Objective To develop a simple model for the noninvasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B and to testify its diagnostic value. Methods One hundred and ninety patients with chronic hepatitis B who had undergone liver biopsy were divided into 2 groups:one for developing the model(n=110) and one for validation(n=80). Histological staging of liver fibrosis,assessed blindly and independently by 2 pathologists,was determined according to Scheuer fibrosis score.Twenty markers involved in the study were analyzed initially in the estimation group to derive a predictive model to discriminate the stages of fibrosis.The model created was then assessed with receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)analysis. It was also applied to the validation group to test its accuracy. Results Haptoglobin(HPT),γ-glutamyl transpeptidase(GGT)and platelet were identified by logistic regression analysis as independent factors of fibrosis. A model developed from the above three markers was established to predict the stage of fibrosis(S). In ROC analysis,the area under curve(AUC) for identifying S≥1,S≥2,S≥3 and S=4 was 0.832,0.835,0.820 and 0.843 respectively. The model had a similar AUC in the vatidation group without statistically significant difierence. Using a cut-off of ＜0.18, significant fibrosis (S≥2)could be excluded in 27 patients of the total patient population(negative predictive value 90%).Similarly,applying a cut-off ≥0.70,significant fibrosis could be identified correctly in 67 patients of the total patient population(positive predictive value 82.7%).The model had a high level of diagnostic value in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B as well as in patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B(AUC for identifying S≥2,0.857 vs 0.802). Restricting biopsy to patients with intermediate scores(≥0.70 and ＜0.18) may prevent liver biopsies in 58.4% of the patients while maintaining 84.7% accuracy. Conclusions A model including HPT,GGT and platelet is a simple and reliable index for predicting significant fibrosis in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B as well as in patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B.

To ensure the quality of building basic test bank and to effectively measure the quality of medical exam questions,now,we analyze the problems of the basic test papers from 13 north medical universities in many aspects such as cognitive rank,difficulty,conformity and core content etc.Having found the main problems of the testing papers,we supply the viewpoint for improvement and make better foundation for the construction of test bank.

Objective:To analyze the effectiveness of antiviral therapy on adolescents and adults with infectious mononucleosis (IM).Methods:The clinical data of patients aged≥16 years old with IM who were hospitalized in Peking University First Hospital from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2018 were analyzed retrospectively, and the patients were divided into antiviral treatment group and non-antiviral treatment group. The duration of hospitalization day, fever duration, ratio of lymphocytes and duration for normalization of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) markers were compared between the two groups through single factor and propensity score matching analysis. Statistical analysis was conducted by independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test or Fisher exact probability method. Results:A total of 274 cases were enrolled and 176 cases (64.23%) were divided into antiviral treatment group and 98 cases (35.77%) into non-antiviral treatment group. The proportion of male (56.25%(99/176) vs 56.12%(55/98)), age (21.0(18.0, 26.0) years old vs 21.0(18.0, 27.0) years old), the ratio of fever (98.30%(173/176) vs 93.88%(92/98)), sore throat (90.34%(159/176) vs 88.78%(87/98)), lymphocyte ratio (0.648(0.568, 0.707) vs 0.663(0.581, 0.711)), atypical lymphocyte ratio (0.150(0.100, 0.235) vs 0.135(0.060, 0.250)) and serum EBV DNA level (2.71(2.70, 3.47) lg copies/mL vs 2.70(2.70, 3.28) lg copies/mL) were comparable between two groups at admission, and the differences were all not statistically significant(all P>0.05). The durations of hospitalization and fever in antiviral treatment group were 14.0(10.0, 18.0) d and (14.91±7.24) d, respectively, which were both significantly longer than those in non-antiviral treatment group (11.0(7.0, 15.0) d and (9.95±5.67) d, respectively). The differences were both statistically significant ( Z=-3.294 and t=-5.035, respectively, both P<0.01). Twenty-six patients each in the antiviral treatment group and non-antiviral treatment group were included in the propensity score matching assessment. The fever days of the two groups were 15.0(10.0, 18.0) d and 7.5(5.0, 12.5) d, respectively, and the hospitalization days were (15.4±5.5) d and (12.0±5.7) d, respectively. The differences were both statistically significant ( Z=-3.781 and t=-2.187, respectively, both P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in the time required for the ratio of lymphocytes returning to normal, the time required for the ratio of atypical lymphocytes decreasing to <0.100, and the time required for serum EBV DNA becoming negative(all P>0.05). Conclusion:The antiviral treatment could not improve the prognosis of adolescent and adult IM patients.

Objective To explore the possible associations between EBV capsid antigen-immunoglobulin M antibody (EBV-VCA-IgM ) ,serum EBV DNA load and clinical severity ,laboratory results in adolescent and adult patients with infectious mononucleosis (IM ).Methods Clinical data of 250 adolescent and adult IM patients were retrospectively analyzed .Patients were divided into two groups by EBV-VCA-IgM titer (＞160 U/mL or≤160 U/mL) and serum EBV DNA level (＞3 .38 lg copies/mL or ＜3.38 lg copies/mL) ,respectively . Clinical data were compared between the two groups ,respectively .The t test was used for intergroup comparison and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for non-normally distributed data .Results Compared with those with lower VCA-IgM antibody titer (≤160 U/mL) ,sore throat (83.0%[122/147] vs 67.2%[43/64] ,χ2＝ 6.534 ,P＝0 .011) ,pharynx secretion (59 .9%[88/147] vs 40 .6%[26/64] ,χ2＝6.645 , P＝0 .010) ,and swollen tonsils (78 .9%[116/147] vs 59.4%[38/64] ,χ2＝8.631 , P＝0.003) were more common in those with higher VCA-IgM antibody titer (＞160 U/mL).ALT level was higher as well in those with higher VCA-IgM antibody titer (290 .5 [168.0 ,460.5] U/L vs 221 .0[113 .0 ,440.5] U/L ,Z＝ －2.251 ,P＝0.024).The peak body temperature ([39.2 ± 0.7]°C vs [38.7 ± 0 .7]°C ,t＝ －3 .150 ,P＝0.002) ,maximum WBC counts (16 .2 [12 .2 ,20.4]×109/L vs 13.4[11 .1 ,17.3]×109/L ,Z＝ －2 .098 , P＝0.036) ,maximum percentage of lymphocyte ([72.0 ± 7.8]% vs [68.2 ± 7 .0]%,t＝ －2.238 ,P＝0.028) ,and lymphocyte EBV DNA load ([5 .5 ± 0.9] lg copies/mL vs [4 .8 ± 1 .0] lg copies/mL ,t＝ －2 .602 ,P＝0.012)in those with higher serum EBV DNA load ＞3 .38 lg copies/mL were higher than those with serum EBV DNA load ＜3.38 lg copies/mL . Regression analysis showed that serum EBV DNA load was associated with the peak body temperature (regression coefficient 0.368 , P＝0.003) and lymphocyte EBV DNA load (regression coefficient 0.389 , P＝0.002).Conclusions In adolescents and adults ,EBV-VCA-IgM antibody titer and serum EBV DNA load are associated with severity of patients with infectious mononucleosis .

ObjectiveTo investigate the main clinical influencing factors for the rate of active immune response to hepatitis B vaccine in adult hepatitis B recipients after liver transplantation. MethodsAnalysis was performed for the clinical follow-up data of 15 hepatitis B recipients after liver transplantation who received hepatitis B vaccine in Peking University International Hospital from May 2019 to November 2020, and all patients received liver transplantation at least 3 years before and had a CD4 level of 300-800 cells/u before vaccination. Each dose of vaccination was 40 μg recombinant hepatitis B vaccine (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), with a total of 4 injections at 0, 1, 6, and 8 months. Anti-HBs ≥100 mIU/L after four injections which lasted for 12 weeks without attenuation was considered successful response. Pearson correlation analysis and Kendall correlation analysis were used to investigate the correlation between CD4 level before vaccination and vaccine response rate; a linear regression analysis was used to investigate whether CD4 level before vaccination could predict the titer of anti-HBs after active vaccine immunization; a logistic regression analysis was used to investigate whether CD4 level before vaccination could predict vaccine response. ResultsOf all patients at week 12 of monitoring, 6 patients had response, among whom 1 had an anti-HBs level of ＞1000 mIU/L and 5 had an anti-HBs level of ≥100 mIU/L, and the antibody titer did not attenuate till week 16; the response rate of hepatitis B vaccine was 40%. The 6 patients with response had a mean CD4 level of ≥592 cells/u before vaccination, while the 9 patients without response had a mean CD4 level of ≤500 cells/u before vaccination. CD4 level before vaccination was strongly correlated with the response rate of hepatitis B vaccine (Pearson correlation analysis: r=0.767, P=0.001; Kendall correlation: r=0.717, P=0.001). ConclusionCD4 level before vaccination is a key clinical factor affecting the response rate of hepatitis B vaccine after liver transplantation.

The arm span is the sum of the length of the arm and the width of the chest.It is highly correlated with height and can be used as an accurate and reliable alternative measure to estimate height.The arm span/height ratio reflects the relationship between long bones and the trunk and can be used to evaluate the body proportion.A correct understanding of the development patterns and characteristics of arm span can help pediatricians to find the deviation of body proportion in time, which is of great significance to the etiological analysis of short stature.

Newborn ovary homeobox gene (NOBOX) is an oocyte-specific homeobox gene that plays a critical role in early folliculogenesis and represents a candidate gene for nonsyndromic ovarian failure. We used in silico approach in combination with rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) to clone the full-length cDNA of NOBOX (GenBank Accession No. FJ587509) from porcine oocytes. It contains 1768 bp nucleotides, with an open reading frame (ORF) of 1419 bp. The putative porcine NOBOX gene encodes 472 amino acids with the molecular weight of 51.08 kD and pI of 5.73. Bioinformatics prediction indicates that this protein contains a cd00086 homeodomain. Real-time PCR analysis showed that the NOBOX gene is expressed in various tissues, oocytes and embryos cells (4-cell, 8-cell, morula and blastocyst) at different expression levels. The expression levels of this gene in heart, kidney and oocytes are higher than that in other tissues, which suggested that the NOBOX protein might play an important role in those tissues. The expression of NOBOX in developmental stages is higher than that in GV-stage oocytes, which suggested that the expression of pNOBOX was enhanced in developmental stages.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Complementary ; genetics ; Embryonic Development ; genetics ; Female ; Homeodomain Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Oocytes ; metabolism ; Swine ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between the expression of hepatitis B virus (HBV) core antigen and viral replication and liver tissue inflammation damage in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, and to analyze the relationship of core antigen expression differences with clinical and pathological features in e antigen-negative and e antigen-positive CHB patients.

METHODSSixty-three treatment-naive patients diagnosed with CHB who underwent liver biopsy were included in this retrospective analysis. Liver pathology was assessed, and the karyotype, pulp type, and pulp karyotype were determined. Core and e antigen expression was quantitatively determined by automated immunoassay. Blood samples were used to determine the amount of peripheral lymphocytes or monocytes and HBV DNA load. Results The median titer of HBV DNA was significantly higher in the CHB patients with e antigen positivity (n = 48) than those with e antigen negativity (n = 15) (5.4 * 106 copies/ml vs. 5.4 * 104 copies/ml, P = 0.003). The core antigen positive expression rate was significantly higher in the e antigen-positive CHB patients than in the e antigen-negative CHB patients (80.33% vs. 53.33%, P = 0.042). For the e antigen-positive CHB patients, the HBV DNA titer in karyotype core antigen cases was higher than that in the pulp karyotype mixed-type cases (P = 0.008) and in the negative cases (P = 0.013); in addition, the karyotype patients showed higher titer than the plasma patients (P = 0.019). Also for the e antigen-positive CHB patients, the HBV DNA titer was positively correlated with the rank level of pulp karyotype in core antigen expression (r = 0.589, P = 0.003) but negatively correlated with lobular inflammation, interface inflammation, and fibrosis level (r = -0.552, P = 0.000; r = -0.381, P = 0.008; r = -0.555, P = 0.000); in addition, the level of peripheral blood lymphocytes was negatively correlated with lobular inflammation and fibrosis level (r = -0.361, P = 0.012; r = -0.356, P = 0.013). For the e antigen-negative CHB patients, the level of peripheral blood lymphocytes was negatively correlated with lobular inflammation and interface inflammation (r = -0.702, P = 0.004; r = -0.578, P = 0.024), while the level of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was negatively correlated with lobular inflammation, interface inflammation, and fibrosis level (r = -0.682, P = 0.005; r = -0.620, P = 0.014; r = -0.527, P = 0.044); in addition, age positively correlated with interface inflammation (r = 0.690, P = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONThe pulp karyotype mixed-type of core antigen expression may reflect the level of HBV replication. Negative expression of core antigen may be associated with variation in pre-C or C zone. The monocyte-macrophage system may be involved in the pathogenesis of e antigen-negative CHB, while the mechanism of immune escape may play an important role in increasing HBV DNA titer in an e-antigen-negative CHB condition.

Adult ; Aged ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B virus ; physiology ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; blood ; pathology ; virology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Viral Load ; Virus Replication ; Young Adult

Objective:To understand the epidemiological characteristics of human brucellosis in Yantai City, Shandong Province, and to provide scientific basis for the formulation and adjustment of brucellosis prevention and control strategy.Methods:The epidemic data, demographic data and case data of human brucellosis in Yantai City in 2019 were collected from the National Health Insurance Disease Control Information System and the epidemiological case survey of brucellosis in Shandong Province. Descriptive epidemiological method was used to analyze the three distribution characteristics, clinical characteristics and infection routes of brucellosis.Results:In 2019, 158 cases of brucellosis were reported in Yantai City, with an incidence rate of 2.22/100 000 and no deaths. The incidence peak was from April to June, accounting for 43.67% (69/158). In addition to Changdao County, 12 other cities and districts had reported brucellosis cases, and Laizhou City had the largest number of reported cases, accounting for 39.87% (63/158). The ratio of men to women was 2.1 ∶ 1.0 (107 ∶ 51). The age of onset was mainly 40 - 69 years (75.95%, 120/158). Farmer was the main occupation, accounting for 83.54% (132/158). The main clinical manifestations were fever (114 cases), muscle and joint pain (107 cases), fatigue (95 cases), hyperhidrosis (85 cases). Patients had a clear history of livestock contact accounted for 58.86% (93/158). The main contact ways were breeding (68 cases) and slaughter (26 cases). Protective measures were taken in 18.28% (17/93) of the patients, and wearing gloves was the most common protective measure, accounting for 76.47% (13/17). The rate of hand washing after contact was 91.40% (85/93), of which 37.65% (32/85) were washed only with water and 62.35% (53/85) were washed with soap. The percentage of changing laundry after contact was 82.80% (77/93).Conclusions:The awareness and ability of personal protection of brucellosis key population in Yantai City are low. Improving the effectiveness of health education and behavior intervention is an important measure for prevention and control of the disease in the future.

Objective:To investigate and analyze a human brucellosis (hereinafter referred to as brucellosis) in Fushan District, Yantai City of Shandong Province, and to provide scientific basis for study the main risk factors and doing a good job in brucellosis prevention and control.Methods:Collect the epidemic data of one human brucellosis in Fushan District, Yantai City in 2017. The information comes from the infectious disease report information management system, the epidemiological case questionnaire of brucellosis in Shandong Province, and the medical records of medical institutions. The epidemic situation, cases and epidemiological investigation results were analyzed retrospectively.Results:Serological tests were carried out among 48 close contacts of the reported case and workers in the same village. Among the 3 positive cases, 2 cases had symptoms and positive bacterial culture results, which were diagnosed as confirmed cases. One patient was asymptomatic and negative bacterial culture, and was diagnosed as recessive infection. All of the three confirmed cases and one recessive infection involved in the epidemic had a history of close contact with infected animals, and without protective measures. The serological examination of 70 key people in the district was carried out and the results were all negative. A total of 166 sheep blood samples were collected, including 21 positive samples.Conclusions:The infectious source of this outbreak is the non-quarantine infected sheep. The main exposure factor is personal unprotected exposure to infected sheep. The key of prevention and control is to strengthen the monitoring and quarantine management of brucellosis among livestock, to improve the personal protection consciousness and ability of key population, and to improve the diagnosis ability of medical institutions in low epidemic areas.