Background: Occult HBV infection (OBI) is of great concern due to their complicated diagnosis and potential for public transmission.
Objective: The study aimed to determine the clinical prevalence of OBI and if viral immune escape-associated mutations contribute to the occurrence of OBI.
Study Design: A total of 91,037 HBV-infected patients with different related illnesses who were admitted to the Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2005 to December 2017 were tested for OBI. Serum samples from 62 patients with OBI manifestations (OBI patients) and 124 matched non-OBI patients were sequenced for possible immune escape-associated mutations within the major hydrophilic region of HBV S protein. HBsAg and HBV DNA levels in representative viral strains were measured.
Results: Of the 91,037 tested patients, 487 (0.53 %) were negative for HBsAg but positive for HBV DNA and were defined as OBI patients. The prevalence in different illness categories varied. Immune escape-associated mutations were more frequently detected in OBI patients than in non-OBI patients (59.68 % vs. 35.48 %, P < 0.01), as did the coexistence of multiple mutations (43.55 % vs. 22.58 %, P < 0.01). Specifically, the prevalence rates of sT118 K, sK122R, and sV168A were increased in OBI patients. Strains with sK122R mutants (sK122R, sK122R + D144E, sK122R + C121R + D144E, and sK122R + F134L + D144E) from a follow-up OBI patient all showed significantly lower levels of HBsAg production than a wild-type strain.
Conclusions: The study clarified the clinical prevalence of OBI, verified the influence of immune escape-associated mutations, and identified the role of the sK122R mutation in multiple OBI patients.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcv.2020.104564 | DOI Listing |
Pract Radiat Oncol
January 2025
Department of Radiation Oncology, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA. Electronic address:
Purpose/objective: Partial breast irradiation (PBI) delivered with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) over five fractions every other day (QOD) represents an attractive, convenient method of delivering adjuvant radiation therapy for well selected patients without compromising oncologic or toxicity outcomes. Condensing this regimen to a week of treatment through consecutive daily delivery may further increase patient convenience, though comparison of toxicities between daily and QOD regimens are limited.
Materials/methods: We retrospectively reviewed 507 patients from an institutional registry undergoing PBI for DCIS or early-stage breast cancer (T1-2N0/x) from 2015 to 2022.
J Glob Antimicrob Resist
January 2025
Dept of Respiratory Medicine, Harefield Hospital, Hill End Rd, UB9 6JH, London, UK. Electronic address:
Objectives: Antibacterial-resistant gram-negative hospital-acquired infections result in significant morbidity and mortality. In clinical trials, ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T) has been effective against these infections; however, real-world findings are limited.
Methods: SPECTRA was a global, retrospective, observational inpatient study of adults treated with C/T for ≥48 hours, conducted between 2016 and 2020.
Lung
January 2025
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Albany Medical College, 16 New Scotland Avenue, MC-91, Albany, NY, 12208, USA.
Purpose: The priorities and concerns of sarcoidosis patients in the United States (US) have not been well-described.
Methods: A survey constructed by sarcoidosis patients and doctors was administered to US sarcoidosis patients. The survey queried patients concerning their demographics, disease state, disease impact on health and well-being, health care priorities and impressions of sarcoidosis care.
Patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) primary breast cancer (BC) have low pathological complete response (pCR) rates with neoadjuvant chemotherapy. A subset of ER+/HER2- BC contains dense lymphocytic infiltration. We hypothesized that addition of an anti-programmed death 1 agent may increase pCR rates in this BC subtype.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Med
January 2025
University of California Los Angeles, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Addition of pembrolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab improved outcomes in patients with high-risk, early-stage, triple-negative breast cancer. However, whether the addition of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab to chemotherapy would improve outcomes in high-risk, early-stage, estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (ER/HER2) breast cancer remains unclear. We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study (KEYNOTE-756) in which patients with previously untreated ER/HER2 grade 3 high-risk invasive breast cancer (T1c-2 (≥2 cm), cN1-2 or T3-4, cN0-2) were randomly assigned (1:1) to neoadjuvant pembrolizumab 200 mg or placebo Q3W given with paclitaxel QW for 12 weeks, followed by four cycles of doxorubicin or epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide Q2W or Q3W.
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