[A dynamic observation on serum cytokine and immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) in patients with esophageal cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To study the changes of serum interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) in patients with esophageal cancer, and to probe the relationship between the levels of IL-2, IL-8, IgG, IgA and IgM and the progress of cancer. METHODS: The serum levels of IL-2 and IL-8 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for 72 case of primary esophageal cancer, 68 advanced esophageal cancer and 120 healthy controls, and the level of immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) in patients with esophageal cancer was dynamically observed. RESULTS: The IL-2 level in patients with early esophageal cancer [(1.69 +/- 0.53) ng/ml] or late esophageal cancer [(1.11 +/- 0.60) ng/ml] was lower than the control group [(2.78 +/- 0.51) ng/ml] (P < 0.01), the late esophageal cancer group was lower than early esophageal cancer group (P < 0.05). The level of IL-8 in patients with early esophageal cancer [(85.48 +/- 6.14) ng/L] or late esophageal cancer [(121.41 +/- 6.22) ng/L] was much higher than the control group [(54.48 +/- 12.20) ng/L] (P < 0.01), the late esophageal cancer group was much higher than early esophageal cancer group (P < 0.01); There was correlation between the levels of IL-2 and IL-8 and the worsen-extent of the tumour in patients with early esophageal cancer or late esophageal cancer. But the level of IgG [(12.23 +/- 2.50) g/L], IgM [(1.60 +/- 0.80) g/L] in the patients with esophageal cancer compared with the level of IgG [(11.65 +/- 3.70) g/L], IgM [(1.46 +/- 0.71) g/L] in the health control group have no significant difference (P > 0.05), the level of IgA [(3.50 +/- 1.10) g/L] in patients with esophageal cancer Compared with the control group [(1.88 +/- 1.08) g/L] has significant difference (P < 0.01), and along with the worsen-extent of the tumor in patients the level of IgA has the increased tendency. CONCLUSION: The IL-8 might accelerate the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer, and the IL-2 might restrain. The positive correlation between the level of IgA and the patients with esophageal cancer is observed in this study; the immune maladjustment of IL-2, IL-8 and IgA might be correlative to esophageal cancer, and the IL-2, IL-8 and IgA levels might be an available index for the severity of esophageal cancer, Which may be of some help for clinic practitioners to judge the progress, curative effect and prognosis of the cancer.

YMDD mutations in patients with chronic hepatitis B untreated with antiviral medicines.

AIM: To polymerase P region (YMDD) mutations of hepatitis B virus gene (HBV DNA) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) untreated with antiviral medicines and to explore its correlation with pre-c-zone mutations, HBV genotypes and HBV DNA level, and to observe its curative effect. METHODS: A total of 104 cases (38 cases in group of familial aggregation and 66 cases in group of non-familial aggregation) were randomly chosen from 226 patients with CHB who did not receive the treatment of lamivudine (LAM) and any other antivirus drugs within the last one year. Their serum YMDD mutations were detected by microcosmic nucleic acid and cross-nucleic acid quantitative determination, HBV genotypes by PCR-microcosmic nucleic acid cross-ELISA, HBV DNA quantitative determination and fluorescence ration PCR analysis, hepatitis B virus markers (HBVM) by ELISA. LAM was taken by 10 patients with YMDD mutations and its curative effect was observed. RESULTS: Twenty-eight cases (26.9%) had YMDD mutations, of them 11 cases (28.9%) were in familial aggregation group (38 cases) and 17 cases (25.8%) in non-familial aggregation group (66 cases) with no significant difference between the two groups. Twenty-seven point one percent (16/59) cases were positive for HBeAg YMDD mutations, and 26.7% (12/45) cases were negative for HBeAg and positive for anti-HBe. There was also no significant difference between the two groups. Different YMDD incidence rate existed in different HBV genotypes. HBV DNA level did not have a positive correlation with the incidence of YMDD mutations. LAM was effective for all patients with mutations. CONCLUSION: Wild mutant strains in HBV and their incidence rate have no significant difference between familial aggregation and non-familial aggregation. It may have no significant relationship between YMDD mutations and pre-c-zone mutations. HBV DNA level may not have a positive correlation with YMDD mutations. LAM is clinically effective for CHB patients with YMDD mutations.

Clinical characteristics and distribution of hepatitis B virus genotypes in Guangxi Zhuang population.

AIM: To investigate the distribution of HBV genotypes and their YMDD mutations in Guangxi Zhuang population, China, and to study the relationship between HBV genotypes and clinical types of HB, ALT, HBV DNA, HBe system as well as the curative effect of Lamivudine (LAM) on hepatitis B. METHODS: A total of 156 cases were randomly chosen as study subjects from 317 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). HBV genotypes were determined by PCR-microcosmic nucleic acid cross-ELISA. YMDD mutations were detected by microcosmic nucleic acid cross-nucleic acid quantitative determination. HBV DNA was detected by fluorescence ratio PCR analysis. LAM was given to 81 cases and its curative effect was observed by measuring ALT, HBV DNA load, HBeAg, and HBeAg/HBeAb conversion rate. RESULTS: HBV genotypes B, C, D, and non-classified genotypes were found in Guangxi Zhuang population. accounting for 25.6%, 47.4%, 58.3%, and 16.0%, respectively. Seventy-four cases were CD-, CB-, BD-mixed genotypes (47.7%). Forty-six (29.5%) cases had YMDD mutations. Genotype B was mostly found in mild and moderate CHB patients. Genotypes C, D and mixed genotype mostly occurred in severe CHB cases. Genotypes D and CD HBV-infected patients had higher ALT and HBV DNA than patients with other types of HBV infection. There was no significant difference among the genotypes in YMDD mutations, clinical types, ALT and HBV DNA level. Non-classified types geno had a significantly lower positive rate of HBeAg than other genotypes (c2=12.841, P<0.05). There was no significant difference in ALT recovery rate, HBV DNA load, HBeAg, and HBeAg/HBeAb conversion rate, 48 wk after LAM treatment between groups of genotypes D, CD, and non-classified type. CONCLUSION: Genotypes B, C, and D, non-classified and mixed genotype of HBV are identified in the Guangxi Zhuang population. Variations in genotypes are associated with clinical severity and serum ALT levels, but not with YMDD mutation or HBV DNA load. Therapeutic effects of LAM on clinical parameters are not influenced by differences in genotypes. Further studies are needed to gain an in-depth understanding of the relationship between HBV genotypes and serum HBeAb and HBeAg.