Objective To investigate effects of heroin on prolactin(PRL) mRNA in female rats.Methods Fifty female Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups(10 rats each group): control,heroin-treated-3 d,heroin-treated-9 d,heroin-withdrawal-3 d and heroin-withdrawal-9 d groups.PRL mRNA of pituitary was assessed by(RT-PCR) and PRL concentration in rat plasma was determined by radioimmunoassay(RIA).Results The expression levels of PRL mRNA of pituitary were declined significantly in heroin-treated-3 d,9 d and heroin-withdrawal-3 d groups compared with control group(P0.05)).Conclusion The PRL mRNA in the pituitary and the PRL concentration in plasma in female rats are decreased by heroin and the effect can not be reversed in a short term after heroin withdrawal.

Objective To determine the effect of heroin on the gene expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA) in rat C6 glioma cells,and investigate the molecular mechanism of heroin addiction.Methods The rat C6 glioma cells were treated with heroin with doses of 0-100 mg?L-1 for 24 h,MTT assay was used to detect the viability of cells,the gene expression level of PCNA was determined by RT-PCR.Results When the C6 cells were treated with heroin with doses of 10,20 and 100 mg?L-1,the cell viabilities were 90.62%,80.97%,and 62.73%,there were significant differences compared with control group(P

Objective To investigate the dynamic changes and prognosis of thyroid function in the patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC)after antiviral treatment,and to clarify the influence of baseline factors in the changes of thyroid function.Methods 243 CHC patients with normal baseline thyroid function were enrolled. All patients were treated with IFN-alpha-2b(IFN-α2b)combined with ribavirin for 48 weeks.The thyroid function and serum HCV RNA level were assessed at 12,24,36,48,60 and 72 weeks.According to the changes in thyroid function after treatment,the patients were divided into continued normal,subclinical hypothyroidism,hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism groups.The regularity of the changes of thyroid function of the patients in various groups were observed.Results Among 243 CHC patients,82(33.7%)patients had thyroid dysfunction.The prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism,hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism were 20.9%(51/243),5.3%(13/243)and 7.4%(18/243),respectively. At the end of 72 weeks,there were 32 (39.0%)patients suffering from subclinical hypothyroidism,12 (14.6%) patients with hypothyroidism and 7 (8.5%) patients with hyperthyroidism rehabilitated.6(7.3%)patients suffering from hypothyroidism turned to subclinical hypothyroidism,and 3(3.7%) patients suffering from hyperthyroidism turned to subclinical hypothyroidism.19(23.2%)patients had no significant change,they performed for continued subclinical hypothyroidism (1,1.2%),hypothyroidism (13,15.9%)and hyperthyroidism (5 , 6.1%).In addition, 3 (3.7%)patients with hyperthyroidism turned to hypothyroidism.An increased risk for hypothyroidism was found in female patients compared with males (P<0.05);the average age of the patients with hyperthyroidism was lower than those of the patients with hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism and continued normal (P<0.05);the baseline levels of GGT in the patients with hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism were lower than those of the patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and continued normal(P<0.05).The ratio of the patients with HCV 2a to the patients with hypertyroidism was higher than those of the patients with hypothyroidism,subclinical hypothyroidism and continued normal(P<0.05).Conclusion Thyroid function in the CHC patients can be affected by antiviral treatment. Gender, age, liver function, genotype of HCV are influencing factors for the changes of thyroid function.

PURPOSE: The role of IL28B gene variants and expression in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are not well understood. Here, we evaluated whether IL28B gene expression and rs12979860 variations are associated with HBV outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IL28B genetic variations (rs12979860) were genotyped by pyrosequencing of DNA samples from 137 individuals with chronic HBV infection [50 inactive carriers (IC), 34 chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 27 cirrhosis, 26 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)], and 19 healthy controls. IL28A/B mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was determined by qRT-PCR, and serum IL28B protein was measured by ELISA. RESULTS: Patients with IL28B C/C genotype had greater IL28A/B mRNA expression and higher IL28B protein levels than C/T patients. Within the various disease stages, compared to IC and healthy controls, IL28B expression was reduced in the CHB, cirrhosis, and HCC cohorts (CHB vs. IC, p=0.02; cirrhosis vs. IC, p=0.01; HCC vs. IC, p=0.001; CHB vs. controls, p<0.01; cirrhosis vs. controls, p<0.01; HCC vs. controls, p<0.01). When stratified with respect to serum HBV markers in the IC and CHB cohorts, IL28B mRNA and protein levels were higher in HBeAg-positive than negative individuals (p=0.01). Logistic regression analysis revealed that factors associated with high IL28B protein levels were C/C versus C/T genotype [p=0.016, odds ratio (OR)=0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.08-0.78], high alanine aminotransferase values (p<0.001, OR=8.02, 95% CI=2.64-24.4), and the IC stage of HBV infection (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that IL28B genetic variations may play an important role in long-term development of disease in chronic HBV infections.
Adult ; Aged ; Alanine Transaminase/blood ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/*genetics ; Biological Markers/blood ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; DNA, Viral/blood ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepatitis B virus/genetics ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/ethnology/*genetics/immunology/*virology ; Humans ; Interleukins/blood/*genetics/metabolism ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; Liver Cirrhosis/blood ; Liver Neoplasms/genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Messenger/*genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection requires the participation of hepatitis B virus (HBV), which accelerates disease progression after infection and induces a high risk of progression to end-stage liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. With the gradual increase in the understanding of hepatitis D in the whole society, some therapeutic drugs for hepatitis D have become a research hotspot in recent years, and with the further improvement in clinical testing methods, researchers have started to pay attention to the epidemiological investigation of hepatitis D. Although many studies have been conducted for the specific situation of HDV infection in China, large data deviation is observed due to small cohorts with strong regional features. This article briefly reviews the population, methods, and indicators in the current epidemiological investigation of hepatitis D and discusses related key issues, in order to obtain more accurate epidemiological data, effectively screen out HDV infection, and provide help for early clinical intervention and treatment.

ObjectiveTo investigate the serum level of ceruloplasmin in patients with different stages and etiologies of liver diseases. MethodsA total of 1077 patients with liver diseases who were hospitalized in Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, from January 2012 to January 2018 were enrolled, and the serum level of ceruloplasmin was analyzed for the patients with different liver diseases. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to compare the level of ceruloplasmin between the patients with virus-related liver diseases with different liver functional states, and a Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation of ceruloplasmin with other biomarkers. ResultsIn the Wilson’s disease group, 97.6% (41/42) of the patients had a serum ceruloplasmin level of ＜0.2 g/L and 881% (37/42) had a level of ＜0.1 g/L. In the non-Wilson’s disease group, 24.3% (251/1035) of the patients had a ceruloplasmin level of ＜0.2 g/L and 0.2% had a level of ＜0.1 g/L. There was a significant difference in the serum level of ceruloplasmin between the patients with virus-related liver diseases with different liver functional states, and the patients with chronic viral hepatitis, severe viral hepatitis, and viral hepatitis cirrhosis had a significantly lower level than those with acute viral hepatitis and virus-related liver cancer (P=0005, P＜0.001, P=0.001, P=0.027, P＜0.001, and P=0.001). In the patients without Wilson’s disease, serum ceruloplasmin was positively correlated with albumin and prealbumin (r=0.068 and 0.091, both P＜0.05) and was negatively correlated with prothrombin time (r=-0.297, P＜0.05). ConclusionCeruloplasmin often decreases significantly in patients with Wilson’s disease, with a slight reduction in patients with other types of liver diseases. For these patients, it should be determined whether the reduction in ceruloplasmin is caused by hepatocyte injury or the presence of Wilson’s disease.

Objective To investigate the status and molecular epidemiology of hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection in the gathering area of Mongolian population in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Methods A total of 230 patients with positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) who attended Inner Mongolia International Mongolian Hospital from April 2019 to October 2020 were enrolled, and according to related information, they were divided into hepatitis B+liver cirrhosis group( n =18) and hepatitis B group( n =212). According to HBsAg quantification with a cut-off value of 250 IU/mL, the patients were divided into HBsAg < 250 IU/mL group( n =104) and HBsAg ≥250 IU/mL group( n =126). ELISA was used to detect HDV antibody, and quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure HDV RNA in patients with positive HDV antibody. Genotyping was performed for HDV RNA-positive samples. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results The positive rate of HDV antibody was 16.09%, and among the patients with positive HDV antibody, the positive rate of HDV RNA was 91.89%. Among the 18 patients with hepatitis B and liver cirrhosis, the positive rate of HDV antibody was 44.44%, and among the patients with positive HDV antibody, the positive rate of HDV RNA was 100%. There were 104 patients with HBsAg < 250 IU/mL, among whom only 3 patients (2.88%) were positive for hepatitis D antibody, and there were 126 patients with HBsAg ≥250 IU/mL, with a positive rate of HDV antibody of 26.98%. Genotype 1 was observed in all the samples that could be genotyped. Conclusion There is a relatively high infection rate of HDV in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, especially in patients with HBsAg ≥250 IU/mL or those with liver cirrhosis. It is necessary to strengthen the detection of hepatitis D in HBsAg-positive patients and perform early diagnosis and treatment to prevent the further progression of hepatitis.