Objective To investigate the clinical diagnostic value of extra-spindle pole-like protein 1(ESPL1)in the progression of hepatitis B virus(HBV)-related liver fibrosis.Methods A total of 228 patients with HBV infection who were admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from June 2017 to August 2023 were enrolled.The transient elastography system FibroScan was used to determine liver stiffness measurement(LSM)for all patients,and according to the LSM value,they were divided into non-liver fibrosis group with 80 patients,mild liver fibrosis group with 83 patients,advanced liver fibrosis group with 30 patients,and liver cirrhosis group with 35 patients.ELISA was used to measure the serum level of ESPL1.The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of the serum level of ESPL1 between the four groups;the Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between ESPL1 and LSM;the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the value of serum ESPL1 in predicting the progression of liver fibrosis.Results The liver cirrhosis group had a significantly higher serum level of ESPL1 than the non-liver fibrosis group and the mild liver fibrosis group(both P<0.05),and the advanced liver fibrosis group and the mild liver fibrosis group had a significantly higher serum level of ESPL1 than the non-liver fibrosis group(both P<0.05).The correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between serum ESPL1 and LSM in the patients with HBV infection and varying degrees of liver fibrosis(r=0.515,P<0.001).Serum ESPL1 had an area under the ROC curve(AUC)of 0.809 in predicting liver cirrhosis and an AUC of 0.638 in predicting advanced liver fibrosis,with a sensitivity of 87.5%and 100%,respectively,and a specificity of 59.7%and 31.3%,respectively.Conclusion There is a certain correlation between serum ESPL1 and HBV-related liver fibrosis,and higher serum ESPL1 may indicate a higher degree of liver fibrosis.Serum ESPL1 is expected to become one of the serum markers for assisting in the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and an important clinical method for dynamically monitoring the progression of liver fibrosis in patients with HBV infection.

Humans ; Bipolar Disorder ; Schizophrenia ; Depression ; Electroencephalography

Objective To investigate the efficacy of entecavir (ETV) versus tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and the treatment measures for poor response in previously untreated chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with high viral load. Methods A total of 165 CHB patients who received antiviral therapy and met the inclusion criteria in Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, from June 2016 to July 2021 were enrolled. The patients enrolled had a baseline HBV DNA level of > 6lg copies/ml and were previously untreated CHB patients who had used ETV or TDF for 48 weeks, and quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure HBV DNA. Virologic response rate was calculated after 48 weeks of treatment; a logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the influencing factors for the response of HBV DNA < 500 copies/mL and HBV DNA < 100 copies /mL at 48 weeks; a stratified analysis was performed to compare the virologic response rate of HBV DNA < 500 copies /ml and HBV DNA < 100 copies/ml after 48 weeks between the patients with different ages, sexes, baseline HBV DNA levels, baseline alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, types of first-line medication, and HBeAg statuses. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups, the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups, and the binary logistic regression model was used for multivariate analysis. Results After 48 weeks of treatment, 85.5% (141/165) of the patients achieved an HBV DNA load of < 500 copies/mL, and 66.1% (109/165) of the patients achieved an HBV DNA load of < 100 copies /mL, with no significant difference in treatment outcome between the ETV group and the TDF group. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that sex( OR =2.793, 95% CI : 1.197-6.517), baseline HBV DNA( OR =0.369, 95% CI : 0.142-0.959), baseline ALT( OR =4.556, 95% CI : 1.770-11.732), and baseline HBeAg( OR =0.120, 95% CI : 0.033-0.429) were influencing factors for complete virologic response(all P < 0.05). For the patients with normal ALT (≤40 U/L) at baseline, 75.6% (34/45) achieved an HBV DNA load of < 500 copies/mL after 48 weeks of treatment, and 53.3% (24/45) achieved an HBV DNA load of < 100 copies/mL, with no significant difference in treatment outcome between the ETV group and the TDF group. For the patients with abnormal ALT (> 40 U/L) at baseline, 89.2% (107/120) achieved an HBV DNA load of < 500 copies/mL after 48 weeks of treatment, and the proportion of such patients in the TDF group was significantly higher than that in the ETV group (96.1% vs 84.1%, χ 2 =4.386, P =0.036); 70.8% (85/120) achieved an HBV DNA load of < 100 copies/mL, the proportion of such patients was no significant difference between the TDF group and the ETV group (78.4% vs 65.2%). The response of HBV DNA < 100 copies/ml of the normal baseline ALT group and the abnormal baseline ALT group, there were no significant differences between the patients aged≤30 years and aged > 30 years (77.8% vs 47.2%, 85.2% vs 66.7%). For the patients who did not achieve complete virologic response (HBV DNA ≥100 copies/mL) after 48 weeks of treatment, 87.9% (29/33) achieved complete virologic response after the original treatment regimen was prolonged for 48 weeks, and 100% (9/9) of the patients achieved complete virologic response after switching to or adding the first-line nucleos(t)ide analogues (NUCs) without cross-resistance sites with the original regimen for another 48 weeks. Conclusion The patients aged > 30 years should receive antiviral therapy as early as possible, regardless of viral load and ALT level, especially those with a family history of liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma; the patients aged ≤30 years who have a normal ALT level and a high viral load should consider initiating antiviral therapy after providing informed consent. For the patients with poor response after 48 weeks of treatment, first-line NUCs without cross-resistance sites with the original regimen should be switched to or added in time.

Objective To investigate the epidemiological features and antiviral response of patients with genotype 6 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in Guangxi, China. Methods A total of 97 patients with genotype 6 CHC who were admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from December 2012 to December 2020 were enrolled, among whom 62 patients were given antiviral therapy. The 62 patients receiving antiviral therapy were divided into interferon group with 22 patients and direct-acting antiviral agent (DAA) group with 40 patients. Related data were collected, including general demographic data, HCV RNA, liver function, routine blood test results, and renal function. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results Among the 97 patients, there were 69 male patients (71.1%) and 28 female patients (28.9%), with a mean age of 41.97±10.12 years, and the patients aged 30-40 years accounted for 47.4% (46/97). Of all 97 patients, 95 (97.9%) had genotype 6a, 1 had genotype 6e, and 1 had genotype 6xa. Among the 65 patients with a definite route of infection, 41 (63.1%) had intravenous drug use, 14 had medical-related operations, 9 had blood transfusion, and 4 had sexual contact as the route of infection. For the interferon group, the rapid virologic response (RVR) rate at week 4 was 81.8% (18/22), the rate of undetectable virus at the time of drug withdrawal (Epoint) was 86.4% (19/22), the rate of sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after drug withdrawal (SVR12) was 81.8%, and the rate of sustained virological response at 24 weeks after drug withdrawal (SVR24) was 81.8%; 1 patient in this group experienced recurrence. All 40 patients in the DAA group were previously untreated patients (33 patients without liver cirrhosis and 7 patients with compensated liver cirrhosis), with an overall RVR rate of 87.5%(35/40), an Epoint rate of 100%, and an SVR12 rate of 100%, and there was no treatment failure or recurrence. Although different DAA regimens had different RVR rates, they all had a SVR12 rate of 100%. The patients with compensated liver cirrhosis and other diseases had a SVR12 rate of 100%. Conclusion Intravenous drug addiction is the main route of infection for patients with genotype 6 CHC in Guangxi, and CHC is more common in men, with genotype 6a as the main subtype. DAA treatment has a higher virologic response rate than interferon treatment, with an SVR12 rate of 100%. There is no significant difference in SVR12 rate between the patients with compensated liver cirrhosis and those without liver cirrhosis.

Objective:To investigate the correlation between circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection, RAS/RAF gene mutation and clinicopathological characteristics in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).Methods:The Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to detect the gene mutation in the tumor tissues of 138 CRC patients in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from May 2017 to May 2020. At the same time, the venous blood of 138 patients was collected and enriched for CTC genotyping by mRNA in situ hybridization. The correlation between CTC, RAS/RAF gene mutation and clinicopathological features of CRC patients was analyzed.Results:The mutation rates of KRAS, NRAS and BRAF genes were 48.6%(67/138), 5.1%(7/138) and 1.4%(2/138), respectively; The overall positive rate of CTC was 84.1%(116/138). The positive rates of different CTC types were: 23.1%(32/138) in epithelial type, 71.7%(99/138) in mixed type and 12.3%(17/138) in interstitial type respectively. The positive rate of CTC in CRC patients with clinical stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ, lymph node metastasis (N1-N3) and distant metastasis (M1) was significantly higher than that in CRC patients with stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ, no lymph node metastasis (N0) and no distant metastasis (M0) (all P<0.05). The total number of CTC, mixed CTC and interstitial CTC were positively correlated with clinical stage, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis (all P<0.05). RAS/RAF gene mutation, gender, age, tumor location and tumor differentiation did not affect the positive rate of CTC (all P>0.05). Conclusions:The results of CTC typing are of great research significance for comprehensive treatment, prognosis assessment and stratified management of CRC, among which the interstitial type of CTC may be a high risk factor for the recurrence and metastasis of CRC.

Objective:To compare the similarities and differences of clinical characteristics of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative and HIV-positive patients with talaromycosis marneffei (TSM).Methods:The clinical data of 175 inpatients diagnosed with TSM in First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from May 2012 to April 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into HIV-positive group and HIV-negative group according to the results of HIV confirmation test. The clinical manifestations, laboratory examination indicators (white blood cell count, hemoglobin, albumin, CD4 + T lymphocyte count and C-reactive protein (CRP)) between the two groups were compared. Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results:Among 175 TSM patients, 85 were HIV-positive and 90 were HIV-negative patients. The main clinical manifestations of fever and lymphadenopathy in the HIV-positive group and HIV-negative group were 71 (83.53%) cases and 73 (81.11%) cases, 50 (58.82%) cases and 47 (52.22%) cases, respectively, and there were both no statistical differences ( χ2=0.175 and 0.771, respectively, both P>0.05), while respiratory symptoms, weight loss and subcutaneous masses were 62 (72.94%) cases and 81 (90.00%) cases, 73 (85.88%) cases and 56 (62.22%) cases, one (1.18%) case and 16 (17.78%) cases, respectively, the differences were all statistically significant ( χ2=8.514, 12.630 and 13.737, respectively, all P<0.01). Hemoglobin in HIV-positive group and HIV-negative group were 90.50 (77.00, 113.95) g/L and 88.65 (72.85, 99.93) g/L, respectively. The difference was statistically significant ( Z=2.023, P=0.043). The ratios of albumin<30 g/L, CRP>10 mg/L in the two groups were 69.41%(59/85) and 60.00%(54/90), 94.37%(67/71) and 94.19%(81/86), respectively, and the differences were both not statistically significant ( χ2=1.693 and 0, respectively, both P>0.05). The ratios of cases with white blood cell counts >10×10 9/L and CD4 + T lymphocyte count<50/μL in the positive and negative groups were 3.53%(3/85) and 81.11%(73/90), 80.77%(63/78) and 1.75%(1/57), respectively, the differences were both statistically significant ( χ2=107.095 and 82.467, respectively, both P<0.01). Conclusions:In TSM patients, HIV-negative with subcutaneous masses, and increased white blood cell counts are common. Decreased body weight and CD4 + T lymphocyte count<50/μL in HIV-positive patients are more common than HIV-negative patients.

Objective:To retrospectively analyze the serological, virological, biochemical, liver histological status and clinical outcomes in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with low HBV viral load, and to explore the necessity of antiviral therapy for these patients.Methods:A total of 99 HBeAg-negative CHB patients with HBV DNA level < 4 lg copies/ml who performed liver biopsy at the baseline were enrolled from the follow-up cohort. Among them, 23 cases received the second liver biopsy during follow-up. The relationships among the degree of inflammation and fibrosis of liver tissues, the status of HBsAg and HBcAg, age, gender, family history, HBV DNA load, serological markers and other indicators were analyzed. The pathological differences between two liver biopsy examinations were compared. The effect of nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) treatment on patient’s clinical outcomes were analyzed. For multivariate analysis, a binary logistic regression model was performed. Log-rank test was used to compare the cumulative incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in NAs-treated and non-NA streated patients.Results:Baseline liver histology status showed that 58.6% (58/99) patients had obvious liver tissue damage in their baseline liver tissue pathology (G≥2 and /or S≥2). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that a liver cirrhosis (LC) family history, a HBsAg-positive family history, baseline alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels were positively correlated factors for liver tissue damage. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a LC family history was the main risk factor for liver tissue damage. Twenty-three cases had received a second liver biopsy after an interval of 4.5 years. In 10 untreated cases, the second liver biopsy results showed the rate of obvious liver tissue damage (G≥2 and/ or S≥2) increased from 50.0% to 90.0%. In the other 13 cases who received NAs treatment, the second liver biopsy showed improvement in liver histology, and the rate of obvious liver tissue damage decreased from 61.5% to 46.2%. The 5-year HCC cumulative incidence in non-NAs-treated patients was significantly higher than that of in NAs-treated patients (17.7% vs. 3.8%, P = 0.046). Conclusion:For most HBeAg-negative CHB patients with low viral load, liver tissue pathology result suggests that it meets the indications for antiviral therapy, especially in patients with a LC familial history. Without antiviral therapy, liver tissue damage for these patients will progressively worse with the high incidence of HCC. Therefore, it is suggested that antiviral therapy should be started as soon as possible for the HBeAg-negative CHB patients with low viral load regardless of the alanine aminotransferase level, especially in patients over 30 years-old with a LC or HCC family history.

Objective:To retrospectively analyze the risk factors for the development of liver cancer in patients with hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis (LC) treated and fully managed with long-term nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs).Methods:The study subjects were derived from the follow-up cohort of chronic hepatitis B and liver cirrhosis who received antiviral therapy in the Department of Infectious Diseases of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from February 2004 to September 2019. LC patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled. The life-table method was used to calculate the incidence of liver cancer. Multivariable Cox regression model was used to analyze the risk factors that may affect the development of liver cancer in patients with LC. A subgroup analysis was conducted in liver cirrhotic patients who developed liver cancer to evaluate the effectiveness of antiviral treatment compliance. The 2 test was used for rate comparison. Results:The median follow-up time of 198 LC cases treated with NAs was 6.0 years (1.0-15.3 years). By the end of the visit: (1) 16.2% (32/198) of LC patients had developed liver cancer, and the cumulative incidence of liver cancer in 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 years were 0, 8.9%, 14.3%, 18.6%, and 23.4%, respectively, with an average annual incidence of 3.1%. Among the 32 cases with liver cancer, 68.7% had developed small liver cancer (22/32). (2) Univariate Cox model analysis showed that the development of liver cancer was related to four factors, i.e., the presence or absence of LC nodules, whether the baseline was first-line medication, the family history of liver cancer, and patient compliance. The results of multivariate Cox model analysis showed that poor patient compliance and baseline non-first-line medication were risk factors for liver cancer. (3) The results of log-rank test subgroup analysis showed that the 5-year cumulative incidence of liver cancer in patients with hardened nodules was significantly higher than that of patients without hardened nodules (21.7% vs. 11.5%, P = 0.029). The 5-year cumulative incidence of liver cancer in patients with non-first-line drugs was significantly higher than that of patients with first-line drugs (22.0% vs.8.2%, P = 0.003). The 5-year cumulative incidence of liver cancer in patients with poor compliance was significantly higher than that of patients with good compliance (21.3% vs. 12.7%, P = 0.014). The 5-year cumulative incidence of liver cancer in patients with a family history of liver cancer was significantly higher than that of patients without a family history of liver cancer (22.3% vs. 8.1%, P = 0.006). (4) Compared with patients with poor compliance, patients with good compliance had higher HBV DNA negative serconversion rate (98.7% vs. 87.8%, P = 0.005), and a lower virological breakthrough rate (12.1% vs. 29.3%, P = 0.007). Conclusion:The long-term NAs antiviral therapy can reduce the risk of liver cancer, but it cannot completely prevent the development of liver cancer, especially in patients with a family history of liver cancer and baseline hardened nodules (high risk of liver cancer). Furthermore, the complete management can improve patient compliance, ensure the efficacy of antiviral therapy, and reduce the risk of liver cancer development, so to achieve secondary prevention of liver cancer, i.e., early detection, diagnosis and treatment.

Objective To kxplork thk valuk of dktkcting brain mktabolitks of prktkrm infants at full tkrm for prkdicting thk nkurodkvklopmkntal lkvkl,and to providk thk basis for karle clinical intkrvkntion. Methods Thirte casks of prktkrm infants wkrk collkctkd from thk Nkonatal Intknsivk Cark Rnit and Nkuro - Akhabilitation Dkpartmknt of Guangzhou Zomkn and Childrkn＇s Mkdical Ckntkr bktwkkn Mae 2015 and March 2016,thkn thke wkrk chkcckd be adopting brain magnktic rksonanck imaging and magnktic rksonanck spkctroscope at corrkctkd full tkrm,and assksskd be using Llbkrta Infant Motor Scalk(LIMS)and Gkskll dkvklopmkntal scalk kvaluation at corrkctkd agk of 6 months and corrkctkd of agk 1 ekar old. ResuIts In thk 30 casks of prktkrm infants,19 casks wkrk malk,11 casks wkrk fkmalk,and thk gkstational agk was 27+3 -31 wkkcs,and avkragk gkstational agk was(28. 8 ± 1. 0)wkkcs,and thk birth wkight was 800-1 400 g[(1 176. 3 ± 145. 1)g]. Thk stude found that meo-inositol( MI),MI╱crkatink( Cr)in basal ganglia wkrk nkgativkle corrklatkd with thk dkvklopmknt quotiknt at corrkctkd agk of 1 ekar old(r﹦ -0. 465,-0. 532;all P＜0. 05). Factic acid(Fac)╱Cr in hippocampus was nkgativkle corrklatkd with dkvklopmkntal quotiknt at corrkctkd agk of 6 months(r﹦ -0. 420,P＜0. 05);Fac,Fac╱Cr in pkrivkntricular wkrk nkgativkle corrklatkd with dkvklopmkntal quo-tiknt at corrkctkd agk of 1 ekar old(r ﹦ -0. 405,-0. 386;all P ＜0. 05). Fac╱Cr in pkrivkntricular was nkgativkle corrklatkd with LIMS scorks at corrkctkd agk 1 ekar old(r﹦ -0. 380,P＜0. 05);Fac,Fac╱Cr in ckrkbkllum wkrk nkga-tivkle corrklatkd with dkvklopmknt quotiknt at corrkctkd agk of 1 ekar old(r﹦ -0. 393,-0. 394;all P＜0. 05). Thkrk was no corrklation bktwkkn frontal lobk mktabolitks and nkurodkvklopmkntal lkvkl(P＞0. 05). ConcIusions Prktkrm infants brain mktabolitks at full tkrm contributk to prkdicting nkurodkvklopmkntal lkvkl. MI,Fac,MI╱Cr,Fac╱Cr ark of valuks for prkdicting nkurodkvklopmkntal lkvkl,and MI╱Cr is thk bkst prkdictor. Lmong frontal lobk,basal ganglia, hippocampus,pkrivkntricular and ckrkbkllum,thk pkrivkntricular is thk bkst arka for prkdicting nkurodkvklopmkntal lkvkl. Corrkctkd agk of 1 ekar old maebk thk bkst timk to prkdicting nkurodkvklopmkntal lkvkl.

To explore the mechanism for changes in brain microstructure in long-term abstinent from methamphetamine-dependence by using the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
 Methods: A total of 26 patients with long-term abstinent methamphetamine-dependence, whose abstinence time more than 14 months, and 26 normal controls all underwent cognitive executive function tests and DTI scans. We used voxel-based analysis to compare the fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) to obtain the abnormal brain regions of DTI parameters between the two groups. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between FA, MD of the brain regions with abnormal parameters and cognitive executive function tests.
 Results: There were no statistical differences in the cognitive executive function tests between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared with the normal control group, the long-term abstinent from methamphetamine-dependence group showed the decreased FA in the right precuneus, right superior frontal gyrus, right calcarine, left inferior temporal gyrus and the increased MD in the right triangular part of inferior frontal gyrus, right precuneus, right posterior cingulate, right middle temporal gyrus, bilateral middle occipital gyrus, left superior parietal lobule, and lobule VIII of cerebellar hemisphere. The MD values of the right middle temporal gyrus in the long-term abstinent group were negatively correlated with the number of completions within 60 seconds (r=-0.504) and within 120 seconds (r=-0.464) .
 Conclusion: The DTI parameters in multiple brain regions from the methamphetamine-dependence patients are still abnormal after a long-term abstinence. DTI can provide imaging evidence for brain microstructural abnormalities in long-term abstinent from methamphetamine-dependence.
Amphetamine-Related Disorders ; Anisotropy ; Brain ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging ; Humans ; Methamphetamine