, P=0.04). The virologic responses at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months differed significantly between the cytoplasmic and mixed expression groups (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The expression pattern of HBcAg (including its possible absence) before initial therapy appears to predict the response to antiviral treatment.

Factors affecting initial virologic response and emergence of resistant mutants after adefovir treatment in lamivudine-resistant chronic hepatitis B patients / 대한간학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Adefovir dipivoxil (adefovir) effectively inhibits both wild-type and lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication. The development of adefovir resistance is both delayed and infrequent compared with lamivudine resistance. The aim of this study was to characterize the serologic, biochemical, and virologic response to adefovir, and to explore the factors affecting initial virologic response (IVR, defined as a decrease in serum HBV below 4 log10copies/mL after 6 month of treatment) and adefovir resistance in lamivudine resistant HBV-infected patients. METHODS: This study population comprised 76 patients with lamivudine-resistance who had received adefovir for more than 12 months between March 2004 and December 2006. The adefovir-resistant mutant was assayed at 6 months and 12 months during adefovir administration. Restriction-fragment mass polymorphism analysis was used for detecting YMDD and adefovir mutants. RESULTS: After adefovir administration, an IVR was observed in 31% of the patients with lamivudine resistance. Factors associated with an IVR were HBeAg negativity (P=0.04) and the presence of liver cirrhosis (P=0.04). Age, sex, pretreatment levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, pretreatment HBV DNA levels, presence of precore mutation, and type of YMDD mutants were not related to an IVR during adefovir treatment. The prevalence of adefovir resistance was 5% and 13% at 6 months and 12 months after therapy, respectively. Mixed infection of the precore mutant was a risk factors for the emergence of adefovir resistance (P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Lamivudine-resistant HBV patients exhibiting HBeAg negativity and liver cirrhosis were more likely to achieve an IVR after adefovir therapy. Adefovir resistance was associated with mixed infection of the precore mutant.

Development of Clevudine Resistance after Switching from Lamivudine in a Patient with Chronic Hepatitis B / 대한소화기학회지

Clevudine is a nucleoside analog of the unnatural beta-L configuration which has potent antiviral activity against hepatitis B virus (HBV). Clevudine is expected to have similar pattern of resistance profile as lamivudine. However, there was no report on the mutation associated with clevudine resistance in patients with chronic hepatitis B. We report a case of young male patient with chronic hepatitis B who presented with clevudine resistance. The patient had received lamivudine therapy for 5 months with reduced serum HBV DNA levels. Then, lamivudine was switched to clevudine monotherapy. After the 6 months of clevudine therapy, the patient developed virologic breakthrough (>1.0x10(8) copies/mL) as well as biochemical breakthrough, which was associated with the presence of rtM204I plus rtL80I mutant. After switching from clevudine to adefovir, the viral load decreased with biochemical improvement.

Comparison of VERSANT Hepatitis B Virus DNA 3.0 Assay with Digene Hybrid Capture II Hepatitis B Virus DNA Test in Relation to Clinical Status of Hepatitis B Virus / 대한진단검사의학회지

BACKGROUND: Some differences exist among various Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA quantification assays due to lack of standardization and besides clinical usefulness has not been firmly elucidated in Korean HBV patients. METHODS: We compared Bayer VERSANT HBV DNA 3.0 Assay (VERSANT 3.0) with Digene Hybrid Capture II HBV DNA Test (HC-II) according to HBeAg status and ALT levels in 232 HBV-infected Korean patients. One hundred and seventeen sera with undetectable DNA levels by HC-II were further analyzed by Real-Q HBV quantification assay (BioSewoom). RESULTS: Although VERSANT 3.0 and HC-II showed an excellent correlation (r=0.9739), the results (copies/mL) by VERSANT 3.0 were 0.45 log10 higher than those by HC-II. HBV DNA levels were higher in HBeAg-positive group than in HBeAg-negative group (P=0.002), and in abnormal ALT group than in normal ALT group (P<0.0001). The detection rate of HBV DNA by VERSANT 3.0 was lower in HBeAg-negative and normal ALT group (n=68) than in HBeAg-positive or abnormal ALT group (n=164) (35.3% vs 89.6%, P<0.0001). Fifty two sera out of 61 sera with undetectable DNA by VERSANT 3.0 were measurable by Real-Q with mean value of 3.26 log10 copies/mL. CONCLUSIONS: VERSANT 3.0 and HC-II showed an excellent correlation, but a little difference (0.45 log10) existed. VERSANT 3.0 effectively measured clinically relevant HBV DNA levels in most HBVinfected patients in Korea. However, more sensitive assays are needed for patients with negative HBeAg and normal ALT to see the low copies of HBV DNA levels.

Intracellular Antibody Fragment Against Hepatitis B Virus X Protein Does Not Inhibit Viral Replication

Replication of the hepatitis B virus is suppressed by deficiency of the X protein. Although several molecules that block cellular targets of X protein reduce the production of hepatitis B virus progeny, the effect of a specific inhibitor of X protein on viral replication has not been investigated. To block X protein specifically, we adopted an intracellular expression approach using H7 single chain variable fragment (H7scFv), an antibody fragment against X protein. We previously demonstrated that cytoplasmic expression of H7scFv inhibits X protein-induced tumorigenicity and transactivation. In this study, intracellular H7scFv expression inhibits reporter gene transactivation but not viral replication determined by endogenous hepatitis B virus polymerase activity assay and real-time PCR. Our findings imply that intracellular expression of antibody fragment against X protein may not be an alternative therapeutic modality for inhibition of hepatitis B virus replication.

The Degrees of Hepatocyte Cytoplasmic Expression of Hepatitis B Core Antigen correlate with Histologic Activity of Liver Disease in the Young Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Infection

Subcellular localizaton of HBcAg have been found to be related to the activity of liver disease and HBV replication. The aim of this study was to determine whether the degree of expression of HBcAg in the hepatocyte nucleus and cytoplasm reflects the level of viral replication and histological activity in chronic HBV infection. A total of 102 patients with biopsy proven chronic hepatitis B were included. There was a highly significant correlation between the levels of HBV DNA in serum and the degree of expression of HBcAg in the nucleus for HBeAg-positive(p=0.000) and negative patients(p=0.04). There was a highly significant, correlation between the degrees of expression of HBcAg in hepatocyte cytoplasm and histologic activities (p<0.01) for HBeAg-positive patients. The degrees of expression of HBcAg in the hepatocyte cytoplasm correlated positively with the lobular activities (p<0.01), but not correlated with the portal activity and fibrosis for HBeAg-negative patients. In conclusion, in the young patients with chronic B viral hepatitis, the degree of expression of HBcAg in the hepatocyte nucleus may affect viral load, and the degree of expression of HBcAg in the hepatocyte cytoplasm may affect histologic activities of liver disease.

A non-invasive assessment of hepatitis B virus carrier status using saliva samples.

A non-invasive testing method to determine hepatitis B virus (HBV) carrier status in pregnant women was evaluated. Paired serum and saliva samples were collected and assessment of hepatitis B markers were performed. Of the 502 women enrolled, 5.6% (28/502) of their sera were found to be positive for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg). Assessment of 28 HBsAg seroreactive and 200 HBsAg sero-non-reactive paired saliva samples showed that 17 saliva contained HBsAg. Fourteen of the saliva reactive samples were matched to the serum reactive samples (50% sensitivity); and 3 saliva samples were positive for HBsAg among 200 subjects seronegative for HBsAg (98.5% specificity). Seven of the 28 HBsAg positive sera were found to be reactive for HBV envelope antigen (HBeAg) (25%). One of seven HBeAg seroreactive and 16 HBeAg seronegative paired saliva samples tested were non-reactive for HBeAg. This report found a non-invasive saliva testing method to be a possible alternative approach for determining chronic HBV carrier status if the sensitivity of the test can be improved.