Hepatitis B virus (HBV) currently infects more than 400 million people worldwide and they are at risk of developing chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The immune response to HBV- encoded antigens is responsible both for viral clearance and for disease pathogenesis during HBV infection. While the humoral antibody response to viral envelope antigens contributes to the clearance of circulating virus particles, the cellular immune responses to the envelope, nucleocapsid, and polymerase antigens were known to eliminate virus in infected hepatocytes through cytolytic as well as noncytolytic mechanisms. Liver injury could be initiated by an immune response against HBV, but mainly resulted from HBV non-specific lymphocytes and macrophages. There are growing evidences that T helper 1 memory T cells play a predominant role in suppressing viral replication mainly by IFN-gamma through noncytolytic antiviral mechanism. Elucidation of the immunological and virological basis for HBV infection may yield effective immunotherapeutic and antiviral strategies to terminate chronic HBV infection.
Humans ; Hepatitis B virus/*immunology ; Hepatitis B Antigens/immunology ; Hepatitis B/*immunology

Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; immunology ; Humans ; Transcription, Genetic

Hepatitis B Core Antigens ; immunology ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; immunology ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; virology ; Humans ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic ; immunology

<b>OBJECTIVEb>To analyze the characteristic of T cell response to specific antigen proteins in patients with hepatitis B virus infection.

<b>METHODSb>76 cases were recruited, including four groups, acute hepatitis B (AHB), active phase of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), inactive HBV carriers (AsC) and past HBV infection. T cell responses stimulated by 3 antigen specific proteins of HBV were detected using enzyme linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay.

<b>RESULTSb>(1) There were no significant difference in frequencies to HBsAg, HBcAg and HBeAg in AHB and CHB. The frequencies to HBsAg and HBcAg in AsC were lower than that to HBeAg, and the frequencies to HBsAg in group of past HBV infection were significantly lower than that to HBcAg and HBeAg. (2) The frequencies to HBsAg in AHB and CHB both were higher than in group of past HBV infection. The frequencies to HBcAg of AHB, CHB and AsC were higher than that of group of past HBV infection. (3) There were no significant difference in magnitude to HBsAg, HBcAg and HBeAg in AHB and AsC. In CHB, the magnitude to HBsAg was lower than that to HBcAg. The magnitude of in group of past HBV infection were HBcAg > HBeAg > HBsAg. (4) In four groups, the sequence of the magnitude to HBsAg from high to low was AHB, CHB, group of past HBV infection and AsC. The magnitude to HBcAg in of AsC was lower than other three groups. As to the magnitude to HBeAg, the difference was no significant between any two groups except between AHB and CHB.

<b>CONCLUSIONSb>The T cell responses in group of AsC to HBeAg were the highest, while the T cell responses to HBcAg were the highest in group of other groups.

Hepatitis B ; immunology ; virology ; Hepatitis B Antibodies ; immunology ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens ; immunology ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; immunology ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; immunology ; Hepatitis B virus ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology

Amino Acid Sequence ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; classification ; genetics ; immunology ; Hepatitis B virus ; immunology ; Mutation

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; immunology ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Natural ; immunology

Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; immunology ; virology ; Humans ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology

Hepatitis B virus ; immunology ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; immunology ; Humans ; Immune Tolerance

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been a major global cause of morbidity and mortality. The recognition of the problem led to a worldwide effort to reduce transmission of HBV through routine infant vaccination. HBV infection is the most common cause of chronic liver diseases and hepatocellular carcinoma in Korea. After hepatitis B vaccine era, seroprevalence of hepatits B surface antigen is decreasing, particularly in children. Hepatitis B vaccine is remarkably safe and shows high immunogenicity. Universal childhood immunization with three doses of hepatitis B vaccine in the first year of life is a highly effective method for prevention and control of hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B/*epidemiology/immunology/*prevention & control ; Hepatitis B Antibodies/blood/immunology ; Hepatitis B Vaccines/immunology/therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B virus/genetics/immunology ; Humans ; Vaccination

<b>OBJECTIVEb>Through detecting the standard preparation with series of concentration to indirectly calculate the anti-HBs concentration of the serum samples, a suitable anti-HBs quantitative method for our laboratory was found after comparing the two kinds of methods.

<b>METHODSb>Detecting the anti-HBs standard preparation with series of concentration by RIA method, standard curvilinear equations were obtained by the means of fitting the detected result and the corresponding concentration by log-log model and exponential curve model respectively. Then the fitting efficiency of two curves was compared. By calculating the concentrations of the reference using two standard curvilinear equations, we can compare the accuracy of two quantitative methods.

<b>RESULTb>The error mean square of the exponential curve model is low as 1.2971 and the determinate coefficient is close to 1 with the value of 0.9904. The average concentrations (n=6) of the detected reference calculated by two curvilinear equation with the actual concentration of 30.0 mIU/mL are (32.28 +/- 1.06) and (31.91 +/- 1.06) mIU/ mL respectively. The concentration calculated by exponential curve model is only 6.37% higher than the actual concentration.

<b>CONCLUSIONb>Fitting by exponential curve model is more practical to estimate the actual concentration of the serum samples those will be detected. It can be used as an optimal quantitative method to detect anti-HBs concentration.

Hepatitis B ; blood ; immunology ; virology ; Hepatitis B Antibodies ; blood ; immunology ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; blood ; immunology ; Hepatitis B virus ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Male ; Radioimmunoassay ; methods