Risk factors of low-level viremia in chronic hepatitis B patients receiving Entecavir monotherapy: a retrospective cohort study.

Background And Aim: Low-level viremia (LLV), a special case of poor response to antiviral therapy, has become a focus of liver disease research; however, most studies have focused on poor response to antiviral therapy, and little attention has been paid to LLV. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the factors influencing LLV in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) receiving entecavir (ETV) monotherapy.

Methods: Clinical data of CHB patients receiving ETV treatment for at least 1 year at the outpatient department of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from November 2018 to June 2020 were collected.

VDR rs7975232/ApaI genetic variation predicts sustained HBsAg loss in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients treated with pegylated interferon.

Aim: To evaluate the predictive value of vitamin D and its metabolic pathway gene polymorphisms in response to pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) in hepatitis B early antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.

Methods: One hundred and nineteen HBeAg-positive CHB patients who received Peg-IFN monotherapy for 48 weeks and then were followed-up for another 48 weeks were prospectively enrolled; baseline 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-(OH)D) and hepatitis B virus serologic marker levels were detected, nine critical single nucleotide polymorphisms within vitamin D metabolism were genotyped.

Results: Forty-five (37.

Role of interleukin-21 and interleukin-21 receptor polymorphisms in the treatment of HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients with peginterferon.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between interleukin-21 (IL-21) and interleukin-21 receptor (IL-21R) polymorphisms and the response to peginterferon alfa (PEG-IFN α) therapy in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.A total of 143 HBeAg-positive CHB patients treated for 48 weeks with PEG-IFN α and followed up for 24 weeks post-treatment were retrospectively evaluated. Genotypes analysis was performed for IL-21 polymorphisms rs907715, rs2221903, and IL-21R polymorphisms rs3093301 and rs2285452.

Amino acid sequence analysis in patients with chronic HCV genotype 1b infection during pegylated interferon-α2a and ribavirin therapy.

Background: Amino acid variations in several HCV genomic regions have been reported to be associated with response to interferon (IFN)-α plus ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy. However, the results remain controversial. In this study, we further investigated the amino acid variation of full-length HCV genome and its correlation to the response to pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN)-α2a and RBV combination therapy in patients with HCV genotype 1b (HCV-1b).

Synergistic effects of soluble PD-1 and IL-21 on antitumor immunity against H22 murine hepatocellular carcinoma.

Cancer immunotherapies are designed to elicit T-cell responses that inhibit tumor growth. Previous studies have demonstrated that interleukin 21 (IL-21) is a promising cytokine for cancer immunotherapy due to its ability to induce the immunity of T cells and natural killer cells, whereas blockade of the interaction of programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) with its ligand (PD-L1) reduces peripheral tolerance. In the current study, we investigated IL-21 alone and in combination with soluble PD-1 (sPD-1) for the treatment of experimental H22 murine hepatocarcinoma.

[The effect of telbivudine on peripheral blood CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells and its significance in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

Objective: To investigate the effect of telbivudine on peripheral blood regulatory T cells and its significance in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Methods: Thirty-six HbeAg positive chronic hepatitis B patients were recruited and received telbivudine treatment for 9 months. Before and during the 3, 6, 9 months of treatment, flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of peripheral blood Tregs; real-time PCR was used to detect the levels of HBV DNA in the serum.

[Effect of KLF6 and its splice variant KLF6V on proliferation and differentiation of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells].

Objective: To investigate the roles of Kruppel-like factor 6 (KLF6) and its splice variant KLF6V on suppressing growth and inducing differentiation of human hepatocellular carcinoma hepG2 cells.

Method: KLF6V cDNA was amplificated by RT-PCR from human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue and then sequenced. The recombinant vectors expressing KLF6 variant (KLF6V) were constructed using molecular clone technology based on established plasmid pcDNA3.

Inactivation of the tumor suppressor Krüppel-like factor 6 (KLF6) by mutation or decreased expression in hepatocellular carcinomas.

Background And Aim: The Krüppel-like transcription factor KLF6 is a novel tumor-suppressor gene. It was inactivated in human prostate cancer and other tumors tissue, as the result of frequent mutation and loss of heterozygosity (LOH). However, there is no data reporting the levels of KLF6 both mRNA and protein in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs).

[Application of PCR-based tRNAval Pol III-shRNA expression cassettes in screening of efficient siRNA for inhibiting hepatitis B virus].

Objective: To screen efficient siRNA for inhibiting hepatitis B virus using the technique of PCR-based tRNA(val) Pol III-shRNA expression cassettes (SECs).

Methods: Based on core gene sequence of HBV, five target sites of siRNA were designed. tRNAval Pol III-shRNA expression cassettes produced by one-step overlapping extension PCR strategy were co-transfected with HBV C gene and pC-EGFP plasmid into AD293 cells respectively.

[Mutations of the tumor suppressor Kruppel-like factor 6 (KLF6) gene in hepatocellular carcinoma and its effect of growth suppression on human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2].

Objective: To explore the mutated KLF6 gene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to characterize its behavior in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2.

Methods: We analyzed the DNA isolated from 23 hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and their adjacent nontumor tissues by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Direct sequencing was used to establish the incidence of mutation in exon2 of the KLF6 gene.

[Inhibition of HBs-GFP fusion gene expression by RNA interference].

Objective: To develop an effective report gene system to test the effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA).

Methods: HBV S gene was fused with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene to form HBs-GFP and the plasmid containing HBs-GFP was constructed. A vector expressing small hairpin RNA (shRNA) pAVU6 + 4sh357 was also constructed.

[Establish a screening system for selection of mRNA target sites for HBsAg to construct siRNA with shRNA].

Objective: To find some effective short interfering RNA's sites targeting HBV surface gene sequence using shRNA expression vectors.

Methods: Four shRNA expression vectors targeting HBV surface gene sequence were constructed based on pAVU6 + 27 vector, and cotransfected into AD293 cells with HBs-EGFP fusion gene plasmid. The changes of HBs-EGFP image were detected by FACS and microscopy.