[Establishment of a reporter system for estimating activation of human hepatic stellate cells based on promoter and enhanced green fluorescent protein].

Objective: To establish a visual reporting system for evaluating the activity of collagen Ⅰ α 1 chain () gene promoter in immortalized human hepatic stellate cells, so as to estimate the activation status of the cells and provide a new cell model for the screening and study of anti-hepatic fibrosis drugs.

Methods: The promoter sequence of human was amplified from the genomic DNA of human hepatocarcinoma cell line HepG2. Based on the pLVX-AcGFP1-N1 plasmid, the recombinant plasmid pLVX-COL1A1-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was constructed, in which the enhanced green fluorescent protein gene expression was regulated by the promoter.

Occult HBV infection in patients with autoimmune hepatitis: A virological and clinical study.

Background/purpose: Occult HBV infection (OBI) could have serious clinical consequences in patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of OBI in Chinese patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and to analyze its clinical and virological features.

Methods: 103 AIH cases were enrolled.

Impacts of HBV rtH55R polymerase substitution on viral replication and rtM204I/V resistance to nucleoside/nucleotide antiviral drugs.

Background: High genetic variability at the reverse transcriptase (RT) region of HBV could confer resistance to nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NUCs). The aim of this study was to identify new RT amino acid (AA) substitutions related to NUC resistance.

Methods: HBV RT sequences of genotype C from 501 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients were analysed to identify potential RT substitutions related to NUC resistance.

Effects of amino acid substitutions in hepatitis B virus surface protein on virion secretion, antigenicity, HBsAg and viral DNA.

Background & Aims: As important virological markers, serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels show large fluctuations among chronic hepatitis B patients. The aim of this study was to reveal the potential impact and mechanisms of amino acid substitutions in small hepatitis B surface proteins (SHBs) on serum HBsAg and HBV DNA levels.

Methods: Serum samples from 230 untreated chronic hepatitis B patients with genotype C HBV were analyzed in terms of HBV DNA levels, serological markers of HBV infection and SHBs sequences.