Prevalence and risk factors of covert hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients: A multicenter study in China.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE) in cirrhotic patients in China and its risk factors.

Methods: A multicenter prospective observational study was conducted from January 2021 to March 2022 at 16 medical centers across China to investigate the risk factors of CHE and establish a prediction model for CHE episodes.

Results: A total of 528 patients were enrolled in the study.

Real-world study on HBsAg loss of combination therapy in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients.

Combination therapy with pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) can enhance hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance. However, the specific treatment strategy and the patients who would benefit the most are unclear. Therefore, we assessed the HBsAg loss rate of add-on PEG-IFN and explored the factors associated with HBsAg loss in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.

ICAM-1 controls development and function of ILC2.

Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are emerging as key players in the pathogenesis of allergic airway inflammation. The mechanisms regulating ILC2, however, are not fully understood. Here, we found that ICAM-1 is required for the development and function of ILC2.

[Hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutation in enhancer I (HBV Enh I)/X-promoter and the relationship between chronic HBV-related disease spectrum].

Objective: To investigate the hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutation in the Enhancer I (HBV Enh I)/X-promoter and to analysis the relationship between chronic HBV-related disease spectrum.

Methods: 275 patients were enrolled in this study, including 100 cases of chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 74 cases of liver cirrhosis (LC), 101 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), grouping by different HBV genotypes, using semi-nested PCR amplification of HBV Enh I/X-promoter and sequencing DNA, the mutations were determined by alignment to HBV reference sequence, the data was compared by chi2 test and analyzed by multivariate logistic regression.

Results: (1) Genotyping results: 61.

[Study on the copy numbers and mRNA expression levels of the programmed death-1 gene in chronic hepatitis B patients].

Objective: To study the copy numbers and mRNA expression levels of the Programmed Death-1 gene in chronic hepatitis B patients and to analyze the differences of the copy numbers and mRNA expression levels of the gene in patients with different clinical outcomes.

Methods: Real time PCR was adopted to detect the PD-1 gene copy numbers and their mRNA expressions in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 27 samples from healthy donors in Control group, 31 samples from chronic asymptomatic HBV carriers (ASC, n=31), 19 samples from chronic severe hepatitis B patients (CSH, n=19) and 29 samples from Primary hepatitis B Virus-related hepatocarcinoma (PHC, n=29). The differences and relationship of copy numbers and their mRNA expression levels among those groups were compared and analyzed by adopting Chi-square test and Rank sum test.

[Population expansion of Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis at Jiuduansha, Shanghai based on cellular automata model].

Based on the field survey and the interpretation and analysis of satellite images about the population expansion patterns of Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis at Jiuduansha shoals in 1997-2004, and combined with 3S techniques, a cellular automata (CA) model was built to simulate the population dynamics of plants adaptable to salt marsh. The results showed that the model could well simulate the population expansion pattern and trend of S. alterniflora and P.

[Study of laboratory characteristic of 4 patients with sporadic severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2004].

Objective: To analyze the laboratory characteristics of patients with sporadic severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in China.

Methods: The laboratory findings of the 4 cases with SARS occurring in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China, in 2004 were analyzed and compared with that during epidemic.

Results: Leukopenia and lymphocytopenia were seen in all the patients.

[Study on the damage of liver in patients with SARS].

Objective: To study the changes in liver function and histopathology, and investigate the underlying mechanism and clinical significance of damage of liver in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

Methods: According the clinical diagnostic standard of atypical pneumonia of Ministry of Health P. R.

[Study on the myocardiac injury in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome].

Objective: To explore the myocardiac injury in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and its clinical significance.

Methods: 37 SARS patients fulfilled the Guangdong provincial diagnostic criteria for infectious atypical pneumonia and 35 health controls were investigated. The serum levels of creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate transaminase (AST), troponin I (TnI), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and myoglobin (MYO) were measured.