We recently reported that maternal sera containing antibodies against SSA/Ro and SSB/La ribonucleoproteins (positive IgG) inhibited L-type Ca current in isolated cardiac myocytes and induced sinus bradycardia in a murine model of CHB.
The expression of TNFR-1 and 2 in liver tissues was examined in 30 cases of CHB and 15 cases of CHC by semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.
Serum levels of IFN-gamma correlated inversely with viremia in patients with CHB (rho = - 0.54, P < 0.05), but not with serum levels of IL-12 or IL-18.
The response to lamivudine therapy shares with IFN a rapid decline in ALT accompanied by an improvement in histology; at variance with IFN, in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) there is delayed seroconversion to anti-HBe which accumulates over time, the switch to anti-HBs is more rare and in the long-term, the activity of the drug is abolished by the emergence of viral mutations (YMDD-motif mutants) that may rekindle the disease.
The response to lamivudine therapy shares with IFN a rapid decline in ALT accompanied by an improvement in histology; at variance with IFN, in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) there is delayed seroconversion to anti-HBe which accumulates over time, the switch to anti-HBs is more rare and in the long-term, the activity of the drug is abolished by the emergence of viral mutations (YMDD-motif mutants) that may rekindle the disease.
Serum levels of IFN-gamma correlated inversely with viremia in patients with CHB (rho = - 0.54, P < 0.05), but not with serum levels of IL-12 or IL-18.
Plasma PACAP-38 levels were measured using competitive radio-immune analysis (RIA) in 25 CHB patients before and after completion of a 52-week lamivudine treatment period and in 22 healthy blood donors.
When PBMCs were stimulated by HBcAg and IL-18 at various concentrations, the levels of IFN-gamma in the supernatants of CHB groups were much higher than those in normal control groups, at 0.2 ng/ml: t=11.70, P<0.01; at 1.0 ng/ml: t=16.19, P<0.01; and at 5.0 ng/ml: t=20.12, P<0.01.
Fifty-eight Chinese adult patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) were randomized to lamivudine 100 mg/day for up to 5 years and were monitored for YMDD-variant HBV, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion (loss of HBeAg and detectable antibody to HBeAg) and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) concentrations.Four-year data are reported here.
When PBMCs were stimulated by HBcAg and IL-18 at various concentrations, the levels of IFN-gamma in the supernatants of CHB groups were much higher than those in normal control groups, at 0.2 ng/ml: t=11.70, P<0.01; at 1.0 ng/ml: t=16.19, P<0.01; and at 5.0 ng/ml: t=20.12, P<0.01.
Nkx2-5 pathways and congenital heart disease; loss of ventricular myocyte lineage specification leads to progressive cardiomyopathy and complete heart block.
In the present work, we examined the correlation between injury of the hepatocytes and mRNA expression of FasL and perforin/granzyme B in liver tissue to investigate the roles of both the FasL and the perforin/granzyme B pathways in CHB.
Seventy-five treatment naïve HBeAg positive patients with histologically proven CHB and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) >1.5 x ULN received lamivudine 100 mg per day for 52 wks with IFN 5 MIU per day added for 16 wks after the first 8 wks (group A, n = 38; age 30 +/- 12 yr; M:F = 35:3) or lamivudine 100 mg per day for 52 wks (group B, n = 37; age 30 +/- 16 yr; M:F = 31:6).
To explore a novel mechanism for tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), upregulation of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes participating in the patho-physiological process of chronic hepatitis B (CHB).
Compared with other HLA-DRB1 alleles, HLA-DRB1*06, DRB1*08, and DRB1*16 may be associated with chronicity of HBV infection, HLA-DRB1*07 with protection against HBV infection, and HLA-DRB1*14 allele may be associated with a high rate of the response of CHB patients to IFN treatment.
No polymorphism in promoters I, III and IV of CIITA gene exists in CHB patients, ABH patients and normal controls, suggesting that the promoter of CIITA gene might be a conserved domain.
Genotype A was the most prevalent in HBeAg+ CHB with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (68.6%) and genotype D in HBeAg+ CHB with fluctuating ALT (60.7%).
The level of serum TGF-beta (1) in CHB group was 163.05+/-91.35 microg/L, significantly higher as compared with 81.40+/-40.75 microg/L in the control group (P<0.01).
Adoptive transfer of purified CD4 T cells from NOD.DQ8/Ab(0) mice with complete heart block (an indication of advanced myocarditis) into younger NOD.DQ8/Ab(0) Rag1(0) animals induced cardiac pathology in all recipients, whereas adoptive transfer of purified CD8 T cells or B lymphocytes had no effect.
Despite the absence of B lymphocytes, NOD.DQ8/Ab(0)IgH(0) animals still developed complete heart block, whereas NOD.DQ8/Ab(0)beta(2)m(0) mice (which lack CD8 T cells) failed to develop any cardiac pathology.
Ang2 expression was clearly up-regulated at both mRNA and protein levels in the liver of CHB patients, showing an intense staining of inflammatory infiltrates and vascular structures at inflamed portal areas.