Predictive value of Th17 and Treg cells at baseline for HBsAg loss in chronic hepatitis B patients with low HBsAg quantification treated with pegylated interferon and nucleos(t)ide analogue.

Background And Aims: The primary goal of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treatment is to reduce hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). T helper 17 (Th17) and regulatory T (Treg) cells are essential for the development of CHB. However, how Th17 and Treg cells contribute to HBsAg loss is still unknown.

Changes of cytokine levels and T cell surface molecules in patients with chronic hepatitis B and the association with functional cure.

This study aimed to examine changes in levels of cytokine and T cell surface molecules in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients receiving sequential interferon therapy following 1-year nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) treatment. Cytokine levels were measured in 30 patients, and T cell surface molecule expression was measured in 48 patients receiving sequential interferon therapy and 24 patients only receiving NA mono-therapy. An HBsAg titer of <0.

The relationship between the clearance of HBsAg and the remodeling of B cell subsets in CHB patients treated with Peg-IFN-α.

Background: The seroconversion of the hepatitis B antigen is the ideal outcome for long-acting interferon-pegylated interferon-α (Peg-IFN-α) treatment among patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). B-cell response plays an important role in the process of hepatitis B antigen clearance, but the specific mechanism by which B-cell improve hepatitis B virus (HBV) is still unclear.

Methods: A total of 103 CHB patients participated in this study.

Elevated Serum IgG Levels Positively Correlated with IL-27 May Indicate Poor Outcome in Patients with HBV-Related Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure.

Background And Aims: Serum immunoglobulins are frequently increased in patients with chronic liver disease, but little is known about the role of serum immunoglobulins and their correlations with interleukin-27 (IL-27) in patients with HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF). This study was aimed at determining the role of serum immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, and IgM) levels and their associations with IL-27 in noncirrhotic patients with HBV-ACLF.

Methods: Samples were assessed from thirty patients with HBV-ACLF, twenty-four chronic hepatitis B (CHB) subjects, and eighteen normal controls.

Transient Elastography and Ultrasonography: Optimal Evaluation of Liver Fibrosis and Cirrhosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Concurrent with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background And Aims: Concordance between transient elastography (TE) and ultrasonography (US) in assessing liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and concurrent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been rarely studied. This study aimed to evaluate the individual and combined performances of TE and US in assessing liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.

Patients And Methods: Consecutive CHB patients with NAFLD were prospectively enrolled.

Increased IL-17-producing CD8 T cell frequency predicts short-term mortality in patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure.

Background: IL-17-producing CD8 T (Tc17) cells promote inflammation and have been identified in chronic hepatitis. However, the role of Tc17 cells in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) remains unclear.

Methods: The frequency of Tc17 cells in blood samples from 66 patients with HBV-ACLF was determined by flow cytometry.

Increased CCR7PD-1CXCR5CD4 T Cells in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Are Correlated with Immune Activation in Patients with Chronic HBV Infection.

T follicular helper cells (Tfh cells) affect essential immune pathogenesis in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The CCR7PD-1 Tfh subset has a partial Tfh effector phenotype and is associated with active Tfh differentiation, whereas the CCR7PD-1 Tfh subset is a resting phenotype. We recruited 20 healthy volunteers and 77 patients with chronic HBV infection, including those in the immune tolerant (IT) phase (n=19), immune clearance (IC) phase (n=20), low replicative (LR) phase (n=18), and reactivation (RA) phase (n=20).

Th17 cells over 5.9% at admission indicate poor prognosis in patients with HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure.

Our previous study demonstrated that Th17 cells increased significantly in patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF). However, their prognostic role in HBV-ACLF patients remains unknown.Sixty-eight consecutive HBV-ACLF patients were enrolled in this cohort study.

An albumin, collagen IV, and longitudinal diameter of spleen scoring system superior to APRI for assessing liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to screen the non-invasive indexes correlated with liver fibrosis and establish a scoring system for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in hepatitis B patients.

Methods: Data of 34 non-invasive indexes were collected for 208 hepatitis B patients. Correlation analysis and stepwise discriminant analysis was used to screen out indexes useful for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis.

Liver myofibroblasts regulate the phenotype and function of monocytes through soluble factors in cirrhosis.

The ability of lymphocytes and macrophage-derived cytokines and chemokines to modulate the activation of stromal cells during immune responses is well-documented, but few studies have investigated whether liver myofibroblasts shape the phenotype and function of monocytes in liver disease. In the present study, Kupffer cells were demonstrated to be activated in the inflamed livers of patients with cirrhosis and be in close contact with liver myofibroblasts. The Kupffer cells from cirrhotic livers expressed significantly elevated levels of PD-L1 (also termed B7-H1), TLR4, CD80, CD32 and CD64 relative to those from normal livers.