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Objective To investigate the value of ultrasound screening for congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in fetuses and to summarize the clinical manifestations.Methods From January 2012 to December 2017,we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 905 gravidas who received invasive prenatal diagnosis in Fujian Provincial Maternity and Children's Hospital for abnormal prenatal ultrasound findings including ventriculomegaly,intracranial calcification,microcephaly,echogenic bowel and fetal growth restriction (FGR).CMV DNA loads in amniotic fluid and neonatal urine were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction.CMV-specific IgM and IgG in umbilical cord and neonatal peripheral blood were detected by commercial enzyme 1 inked immunosorbent assay kits.Eighteen fetuses with normal karyotype were diagnosed as congenital CMV infection.Relationships of ultrasound features and CMV DNA loads in amniotic fluid to pregnancy outcomes were analyzed with x2 test or Fisher's exact test.Results (1) Congenital CMV infection was detected in 18 fetuses in this study with an detection rate of 1.99％ (18/905).Three pregnancies were terminated immediately after the diagnosis was confirmed,two terminated when the ventriculomegaly progressed,five terminated for hydrocephaly and eight continued to delivery.(2) Congenital CMV infection rate was significantly higher in those with two or more ultrasound abnormalities than that in those with only one abnormal indicator [3.92％(8/204) vs 1.28％(9/701),x2=4.619,P=0.032].Fetuses with craniocerebral abnormalities were more likely to have congenital CMV infection than those without [3.11％(13/418) vs 0.82％(4/487),x2=6.392,P=0.012].(3) Among the 18 fetuses with congenital CMV infection,those with serious ultrasound abnormalities had a significantly higher rate of adverse outcomes than those without (11/11 vs 3/7,Fisher's exact test,bilateral P=0.043).No significant difference in the rate of adverse outcomes was found between fetuses with low and high CMV DNA loads in amniotic fluid (3/4 vs 12/14,Fisher's exact test,bilateral P=1.000).Conclusions Ultrasound abnormalities including ventriculomegaly,intracranial calcification,microcephaly,echogenic bowel and FGR,especially those with multiple abnormalities and brain abnormalities,increased risk of congenital CMV infection.Congenital CMV fetuses with serious ultrasound abnormalities has adverse outcomes.
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Objective To elucidate the genome organization of small deletion mutants of hepatitis B virus(HBV).Methods Amplified the HBV genomes by polymerase chain reaction from the serum of the patients with chronic hepatitis B and cloned the small HBV DNA less than 1 kb,then sequenced and analyzed the gene organization of these small deletion mutants of HBV.Results Totally one hundred and twenty-four small deletion mutants of HBV genomes categorized to sixty-four types were obtained and classified into three groups according to the criteria of the characteristics of gene organization,for example,spliced variants,regular deletion mutants and the deletion mutants with an internal poly (dA).All of these isolated mutants shared some common features as the deletion in coding regions and regulatory elements,66% of the mutants retained the cis elements crucial for the viral replication and encapsidation,while 48% retained the X region.Conclusions Small deletion mutants of HBV are commonly detected in the serum from chronic hepatitis B patients,the characteristic structure of such mutants implies that they might be closely co-related with the pathogenicity of HBV.The exact mechanisms need further study yet.
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Objective To investigate the anti-IFN-α effects of the novel protein TSR'r' encodedby the 458 nt-1308 nt spliced variant of hepatitis B virus genome,and to determine its functional domaias.Methods the TSR'r' gene(originated from open reading frame of HBV DNA polymerase,T represents terminal protein region,S represents the Spacer region,R'represents the truncated reverse transcriptase region,and r'represents the truncated RNaseH region)of the 458 nt-1308 nt spliced variant of HBV genome and its deletants were amplified by PCR and were cloned into the pcDNA3.1/HisC vector.The recombinant vector was transfected into Huh7 hepatocytes individually by FuGENE6 transfection reagent,and the expression of the fusion protein was detected by Western blot.Huh7 hepatocytes were co-transfected with p6 16CAT and the recombinant vector harboring either TSR'r'or the related deletant,and treated with IFN-α 2a 48 h post transfection.After 24 h stimulating.the cells were lysed and the intracellular CAT value was calculated.All data were processed with One-way analysis of variance(ANOVA).Resuits Recombinant vectors harboring either the TSR'r'gene or related deletant were constructed successfully,and the fusion proteins were expressed well in Huh7 cells.When Huh7 hepatocytes were co-transfected with p6-16CAT and TSR'r' recombinant.the intracellular CAT values reduced gradually as paralleled with the increasing amount of TSR'r'recombinant.Furthermore,as compared with the empty vector,intracellular CAT values also decreased significantly when the Huh7 cells co-transfected with recombinant harboring TP plus Spacer regions,while any of the other deletants(harboring either TP or Spacer region or neither)showed no significant difference.Conclusion The novel protein encoded by the 458 nt-1308 nt spliced variant of hepatitis B virns genome suppressed the response of Huh7 hepatocytes to IFN-α.and the N-terminal TP plus Spacer region was the functional domain of the protein for anti-IFN-α effects.
