Hepatitis B ; pathology ; therapy ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus ; Humans

The detection and quantification of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA plays an important role in diagnosing and monitoring HBV infection as well as in assessing the therapeutic response. We compared the analytical performance of a random access, fully automated HBV assay—DxN VERIS Molecular Diagnostics System (Beckman Coulter, Brea, CA, USA)—with that of Abbott RealTime HBV assay (Abbott Laboratories, Des Plaines, IL, USA). The between-day precision of the VERIS assay ranged from 0.92% (mean 4.68 log IU/mL) to 4.15% (mean 2.09 log IU/mL) for pooled sera from HBV patients. HBV DNA levels measured by the VERIS HBV assay correlated with the calculated HBV DNA levels (r²=0.9994; P < 0.0001). The lower limit of quantification was estimated as 8.76 IU/mL (Probit analysis, 95% confidence interval: 7.32–12.00 IU/mL). Passing-Bablok regression analysis showed good concordance between the VERIS and RealTime assays for 187 chronic HBV samples (y=−0.2397+0.9712x; r=0.981), as well as for 20 drug-resistant HBV genotype C positive samples (y=−0.5415+0.9954x; r=0.961). The VERIS assay demonstrated performance similar to the RealTime assay and is suitable for high-throughput HBV DNA monitoring in large hospital laboratories.
DNA ; Genotype ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Laboratories, Hospital ; Pathology, Molecular

Coinfection ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; pathology ; Hepatitis E ; pathology ; Hepatitis E virus ; Humans

<b>OBJECTIVEb>To study the clinical and histological features of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) with negative hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg).

<b>METHODSb>A total of 743 in-patients with chronic hepatitis B were recruited into the study and divided into two groups according to the HBeAg status. The correlation among alanine transaminase (ALT) levels, hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA semiquantification, and the liver histopathological data were detected.

<b>RESULTSb>Of the 743 successive in-patients, 267 (35.9%) were HBeAg-negative. The HBDAG-negative group had significantly lower serologic HBV DNA levels (63.0% of < 100 pg/ml) vs HBeAg-positive (42.6%, P < 0.001), while more sever inflammation (58.1% of inflammatory scores of histological activity index (HAIinf > or = 9) vs HBeAg-positive group (46.0%, P < 0.001) and severe fibrosis (45.3% of fibrosis scores of histological activity index (HAIfib > or = 3) vs HBeAg-positive group (27.9%, P < 0.001) of liver histology. In HBeAg-positive patients, increasing ALI levels were significantly associated with high inflammation and fibrosis scores and low HBV DNA levels. However, it was not the case in the HBeAg-negative cases. In HBeAg-positive patients, 91.3% of them had HAIinf > or = 9 and 65.7% had HAIfib > or = 3 with HBV DNA > 100 pg/ml, while 8.2% of them had HAIinf > or = 9 and 12.3% had HAIfib > or = 3 with HBV DNA < 20 pg/ml, indicating an obverse correlation between HBV DNA levels and histology scores.

<b>CONCLUSIONSb>As regards clinical and histological background, the chronic HBeAg-negative hepatitis B is a different subpopulation from the HBeAg-positive counterpart.

DNA, Viral ; Fibrosis ; pathology ; Hepatitis B ; immunology ; pathology ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; analysis ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Liver ; pathology

No abstract available.
DNA, Circular/*analysis ; Female ; Hepatitis B/*pathology ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/*genetics ; Hepatitis B virus/*metabolism ; Humans ; Male

<b>OBJECTIVEb>To investigate the clinical pathology of recurrent hepatitis B after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).

<b>METHODSb>The clinical manifestation and hepatic pathological characteristics of 12 patients with recurrent hepatitis B after OLT were examined in this study by using hematoxylin and eosin staining,immunochemical staining of hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B core antigen,tissue in situ hybridization of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, and Mallory's trichrome staining.The survival rate of these OLT patients was assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis.

<b>RESULTSb>The early stage of recurrent HBV infection in patients with OLT was characterized by active HBV replication and mild-to-moderate inflammation in the liver. Three of the 12 patients who were treated with combination therapy group were carriers of YMDD mutants and all three showed improvement in liver function and hepatic histology after receiving adefovir dipivoxil,instead of lamivudine,in the early stage of recurrent hepatitis B after OLT. Among the patients treated with lamivudine monotherapy, four did not achieve improvement at the early stage of recurrent hepatitis B and developed fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis (FCH).

<b>CONCLUSIONb>Recurrent hepatitis B in patients who underwent OLT was characterized by mild-to-moderate viral hepatitis at the early stage and FCH at the later stage. Effective antiviral intervention at the early stage may reverse recurrent hepatitis B and prevent the disease progression to fatal FCH.

Adenine ; analogs & derivatives ; Antiviral Agents ; Hepatitis B ; pathology ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus ; Humans ; Lamivudine ; Liver Transplantation ; Organophosphonates ; Recurrence

Background: Hepatitis B is an infectious illness caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) which infects the liver of hominoidea, including humans, and causes an inflammation called hepatitis. Objectives: The aim of study is to clarify clinical features and molecular characteristics of HBV in chronic HBV-infected patients with A 1899 mutation. Subjects and method: HBV genotype, HBV-ONA level, HBeAg and anti-HBe in 29 chronic HBV-infected patients were determined by PCR-RFLP, Real-time PCR and ELISA, respectively. Mutations were analyzed by direct sequencing. Results: Mutations in core-promoter/precore regions of HBV genome can suppress HBeAg secretion and stimulate HBV-ONA replication. The prevalence of hepatocel- lular carcinoma (HCc): 10/29, liver cirrhosis (LC) : 15/29 are significantly higher than that in chronic hepatitis (CH) : 4/29 (P < 0.001). HbeAg seroconversion rate in CH (75%) is higher than that in HCC \r\n', u'(40%) and in LC (53.3%), but not significant (P > 0.05). ALT level is the highest in CH and the lowest in HCC \r\n', u'(P = 0.02), 8/10 (80%) HCC patients have normal range of ALT. HBV-ONA level in HCC and in LC is significantly higher than that in CH (P = 0.024). The emerging of A 1899 is often accompanied by C/G1753 mutation (37.9%) and dual core-promoter mutation T1762A1764 (79.3%). Conclusion: A1899 mutation can play a role in the pathogenesis of liver diseases in chronic HBV-infected Vietnamese.\r\n', u'
Hepatitis B virus/ growth & ; development ; physiology ; Hepatitis B ; Chronic/ pathology ; transmission

Severe hepatitis B is an infectious disease which has high case fatality rate and is seriously harmful to human health. Its pathogenesis is complicated. In this article are reviewed the research reports on the virus and the host factors in the course of severe hepatitis B in recent years, including the advancement of researches on viral genotypes, viral mutations, immune responses and cytokines. These data are available for exploring the pathogenesis and for developing the clinical treatment of severe hepatitis B in future.
Animals ; Cytokines ; genetics ; Hepatitis B ; genetics ; immunology ; pathology ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; Humans ; Mutation

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the hepatic pathology of HBx transgenic mice. METHODS: The gross and histological examinations were done in 125 HBx transgenic mice and 34 non-transgenic littermates. RESULTS: The incidence of a hepatic tumor was in-creased in the HBx transgenic mice older than 7 months and the overall incidence of a hepatic tumor was 62.2% (51/82) in the 13-18 months group of the HBx transgenic mice. The size of the hepatic tumor was 2.06+/-.92 mm in the 7-12 months group and 4.94+/-.05 mm in the 13-18 months group of HBx transgenic mice. All hepatic tumors were hepatocellular carcinomas and the histological patterns of hepatocellular carcinoma were either solid (84.2%, 48/57) or trabecular (15.8%, 9/57). Dysplastic changes in the hepatocytes were evident in 59.2% (74/125) of the HBx transgenic mice. There was lymphocyte infiltration, necrosis, fatty metamorphosis in both the dysplastic and tumor areas of the HBx transgenic mice. Vascular ectasia was identified in the tumor area of the HBx transgenic mice. CONCLUSIONS: The pathological findings of the HBx transgenic mice were dysplastic changes in the hepatocytes and development of a hepatocellular carcinoma associated with lymphocyte infiltration, necrosis, fatty metamorphosis in the dysplastic area and tumor area of the HBx transgenic mice.
Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Dilatation, Pathologic ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Hepatocytes ; Incidence ; Liver* ; Lymphocytes ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic* ; Necrosis ; Pathology

BACKGROUND: We compared the results of liver biopsy and the levels of serum type IV collagen of the hepatitis B carriers with normal liver function test (LFT) to evaluate the clinical usefulness of serum type IV collagen in predicting the progression of histopathological findings. METHODS : Thirty one chronic hepatitis B carriers with normal LFT and no significant clinical symptoms, who were Korean combat police, were classified into three groups according to their histologic results of the liver biopsies. The classification followed the standard proposed by Korean Society of Pathology. Blood samplings for serum type IVcollagen (reference : less than 5 ng/mL) were done in the morning of the same day of the liver biopsy. RESULTS: Of thirty one patients, thirteen patients showed normal histologic findings (41.9%, Group A), eleven patients revealed histologic abnormalities without fibrosis (35.5%, Group B) and seven patients were with fibrosis on liver biopsy (22.6%, Group C). Serum type IV collagen levels of Group A, B and C were 3.53 +/- .57 ng/mL, 3.56 +/- .17 ng/mL and 3.97 +/- .88 ng/mL, respectively. The average of serum type IV collagen levels of Group C was higher than of Group B and the average of Group B higher than that of Group A without any statistical significance (p > 0.05). The averages of serum type IV collagen of eighteen patients with histologic abnormalities (Group B and C) and twenty four patients without fibrosis (Group A and B) were 3.73 +/- 1.06 ng/mL and 3.55 +/- .88 ng/mL respectively. Upon comparison of these averages with the those of Group A and C, no statistical significance was established (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION : In chronic hepatitis B carriers with normal LFT findings, levels of serum type IV collagen were elevated along with histologic severities without statistical significance, therefore can not represent the changing degree of the histologic findings. Liver biopsy is considered to be one of the most accurate tool to assess the histologic status of the liver.
Biopsy* ; Classification ; Collagen Type IV* ; Collagen* ; Fibrosis ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Liver Function Tests* ; Liver* ; Needles ; Pathology ; Police