Clustering Cases of Chlamydia psittaci Pneumonia in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Screening Ward Staff.

We describe 4 cases of Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia among medical staff in a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) screening ward, as well as the experience of dealing with this nosocomial infection event. Atypical pneumonia, in addition to COVID-19, should be considered when clustering cases occur, even during a COVID-19 pneumonia pandemic.

Response to immune complex vaccine in chronic hepatitis B patients is associated with lower baseline level of serum IgG galactosylation.

The composition of glycan in immunoglobulin G (IgG) has shown to affect various diseases and can be regulated by drugs and preventive vaccination. A hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) immune complex (YIC) therapeutic vaccine for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients has undergone clinical trials. To explore for markers of CHB, which could be associated with responsiveness to YIC therapeutic vaccine, serum IgG glycosylation in CHB patients was analyzed.

Is HBV viral load at admission associated with development of acute-on-chronic liver failure in patients with acute decompensation of chronic hepatitis B related cirrhosis?

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation is one of the most common precipitating events associated with acute decompensation (AD) or acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB)-related cirrhotic patients. However, whether their serum HBV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) levels are associated with ACLF incidence and short-term mortality rate is still ambiguous.

Methods: The ACLF incidences, 28-day and 90-day liver transplantation (LT)-free mortality rates, previous nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NUCs) treatments and serum HBV DNA levels at admission (ad-levels) of 111 hospitalized patients with AD of CHB-related cirrhosis were analyzed.

Genotype distribution of hepatitis C virus in 952 cases from 2014 to 2016 in Hunan Province, China.

Introduction: Few large-scale investigations on genotype (GT) distribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Hunan Province, China, are reported.

Material And Methods: We recruited all of the 952 patients in the census register of Hunan Province who were first diagnosed with HCV infection in the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University in 2014-2016. HCV genotypes were surveyed.

Analysis of Transmission Routes of Hepatitis C Virus Based on Virus Genotyping in 341 Cases with Different Suspected Initial Infection Time Points in Hunan Province, China.

BACKGROUND Few investigations have been reported on the changing trends in transmission routes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the corresponding HCV genotype (GT) distribution in Hunan province, China. MATERIAL AND METHODS HCV GTs, suspected viral transmission routes, and time of initial infections were investigated in 341 HCV-infected patients in 2016. RESULTS Genotype 1 (GT1) (72.

A preliminary investigation on single nucleotide polymorphism rs2287622 of bile salt export pump gene in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection in Hunan, China.

Background: European researchers have underscored associations between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2287622 of the hepatobiliary bile salt export pump (BSEP) gene and the risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The distributions of SNP rs2287622 are racially specific. This study was aimed to preliminarily investigate the distribution of BSEP gene SNP rs2287622 in the Han patients with chronic HCV-infection (CHC) in Hunan, China.

Problem/case-based learning with competition introduced in severe infection education: an exploratory study.

Background: Problem/case-based learning (PCBL) is one of the most commonly used educational methods in medical schools.

Aim: To further improve PCBL in clinical course of severe infection by introducing competition mode.

Methods: Two classes of medical students were divided into two groups by class-based simple randomization and were taught the course of severe infection by PCBL.

Guillain-Barré syndrome following acute co-super-infection of hepatitis E virus and cytomegalovirus in a chronic hepatitis B virus carrier.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare neurological complication of hepatitis B. GBS presence in acute hepatitis E virus (HEV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is also sporadically reported. Here, a rare case of GBS in a chronic Hepatitis B virus carrier co-infected with HEV and CMV was reported.

Prospective evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy of hepatic copper content, as determined using the entire core of a liver biopsy sample.

Unlabelled: Hepatic copper determination is an important test for the diagnosis of Wilson's disease (WD). However, the method has not been standardized, the diagnostic accuracy has not been evaluated prospectively, and the optimal cut-off value remains controversial. Accordingly, we aimed to prospectively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of hepatic copper content, as determined using the entire core of a liver biopsy sample.

Knockdown of HBx by RNAi inhibits proliferation and enhances chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

The present study was designed to research on RNA interference hepatitis B virus x gene approach to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapy. Previously, we constructed and identified shRNA eukaryotic expression vectors (pshRNA-X220) specific to HBx gene, pshRNA-MOCK (control); and established HCC cell lines with stable expression shRNA eukaryotic vector targeting HBx gene-21543 cell lines (MHCC97-H of expressing shRNA against HBx), HK3 cell lines (MHCC97-H by transfected with pshRNA-MOCK). We examined the expression of HBx gene after RNA interference by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and assessed the effect of HBx knocked down on cell growth by proliferation assay using kit-8 (CCK8).

Effects of HBV X gene and arsenic trioxide on the expression of p53 in cultured HepG2 cells.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) X protein (HBx) and p53 could mutually down-regulate at transcriptional level and HBx could bind with p53 protein within its transactivation domain and inhibit the function of p53 protein. In recent years, effects of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) on the expression of p53 protein have been widely studied, while little is known about the activity of p53 protein. This study was undertaken to delineate the effect of HBV X gene and As2O3 on p53 protein expression (level and activity) in HepG2 cells by small hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) technique.

[Study of effects of HBV X gene and As2O3 on expression and activity of p53 in HepG2 cells with shRNA].

Objective: To delineate the effects of HBV X gene and of As(2)O(3) on p53 expression and activity in HepG2 cells by shRNA-mediated RNA interference (RNAi).

Methods: HepG2 cells and cells with stable expression of HBV X gene, HepG2-X, were treated with 2 micromol/L As(2)O(3), and the corresponding untreated cells were used as controls. Cell and nuclear lysates were extracted.

[Serum HBsAg concentration and HBV replication level in hepatitis B patients with positive serum HBsAg and HBeAg].

Objective: To analyze the relationship between serum HBsAg concentration and HBV replication level in hepatitis B patients with positive serum HBsAg and HBeAg, and to explore the possibility of using serum HBsAg concentration as a marker of HBV replication level in hepatitis B patients with positive serum HBeAg.

Methods: HBV DNA level and serum HBeAg, HBsAg concentration of 296 patients with positive serum HBsAg and HBeAg were quantitatively detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR) and time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRIFA) respectively. HBsAg concentrations were compared among patients with different HBV DNA levels, and HBV DNA levels were compared among patients with different HBsAg concentrations.

[Construction of two hepatocellular carcinoma cell models for the expression of HBV X gene with different selection characteristics].

Objective: To construct 2 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell models for the expression of HBV X gene with different selection characteristics.

Methods: HepG2 HCC cells were infected with eukaryotic expression vectors with HBV X gene, pCEP4-X, and pcDNA3. 1 (+)-X.

[Ceruloplasmin level of patients with liver disease in China].

Objective: To find out the degree of overlap of ceruloplasmin concentration in patients presenting with liver disease, providing scientific evidences for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of Wilson's disease (WD).

Methods: Measuring the serum ceruloplasmin concentration of patients presenting with liver diseases, all data were statistically analyzed with SPSS12 for Windows.

Results: The average serum ceruloplasmin concentration of patients with WD was (93.

A novel stop codon mutation in HBsAg gene identified in a hepatitis B virus strain associated with cryptogenic cirrhosis.

Aim: HBsAg is the most important serological marker for acute or chronic hepatitis B. Nevertheless, there were reports of HBsAg-negative infection caused by hepatitis B virus in recent years. We had a patient with crytogenic cirrhosis who was negative for HBsAg, positive for anti-HBs and HBeAg.