Evaluation of the star family doctors training program: an observational cohort study of a novel continuing medical education program for general practitioners within a compact medical consortium: a quantitative analysis.

Introduction: To determine the effectiveness of the Star Family Doctors Training Program, a comprehensive Continuing professional development (CPD) program for general practitioners (GPs) in a compact medical consortium.

Patients And Methods: Observational cohort study with a quantitative analyses in primary health care institutions in Sichuan Province. The interventions were as following: (1) The Star Family Doctors Training Program is a full-time, local government allocation program certified by the Health Department of Sichuan Province, emphasizing small group learning and practice, and using standard patients and medical patient simulators; 30 participants were selected by their institutions.

Plasma miR-30a-5p as an early novel noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for lung cancer.

Circulation miRNAs have become increasingly appreciated in the diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer. This study aims to identify and evaluate plasma miRNA-30a-5p as an early noninvasive biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer. Expression levels of plasma miRNA 30a-5p were measured by quantitative real-time PCR.

Serum hepatitis B core-related antigen is a satisfactory surrogate marker of intrahepatic covalently closed circular DNA in chronic hepatitis B.

Recently, hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) has been suggested as an additional marker of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This study aimed to investigate whether serum quantitative HBcrAg (qHBcrAg) was a satisfactory surrogate marker of intrahepatic covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA). A total of 139 patients with liver biopsy were enrolled, consisting of 59 patients in immune tolerance (IT) phase, 52 patients in immune clearance (IC) phase, 18 patients in low-replication (LR) phase, and 10 patients in reactivation phase.

Mutations in basal core promoter is associated with significant fibrosis in both HBeAg positive and negative treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B.

Aim: Assessment of liver fibrosis is important for the decision of whether to administrate antiviral treatment in chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) patients. The objective was to investigate the relationship between clinical factors and fibrosis, identify predictors of significant fibrosis in Chinese CHB patients.

Methods: Two hundred and seventy-four treatment-naïve CHB patients (208 HBeAg-positive and 66 HBeAg-negative) who performed transient elastography were consecutively included.

Quantitative intrahepatic HBV cccDNA correlates with histological liver inflammation in chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the role of baseline hepatitis B virus (HBV) forming covalently closed circular DNA (HBV cccDNA) in liver inflammation in patients infected with HBV with serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels under two times the upper limit of normal (2×ULN).

Methods: After liver biopsy and serum virological and biochemical marker screening, patients diagnosed with chronic HBV infection with serum ALT levels under 2×ULN and histological liver inflammation of less than grade G2 were prospectively recruited into this study. Recruitment took place between March 2009 and November 2010 at the Center of Infectious Disease, Sichuan University.

Genotypic resistance profiles in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection and the efficacy of nucleoside analog rescue therapy.

Background And Aims: The aims of this study were to explore the correlation between chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) drug-resistant mutation profiles and the efficacy of nucleoside analog rescue therapy in patients with initial antiviral treatment failure.

Patients And Methods: Patients with initial antiviral therapy failure were recruited between January 2011 and January 2013 from the Division of Infectious Disease, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China. Following drug-resistant mutation testing, eligible patients received nucleoside analog rescue therapy for 24 weeks.

Serum hepatitis B surface antigen titer and transient elastography in screening for insignificant fibrosis in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients.

Objective: To explore the predictive value of serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) titer and transient elastography in screening for insignificant fibrosis in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B patients.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of eligible patients treated from March 2012 to May 2013 at the West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Eligible patients underwent liver transient elastography and liver biopsy.

Impact of mild to moderate elevations of alanine aminotransferase on liver stiffness measurement in chronic hepatitis B patients during antiviral therapy.

Aim:   The accuracy of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis is affected by elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of mild to moderate elevations of ALT on LSM in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) during antiviral therapy.

Methods:   A total of 58 CHB patients with their ALT levels falling into the range of ×2 to ×10 the upper limit of normal (ULN) were recruited.

Lamivudine plus adefovir or telbivudine plus adefovir for chronic hepatitis B patients with suboptimal response to adefovir.

Background: There is no standard management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with suboptimal response to nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NAs). This study aimed to evaluate two different NA combination therapies in patients with suboptimal response to adefovir (ADV).

Methods: In this study, 72 CHB patients with suboptimal response to ADV were assessed, with 37 patients receiving lamivudine plus ADV (group A) and 35 patients receiving telbivudine plus ADV (group B).