Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; complications ; drug therapy ; virology ; Humans ; Lamivudine ; therapeutic use ; Liver Cirrhosis ; drug therapy

<b>OBJECTIVEb>To analyze the development of liver damage and reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) during the treatment of extremely severe burn injury in HBsAg positive patients, in order to provide reference for prevention and treatment of liver damage in patients with HBV infection after extremely severe burn.

<b>METHODSb>Medical records of 54 HBsAg positive patients after extremely severe burn injury admitted from January 2004 to December 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Development of liver damage and HBV reactivation of these patients during the treatment were analyzed according to the classification of their gender, results of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and HBV DNA examinations on admission, and development of sepsis in the process of treatment. Data were processed with chi-square test.

<b>RESULTSb>(1) The incidence of liver damage in the process of treatment of these patients was 85.2% (46/54). Among all the patients, the proportion of liver damage was 35/38 in male, which was significantly higher than that in female (11/16, χ² = 4.867, P<0.05). Liver damage was found in all of 26 patients who were HBeAg positive on admission, 34 patients who were HBV DNA positive on admission, and 36 patients who developed sepsis in the process of treatment; the proportions were significantly higher than those in patients who were HBeAg negative on admission (20/28), patients who were HBV DNA negative on admission (12/20), and patients who did not develop sepsis in the process of treatment (10/18), with χ² values respectively 11.801, 18.384, and 20.574, P values below 0.01. (2) The incidence of HBV reactivation in these patients was 29.6% (16/54). Among all the patients, the proportion of HBV reactivation was 13/38 in male and 3/16 in female, with no statistically significant difference between them (χ² = 0.656, P>0.05). The proportions of HBV reactivation in patients who were HBeAg positive on admission, patients who were HBV DNA positive on admission, and patients who developed sepsis in the process of treatment were respectively 13/26, 16/34, and 15/36, and they were significantly higher than those in patients who were HBeAg negative on admission (3/28), patients who were HBV DNA negative on admission (0/20), and patients who did not develop sepsis in the process of treatment (1/18), with χ² values respectively 9.979, 18.615, and 5.873, P<0.05 or P<0.01.

<b>CONCLUSIONSb>Patients who are HBsAg positive, HBeAg positive, HBV DNA positive on admission, and develop sepsis in the process of treatment of extremely severe burn injury are more likely to develop liver damage and HBV reactivation. It is necessary to dynamically monitor the changes in HBV DNA and liver function, in order to identity the reactivation of virus.

Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Burns ; complications ; drug therapy ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; DNA, Viral ; Female ; Hepatitis Antibodies ; blood ; Hepatitis B ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; virology ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; blood ; immunology ; Hepatitis B virus ; drug effects ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; blood ; pathology ; virology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liver ; pathology ; Male ; Retrospective Studies

<b>OBJECTIVEb>To detect the level of serum and liver tissue TGF-beta1 in patients with chronic hepatitis B, to study their relation to liver fibrosis and gain the evidence for diagnosis of liver fibrosis.

<b>METHODSb>The liver fibrosis grades (S0-S4) of 131 cases with chronic HBV infection were diagnosed after liver biopsy. Serum TGF-beta1 was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the semiquantitative analysis was applied after detecting the expression of TGF-beta1 in liver tissue with immunohistochemistry. Their relations to liver fibrosis were analyzed.

<b>RESULTSb>Serum and tissue level of TGF-beta1 increased significantly with the development of fibrosis, and the same result was obtained between themselves (P < 0.01). There was very significant difference for serum level of TGF-beta1 among the groups with different fibrosis grades (P < 0.01). Serum levels of TGF-beta1 were decreased significantly comparing the Group S0 or S1 to S4 (P < 0.005). There were significant difference for serum level of TGF-beta1 among S0 and the others (P < 0.005). And there was significant difference between S1 and S3 (P < 0.005). The expression level of TGF-beta1 in liver tissue has no significant difference between group S3 and S4 (P > 0.05). However, the differences were significantly among the other comparisons (P < 0.01).

<b>CONCLUSIONb>There is close relation between the level of TGF-beta1 and the different liver fibrosis grades due to chronic hepatitis B. The serum level of TGF-beta1 is a potential noninvasive maker for diagnosis of liver fibrosis.

Adult ; Female ; Hepatitis B ; complications ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; metabolism ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; complications ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; etiology ; Male ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; blood ; metabolism

Adenine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Adult ; Bone Density ; drug effects ; Creatinine ; blood ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; complications ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Organophosphonates ; therapeutic use ; Pain ; etiology ; Phosphorus ; blood

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cross-sectional studies have documented that 2-10% of patients who are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) are also positive for hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg). Data related to HCV-HBV coinfection are lacking in Korea. This study evaluated the clinical characteristics, the treatment efficacy of peginterferon alfa plus ribavirin, and the changes induced by such treatment in HBV status in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients coinfected with HBV. METHODS: Eighteen (2.37%) HBsAg-positive CHC patients were selected from among the 758 subjects from the K(G)yeonggi-Incheon Peginterferon alfa and ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C Treatment (KIPECT) study, which evaluated the treatment efficacy and safety of peginterferon alfa plus ribavirin in CHC patients. Data on changes in the status of HBV infections were obtained. RESULTS: HCV genotype 1b was the most common (44%). The overall sustained virologic response rate was 72% in all patients, and 60% and 87.5% in genotypes 1 and 2, respectively. Two of the 18 patients were positive for HBeAg, and 15 had baseline HBV DNA level of less than 2,000 IU/mL. Two of the three whose levels exceeded this threshold showed no detectable DNA after treatment. After the completion of treatment, serum HBV DNA levels were increased in the two patients whose baseline HBV DNA levels were less than 2,000 IU/mL. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of HBV coinfection in CHC patients was 2.37% and most of the patients were inactive carriers. The treatment efficacy was similar to that of HCV mono-infection. Reactivation of HBV replication was observed in some patients after CHC treatment.
Adult ; Antiviral Agents/*therapeutic use ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; DNA, Viral/blood ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/blood ; Hepatitis B e Antigens/blood ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/*complications/genetics ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/complications/*drug therapy/pathology ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha/*therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polyethylene Glycols/*therapeutic use ; Recombinant Proteins/therapeutic use ; Ribavirin/*therapeutic use

Aminotransferase levels do not always increase during acute hepatitis or during an acute flare-up of chronic hepatitis. Persistently increased levels of serum alpha-Fetoprotein in an adult with liver disease suggest not only the presence or progression of hepatocellular carcinoma or its recurrence after hepatic resection or after other therapeutic approaches such as chemotherapy or chemoembolization, but also it suggests that there is an acute exacerbation of hepatitis or liver cirrhosis. We report here on two unusual cases of HBV- and HCV-related liver cirrhosis with acute exacerbation of hepatitis in which there was an insignificant elevation of the aminotransferase levels, but there were markedly increased alpha-Fetoprotein levels observed. The levels of alpha-Fetoprotein decreased gradually in both cases since the beginning of antiviral therapy, which implies that the increased levels were due to aggravation of the accompanying hepatitis. These cases also emphasize that using only the measurement of alpha-Fetoprotein is not sufficient for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, and that this diagnosis also requires a more specific measurement such as AFP L3 along with the standard imaging studies.
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/*complications/drug therapy ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/*complications/drug therapy ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis/virology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Transaminases/blood ; alpha-Fetoproteins/*analysis

Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; complications ; drug therapy ; virology ; Humans ; Lamivudine ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Liver Cirrhosis ; drug therapy ; virology

<b>OBJECTIVEb>Serum fibrotic markers were investigated for diagnosing and prognosing liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B.

<b>METHODSb>Liver biopsy data of 93 patients before and after treatment were gathered from an experiment group (Fuzhenghuayu capsule, 36 cases) and a control group (Heluoshugan capsule, 57 cases) from multiple medical centers, using randomized and double blind strategies to evaluate the effectiveness of Fuzhenghuayu capsules against liver fibrosis. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the treatment efficacy: an effectual group and a non-effectual group. The hepatic inflammation, liver function and serum fibrotic markers of the patients of the two groups were analyzed.

<b>RESULTSb>We found that (1) Liver fibrosis improved with hepatic inflammation improvement. (2) After the drug treatment, the serum HA and PIIIP levels of the effectual group decreased obviously (t = 3.34, t =3.17, P < 0.01), and the decreased degree was higher than that of the non-effectual group, but there were no changes for LN and IV-C levels. (3) Alb contents increased (t = 3.24, P < 0.01) and activities of GGT and AST and PT decreased significantly in the effectual group, but there was no change in the non-effectual group.

<b>CONCLUSIONb>The serum GGT and AST activities, PT, Alb, HA and PIIIP contents in the chronic hepatitis B patients are good markers for evaluating the degree of liver fibrosis and the effectiveness of the drug action, but the values of LN and IV-C in the evaluation need to be studied more.

Aspartate Aminotransferases ; blood ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; blood ; complications ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; blood ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Male ; Phytotherapy ; Prothrombin Time ; Serum Albumin ; metabolism ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; blood

<b>OBJECTIVEb>To analyze antiviral effects of entecavir in patients with hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis.

<b>METHODSb>104 patients of hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis with no previous history of antiviral therapy were treated with entecavir 0.5 mg once daily. 37 patients were taken hepatic histologic examination before and after the treatment.

<b>RESULTSb>Mean reductions of serum HBV DNA was 5.1 log10 96 weeks after the treatment, HBV DNA became undetectable in 98.1% patients, and ALT became normal in 80.7% patients; HBeAg seroconversion occurred in 13.9% of the 72 HBeAg positive patients; 61.5% of these patients were infected with genotype C HBV, and 26.9% were infected with genotype B HBV. The genotype of HBV was not associated with the therapeutical effect. Child-pugh score was associated with the progression of the disease: the proportion of patients with disease progression was highest in Child-Pugh C grade patients and lowest in Child-Pugh A grade patients. The level of the HBV DNA load was positively correlated with Knodell HAI score at the baseline and 96 weeks after the treatment.

<b>CONCLUSIONb>Entecavir treatment results in suppression of HBV replication and delayed progression of fibrosis in patients with hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis.

Adult ; Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Genotype ; Guanine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B virus ; drug effects ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; complications ; drug therapy ; virology ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; drug therapy ; etiology ; virology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Virus Replication ; drug effects

<b>OBJECTIVEb>To explore the clinical effect and therapeutic mechanism of Kangxian Baogan Decoction (KXBGD) on liver fibrosis caused by chronic hepatitis B.

<b>METHODSb>Eight-one patients with chronic hepatitis B were divided into two groups randomly. The 54 patients in the treated group were treated by KXBGD and the 27 patients in the control group were treated by conventional liver protecting treatment. Serum levels of hyaluronic acid (HA), procollagen type III (PC III), collagen type IV (C-IV), laminin (LN), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were measured before and after treatment, meanwhile, liver function and pathological changes of liver tissues were observed.

<b>RESULTSb>The total effective rate in the treated group was significantly higher than that in the control group. Serum levels of HA, PC III, C-IV, LN, TGF beta 1 and TNF-alpha in the treated group obviously reduced after treatment, and the liver function got better with significant difference as compared with those in the control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Pathological examination of liver biopsy showed that the fibrous tissue in the liver reduced.

<b>CONCLUSIONb>KXBGD has a definite effect of anti-liver fibrosis.

Adult ; Aged ; Collagen Type III ; blood ; Collagen Type IV ; blood ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; complications ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid ; blood ; Liver Cirrhosis ; blood ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy