Effect of expressing of anti-PD-1 antibody in mouse mammary gland on spleen T cells in transgenic mice / 生物工程学报

This study aims to investigate the effect of anti-PD-1 antibody expressed in mouse mammary gland on the surface antigen protein of spleen T cells, cytokine expression, spleen CD4+ T cell proliferation and proliferation related pathways of transgenic mice at the cellular level. Transgenic mice expressing anti-human PD-1 antibody at 8 weeks of age without pregnancy and 18 weeks of age with lactation were divided into two groups, with transgenic negative mice in each group as the control. Spleen lymphocytes were extracted and the changes of spleen lymphocytes were detected. Compared with transgenic negative mice, the proportion of effector T cells of spleen T cells in the immune system of transgenic mice with anti-PD-1 antibody expressed in breast increased, the proportion of Treg cells decreased, and the IFN-γ, IL-17 and IL-2 expressed in CD4+ T cells increased in varying degrees. Moreover, IL-4, IL-10 and TGF-β in CD4+ T cells did not change, nor did some cell surface protein molecules related to T cell stimulate. There was no significant difference in T cell proliferation between transgenic positive and transgenic negative mice. In transgenic positive mice, the expression of phosphorylated proteins in PI3K/Akt/mTOR and RAS/MEK/ERK pathways were partially up-regulated, but the whole pathway was not completely up-regulated. Therefore, it is feasible to use transgenic mice as host to express monoclonal antibodies related to immune system such as anti-PD-1 antibody.

Seroprevalence and associated risk factors for hepatitis B virus among pregnant women attending health facility in Osogbo, Nigeria

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among pregnant women has a high rate of vertical transmission and consequential effects on fetal and neonatal outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of infection among pregnant women attending antenatal care services in Osogbo, Nigeria. Methodology This hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant women attending routine antenatal care clinic between April and June 2021. Systematic random sampling technique was used to recruit 240 pregnant women, their data were collected by face to face interview using a pretested questionnaire, while blood sample was collected aseptically to determine hepatitis B surface antigen by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay test kit. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to examine the association between explanatory variables and outcome variable. Results The mean age and seroprevalence of the study population were 27.50 ± 4.4 years and 5.8% respectively. The significant risk factors for HBV infection were tattooing (aOR = 5.22; 95% CI = 0.52­8.01; p = 0.0000), history of multiple sexual partners (aOR = 2.88; 95% CI = 1.92­12.42; p = 0.0044); and past history of contact with HBV patient (aOR = 2.17; 95% CI = 1.21­15.32; p = 0.0310) were significant predictors of HBV infection. Conclusion The seroprevalence of HBV from this study was of intermediate endemicity. We therefore, advocate for continuous health education programs on the mode of HBV transmission, high-risk behaviors and methods of preventions at antenatal care clinics to raise the awareness of mothers and limit the spread of infection.

Cost-benefit analysis of hepatitis B virus serological and nucleic acid testing in blood donors / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 In an effort to prevent transfusion-transmitted hepatitis B infection, universal HBsAg screening, HBsAg+ MP nucleic acid test(NAT) for HBV and HBsAg + individual(ID) NAT were analyzed for cost-effectiveness. 【Methods】 On the basis of screening data and the documented parameter, the number of window period infections, chronic infections and occult infections was constructed, and cost-benefit analysis was conducted. 【Results】 Of 132 208 donations, the yield rate of ID NAT for HBsAg-/DNA+ (0.11%) was significantly higher than HBsAg+ MP NAT(0.058%). Furthermore, the predicted preventing transfusion transmitted HBV cases by ID NAT is 1.25 times as that by MP-6 NAT, so did the benefits. The cost-benefit of the three screening models were 1∶63.6、1∶28.6 and 1∶53.4. 【Conclusion】 Universal HBsAg in combination with ID HBV NAT screening was the most effective among all screening strategy. It is necessary to applied HBsAg and ID HBV NAT screening for the safety of blood transfusion.

Evaluation and influencing factor analysis of the detection effect of hepatitis B virus surface antigen and treponema pallidum using rapid screening immunochromatography technology / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To evaluate the effectiveness of rapid initial screening using HBsAg and syphilis reagents of immunochromatography technology before blood donation, and explore the influencing factors. 【Methods】 The pre-donation screening of HBsAg and anti-TP and post-donation blood test results of blood donors in Yangzhou region from January 2020 to June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The HBsAg and anti-TP reactive samples by ELISA from January to June 2023 were, retested using colloidal gold immunochromatographic reagents, and the results were compared and analyzed. 【Results】 A total of 200 414 blood donors were screened, among which 781 were HBsAg and anti-TP positive, accounting for 0.39%. A total of 191 717 blood donors successfully donated blood, and 986 were HBsAg and anti-TP positive by ELISA, accounting for 0.51%. 62 HBsAg and 61 anti-TP reactive samples were retested using the initial screening reagent, with 24 HBsAg reactive samples and 26 anti-TP reactive samples, accounting for 38.71% and 42.62% respectively. 14 HBsAg and 6 anti-TP gray area samples were retested, but no reactivity was found.The reactivity rates of 9 samples with HBsAg detection S/CO values greater than 25.0 and 10 samples with anti-TP detection S/CO values greater than 15.0 were all 100%.There was a negative correlation between the reaction intensity (S/CO value) of reactive samples and interpretation time of initial screening reaction. 【Conclusion】 The rapid primary screening of hepatitis B and syphilis with immunochromatography technology among blood donors can effectively improve the quality of blood and the qualification rate of blood after collection. Through targeted training of primary screening staff, the quality of primary screening can be further improved, the rate of missed detection can be reduced, and costs can be saved, thus reducing the risk of transfusion transmitted infection and ensuring the health of blood donors.

Clinical value of highly sensitive hepatitis B virus surface antigen and DNA assays / 中华检验医学杂志

For patients with chronic hepatitis B, the indications of antiviral treatment are gradually expanding, and the pursuit of various degrees of cure (partial cure, functional cure and complete cure) is consistently improving, which enhances the urgent clinical need for improving the detection sensitivity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen and DNA. Based on the availability of commercial highly sensitive hepatitis B surface antigen and HBV DNA detection reagents, we summarized their applications in the diagnosis of HBV infection, their role on guiding selection of antiviral treatment agents and treatment plans, their prediction efficacy and indication for drug withdrawal, their role on monitoring therapy efficacy and the prediction of disease outcomes. Taken together, highly sensitive hepatitis B virus surface antigen and DNA assays and related detection technology play an important role in the whole management process of chronic HBV infection.

Detection of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subpopulations among patients positive for both hepatitis B virus surface antigen and surface antibody / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To investigate the frequency of peripheral blood T cells among patients positive for both hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) and surface antibody (HBsAb). Methods　 Thirty six patients with co-existence of HBsAg and HBsAb diagnosed were enrolled as the experimental group, who were admitted by Shanghai tenth people's hospital and Wuxi 9th people's hospital from 2014 to 2020. while 40 patients tested positive for HBsAg and negative for HBsAb served as controls, who were admitted by Wuxi 9th people's hospital. Flow cytometry was used to detect and compare the proportions of peripheral blood CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells between the experimental and control groups. In addition, the associations of serum HBsAb level with peripheral blood T cell proportions, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were examined among chronic hepatitis B patients with co-existence of HBsAg and HBsAb using Pearson correlation analysis. Results　The median age, gender distribution, mean ALT and AST concentrations, proportion of HBV DNA viral load>103 copies/mL, seroprevalence of HBV E antigen (HBeAg), seroprevalence of HBV E antibody (HBeAb), seroprevalence of HBV core antibody (HBcAb) were comparable between the experimental and control groups, and there were no significant difference in them (P>0.05). There were no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of CD3+ T cell proportion [(71.83±1.50)% vs (72.75±1.47)%; t=0.66, P>0.05], CD4+ T cell proportion [(36.81±1.53)% vs (39.88±1.57)%; t=1.43, P>0.05] and CD8+ T cell proportion [(33.17±2.04)% vs (32.40±1.75)%; t=0.77, P>0.05]. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the serum HBsAb level did not significantly correlate with peripheral blood CD3+ (r=0.026, P=0.65), CD4+ (r=‒0.08, P=0.16) and CD8+ T cell proportions (r=0.09, P=0.24), CD4+/CD8+ T proportion (r=‒0.005, P=0.35), serum ALT (r=0.04, P=0.56) and AST levels (r=0.002, P=0.69) among chronic hepatitis B patients with co-existence of HBsAg and HBsAb. Conclusions　There are no significant differences between HBsAg+/HBsAb+ and HBsAg+/HBsAb- CHB patients in terms of peripheral blood CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cell proportions.

Discontinuation of nucleoside/nucleoside analogues therapy in compensated patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis after HBsAg negative conversion / 中华临床感染病杂志

Objective:To evaluate the safety of discontinuing nucleoside/nucleoside analogue (NAs) therapy in patients with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis after HBsAg negative conversion.Methods:A total of 3 783 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis in compensated stage were treated with NAs at Taizhou Hospital, Taizhou Municipal Hospital and Taizhou Enze Hospital from January 2008 to December 2020. The clinical data and laboratory tests results of 85 patients with HBsAg negative conversion were retrospectively analyzed, including 36 cases discontinued the drug, and 49 continued to use drug. Chi-square test and rank-sum test were used for data analysis.Results:During the 24 and 48 months of follow-up, the ALT levels were within the normal range in both groups. There were no significant differences in positive rates of anti-HBs and HBeAg ( χ2=0.75, 0.39 and 0.90, P=0.78 0.84 and 0.34; χ2=0.40, 0.00 and 0.00, P=0.84, 1.00 and 1.00) between two groups. After 48 months of follow-up, 2 cases of primary liver cancer occurred in the discontinuation group and no primary liver cancer occurred in the continuation group ( χ2=0.89, P=0.34). Throughout the follow-up, HBsAg remained negative and HBV DNA load was below the lower limit of detection in both groups. Conclusions:Discontinuation of NAs can be considered after the HBsAg negative conversion in patients with compensated hepatitis B cirrhosis.

Analysis of hepatitis B virus infection status in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) on the status of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and provide data for clarifying the relationship between autoimmunity and infection.Methods:SLE patients in the department of rheumatology and immunology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2016 to December 2019 were screened. A retrospective case-control study was carried out. SLE patients with positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were gender and age matched with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in a 1∶4 ratio. Chi-square test was used to compared the positive rates of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and Paired-Samples t test or Signed rank Wilcoxon test was used to compare the HBV DNA load and HBsAg titer. Results:The positive rate of HBsAg in SLE patients was lower than the prevalence rate of HBsAg in general population in the second Chinese National Hepatitis Seroepidemiological Survey in 2006 [2.2%(27/1 227) vs 7.2%], but the positive rate of HBcAb was not obviously different from that in general population in China [33.9%(416/1 227) vs 34.1%]. Compared with matched CHB patients, the positive rate of HBeAg [37.0%(10/27) vs 58.3%(63/108), χ2=3.94, P=0.047], the HBV DNA load [0(0, 3.7) lg U/ml vs 4.8(2.2, 3.7) lg U/ml, Z=-5.37, P<0.001] and HBsAg titer [(2.0±1.5) lg U/ml vs (3.3±1.1) lg U/ml, t=-4.26, P<0.001] in SLE patients were lower. Conclusion:The HBV infection status of SLE patients is different from that of patients with chronic hepatitis B and the HBV infection is more likely to be controlled.

Development status of vector mediated Eimeria surface antigen vaccine / 中华地方病学杂志

Eimeria is the pathogen of chicken coccidiosis. Vaccine control is one of the hotspots of current study. Its surface antigen is an effective vaccine candidate molecule. This paper summarizes the development status of Eimeria surface antigen vaccine mediated by Bacille Calmettle-Guerinl (BCG), Lactococcus lactis (LL), Lactobacillus plantarum (LP), Salmonella typhimurium (St), Bacillus subtilis (Bs), Enterococcus faecalis (Efs), Escherichia coli (Ec), Cyanobacterium (Cb), Pichia, Leishmania tarentolae (Lt), viruses such as Fowlpox virus (FPV), Herpesvirus of turkey (HVT), Vaccinia virus (VV) and insect Buculovirus, in order to provide reference basis for development and application of new vaccines.

Study on Reentry Evaluation Mode for Blood Donors Used to be HBV Reactive in Jiangsu Province / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the risk of reentry in HBV reactive blood donors and feasibility of HBV reentry strategy.@*METHODS@#HBsAg+ or HBV DNA+ donors who had been quarantined for more than 6 months in Jiangsu Province could propose for reentry application. Blood samples were routinely screened by dual-ELISA for HBsAg, anti-HCV, HIV Ab/Ag, and anti- Treponema pallidum and those non-reactive ones were tested by minipool nucleic acid testing (NAT) for three times. To identify occult HBV donors, samples of NAT non-reactive were further tested by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) for HBV seromarkers (including HBsAg, HBsAb, HBeAg, HBeAb, and HBcAb). Donors of only 4 ECLIA patterns were accepted to reentry, including all 5 HBV seromarkers negative, anti-HBs only but having history of hepatitis B vaccine injection, HBcAb only, HBsAb+ / HBcAb+ with HBsAb more than 200 IU/L. Additionally, the detection rate of HBV infection was compared between routine screening mode and ECLIA, as well as the reentry qualified rate of HBsAg+ and HBV DNA+ blood donors.@*RESULTS@#From Oct. 2016 to Aug. 2019, a total of 737 HBV reactive donors had applied for reentry, including 667 HBsAg+ reactive and 70 HBV DNA+ reactive donors. Among 3 screening methods, the highest HBV detection rate (43.15%, 318/737) was observed on ECLIA, while only 4.75% (35/737) on ELISA and 3.12% (23/737) on NAT, respectively. Among 4 qualified patterns of HBV serological markers, the highest proportion was found in the all negative group (22.90%, 155/677), followed by the group with HBsAb+ only and history of hepatitis B vaccine injection (19.35%, 131/677), and the median concentration of HBsAb was 237.7 IU/L. The unqualified rate of HBV DNA+ donors was 82.86%, which was significantly higher than 47.98% of HBsAg+ donors.@*CONCLUSION@#Routine screening tests merely based on ELISA and NAT could miss occult HBV donors and may not be sufficient for blood safety. HBsAb concentration and vaccine injection history should be included in the evaluation of HBV reactive donors who intend to apply for reentry. There is a relatively larger residual risk of occult HBV infection in blood donors quarantined for HBV DNA reactive.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for quantification of MMMAE-conjugated ADCs and total antibodies in cynomolgus monkey sera / 药物分析学报

Antibody-drug conjugates(ADCs)are commonly heterogeneous and require extensive assessment of exposure-efficacy and exposure-safety relationships in preclinical and clinical studies.In this study,we report the generation of a monoclonal antibody against monomethyl auristatin E(MMAE)and the development,validation,and application of sensitive and high-throughput enzyme-linked immunosor-bent assays(ELISA)to measure the concentrations of MMAE-conjugated ADCs and total antibodies(tAb,antibodies in ADC plus unconjugated antibodies)in cynomolgus monkey sera.These assays were suc-cessfully applied to in vitro plasma stability and pharmacokinetic(PK)studies of SMADC001,an MMAE-conjugated ADC against trophoblast cell surface antigen 2(TROP-2).The plasma stability of SMADC001 was better than that of similar ADCs coupled with PEG4-Val-Cit,Lys(m-dPEG24)-Cit,and Val-Cit linkers.The developed ELISA methods for the calibration standards of ADC and tAb revealed a correlation be-tween serum concentrations and the OD450 values,with R2 at 1.000,and the dynamic range was 0.3-35.0 ng/mL and 0.2-22.0 ng/mL,respectively;the intra-and inter-assay accuracy bias％ranged from-12.2％to-5.2％,precision ranged from-12.4％to-1.4％,and the relative standard deviation(RSD)was less than 6.6％and 8.7％,respectively.The total error was less than 20.4％.The development and validation steps of these two assays met the acceptance criteria for all addressed validation parameters,which suggested that these can be applied to quantify MMAE-conjugated ADCs,as well as in PK studies.Furthermore,these assays can be easily adopted for development of other similar immunoassays.

Sero-prevalence of Hepatitis B virus surface antigen and associated factors among women of reproductive age in Bench Maji Zone, Southwest Ethiopia: community based cross-sectional study

Background: Hepatitis B virus infection is one of the leading causes of liver diseases which occurs worldwide particularly in developing countries. It is often caused by prenatal transmission from mother to child or household transmission from a close contact during early childhood. It causes different complications like; jaundice, induces premature labor, and prematurity. Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the sero-prevalence of hepatitis B virus surface antigen and associated factors among women of reproductive age in Bench Maji Zone, South West Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from December 15th, 2016 to February 15th, 2017. Multistage sampling technique was applied to select study participants. Logistic regression analysis was applied and p-values < 0.05 was used to see the significant association between dependent and independent variables. Results: A total of 330 participants were included in this study yielding 98.8% response rate. The sero-prevalence of HBsAg among women of reproductive age was 28(8.5%). Having multiple sexual partners (AOR = 18.73, 95% CI =3.65, 96.21) history of unprotected sex (AOR = 9.39, 95% CI =1.64, 53.77) were found to be significantly associated with sero-prevalence of HBV. Conclusions: The sero-prevalence of HBV infection among women of reproductive age was highly endemic. Hence, behavioral education and communication programs focusing on reduction of risky sexual behaviors should be designed to reduce HBV infection.

Sero-prevalence of Hepatitis B virus surface antigen and associated factors among women of reproductive age in Bench Maji Zone, Southwest Ethiopia: Community based cross-sectional study

Background: Hepatitis B virus infection is one of the leading causes of liver diseases which occurs worldwide particularly in developing countries. It is often caused by prenatal transmission from mother to child or household transmission from a close contact during early childhood. It causes different complications like; jaundice, induces premature labor, and prematurity. Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B virus surface antigen and associated factors among women of reproductive age in Bench Maji Zone, South West Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from December 15th, 2016, to February 15th, 2017. Multistage sampling technique was applied to select study participants. Logistic regression analysis was applied and p-values < 0.05 was used to see the significant association between dependent and independent variables. Results: A total of 330 participants were included in this study yielding 98.8% response rate. The Sero-prevalence of hbsag among women of reproductive age was 28(8.5%). Having multiple sexual partners (AOR = 18.73, 95% CI = [3.65, 96.21) history of unprotected sex (AOR = 9.39, 95% CI = [1.64, 53.77) were found to be significantly associated with Sero-prevalence of HBV. Conclusions: The Sero-prevalence of HBV infection among women of reproductive age was highly endemic. Hence, behavioral education and communication programs focusing on reduction of risky sexual behaviors should be designed to reduce HBV infection

The influence of HBsAg expression in liver tissue on the postoperative recurrence of HCC patients / 中华肿瘤杂志

Objective: To investigate the influence of HBsAg expression in peritumoral tissue of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients on their postoperative recurrence. Methods: The HCC patients treated in Shanghai Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital from October 2009 to August 2010 were selected. The clinicopathological data and adjacent tissues of 718 patients were collected, and dextran polymer immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of HBsAg in adjacent tissues. According to the expression of HBsAg in adjacent tissues, the tissues were divided into HBsAg positive group and HBsAg negative group. Kaplan-Meier method and Log rank test were used for survival analysis, and Cox regression model was used for multivariate analysis. Results: Among the 718 patients in the whole group, 153 were HBsAg negative and 565 were HBsAg positive. There was a statistically significant difference in serum HBV DNA level between HBsAg-positive and HBsAg-negative patients (P<0.001). The number of patients with serum DNA≥2 000 IU/ml and<2 000 IU/ml in HBsAg negative group were 52 and 93, while the patients in HBsAg positive group were 325 and 205. The cumulative recurrence rates of all patients at 1, 3, and 5 years after surgery were 30.2%, 54.3%, and 62.7%, respectively. The expression of HBsAg was related to the recurrence (P=0.038). Multivariate analysis showed that γ-GT, PT, multiple tumors, tumor length, and portal vein invasion were independent risk factors for recurrence of HCC (P<0.05). In HBeAg-negative patients with low viral load (HBV DNA <2 000 IU/ml) and without cirrhosis, the recurrence rates of HBsAg-positive patients were 14.3% and 31.0% at 3 and 5 years, respectively, compared with HBsAg negative patients (all 0), the difference was statistically significant (P=0.021). Conclusion: The positive expression of HBsAg in peritumoral tissue increases the postoperative recurrence risk of HCC patients.

Brote de 4 casos leptospirosis de un grupo familiar en zona rural tropical de Colombia: un reporte de caso / Outbreak of 4 leptospirosis cases in a family group in tropical rural zone of Colombia: a case report

La leptospirosis es una zoonosis con manifestaciones clínicas causadas por espiroquetas patógenas del género Leptospira spp. Su curso puede ser desde enfermedad leve hasta un síndrome ictero-hemorrágico severo denominado enfermedad de Weil. Se estudió un brote epidemiológico constituido por una serie de cuatro casos de leptospirosis de severidad moderada a severa, ocurridos en una zona rural de clima tropical en los llanos orientales de Colombia, a 450 metros sobre el nivel del mar en una familia visitante en Puerto Lleras, Meta, Colombia. Probablemente secundario al consumo de aguas contaminadas por orina de roedores. Las pacientes fueron ingresadas bajo la sospecha de un síndrome ictérico de origen infeccioso con un falso positivo para antígeno de superficie de hepatitis B. Dos pacientes desarrollaron síndrome de Weil asociado a microangiopatía trombótica por lo que requirieron manejo en unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI) sin embargo, una de ellas fallece y las otras dos pacientes desarrollan signos y síntomas moderados evidenciando un curso variable de la enfermedad. En nuestro país existe una sobre notificación de síndromes febriles, ictéricos e icterohemorragicos de diferentes etiologías y difícil diagnóstico por lo que la leptospirosis tiende a ser confundida o ignorada como diferencial en muchos casos.

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis with clinical manifestations caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira spp. Its course can range from mild illness to a severe jaundice-hemorrhagic syndrome called Weil's disease. An epidemiological outbreak consisting of a series of four cases of leptospirosis of moderate to severe severity, which occurred in a rural area with a tropical climate in the eastern plains of Colombia, at 450 meters above sea level, was studied in a visiting family in Puerto Lleras, Meta, Colombia. Probably secondary to the consumption of water contaminated by rodent urine. The patients were admitted on suspicion of an infectious jaundice syndrome with a false positive for hepatitis B surface antigen. Two patients developed Weil's syndrome associated with thrombotic microangiopathy, requiring ICU management, however, one of them died and the other two patients develop moderate signs and symptoms showing a variable course of the disease. In our country there is an overreporting of febrile, jaundice and jaundice syndromes of different etiologies and difficult diagnosis, so that leptospirosis tends to be confused or ignored as differential in many cases.

Adoption of Euvax-B vaccine in Nineveh

Hepatitis B infection is one of the most important health problems around the world. The high mortality rate of the hepatitis B encouraged research that led to the finding of an effective vaccine against it. The aim of the present study was to find out the use of the Euvax-B vaccine in sectors of Nineveh province. According to the results obtained in this study, in the next five years, the vaccination coverage for the second and third doses needs to improve(AU)

La infección por hepatitis B es uno de los más importantes problemas de salud del mundo. La alta tasa de mortalidad de la hepatitis B impulsó las investigaciones que llevaron a encontrar una vacuna eficaz contra la misma. El objetivo del presente estudio fue conocer el uso de la vacuna Euvax-B en sectores de la provincia de Nínive. De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos, en los próximos cinco años, se debe incrementar la cobertura de inmunización de la segunda y tercera dosis de la vacuna(AU)

Progress in therapeutic monoclonal antibodies targeting hepatitis B surface antigen / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is often treated with drugs such as interferons and nucleoside (acid)/nucleotide (acid) analogs. While these drugs are effective in controlling the viral loads, they are not able to eliminate hepatitis B virus (HBV) from the body completely. Besides, side effects and drug resistance may by caused by the long-term use of these drugs. Several monoclonal antibodies (McAbs) against HBV, mostly against hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), have been demonstrated with viral neutralization capability and with effective inhibition of HBV replication in relevant animal models. The use of a McAb individually or in combination with another therapy has the potentials to achieve functional cure of CHB. In this review, we summarized the encouraging results from the research and development of anti-HBV McAbs in clinical or pre-clinical development stage, aiming to provide new idea for the treatment of CHB.

Impact of cell harvesting methods on detection of cell surface proteins and apoptotic markers

Assays based on the flow cytometry technique allow a convenient analysis of multiple cellular parameters; however, their results should be interpreted cautiously due to a strong impact of confounding factors. Different techniques in cell culturing such as either enzymatic or mechanic detachment of adherent cells can heavily influence the structure of the cell membrane or presence of the surface antigens leading to strong false positive signals, and finally, substantial experimental bias. The aim of our study was to assess and compare the impact of cell harvesting methods (both enzymatic and non-enzymatic) on the apoptosis process and on the surface antigen cytometric analyses. We found significant differences in the quality of analysis in terms of the amount of detected surface markers determined by the detachment method. Our results demonstrated clearly how important it is to carefully choose the appropriate detachment method and may help to avoid mistakes in experiment planning. In conclusion, we recommend to adjust the detachment method to the type of analyzed markers (surface antigens or translocated phosphatidylserine).

Risk factors for losing hepatitis B virus surface antibody in patients with HBV surface antigen negative/surface antibody positive serostatus receiving biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs: a nested case-control study

Abstract Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation consequent to immunosuppressive therapy is an increasingly prevalent problem with serious clinical implications. Treatment with biologic agents conduces to the loss of protective antibody to HBV surface antigen (anti-HBs), which significantly increases the risk of HBV reactivation. Hence, we investigated the risk factors for losing anti-HBs in patients with rheumatic diseases and HBV surface antigen negative/anti-HBs positive (HBsAg-/anti-HBs+) serostatus during treatment with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Methods: Using a nested case-control design, we prospectively enrolled patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis/psoriasis, or juvenile idiopathic arthritis, who were treated with biologic DMARDs at Changhua Christian Hospital, Taiwan, from January 2013 to June 2019 and had HBsAg-/anti-HBs+ serostatus; the analytic sample excluded all patients with HBsAg+ or anti-HBs- serostatus. Anti-HBs titers were monitored 6-monthly and cases were defined as anti-HBs < 10 mIU/ml during follow-up. Cases were matched one- to-all with controls with anti-HBs ≥ 10 mIU/ml on the same ascertainment date and equivalent durations of biologic DMARDs treatment (control patients could be resampled and could also become cases during follow-up). Between-group characteristics were compared and risk factors for anti-HBs loss were investigated by conditional logistic regression analyses. Results: Among 294 eligible patients, 23 cases were matched with 311 controls. The incidence of anti-HBs loss was ∼ 2.7%/person-year during biologic DMARDs treatment. Besides lower baseline anti-HBs titer (risk ratio 0.93, 95% CI 0.89-0.97), cases were significantly more likely than controls to have diabetes mellitus (risk ratio 4.76, 95% CI 1.48-15.30) and chronic kidney disease (risk ratio 14.00, 95% CI 2.22-88.23) in univariate analysis. Risk factors remaining significantly associated with anti-HBs loss in multivariate analysis were lower baseline anti-HBs titer (adjusted risk ratio 0.93, 95% CI 0.88-0.97) and chronic kidney disease (adjusted risk ratio 45.68, 95% CI 2.39-871.5). Conclusions: Besides lower baseline anti-HBs titer, chronic kidney disease also strongly predicts future anti-HBs negativity in patients with HBsAg-/anti-HBs+ serostatus who receive biologic DMARDs to treat rheumatic diseases. Patients with low anti-HBs titer (≤ 100 mIU/ml) and/or chronic kidney disease should be monitored during biologic DMARDs therapy, to enable timely prophylaxis to preempt potential HBV reactivation.

Molecular characteristics of hepatitis B infection with low level HBsAg and nucleic acid testing non-reactive results in blood donors / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To investigate HBV infection with low level of HBsAg and nucleic acid testing(NAT) non-reactive results in blood donors, and analyze molecular characteristics. 【Methods】 Low level HBsAg but NAT-nonreactive samples were collected and tested for HBsAg by Abbott chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA)., HBsAg, anti-HBs, HBeAg, anti-HBe and anti-HBc were further detected by Roche electrochemiluminescence immunoassay(ECLI). BCP/PC and S regions were also amplified by Nested-PCRs and qPCR for HBV DNA quantity were adopted simultaneously. 【Results】 Of 100 363 donations, 60(0.054%) low level HBsAg and NAT-nonreactive blood samples were enrolled the study. In which, 54/60(90%) and 57/60(95%) were WanTai HBsAg ELISA and DiaSorin HBsAg ELISA reactive respectively. Of 33 cases genotyped, genotype B were 87.9%( 29/33), including adw2 96.6%(28/29) and adw1 3.4%(1/29), C was observed in 4(12.1%) with sero-type adrq+. Mutations in S gene of genotype B such as Q101R, Q129H, T131I, M133L/T, F134L, G145R, V168A, L175S and V177A were observed as notable mutations, which can affect HBsAg diagnosis. A high frequency mutation C1799G(87.5%, 21/24)were detected in BCP/PC and would reduce the replication of virus. The median viral load measured by qPCR was 49.6(0~628)IU/mL. 【Conclusion】 A small part of donations with low-level HBsAg and NAT-nonreactive can not be deferred by one isolated ELISA screening assay. It is necessary to apply more sensitive and specific HBsAg assays and NAT in blood screening, and improve the ability to detected mutants.