A human immunodeficiency virus-seronegative acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patient with opportunistic infections: A case report.

Background: In rare cases, people living with chronic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection do not develop antibodies despite demonstrable infection. Delayed or missed diagnosis of HIV infection leads to a lack of timely therapy, resulting in rapid disease progression with opportunistic infections or malignancies.

Case Report: A 44-year-old Chinese man presented with sore throat, oral leukoplakia, fever, dyspnoea and diffuse ground glass-like lesions in both lungs.

Modulation of Tim-3 Expression by Antigen-Dependent and -Independent Factors on T Cells from Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection.

T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-containing molecule-3 (Tim-3) was up-regulated on viral specific T cells and contributed to T cells exhaustion during chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, modulation of Tim-3 expression was still not fully elucidated. To evaluate the potential viral and inflammatory factors involved in the inductor of Tim-3 expression on T cells, 76 patients with chronic HBV infection (including 40 chronic hepatitis B [CHB] and 36 asymptomatic HBV carriers [AsC]) and 40 of normal controls (NCs) were enrolled in this study.

Effect of 48-week pegylated interferon α-2a or nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy on renal function in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Background: Controversy remains as to whether antiviral agents contribute to renal dysfunction in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Thus, the aim of study was to analyze the changes in renal function of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients in response to anti-HBV therapy and the association with treatments.

Method: We performed a retrospective observational cohort study to investigate factors associated with renal function in 249 Chinese CHB patients who were treated with pegylated interferon α-2a (PEG-IFN-α-2a) or nucleos(t)ide analogues for 48 weeks.

Interferon-Induced Transmembrane Protein 3 Inhibits Hantaan Virus Infection, and Its Single Nucleotide Polymorphism rs12252 Influences the Severity of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome.

Hantaan virus (HTNV) causes hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). Previous studies have identified interferon-induced transmembrane proteins (IFITMs) as an interferon-stimulated gene family. However, the role of IFITMs in HTNV infection is unclear.

Notch Signaling Contributes to Liver Inflammation by Regulation of Interleukin-22-Producing Cells in Hepatitis B Virus Infection.

The mechanism of hepatitis B virus (HBV) induced liver inflammation is not fully elucidated. Notch signaling augmented interleukin (IL)-22 secretion in CD4 T cells, and Notch-IL-22 axis fine-tuned inflammatory response. We previously demonstrated a proinflammatory role of IL-22 in HBV infection.

Toll-like receptor 2 promotes T helper 17 cells response in hepatitis B virus infection.

Purpose: Innate and adaptive immune responses play vital roles in initiating and maintaining the immunological homeostasis in both physiological and pathological processes. However, the expression and function of the important cells and molecules as well as their interaction in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has not been well elucidated. The aim of the current study was to determine the pattern of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) in T cells in HBV infection and the function of TLR2 in regulation of T helper 17 (Th17) cells response.

A fusion DNA vaccine encoding middle version of HBV envelope protein fused to interleukin-21 did not enhance HBV-specific immune response in mice.

DNA vaccination can generate both humoral and cellular immunity, resulting in potential prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines in variety of conditions, including hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Fusion of cytokine gene is one of the ways to increase the immunogenicity of DNA vaccine. Interleukin (IL)-21 has been demonstrated to play an immunomodulatory role in HBV infection.

Expression profiles of circulating cytokines, chemokines and immune cells in patients with hepatitis B virus infection.

Background: Immune cells and molecules play a vital role in initiating, maintaining, regulating immunological homeostasis and inflammation in many pathological and physiological processes; however, the changes on expressions and functions of these cells and molecules in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection have not been elucidated well.

Objectives: The current study aimed to determine the expression pattern of different cytokines, chemokines, immune cells in HBV infection and their association with disease progression.

Patients And Methods: Sixty-nine patients with chronic HBV infection were enrolled.

Telbivudine plus adefovir therapy for chronic hepatitis B patients with virological breakthrough or genotypic resistance to telbivudine.

Background/aim: There is very limited experience in the management of telbivudine (LdT)-associated virological breakthrough (VBT) and resistance in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, and the guideline recommendations are primitively based on the general principles of rescue therapy to nucleos(t)ide analog resistance. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of the addition of adefovir (ADV) in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive CHB patients with VBT or resistance to LdT.

Methods: Thirty-seven CHB patients with confirmed VBT and 31 patients with genotypic resistance to LdT were enrolled and thereafter treated with a combination of LdT and ADV for 12 months.

Dysregulation of the β3 integrin-VEGFR2 complex in Hantaan virus-directed hyperpermeability upon treatment with VEGF.

Hantaviruses infect human endothelial cells (ECs) and are known to cause vascular-permeability-based diseases, including hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). The αvβ3 integrins, which are highly expressed on the surface of ECs, serve as hantavirus receptors. Specifically, the β3 integrin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor 2 (VEGFR2) form a functional complex and interact with each other.

[Immune response to HBsAg can not be enhanced with B7-H1 protein vaccine].

Aim: To observe the immunization effect to HBsAg by B7-H1 protein vaccine in transgenic mice, and to explore new methods for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B.

Methods: After the joint immunization in HBV transgenic mice with different doses of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine and B7-H1 protein, the anti-B7-H1 antibody titors, Th1 type of cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-2) from the spleen cells of mice, the number of the T cells secreting IFN-γ and the number of the mice lymphocyte proliferation were measrued by ELISA, ELISPOT and MTT technique respectively, to compare the immune effect of different immune methods and regimen.

Results: The immune plans were completed successfully.

A proinflammatory role for interleukin-22 in the immune response to hepatitis B virus.

Background & Aims: T-helper (Th)17 cells that secrete interleukin (IL)-22 have immunomodulatory and protective properties in the liver and other tissues. IL-22 induces expression of proinflammatory genes but is also mitogenic and antiapoptotic in hepatocytes. Therefore, it could have multiple functions in the immune response to hepatitis B virus (HBV).

[The induced IL-21 levels in CD4(+) T cells of peripheral blood from the different clinical types of patients infected with hepatitis B virus].

Aim: To investigate the levels of interleukin (IL)-21 in CD4(+);T cells of peripheral blood from the different types of patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and elucidate its role in the hepatitis B pathogenesis.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from the patients infected with HBV and healthy individuals were stimulated with or without PMA coupled with ionomycin. The levels of IL-21 in CD4(+) T cells and Th17 cells were analyzed by flow cytometry.

Overexpression of Toll-like receptor 2/4 on monocytes modulates the activities of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells in chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

The significance of TLR expression and Tregs in HBV infection has not been clearly described. In this report, flow cytometry was performed to assess TLR2/4 expression on monocytes and circulating CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(low/-) Tregs frequency of 16 acute hepatitis B (AHB), 42 chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 22 asymptomatic HBV carriers (AsC), and 20 normal controls (NC). We found that TLR2 and TLR4 were overexpressed on CD14(+) monocytes in HBV-infected patients as compared with NCs.

Analysis of the immune response to Hantaan virus nucleocapsid protein C-terminal-specific CD8(+) T cells in patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.

Hantaan virus (HTNV), the prototype member of the Hantavirus genus in the family Bunyaviridae, causes hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), which is characterized by capillary leakage, hemorrhage, and renal injury, and is an important public health problem in China. Some kinds of immune cells, particularly CD8(+) T cells, are involved in the pathogenesis of Hantavirus infection. The nucleocapsid protein (NP) of the Hantavirus is the most conserved structural protein and the most abundant viral protein produced during infection.

Down-regulation of CXCR4 expression by SDF-KDEL in CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells: An anti-human immunodeficiency virus strategy.

CXCR4 plays an essential role as the first discovered coreceptor for the entry of T cell tropic isolates of HIV-1. Blocking the surface expression of this receptor may be a potential strategy to prevent HIV-1 infection. A lentiviral vector, pLenti6/V5-S-K, expressing a SDF-KDEL fusion protein was constructed and a replication-incompetent lentiviral stock was produced.

Expression of L protein of Hantaan virus 84FLi strain and its application for recovery of minigenomes.

Hantaan virus (HTNV) is an Old World hantavirus associated with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). To visualize the localization of the L protein of HTNV strain 84FLi within cells, a fusion protein composed of enhanced green fluorescent protein and L protein, EGFP-L, was expressed in Vero cells. The 273 KDa expressed fusion protein of EGFP-L localized in the perinuclear region.

Hantaan virus induces toll-like receptor 4 expression, leading to enhanced production of beta interferon, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

Hantaan virus (HTNV) infects endothelial cells and is associated with increased vascular permeability during hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). The pattern of increased vascular permeability is mediated by immune response. Therefore, it is necessary to characterize the mechanism of HTNV involvement in the host's innate immune.

Therapeutic effect of RANTES-KDEL on inhibition of HIV-1 in CD34(+) human hematopoietic stem cells (hHSC).

Cell surface receptors, such as the CCR5 chemokine receptors, represent key determinants of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) entry into target cells. The CC-chemokine, RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted), a ligand for CCR5, have been targeted to the lumen of endocytoplasmic reticulum (ER) using a KDEL (ER-retention signal) fusion termed RANTES-KDEL and this construct was found to prevent effectively transport of newly synthesized CCR5 to the cell surface. Lentiviral vectors have emerged as potent and versatile tools of gene transfer for basic and applied research are able to transduce nondividing cells and maintain sustained long-term expression of transgenes.

[Identification of a functional ITAM-like sequence within G1 cytoplasmic tail of Hantaan virus].

The G1 cytoplasmic tail of Hantaan virus (HTNV) harbors a highly conserved region, which is homologous to immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs (ITAM) and is termed the ITAM-like sequence. To demonstrate the potential signal-transducing activity of G1 ITAM-like sequence resembling the canonical ITAM within immune and endothelial cells, a series of experiments were performed to define its interaction with cellular kinases. The synthesized G1 ITAM-like peptide was shown to coprecipitate with cellular phosphoprotein complexes by an immune-complex kinase assay.

The short hairpin RNA driven by polymerase II suppresses both wild-type and lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus strains.

Background: Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is widespread because of the limited availability of therapeutic treatments. Although previous reports have suggested that RNA interference has promise as a treatment for HBV infection, further studies of long-term and off-target drug effects on HBV, especially on drug-resistant strains of HBV, are needed. Therefore, seven vectors that express short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs), driven by the polymerase II promoter, pSilencer4.

Toll-like receptor 4 siRNA attenuates LPS-induced secretion of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines by macrophages.

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is critical for activation of macrophages by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In this study, we investigated the silencing effects of TLR4-specific 21-nt small interfering RNAs (siRNA) on TLR4 expression in RAW264.7 cells.