[Analysis of clinical characteristics of persistent HBeAg positivity in patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues].

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics of persistent HBeAg positivity in patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed according to different data types. An independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, or Fisher's exact probability method were used. Chronic hepatitis B patients followed up for four years were collected from the follow-up case database of the Department of Infectious Diseases of Zhongshan Third Hospital from January 2009 to December 2018 and were divided into two groups, A and B, with 87 and 145 cases respectively, according to the duration of HBeAg-negativity≤ 3 and persistent positivity >3 years. Statistical analysis was conducted on the age, gender, family history, baseline, follow-up visit duration, liver function, and other data among the two patient groups. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, family history of liver cirrhosis, family history of liver cancer, liver cirrhosis condition before treatment, fatty liver disease combined condition before treatment, baseline HBsAg, anti-HBc, alanine aminotransferase, albumin, or total bilirubin between the two groups of patients (P > 0.05). HBV DNA and HBeAg were significantly higher in group B than those in group A at baseline, with P≤0.001. Aspartate aminotransferase and γ-glutamyl transferase were significantly higher in group A than those in group B at baseline. The proportion of family history of hepatitis B was significantly higher in group B (69.0%) than that in group A (50.6%) among the two groups of patients, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.005). The proportion of mothers with hepatitis B was significantly higher in group B (25.5%) than in group A (11.5%), P = 0.010. During the treatment process, the HBV DNA quantification was significantly higher in group B than that in group A at 0.5 and 1 years (P≤0.002). The proportion of HBV DNA <100IU/ml was also significantly different at six months and one year (χ(2)=30.327, P < 0.001 and χ(2)=11.779, P = 0.001). The HBsAg level was higher in group B than that of group A in the second and fourth years, P < 0.05. During the entire treatment process, the HBeAg level was significantly higher in group B than that in group A (P < 0.001). A total of seven cases developed liver cirrhosis or cancer during follow-up, including three cases in group A and four cases in group B (P > 0.05). Conclusion: HBeAg-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B have persistent HBeAg positivity when treated with long-term nucleos(t)ide analogues. Accordingly, a greater proportion of this kind of patient family and mothers have a remarkable history of hepatitis B and a reduced HBV DNA relapse rate in the early stages (within a year or less).

Population-based asbestosis surveillance in British Columbia.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the use of multiple health data sources for population-based asbestosis surveillance in British Columbia, Canada. METHODS: Provincial health insurance registration records, workers' compensation records, hospitalisation records, and outpatient medical service records were linked using individual-specific study identifiers. The study population was restricted to individuals > or = 15 years of age living in the province during 1992-2004. RESULTS: 1170 new asbestosis cases were identified from 1992 to 2004 for an overall incidence rate of 2.82 (men: 5.48, women: 0.23) per 100,000 population; 96% of cases were male and average (SD) age was 69 (10) years. Although the annual number of new cases increased by 30% during the surveillance period (beta = 2.36, p = 0.019), the observed increase in annual incidence rates was not significant (beta = 0.02, p = 0.398). Workers' compensation, hospitalisation and outpatient databases identified 23%, 48% and 50% of the total new cases, respectively. Of the new cases, 82% were identified through single data sources, 10% were only recorded in the workers' compensation records, and 36% only in each of the hospitalisation and outpatient records. 84% of hospitalisation cases and 83% of outpatient cases were not included in the workers' compensation records. The three data sources showed different temporal trends in the annual number of new cases and annual incidence rates. CONCLUSIONS: Single data sources were not sufficient to identify all new cases, thus leading to serious underestimations of the true burden of asbestosis. Integrating multiple health data sources could provide a more complete picture in population-based surveillance of asbestosis and other occupational diseases.

Relationship between reduced forced expiratory volume in one second and the risk of lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with severely impaired lung function have an increased risk of lung cancer. Whether milder reductions in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) also increase the risk of lung cancer is controversial. Moreover, there is little consensus on whether men and women have similar risks for lung cancer for similar decreases in FEV(1). METHODS: A search was conducted of PubMed and EMBASE from January 1966 to January 2005 and studies that examined the relationship between FEV1 and lung cancer were identified. The search was limited to studies that were population based, employed a prospective design, were large in size (> or = 5000 participants), and adjusted for cigarette smoking status. RESULTS: Twenty eight abstracts were identified, six of which did not report FEV1 and eight did not adjust for smoking. Included in this report are four studies that reported FEV1 in quintiles. The risk of lung cancer increased with decreasing FEV1. Compared with the highest quintile of FEV1 (> 100% of predicted), the lowest quintile of FEV1 (< approximately 70% of predicted) was associated with a 2.23 fold (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.73 to 2.86) increase in the risk for lung cancer in men and a 3.97 fold increase in women (95% CI 1.93 to 8.25). Even relatively small decrements in FEV1 ( approximately 90% of predicted) increased the risk for lung cancer by 30% in men (95% CI 1.05 to 1.62) and 2.64 fold in women (95% CI 1.30 to 5.31). CONCLUSION: Reduced FEV1 is strongly associated with lung cancer. Even a relatively modest reduction in FEV1 is a significant predictor of lung cancer, especially among women.

Association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and systemic inflammation: a systematic review and a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, and muscle wasting. Systemic inflammation may be involved in the pathogenesis of these disorders. A study was undertaken to determine whether systemic inflammation is present in stable COPD. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted of studies which reported on the relationship between COPD, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) or forced vital capacity (FVC), and levels of various systemic inflammatory markers: C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, leucocytes, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukins 6 and 8. Where possible the results were pooled together to produce a summary estimate using a random or fixed effects model. RESULTS: Fourteen original studies were identified. Overall, the standardised mean difference in the CRP level between COPD and control subjects was 0.53 units (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34 to 0.72). The standardised mean difference in the fibrinogen level was 0.47 units (95% CI 0.29 to 0.65). Circulating leucocytes were also higher in COPD than in control subjects (standardised mean difference 0.44 units (95% CI 0.20 to 0.67)), as were serum TNF-alpha levels (standardised mean difference 0.59 units (95% CI 0.29 to 0.89)). CONCLUSIONS: Reduced lung function is associated with increased levels of systemic inflammatory markers which may have important pathophysiological and therapeutic implications for subjects with stable COPD.

[Effects of 8 years community intervention on risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in Fangshan Beijing].

OBJECTIVE: To study the changes of risk factors of cardiovascular disease in the rural community population after intervention. METHODS: The Beijing Fangshan cardiovascular prevention program was a community-based comprehensive intervention study which was launched from 1991 and ended in 2000 in five communities including three as intervention communities (IC) and two as control communities (CC) in Fangshan, Beijing suburb. The intervention measures were focused on health education and hypertension control. The changes of risk factors of cardiovascular disease in IC and CC were analyzed using random sample in the year 1991, 1995 and 1999, respectively. The risk factors include systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), body mass index(BMI), serum total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL), smoking, and drinking. RESULTS: From the year 1991 to 1999, the risk factors of cardiovascular disease such as SBP, DBP, smoking rate and drinking rate were reduced in the population of IC. For male in IC, the decline of SBP, DBP, smoking rate, and drinking rate were 1.6 mmHg, 1.1 mmHg, 14.5% (P < 0.01) and 3.7%, respectively. For female of IC, SBP and DBP declined 4.8 mmHg (P < 0.01) and 3.2 mmHg (P < 0.01), respectively. SBP, DBP and smoking rate in the population of CC had a little reduction while BMI, TC and TG increased in both IC and CC. During the period of 1991 to 1999, most cardiovascular risk factors in the population of IC had net reduction compared to that of CC. CONCLUSIONS: Except for BMI and lipids, rural community intervention, as focused on health education and hypertension control, has resulted in the reduction of most risk factors of cardiovascular disease.

[The effect of Beijing Fangshan Cardiovascular Prevention Program on the incidence and mortality of stroke].

OBJECTIVE: To explore potential effective measures for lowering incidence and mortality of stroke in rural community population of China. METHODS: Beijing Fangshan Cardiovascular Prevention Program (BFCP), under whole population and high risk individuals strategies with measures of health education and hypertension control, were launched in 1991 in five communities including intervention communities (IC), about 66,000 residents, and control communities (CC), about 54,000 residents, in Fangshan, Beijing suburb. RESULT: Incidences of stroke averaged 235.23 per 100,000 and 289.22 per 100,000, for IC and CC respectively, with a statistically significant difference, and mortalities of stroke averaged 80.63 per 100,000 and 98.01 per 100,000, for IC and CC respectively, with a statistically significant difference, during years of 1992 to 1999. The net change of stroke incidence was 126.13 per 100,000 in IC versus CC, with a statistically significant difference. Incidences of stroke increased by 11.63% and 75.27%, for IC and CC respectively, while mortalities of stroke decreased by 46.80% and 22.82%, respectively, for IC and CC from years of 1992 to 1999. CONCLUSION: BFCP has yielded obvious effect on controlling incidence and mortality of stroke in rural community population, but the trend of stroke incidence increasing was still not restrained radically.