Expression of intrahepatic CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells in patients with chronic hepatitis B / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression and distribution of intrahepatic CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells in immuno-tolerant and immuno-clearance phase of patients with chronic hepatitis B.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expression of FoxP3 was detected in 19 cases of immuno-tolerant phase and 12 cases of immuno-clearance phase by immunohistochemistry. The relation between the intrahepatic expression of FoxP3 and the clinicopathological features were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The positive signal of FoxP3 is located in nuclear of lymphocyte and mainly aggregated in portal areas as well as occasionally scattered in hepatic sinusoids. The expression of intrahepatic FoxP3 in the group of immuno-tolerant phase was significantly increased than those in normal control (P < 0.01), and greatly decreased than those in immuno-clearance phase (P < 0.01). No correlation was observed among the expression of intrahepatic FoxP3, ALT, levels of HBV DNA, HBeAg positive, in patients of immuno-clearance phase, respectively. There were significant differences between immuno-tolerant phase and immuno-clearance phase age, ALT, TBIL, PTA, HBV-DNA and detection of HBeAg but not in sex and family history of HBV infection.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells may play important roles in the clearance of HBV as well as in liver inflammation and injury during chronic HBV infection.</p>

Detection of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in liver tissues of fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis after liver and kidney transplantation / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To study the expression and distribution of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg) in liver tissues of patients with fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis (FCH) after liver and kidney transplantation and to investigate their roles in the pathogenesis of FCH.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Liver biopsy specimens from five patients with FCH were studied histopathologically. A specific marker for CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in those specimens was detected with anti-FOXP3 monoclonal antibody by immunohistochemistry. Apoptoses of hepatocytes were detected with in situ apoptosis detection TUNEL kit.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Fibrosis in portal and around portal areas, cholestasis in some of the hepatocytes and canaliculi, widespread ballooning and ground-glass appearance of liver cells, and positivity of HBsAg and HBcAg and Pre-S1 protein were seen in the livers of all cases. The positive signal of FOXP3 was located in the cytoplasm of lymphocytes and the positive cells were mainly aggregated in the portal areas as well as occasionally appearing in the hepatic sinusoids. There were many more apoptotic hepatocytes near the portal areas.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis has specific pathological characteristics which might be caused by high expressions of FOXP3 in liver tissues.</p>

Pathology of AIDS-related lymphadenopathy and its relationship to expression of CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T cells in lymphoid node tissue / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the pathology of AIDS-related lymphadenopathy and its relationship to the expression and distribution of CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T cells in lymphoid node tissue.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 22 biopsy and 13 autopsy lymphoid node tissues from HIV-positive patients were examined under microscopy and pathological staging was performed. Specific marker for CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T cells in lymphoid node tissue was detected with anti-Foxp3 monoclonal antibody by immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among all the 35 specimens, 5, 4, 14, and 12 specimens were histopathologically staged from 1 to 4, respectively. FoxP3 were detected in all lymphoid node tissues. The distribution of FoxP3-positive lymphocytes were mainly in intermediate zone of follicle and cortical area in stages 1 and 2. The counts of FoxP3-positive lymphocytes remarkably decreased in stages 3 and 4, following depletion of lymphocytes.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T cells exist in lymphoid node tissue of patients with HIV infection. Their amounts decrease or deplete along with the progression of AIDS-related lymphadenopathy.</p>

A pathological study on liver tissues of patients with HIV infection / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the pathological changes of the liver tissues of patients with HIV infection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>14 biopsy and 12 autopsy liver tissues were examined histologically. HIV-1 related antigen of outer membrane protein gp120 and capsid protein p24 were examined with their corresponding monoclonal antibodies by immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the biopsy group, cytomegalic virus (CMV) infection was found in one (1/14) case, outer membrane protein gp120 and/or capsid protein p24 antigen were detected in Kupffer cells and in some of the lymphocytes in 11 cases. All the hepatocytes were negative for outer membrane protein gp120 and capsid protein p24 antigens. In the autopsy group, there were 5 (5/12) cases of liver tissues with CMV infection and 5 cases each with mycobacterium and Toxoplasma gondii infection. Capsid protein p24 was detected in liver tissues in 3 cases.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>There is HIV infection in liver tissue of patients with HIV. The rate of opportunistic infections in liver biopsy samples was lower than that in the autopsy liver tissues of patients with HIV.</p>