Objective To evaluate the value of transient elastography (TE) for predicting severity of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).Methods A total of 969 patients with CHB was enrolled and recruited for analysis,which had been received TE scan,including 258 patients of liver biopsy,and 117 patients of gastric endoscopy.Results A total of 35 patients was excluded from analysis due to TE failure or unreliable TE.Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) was independently influenced by bilirubin,AST,liver fibrosis and inflammation,ultrasonic score and albumin.TE predicted Child-Pugh C,B/C,liver fibrosis S4,≥S3 and ≥ S2 with respective area under receiver operating characteristics curves (AUROC)0.907 (95% CI 0.886-0.928 ),0.920 ( 95% CI 0.899-0.940 ),0.871 ( 95% CI 0.819-0.923 ),0.852(95%CI0.805-0.899) and 0.807(95% CI0.749-0.865),respectively.While LSM ＜32.2 kPa excluded Child-Pugh C with 99.4% probability,LSM ≥35.3 kPa determined Child-Pugh B/C with positive predictive value (PPV) 0.820.For compensated CHB,cut-offs of LSM 23.3,15.2 and 10.8 kPa diagnosed cirrhosis,liver fibrosis ≥S3 and ≥S2 with positive likelihood ratio nearly 10.0 and PPV 0.692,0.882 and 0.980,respectively; and cut-offs 8.8 kPa,6.6 kPa excluded cirrhosis,liver fibrosis ≥ S3 with negative likelihood ration nearly 0.1 and negative predictive value 0.977 and 0.903,respectively.Correlation coefficient between LSM and grades of esophageal varices was only 0.180,and AUROC for TE predicting EV was of no clinical value.ConclusionTE relatively make accurate prediction in the severity of liver fibrosis and classification of Child-Pugh.Patients with LSM ≥ 10.8 kPa should be considered for receiving antivirus treatment.

Noninvasive methods for the evaluation of liver fibrosis have been widely validated with liver biopsy as the gold standard. This article elaborates on the application of various imaging methods in the evaluation of liver fibrosis and their prospects in evaluating the reversal of liver fibrosis. Transient elastography is the main imaging method for evaluating the reversal of liver fibrosis and can show the improvement in liver fibrosis via liver stiffness measurement, but the association between the reduction in liver stiffness measurement and the improvement of liver fibrosis remains unclear.

Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is a sensitive and important marker of liver injury, which is closely related to the disease progression. It is the key rather than the only parameter to initiate treatment decisions for patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. The normal reference range of ALT is derived from epidemiological investigation of healthy population, which varies among different countries, regions or laboratories. Hepatologists should conduct a large number of cohort clinical studies based on the natural history and the prognosis of the disease, and adjust the cut-off value of ALT levels to make clinical decisions in order to determine the degree of liver injury, the treatment initiation and response.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a pivotal global public health concern. Attaining a functional cure for hepatitis B continues to be a hot and difficult issue that requires immediate attention in clinical practice. There are currently nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) that can persistently suppress HBV DNA; however, the functional cure rate of pegylated interferon alfa (PEG-IFN-α) alone or in combination with NAs has not yet met clinical needs. The research and development on novel mechanisms for HBV antiviral drugs, especially small nucleic acid drugs, has brought breakthroughs to the functional cure of hepatitis B. The functional cure trajectory mapping and its prediction model can guide the selection of clinical treatment strategies based on the longitudinal data for HBsAg at various time intervals. The personalized management of hepatitis B patients can be optimized by utilizing varying HBsAg levels as a key watershed to aid in the screening of subjects in clinical trials.

Objective To evaluate the renal function in treatment-na?ve patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) related cirrhosis and to identify the risk factors for renal impairment. Methods We collected the data of 860 HBV-related cirrhosis patients hospitalized in our unit between Jan 1, 2011 and Dec 31, 2011. Liver function of the patients was assessed with Child-Pugh score system, and the renal function with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculated by Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation recommended by Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI). We investigated the prevalence of renal impairment (eGFR<60 ml/min/1.73 m2) among these patients and explored the risk factors for renal impairment. Results Of the 860 patients, 296 had complete clinical data and were included in our analysis. The overall incidence of renal impairment among the enrolled patients was 8.45% (25/296). Patients with Child-Pugh stage C showed a significantly higher incidence of renal impairment than those with stages B and A (17.17%[17/99] vs 6.67%[7/105] vs 1.09%[1/92], P<0.001). Age, history of hyperuricemia, and Child-Pugh score were identified as the risk factors for renal impairment in these patients. Conclusion In patients with HBV- related liver cirrhosis, the incidence of renal impairment increases significantly with deterioration of the liver function, and renal function should be regularly monitored in these patients for appropriate antiviral treatment.

Objective:To comprehensively evaluate the clinical value of Elecsys serum abnormal prothrombin (PIVKA-Ⅱ) test reagent for auxiliary diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the Chinese population.Methods:A multicenter case-control design was used in the study. Samples from patients with first-time confirmed, diagnosed, and untreated HCC, benign liver disease and interfering controls were collected continuously. Elecsys PIVKA-II and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) were tested for analysis. Various clinical details of the subjects were collected and analyzed. The efficacy of PIVKA-II (21.29 ng/ml) and AFP (400 ng/ml) for HCC diagnosis was calculated at specific positive cut-off values. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test or receiver operating characteristic curve.Results:A total of 448 subjects were eventually enrolled from five centers, including 185 HCC cases. PIVKA-II had a higher diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy than AFP (84.86% vs. 30.81% and 89.01% vs. 63.66%) when the benign liver disease group was used as the control group, while the specificity was slightly lower. A sensitive analysis showed that PIVKA-II had a sensitivity of >80% at this specific positive cut-off value in the subgroup of AFP-negative subjects, patients with different etiologies, and HCC patients with multiple Barcelona Clinic liver cancer stages (including early-stage HCC). At the same time, the PIVKA-II subject had a slightly higher area under the receiver operating characteristic curve than the AFP (0.920 0 vs. 0.880 9).Conclusion:The clinical efficacy of Elecsys PIVKA-Ⅱ is good and stable in the Chinese population. Additionally, it has the clinical potential to improve the current missed diagnosis status of AFP-negative HCC and HCC monitoring at an early stage, as well as the effectiveness of accuracy promotion for HCC auxiliary diagnosis in China.

Existing nucleos（t）ide analogues and pegylated interferon exhibit limited efficacy in the functional cure of hepatitis B. Recently， small nucleic acid drugs， such as antisense oligonucleotides and small interfering RNAs， have brought unprecedented breakthroughs in the functional cure of hepatitis B with their brand-new mechanisms of action and remarkable efficacy in early clinical studies. Small nucleic acid drugs， such as antisense oligonucleotides and small interfering RNAs， can reduce the level of HBsAg and strive to achieve HBsAg seroclearance. The reduction in HBsAg may restore the hepatitis B-specific immune function of the body to some extent and may further transform the simple clearance of HBsAg into hard endpoints with clinical value， such as reducing hepatitis B-related liver events. By meticulously analyzing the dynamic trajectory of HBsAg alterations within the context of new drug applications and further optimizing combined treatment strategies and regimens， it is expected to transform the functional cure of hepatitis B into the ultimate goal of improving survival rates and quality of life.

Objective To evaluate the renal function in treatment-na?ve patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) related cirrhosis and to identify the risk factors for renal impairment. Methods We collected the data of 860 HBV-related cirrhosis patients hospitalized in our unit between Jan 1, 2011 and Dec 31, 2011. Liver function of the patients was assessed with Child-Pugh score system, and the renal function with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculated by Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation recommended by Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI). We investigated the prevalence of renal impairment (eGFR<60 ml/min/1.73 m2) among these patients and explored the risk factors for renal impairment. Results Of the 860 patients, 296 had complete clinical data and were included in our analysis. The overall incidence of renal impairment among the enrolled patients was 8.45% (25/296). Patients with Child-Pugh stage C showed a significantly higher incidence of renal impairment than those with stages B and A (17.17%[17/99] vs 6.67%[7/105] vs 1.09%[1/92], P<0.001). Age, history of hyperuricemia, and Child-Pugh score were identified as the risk factors for renal impairment in these patients. Conclusion In patients with HBV- related liver cirrhosis, the incidence of renal impairment increases significantly with deterioration of the liver function, and renal function should be regularly monitored in these patients for appropriate antiviral treatment.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) in patients with chronic hepatitis B(CHB) receiving antiviral treatment. Methods: The cross-sectional study included 3 477 cases with CHB who received antiviral therapy. The prevalence of NAFLD was investigated, and then the risk factors were screened and analyzed by stepwise regression method in CHB patients with NAFLD as the dependent variable and the related influencing factors as independent variables. Results: The prevalence of NAFLD was 24.1% in CHB patients who received antiviral therapy. After adjusting for age and gender, central obesity (OR: 7.44, 95%CI: 6.06 ~ 9.14), hypertension (OR: 1.74, 95%CI: 1.51 ~ 2.20), and triglyceride (OR: 1.52, 95%CI: 1.18 ~ 1.96) were positively associated with NAFLD, and cirrhosis was negatively associated with NAFLD (OR: 0.42, 95%CI: 0.34 ~ 0.53). Patients with long-term antiviral therapy had increased risk of NAFLD. Conclusion A significant proportion of CHB patients receiving antiviral therapy have suffered from NAFLD. Therefore, CHB patients receiving long-term antiviral treatment should pay more attention to the prevalence of NAFLD.