Increasing incidence of recent hepatitis D virus infection in HIV-infected patients in an area hyperendemic for hepatitis B virus infection.

BACKGROUND: Superinfection with hepatitis D virus (HDV) may increase the risk for hepatitis flares and chronic hepatic complications in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This retrospective observational study aimed to examine the incidence of and factors associated with recent HDV superinfection among individuals coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HBV. METHOD: Anti-HDV immunoglobulin G (IgG) was sequentially determined in 375 HIV/HBV-coinfected patients to estimate the HDV incidence between 1992 and 2012. Plasma HDV and HBV loads and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) levels were determined for the HDV seroconverters. A nested case-control study was conducted to identify the associated factors with HDV seroconversion. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using HDV sequences amplified from HDV seroconverters and HDV-seropositive patients at baseline. RESULTS: During 1762.4 person-years of follow-up [PYFU], 16 patients seroconverted for HDV, with an overall incidence rate of 9.07 per 1000 PYFU, which increased from 0 in 1992-2001, to 3.91 in 2002-2006, to 13.26 per 1000 PYFU in 2007-2012 (P < .05). Recent HDV infection was associated with elevated aminotransferase and bilirubin levels and elevated rapid plasma reagin titers. Of the 12 patients with HDV viremia, 2 were infected with genotype 2 and 10 with genotype 4. HBsAg levels remained elevated despite a significant decline of plasma HBV DNA load with combination antiretroviral therapy that contained lamivudine and/or tenofovir. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that the incidence of recent HDV infection in HIV/HBV-coinfected patients increased significantly from 1992-2001 to 2007-2011, and was associated with hepatitis flares and syphilis.

Virological, serological, and antiviral studies in an imported human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) virus in Taiwan.

We describe the clinical course and virological characteristics of the first H7N9 influenza case in a Taiwanese patient; this patient had detectable viruses in the airway for 2 weeks, during which time an oseltamivir resistance-associated R292K mutation rapidly emerged. Anti-H7N9 antibody was detected 21 days after onset of symptoms, when H7N9 viral load declined significantly.

Para-toluenesulfonamide, a novel potent carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, improves hypoxia-induced metastatic breast cancer cell viability and prevents resistance to αPD-1 therapy in triple-negative breast cancer.

Overexpression of the hypoxia-induced transmembrane enzyme carbonic anhydrase IX (CA9) has been associated with poor prognosis and chemoresistance in aggressive breast cancer. This study aimed to investigate the involvement of CA9 in the anti-tumor activity of para-toluenesulfonamide (PTS) and elucidate its mechanism of action against breast cancer both in vitro and in vivo. MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells were treated with PTS or subjected to hypoxic conditions using cobalt chloride (CoCl2), with acetazolamide serving as a positive control. Additionally, 4T1 breast cancer cell allograft mice were co-treated with PTS and α-programmed cell death 1 (αPD-1) monoclonal antibody for one month. The results demonstrated that PTS effectively reduced cell viability and reversed migration ability in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells under CoCl2-induced hypoxia. Furthermore, PTS upregulated the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and downregulated CA9, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) proteins, possibly through modulation of p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 phosphorylated proteins. In the animal model, PTS100 inhibited tumor growth and lung metastasis in mammary tumor allograft mice, exhibiting synergistic effects when combined with αPD-1 therapy. Collectively, our findings suggest that PTS inhibits breast cancer growth and metastasis through the p38 MAPK/ERK1/2 pathway. Moreover, PTS may have the potential to prevent the development of resistance to αPD-1 therapy in breast cancer.

Recent hepatitis C virus infections in HIV-infected patients in Taiwan: incidence and risk factors.

Outbreaks of sexually transmitted hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections have been recently reported in HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in Europe, Australia, and North America. Little is known concerning whether this also occurs in other Asia-Pacific countries. Between 1994 and 2010, a prospective observational cohort study was performed to assess the incidence of recent HCV seroconversion in 892 HIV-infected patients (731 MSM and 161 heterosexuals) who were not injecting drug users. A nested case-control study was conducted to identify associated factors with recent HCV seroconversion, and phylogenetic analysis was performed using NS5B sequences amplified from seroconverters. During a total followup duration of 4,270 person-years (PY), 30 patients (3.36%) had HCV seroconversion, with an overall incidence rate of 7.03 per 1,000 PY. The rate increased from 0 in 1994 to 2000 and 2.29 in 2001 to 2005 to 10.13 per 1,000 PY in 2006 to 2010 (P < 0.05). After adjustment for age and HIV transmission route, recent syphilis remained an independent factor associated with HCV seroconversion (odds ratio, 7.731; 95% confidence interval, 3.131 to 19.086; P < 0.01). In a nested case-control study, seroconverters had higher aminotranferase levels and were more likely to have CD4 ≥ 200 cells/µl and recent syphilis than nonseroconverters (P < 0.05). Among the 21 patients with HCV viremia, phylogenetic analysis revealed 7 HCV transmission clusters or pairs (4 within genotype 1b, 2 within genotype 2a, and 1 within genotype 3a). The incidence of HCV seroconversion that is associated with recent syphilis is increasing among HIV-infected patients in Taiwan.

Carbon dots with polarity-tunable characteristics for the selective detection of sodium copper chlorophyllin and copper ions.

Compared to water-soluble carbon dots (CDs) the properties and applications of hydrophobic CDs are rarely addressed. In this study, a one-pot, simple chemical oxidation approach has been applied to synthesize hydrophobic carbon dots (TO-CDs) at room temperature from triolein (TO) in concentrated sulfuric acid solution. Sodium copper chlorophyllin (SCC) quenches the fluorescence of TO-CDs by a photoinduced electron transfer process. Upon excitation at 400 nm, the fluorescence intensity of TO-CDs probe at 500 nm shows a linear response against the SCC concentration ranging from 1.0 to 10 µM, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.61 µM. Quantitation of SCC in flavored drinks shows percentage recovery (%R) vaues of 98-103% and relative standard deviation (RSD) values less than 6.5%. The hydrophobic TO-CDs can be converted into hydrophilic TO-CDs through hydrolysis in NaOH solution. The presence of sulfonyl groups on the hydrophilic TO-CDs enhances the coordination ability of the CDs toward Cu2+ ions, leading to fluorescence quenching which allows for the detection of Cu2+ ions with LOD of 0.21 µM and a linear range of 0.5-10 µM. The hydrophilic TO-CD probe possesses high selectivity toward Cu2+ ions (tolerance at least ten-fold comparative to other metal ions). The assay has been validated with the analysis of spiked soil samples, with %R values of Cu concentration of 97.8-99.0% and RSDs below 2.0%. The surface tunable CD probes demonstrate their potential for the rapid screening of Cu2+ ions in environmental samples and SCC in foods.