BACKGROUND Hepatitis B is a major public health problem in China. Accurate liver injury assessment is essential for clinical evidence-based treatment. Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard method to stage liver...BACKGROUND Hepatitis B is a major public health problem in China. Accurate liver injury assessment is essential for clinical evidence-based treatment. Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard method to stage liver disease, but it is not widely used in resource-limited settings. Therefore, non-invasive liquid biopsy tests are needed. AIM To assess liver injury in hepatitis B patients using quantified cell free DNA combined with other serum biomarker as a liquid biopsy-based method. METHODS A cohort of 663 subjects including 313 hepatitis B patients and 350 healthy controls were enrolled. Ultrasound-guided liver biopsies followed by histopathological assessments were performed for the 263 chronic hepatitis B patients to determine the degree of liver injury. Cell-free DNA was quantified using a novel duplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. RESULTS Compared with healthy controls, patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection had significantly higher plasma DNA, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), bilirubin, and HBV DNA levels (P<0.01). Serum ALT, AST, bilirubin, and plasma DNA levels of patients with markedsevere inflammation were significantly higher than those with mild-moderate inflammation (P<0.01). There was a statistically significant correlation between hepatocyte inflammation severity and serum bilirubin (R^2=0.673, P<0.01) or plasma DNA (R^2=0.597, P<0.01) levels. The areas under the curves of serum ALT, bilirubin, plasma DNA, and their combination to distinguish between patients with mild–moderate and marked-severe inflammation were 0.8059, 0.7910, 0.7921, and 0.9564, respectively. CONCLUSION The combination of plasma DNA, serum ALT, and bilirubin could be a candidate liquid biopsy for non-invasive assessment of liver injury in hepatitis B patients.展开更多
BACKGROUND Data that assess maternal and infant outcomes in hepatitis C virus(HCV)-infected mothers are limited.AIM To investigate the frequency of complications and the associated risk factors.METHODS We performed a ...BACKGROUND Data that assess maternal and infant outcomes in hepatitis C virus(HCV)-infected mothers are limited.AIM To investigate the frequency of complications and the associated risk factors.METHODS We performed a cohort study to compare pregnancy and fetal outcomes of HCVviremic mothers with those of healthy mothers.Risk factors were analyzed with logistic regression.RESULTS Among 112 consecutive HCV antibody-positive mothers screened,we enrolled 79 viremic mothers.We randomly selected 115 healthy mothers from the birth registry as the control.Compared to healthy mothers,HCV mothers had a significantly higher frequency of anemia[2.6%(3/115)vs 19.0%(15/79),P<0.001]during pregnancy,medical conditions that required caesarian section[27.8%(32/115)vs 48.1%(38/79),P=0.004],and nuchal cords[9.6%(11/115)vs 34.2%(27/79),P<0.001].In addition,the mean neonatal weight in the HCV group was significantly lower(3278.3±462.0 vs 3105.1±459.4 gms;P=0.006),and the mean head circumference was smaller(33.3±0.6 vs 33.1±0.7 cm;P=0.03).In a multivariate model,HCV-infected mothers were more likely to suffer anemia[adjusted odds ratio(OR):18.1,95%confidence interval(CI):4.3-76.6],require caesarian sections(adjusted OR:2.6,95%CI:1.4-4.9),and have nuchal cords(adjusted OR:5.6,95%CI:2.4-13.0).Their neonates were also more likely to have smaller head circumferences(adjusted OR:2.1,95%CI:1.1-4.3)and lower birth weights than the average(≤3250 gms)with an adjusted OR of 2.2(95%CI:1.2-4.0).The vertical transmission rate was 1%in HCV-infected mothers.CONCLUSION Maternal HCV infections may associate with pregnancy and obstetric complications.We demonstrated a previously unreported association between maternal HCV viremia and a smaller neonatal head circumference,suggesting fetal growth restriction.展开更多
While some individuals infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)present mild-to-severe disease,many SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals are asymptomatic.We sought to identify the distinction ...While some individuals infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)present mild-to-severe disease,many SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals are asymptomatic.We sought to identify the distinction of immune response between asymptomatic and moderate patients.We performed single-cell transcriptome and T-cell/B-cell receptor(TCR/BCR)sequencing in 37 longitudinal collected peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from asymptomatic,moderate,and severe patients with healthy controls.Asymptomatic patients displayed increased CD56^(bri)CD16^(-) natural killer(NK)cells and upregulation of interferon-gamma in effector CD4^(+) and CD8^(+) T cells and NK cells.They showed more robust TCR clonal expansion,especially in effector CD4^(+) T cells,but lack strong BCR clonal expansion compared to moderate patients.Moreover,asymptomatic patients have lower interferon-stimulated genes(ISGs)expression in general but large interpatient variability,whereas moderate patients showed various magnitude and temporal dynamics of the ISGs expression across multiple cell populations but lower than a patient with severe disease.Our data provide evidenee of different immune signatures to SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic infections.展开更多
To the Editor:The epidemic caused by 2019 novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV)has drawn public attention.[1]Huge infected population and enormous economic loss make it the urgent public health event to deal with.Confirmatory ...To the Editor:The epidemic caused by 2019 novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV)has drawn public attention.[1]Huge infected population and enormous economic loss make it the urgent public health event to deal with.Confirmatory test targeting virus RNA was established at the early stage of outbreak and then used for 2019-nCoV infection diagnosis.[2]However,high risk of laboratory infection,high-qualified personnel,and strict operation condition hampered its application into primary hospitals and community clinics.[3]In this study,the serum immunoglobulin(Ig)M and IgG antibodies were detected in 2019-nCoV confirmed cases of different stages.Furthermore,three different immunological assays,chemiluminescent immunoassay(CLIA),gold immunochromatographic assay(GICA),and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)were used for IgM and IgG detection.展开更多
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81672100 and No.81371894the Key Laboratory for Laboratory Medicine of Jiangsu Province of China,No.ZDXKB2016005Jiangsu Provincial Commission of Health and Family Planning,No.H201609
文摘BACKGROUND Hepatitis B is a major public health problem in China. Accurate liver injury assessment is essential for clinical evidence-based treatment. Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard method to stage liver disease, but it is not widely used in resource-limited settings. Therefore, non-invasive liquid biopsy tests are needed. AIM To assess liver injury in hepatitis B patients using quantified cell free DNA combined with other serum biomarker as a liquid biopsy-based method. METHODS A cohort of 663 subjects including 313 hepatitis B patients and 350 healthy controls were enrolled. Ultrasound-guided liver biopsies followed by histopathological assessments were performed for the 263 chronic hepatitis B patients to determine the degree of liver injury. Cell-free DNA was quantified using a novel duplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. RESULTS Compared with healthy controls, patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection had significantly higher plasma DNA, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), bilirubin, and HBV DNA levels (P<0.01). Serum ALT, AST, bilirubin, and plasma DNA levels of patients with markedsevere inflammation were significantly higher than those with mild-moderate inflammation (P<0.01). There was a statistically significant correlation between hepatocyte inflammation severity and serum bilirubin (R^2=0.673, P<0.01) or plasma DNA (R^2=0.597, P<0.01) levels. The areas under the curves of serum ALT, bilirubin, plasma DNA, and their combination to distinguish between patients with mild–moderate and marked-severe inflammation were 0.8059, 0.7910, 0.7921, and 0.9564, respectively. CONCLUSION The combination of plasma DNA, serum ALT, and bilirubin could be a candidate liquid biopsy for non-invasive assessment of liver injury in hepatitis B patients.
基金Supported by The Ministry of Science and Technology of China for the National Five-Year Key Projects in Infectious Diseases,No. 2015ZX10004801
文摘BACKGROUND Data that assess maternal and infant outcomes in hepatitis C virus(HCV)-infected mothers are limited.AIM To investigate the frequency of complications and the associated risk factors.METHODS We performed a cohort study to compare pregnancy and fetal outcomes of HCVviremic mothers with those of healthy mothers.Risk factors were analyzed with logistic regression.RESULTS Among 112 consecutive HCV antibody-positive mothers screened,we enrolled 79 viremic mothers.We randomly selected 115 healthy mothers from the birth registry as the control.Compared to healthy mothers,HCV mothers had a significantly higher frequency of anemia[2.6%(3/115)vs 19.0%(15/79),P<0.001]during pregnancy,medical conditions that required caesarian section[27.8%(32/115)vs 48.1%(38/79),P=0.004],and nuchal cords[9.6%(11/115)vs 34.2%(27/79),P<0.001].In addition,the mean neonatal weight in the HCV group was significantly lower(3278.3±462.0 vs 3105.1±459.4 gms;P=0.006),and the mean head circumference was smaller(33.3±0.6 vs 33.1±0.7 cm;P=0.03).In a multivariate model,HCV-infected mothers were more likely to suffer anemia[adjusted odds ratio(OR):18.1,95%confidence interval(CI):4.3-76.6],require caesarian sections(adjusted OR:2.6,95%CI:1.4-4.9),and have nuchal cords(adjusted OR:5.6,95%CI:2.4-13.0).Their neonates were also more likely to have smaller head circumferences(adjusted OR:2.1,95%CI:1.1-4.3)and lower birth weights than the average(≤3250 gms)with an adjusted OR of 2.2(95%CI:1.2-4.0).The vertical transmission rate was 1%in HCV-infected mothers.CONCLUSION Maternal HCV infections may associate with pregnancy and obstetric complications.We demonstrated a previously unreported association between maternal HCV viremia and a smaller neonatal head circumference,suggesting fetal growth restriction.
基金supported by grants from the Beijing Natural Science Foundation(L202038)the Natural Science Foundation of China(81773494,81621005)the Emergency Science and Technology Project for Prevention and Control of COVID-19(20277734D).
文摘While some individuals infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)present mild-to-severe disease,many SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals are asymptomatic.We sought to identify the distinction of immune response between asymptomatic and moderate patients.We performed single-cell transcriptome and T-cell/B-cell receptor(TCR/BCR)sequencing in 37 longitudinal collected peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from asymptomatic,moderate,and severe patients with healthy controls.Asymptomatic patients displayed increased CD56^(bri)CD16^(-) natural killer(NK)cells and upregulation of interferon-gamma in effector CD4^(+) and CD8^(+) T cells and NK cells.They showed more robust TCR clonal expansion,especially in effector CD4^(+) T cells,but lack strong BCR clonal expansion compared to moderate patients.Moreover,asymptomatic patients have lower interferon-stimulated genes(ISGs)expression in general but large interpatient variability,whereas moderate patients showed various magnitude and temporal dynamics of the ISGs expression across multiple cell populations but lower than a patient with severe disease.Our data provide evidenee of different immune signatures to SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic infections.
文摘To the Editor:The epidemic caused by 2019 novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV)has drawn public attention.[1]Huge infected population and enormous economic loss make it the urgent public health event to deal with.Confirmatory test targeting virus RNA was established at the early stage of outbreak and then used for 2019-nCoV infection diagnosis.[2]However,high risk of laboratory infection,high-qualified personnel,and strict operation condition hampered its application into primary hospitals and community clinics.[3]In this study,the serum immunoglobulin(Ig)M and IgG antibodies were detected in 2019-nCoV confirmed cases of different stages.Furthermore,three different immunological assays,chemiluminescent immunoassay(CLIA),gold immunochromatographic assay(GICA),and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)were used for IgM and IgG detection.
