Residual amount of HBV DNA in serum is related to relapse in chronic hepatitis B patients after cessation of nucleos(t)ide analogs.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between relapse and the levels of the residual amount of HBV DNA in serum at cessation in chronic hepatitis B patients meeting 2008 Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) cessation criteria. METHODS: A total of 72 chronic hepatitis B patients who took NAs and had reached 2008 APASL cessation criteria entered the study. Patients were followed up for 6 months or longer after antiviral therapy was stopped. Serum HBV DNA level at cessation was detected by a highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction assay with detection limitation of 2 IU/mL. RESULTS: Of all the 72 patients, 42 patients (65.3%) relapsed after NA cessation. The detectable rate of the trace amount of HBV DNA at cessation was 41.7% by highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction reagents. The detectable rate of patients with consolidation treatment duration of <18 months was higher than that with consolidation duration of ≥18 months (47.5% vs. 15.4%, P=0.034), and the detectable rate of patients with HBeAg seroconversion within 6 months of treatment was lower than that of ≥6 months (25.0% vs. 61.5%, P=0.036). The residual amount of HBV DNA and detectable rate at cessation showed significant differences between relapsed and nonrelapsed patients (130.4±420.90 vs 44.6±155.16 IU/mL, P=0.004; 55.3% vs. 16.0%, P=0.001). The cutoff value predicting relapse was 2.24 IU/mL, with a sensitivity of 0.553 and specificity of 0.840. CONCLUSIONS: Residual amount of HBV DNA in serum at NA cessation is associated with HBV relapse. The cutoff value predicting relapse was 2.24 IU/mL, with a sensitivity of 0.553 and specificity of 0.840.

[Research on ursolic acid production of Eriobotrya japonica cell suspension culture in WAVE bioreactor].

Through scale-up cultivation of Eriobotrya japonica suspension cells using WAVE bioreactor, the cell growth and ursolic acid (UA) accumulation were studied. The comparison test was carried out in the flask and the reactor with cell dry weight (DW) and UA content as evaluation indexes. The culture medium, DW and UA content were compared in 1 L and 5 L working volumes of bioreactor. The orthogonal test with main actors of inoculation amount, speed and angle of rotation was developed to find the optimal combination, in 1 L working volume of bioreactor. DW of the cell growth and the UA content in bioreactor were higher than those of the shaker by 105.5% and 27.65% respectively. In bioreactor, the dynamic changes of elements in the fluid culture, the dry weight of the cell growth and the UA content in 1 L and 5 L working volumes were similar. Inoculation of 80 g, rotational speed of 26 r · min(-1), and angle of 6 ° was the optimal combination, and the cell biomass of 19.01 g · L(-1) and the UA content of 27.750 mg · g(-1) were achieved after 100 h cultivation in 1 L working volume of bioreactor. WAVE Bioreactor is more suitable than flasks for the E. japonica cell suspension culture, and culture parameters can be achieved from 1 L to 5 L amplification.

Physicochemical Properties and Antioxidant Capacity of Chinese Olive (Canarium album L.) Cultivars.

In this study, the physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant potentials of 10 Chinese olive cultivars were investigated. Considerable differences were found between cultivars in weight, edible yield, water content, size, shape, total soluble solids, and total titratable acidity. The major sugars and organic acids in all the cultivars were glucose, fructose, and malic acid. Phenolics were the most abundant antioxidants (1174.0 to 1799.6 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g fresh weight). Twelve phenolic compounds were identified and quantified by UPLC-MS/MS. Six compounds were identified first in the Chinese olive, with 3-O-galloylquinic acid and geraniin isomers as the most abundant compounds. The results also indicated that the phenolic content (TPC) correlated with the antioxidant properties of Chinese olive fruit extracts. A principal component analysis indicated that the Tantou and Tanxiang cultivars were a valuable source, with high TPC and antioxidant activity, whereas Maken22, Changying, and Green changying cultivars may be eaten fresh and had high sugar and low phenolic contents. This information will be useful for selecting suitable cultivars for industry and the market.

Long-term lamivudine for chronic hepatitis B and cirrhosis: A real-life cohort study.

AIM: To investigate clinical outcomes of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and liver cirrhosis (LC) patients under whole-course management with lamivudine (LAM). METHODS: This was a retrospective-prospective cohort study based on two nonrandom cohorts of Chinese patients (LAM group and history control group). Two hundred thirty-eight patients with LAM treatment for at least 12 mo under whole-course management were included in the LAM group. The management measures included regular follow-up and timely adjustment of the therapeutic regimen according to drug-resistance and relapse. Two hundred thirty-eight patients with CHB or LC without any antiviral treatment and with follow-up over 12 mo were included in the history control group. The LAM and control group patients were 1:1 matched by propensity score method to ensure both patients were similar in general datum, sex, age, E antigen, and diagnosis. The incidence rates of endpoint events [LC, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and death] were compared between the LAM and control groups. RESULTS: Hepatitis B virus-DNA < 1000 copies per mL rate and rate of alanine transaminase < 1.3 of the upper normal limit in LAM and control groups were 89.1% vs 18.5% (P < 0.05) and 89.8% vs 31.1% (P < 0.05), respectively. Viral breakthrough occurred in 77 patients (32.4%); the one-, three-, and five-year cumulative rates were 6.8%, 33.1%, and 41.3%, respectively. In total, 44.5% (106/238) of patients had once stopped LAM, and 63 (59.4%) of them developed virologic relapse; the relapse rate of patients with and without reaching Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver endpoint criteria were 52.4% and 69.8%, respectively. Six CHB patients in the LAM group developed LC compared to 47 patients in the control group; the three-, and five-year cumulative rates of CHB at baseline of LAM were lower than those of the control group: 0.7% vs 12.0% and 1.8% vs 23.8% (P < 0.01), respectively. The incidence of HCC in CHB at baseline of LAM was lower than that of the control group; the three-, and five-year cumulative rates were 0% vs 3.2% and 1.1% vs 3.2% (P = 0.05), respectively. The incidence of HCC in LC at baseline of LAM was lower than that of the control group: 9.8% (5/51) vs 25.0% (12/48), and the three-, and five-year cumulative rates were 4.5% vs 20.7% and 8.1% vs 37.5% (P < 0.01), respectively. The mortality rate in the LAM group was lower than the control group. CONCLUSION: Standardized long-term LAM treatment in combination with comprehensive management can reduce the incidence rates of LC and HCC as well as hepatitis B virus-related deaths.