Biomedical subjects

Joseph Jao-Yiu Sung

Publications and source records attributed to Joseph Jao-Yiu Sung.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Metabolic and adipokine profile of Chinese patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic syndrome are reaching epidemic levels worldwide, but data in Asia remain scarce. This cross-sectional study examined the metabolic and adipokine profiles of Chinese patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD and factors associated with severe disease. METHODS: Eighty ethnic Chinese with NAFLD and 41 healthy controls were recruited. Metabolic parameters and fasting adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), leptin, and resistin levels were measured on the day of liver biopsy. Histology was scored according to Brunt's criteria. Metabolic syndrome was assessed by using both the International Diabetes Federation and Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients had simple steatosis, and 52 patients had nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), defined as necroinflammatory grade >/=2 and/or fibrosis by Brunt's criteria. The ethnic-specific International Diabetes Federation criteria identified more cases of metabolic syndrome among NAFLD patients than the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria (70% vs 56%, P < .0001). On multivariate analysis, low adiponectin level, increased leptin level, and diabetes mellitus were associated with NAFLD. High TNF-alpha level and high body mass index were independent factors associated with NASH. TNF-alpha level had positive correlation with necroinflammatory grade (R = .35, P = .002) and fibrosis stage (R = .31, P = .005). CONCLUSIONS: Hypoadiponectinemia and elevated TNF-alpha levels are associated with the development of NAFLD and NASH, respectively, independent of other metabolic factors. Ethnic-specific definition of metabolic syndrome is more useful in the assessment of NAFLD patients.

Adiponectin↗

PubMed2006

Hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatitis B virus.

Chronic hepatitis B is the most common cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Asia. Integration of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome is likely an early event of carcinogenesis. The integrated HBV genome may activate neighboring cellular genes directly to offer a selective growth advantage to the liver cells. Production of hepatitis B X protein can act as a transactivator on various cellular genes for tumor development. Hepatic inflammation and cirrhosis also favors the process of carcinogenesis. Various viral factors associated with hepatocellular carcinoma development include HBV genotype, basal core promoter mutations, and high viral load. Polymorphisms at the androgen receptor-regulating genes and cytokine genes are possible host factors associated with HCC. This review article summarizes the pathogenesis of HBV-related carcinogenesis and the viral and host factors that may increase the risk of HCC development.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗

PubMed2006

Phylogenetic, virological, and clinical characteristics of genotype C hepatitis B virus with TCC at codon 15 of the precore region.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) with T-1856 of the precore region is always associated with C-1858 (i.e., TCC at nucleotides 1856 to 1858), and it is reported only in genotype C HBV isolates. We aimed to investigate the phylogenetic, virological, and clinical characteristics of HBV isolates bearing TCC at nucleotides 1856 to 1858. We have previously reported on the presence of two major subgroups in genotype C HBV, namely, HBV genotype Cs (Southeast Asia) and HBV genotype Ce (Far East). We have designed a novel 5' nuclease technology based on the nucleotide polymorphism (C or A) at nucleotide 2733 to differentiate the two genotype C HBV subgroups. The mutations at the basal core promoter and precore regions were analyzed by direct sequencing. Among 214 genotype C HBV-infected patients, 31% had TCC, 37% had CCC, 3% had CTC, and 29% had CCT at nucleotides 1856 to 1858. All except one HBV strain with TCC at nucleotides 1856 to 1858 belonged to subgroup Cs, which has been reported only in Hong Kong; Guangzhou, China; and Vietnam. HBV with TCC at nucleotides 1856 to 1858 was associated with the G1898A mutation (64%). Patients infected with HBV harboring TCC had more liver cirrhosis than those infected with HBV harboring CCC (18% versus 5%; P = 0.008), and more of the patients infected with HBV harboring TCC were positive for HBeAg (58% versus 36%; P = 0.01) and had higher median alanine aminotransferase levels (65 IU/liter versus 49 IU/liter; P = 0.006); but similar proportions of patients infected with HBV harboring TCC and those infected with HBV harboring CCT had liver cirrhosis (18% versus 13%; P = 0.43). In summary, we report that HBV with TCC at nucleotides 1856 to 1858 of the precore region might represent a specific HBV strain associated with more aggressive liver disease than other genotype C HBV strains.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2006

HBV-ISS (Dynavax).

Dynavax is developing HBV-ISS (Heplisav), a vaccine based on hepatitis B virus (HB V) antigens and Dynavax' s immunostimulatory DNA sequence (ISS) ISS-1018, an adjuvant that acts as a TLR-9 agonist, for the potential prevention and treatment of HBV infection.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

PubMed2006

Long-term lamivudine treatment is associated with a good maintained response in severe acute exacerbation of chronic HBeAg-negative hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B is difficult to treat and there is little long-term data for lamivudine treatment of severe acute exacerbation. We report a prospective, consecutive cohort of severe acute exacerbation of HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients treated by lamivudine between 1999 and 2004. All patients had respectively increased alanine aminotransferase and serum bilirubin to at least 10 and 2 times the upper limit of laboratory normal. Thirty-two patients were treated with lamivudine for 130 +/- 58 (range 48-217) weeks. Five patients had evidence of virological breakthrough (HBV DNA >10,000 copies/ml) during lamivudine treatment. The cumulative probability of maintained response without any virological breakthrough was 94% (95% confidence interval [CI], 86-100%) at year 1, 94% (95% CI, 82-100%) at year 2 and 71% (95% CI, 41-100%) at year 3. At the last follow-up visit, 31 (97%) lamivudine patients had HBV DNA <10,000 copies/ml. The prevalence of lamivudine resistance mutation was 1 in 32 patients (3%; 95% CI, 0-9%) at year 1, 1 in 17 patients (6%; 95% CI, 0-17%) at year 2, 1 in 9 patients (11%, 95% CI, 0-32%) at year 3 and 1 in 4 patients (25%; 95% CI, 0-67%) at year 4 of lamivudine treatment. In conclusion, extended lamivudine treatment is associated with a high maintained virological response and a low rate of drug resistance in severe acute exacerbation of HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B.

Antiviral Agents↗

PubMed2005

Early enhanced expression of interferon-inducible protein-10 (CXCL-10) and other chemokines predicts adverse outcome in severe acute respiratory syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Exaggerated activation of cytokines/chemokines has been proposed as a factor in adverse outcome of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Previous studies on chemokines have included only small numbers of patients, and the utility of plasma chemokines as prognostic indicators is unclear. METHODS: We studied 255 archival plasma samples collected during the first or second week after disease onset. The chemokines interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10), monokine induced by interferon-gamma (MIG), interleukin-8 (IL-8), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) were measured by cytometric bead array with a 4-color FACSCalibur flow cytometer. Reverse transcription and real-time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemical staining were performed to analyze the production of IP-10 in lung tissue at autopsy. Conditional logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors for adverse disease outcome. RESULTS: Increases in IP-10, MIG, and IL-8 during the first week after onset of fever were associated with adverse outcome (intensive care unit admission or death) in the univariate analysis. During the second week, only MIG concentration was associated with prognosis. After adjusting for other risk factors, plasma IP-10 concentration at the first week remained as an independent prognostic factor, with an odds ratio for adverse outcome of 1.52 (95% confidence interval, 1.05-2.55) per fold increase in plasma IP-10 concentration above the median. During the second week, chemokines provided little independent prognostic information. IP-10 was increased in lung tissue from patients who died of SARS. CONCLUSIONS: Increased plasma IP-10 during the first week of SARS symptoms is an independent predictor of outcome. Chemokine activation may be an early event in SARS, and an exaggerated host response may produce complications.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Clinical significance of hepatic derangement in severe acute respiratory syndrome.

AIM: Elevation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level is commonly seen among patients suffering from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). We report the progression and clinical significance of liver derangement in a large cohort of SARS patient. METHODS: Serial assay of serum ALT was followed in patients who fulfilled the WHO criteria of SARS. Those with elevated ALT were compared with those with normal liver functions for clinical outcome. Serology for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was checked. Adverse outcomes were defined as oxygen desaturation, need of intensive care unit (ICU) and mechanical ventilation and death. RESULTS: Two hundred and ninety-four patients were included in this study. Seventy (24%) patients had elevated serum ALT on admission and 204 (69%) patients had elevated ALT during the subsequent course of illness. Using peak ALT >5XULN as a cut-off and after adjusting for potential confounding factors, the odds ratio of peak ALT >5X ULN for oxygen desaturation was 3.24 (95%CI 1.23-8.59, P = 0.018), ICU care was 3.70 (95%CI 1.38-9.89, P = 0.009), mechanical ventilation was 6.64 (95%CI 2.22-19.81, P = 0.001) and death was 7.34 (95%CI 2.28-24.89, P = 0.001). Ninety-three percent of the survived patients had ALT levels normalized or were on the improving trend during follow-up. Chronic hepatitis B was not associated with worse clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: Reactive hepatitis is a common complication of SARS-coronavirus infection. Those patients with severe hepatitis had worse clinical outcome.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

A randomized, controlled trial of combination therapy for chronic hepatitis B: comparing pegylated interferon-alpha2b and lamivudine with lamivudine alone.

BACKGROUND: Conventional interferon and lamivudine monotherapy are unsatisfactory in treating hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pegylated interferon-alpha2b and lamivudine combination therapy for chronic hepatitis B. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, open-label trial. SETTING: Outpatient clinic in a referral center. PARTICIPANTS: 100 treatment-naive patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B and moderately elevated alanine aminotransferase levels. MEASUREMENT: The primary end point was sustained virologic response (HBeAg seroconversion and HBV DNA level < 500,000 copies/mL) at 24 weeks after cessation of treatment. INTERVENTION: A staggered regimen of combination therapy with pegylated interferon-alpha2b (1.5 microg/kg of body weight per week; maximum, 100 microg) given for 32 weeks plus lamivudine (100 mg daily) given for 52 weeks versus lamivudine (100 mg daily) monotherapy given for 52 weeks. Of the 100 participants, 96% completed treatment and 80% completed post-treatment follow-up. RESULTS: The rate of sustained virologic response was 36% for the combination treatment group and 14% for the lamivudine monotherapy group (absolute difference, 22 percentage points [95% CI, 6 to 38 percentage points]). End-of-treatment outcomes showed that, compared with monotherapy, patients receiving combination therapy more often had virologic response (60% vs. 28% [absolute difference, 32 percentage points (CI, 14 to 50 percentage points)]); had more substantial reductions of HBV DNA (3.91 log10 copies/mL vs. 2.83 log10 copies/mL); and less often had lamivudine-resistant mutants (21% vs. 40%). The percentages of patients with normalization of alanine aminotransferase levels and histologic improvement did not differ. Adverse effects, such as transient influenza-like symptoms, alopecia, and local erythematous reactions, were more common with combination therapy. LIMITATIONS: This study lacked a double-blind design and was conducted at 1 institution. Because of the staggered pegylated interferon-lamivudine regimen, patients assigned to combination therapy received treatment for 8 weeks longer than those assigned to monotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B, staggered combination treatment with pegylated interferon-alpha2b and lamivudine may lead to a higher rate of virologic response than lamivudine monotherapy.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Long-term follow-up of peginterferon and lamivudine combination treatment in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B.

We have previously demonstrated that combination peginterferon and lamivudine treatment has superior antiviral efficacy to lamivudine monotherapy in chronic hepatitis B. In this study, we investigated the long-term posttreatment virological response to this combination treatment. Sustained virological response of patients who completed 32-week peginterferon and 52-week lamivudine combination treatment was compared to patients who completed 52-week lamivudine monotherapy. Sustained response was defined as sustained hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) loss and HBV DNA < 100,000 copies/mL from treatment cessation until the end of follow-up. Forty-eight patients receiving combination treatment and 47 patients receiving lamivudine monotherapy were studied. The posttreatment follow-up of patients who received combination treatment was 117 +/- 34 weeks and that of patients receiving lamivudine monotherapy was 124 +/- 29 weeks. At the end of treatment, HBeAg loss occurred in 63% of patients in the combination group and 28% of patients in the lamivudine group (P = .001). The probabilities of sustained response for combination treatment and lamivudine monotherapy were 33% and 13% at week 24, 31% and 11% at week 52, and 29% and 9% at week 76, respectively (log-rank test, P = .0015). No patients developed virological relapse after week 76 until the last visit in either treatment group. All sustained responders had no biochemical relapse (alanine aminotransferase [ALT] > 2 times upper limit of normal) during follow-up. Among the non-sustained responders, biochemical relapse occurred in 32 patients (94%) in the combination group and 38 patients (88%) in the lamivudine group, respectively. In conclusion, combination treatment of peginterferon and lamivudine has a higher sustained virological response than lamivudine monotherapy up to 3 years after treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

p53-independent pRB degradation contributes to a drug-induced apoptosis in AGS cells.

The retinoblastoma (RB) tumor suppressor protein, pRB, plays an important role in the regulation of mammalian cell cycle. Furthermore, several lines of evidence suggest that pRB also involves in the regulation of apoptosis. In the present study, the degradation of pRB was observed in apoptotic gastric tumor cells treated with a new potent anti-tumor component, tripchlorolide (TC). The inhibition of pRB degradation by a general cysteine protease inhibitor IDAM resulted in the reduction of the apoptotic cells. Furthermore, the survival of the gastric tumor cells under the TC treatment was enhanced by an over-expression of exogenous pRB. These results suggest that the pRB degradation of the gastric tumor cells under the TC treatment involves in the apoptotic progression. In addition, the same extent of TC-induced pRB-degradation was detected in the gastric tumor cells containing a p53 dominant-negative construct, indicating that this kind of pRB degradation is p53-independent.

Apoptosis↗

PubMed2005

Advances in chronic viral hepatitis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Chronic liver disease due to hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus infection results in cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Successful eradication or suppression of viral replication may lead to clinical improvement and better prognosis. Important discoveries have been made in recent years on the management of these diseases. This article aims at reviewing important publications of the past year that contribute to better understanding and treatment of chronic viral hepatitis. RECENT FINDINGS: The effect of virus genotype on the natural history continued to be an important topic of research. Landmark studies on the use of pegylated interferon in chronic hepatitis B and benefit of antiviral treatment in patients with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis have been published. New antiviral agents were evaluated with encouraging results. In chronic hepatitis C, several treatment trials using pegylated interferon on HIV-coinfected patients have been published. Treatment in specific groups of patients, including those with normal alanine transaminase or posttransplantation recurrence, has also been investigated. SUMMARY: Major progress has been made in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and pegylated interferon is likely to become one of the first-line therapeutic options in the near future. Combined pegylated interferon and ribavirin will be the standard treatment regimen for hepatitis C and HIV coinfection. Future challenges include treatment of hepatitis B and HIV coinfection and discovery of more potent antiviral agents.

Hepatitis B, Chronic↗

PubMed2005

Identification of chronic hepatitis B patients without significant liver fibrosis by a simple noninvasive predictive model.

OBJECTIVE: Histological assessment of liver fibrosis is important in the management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection but poorly accepted by patients because of its invasiveness. The aim of this study was to develop a noninvasive model to assess liver fibrosis in CHB patients using clinical and routine laboratory data. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study on 235 treatment-naive viremic CHB patients. Univariate analysis of data from the training cohort (n = 150) followed by multivariate logistic regression were performed to identify independent predictors of significant fibrosis and generate predictive models. The models were validated with the remaining patients or validation cohort (n = 85) and by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: Body mass index (BMI), platelet count, serum albumin, and total bilirubin levels were identified as independent predictors of bridging fibrosis or cirrhosis (Ishak stage 3-6). ROC analysis was performed using the predictive probabilities derived from the regression models. The area under the ROC curve of the best model was 0.803 (95% CI: 0.729-0.878) for the training cohort, 0.765 (95% CI: 0.644-0.885) for the validation cohort, and 0.791 (95% CI: 0.728-0.854) for the entire cohort. Using the low cut-off probability of 0.15, significant fibrosis could be excluded in 83 patients of the total patient population (negative predictive value 0.92). CONCLUSIONS: Our noninvasive model comprising BMI and three routine laboratory tests was accurate in predicting absence of significant fibrosis. Application of this model could provide useful additional information on the stage of disease, guide future management decisions, and potentially decrease the need for liver biopsy in some CHB patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

A retrospective study on clinical features and prognostic factors of biopsy-proven primary biliary cirrhosis in Chinese patients.

OBJECTIVES: Though extensive research has been performed on primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in Caucasian patients, little is known about the disease in the Asian population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of Chinese patients with biopsy-proven PBC. Electronic records of results from all liver biopsies (n = 1,021) performed between January 1996 and April 2004, together with records of patients labeled as "biliary cirrhosis," were retrieved. Patients with biopsy-proven PBC were identified, and their medical notes were reviewed. The demographic, clinical, biochemical, and histological parameters of these patients were analyzed for mortality predictors. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients with biopsy-proven PBC and a median follow-up of 44 (range: 5-114) months were identified. Twelve patients (30.8%) were asymptomatic at diagnosis. The patients were approximately equally divided into one-thirds at stages I, II, and III of the histological disease. Hepatic decompensation or hepatocellular carcinoma developed in 14 (35.9%) patients during the follow-up period. The overall 5-yr survival probability was 81.4%. Hypoalbuminemia was found to be the only independent predictor of mortality on multivariate analysis (hazard ratio = 0.50 per 1 g/L increase, 95% CI 0.30-0.84, p= 0.008). Using the median serum albumin level as the cutoff, the 5-yr survival probability was significantly higher for patients with serum albumin levels >35 g/L than for those with serum albumin levels < or =35 g/L (100% vs 69%, p= 0.007). No significant difference was found when baseline serum albumin was compared with the Mayo Risk Score and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score for prediction of patient survival (p= 0.68) and death (p= 0.12) at 5 yr. CONCLUSIONS: In this longitudinal cohort study of biopsy-proven PBC with up to 9 yr of follow-up, we found that Chinese patients with PBC had significant morbidity and mortality. Hypoalbuminemia at presentation was an independent and strong predictor of mortality.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Effect of prostaglandin E2 and prostaglandin I2 on PDGF-induced proliferation of LI90, a human hepatic stellate cell line.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) are central to liver fibrosis. The eicosanoid pathway and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) may be an important signaling mechanism in HSC. We investigated the role of COX-2, prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) and prostaglandin I(2) (PGI(2)) in proliferation of LI90, an immortalized cell line of HSC. Our results showed that COX-2 was upregulated by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), a mitogen in HSC. COX-2 was responsible for the production of PGE(2) and PGI(2) in PDGF-stimulated LI90 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that COX-2 and PGE(2) mediated the proliferative response of LI90 to PDGF while synthetic analogue of PGI(2) exhibited anti-proliferative effect. Our findings suggest complex interactions of prostaglandins in liver fibrogenesis. In vivo studies using animal models are needed to elucidate the effect of COX-2 inhibition by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or COX-2 inhibitor in hepatic fibrosis.

Blotting, Western↗

PubMed2004

Outcome of lamivudine resistant hepatitis B virus mutant post-liver transplantation on lamivudine monoprophylaxis.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the clinical outcome of patients who develop lamivudine resistant hepatitis B virus mutants (YMDD mutants) after liver transplantation. METHODS: Patients who received liver transplantation for hepatitis B-related liver diseases from 1999 to 2002 were studied. All patients received lamivudine monotherapy before and after liver transplantation. HBsAg and HBV DNA were regularly monitored, and YMDD mutation was detected by direct sequencing. RESULTS: Twenty patients were followed up for median 94 wk (range: 15-177 wk) post-liver transplantation. Six patients developed YMDD mutants, and the cumulative probability of developing YMDD mutations post-liver transplantation was 21% in 1 yr and 34% in 2 yr. One patient developed YMDD mutants before liver transplantation and died of hepatitis reactivation and liver failure 15 wk post-transplantation. The other five patients developed YMDD mutants 32-72 wk after liver transplantation. Two of them developed severe hepatitis which responded promptly to adefovir dipivoxil. The remaining three patients with YMDD mutants had minimal to mild hepatitis. The cumulative survival for patients with YMDD mutants was 83% and 28% at 1 and 2 yr, respectively. Only one patient who did not develop YMDD mutants died at week 119 due to chronic rejection. The post-transplant survival for patients with YMDD mutants was significantly poorer than those without YMDD mutants (log rank test p = 0.083). CONCLUSIONS: The emergence of YMDD mutants after liver transplantation on lamivudine monoprophylaxis had wide range of clinical presentations and was associated with increased mortality.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Quantitative assessment of fibrosis in liver biopsies from patients with chronic hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Accurate histological assessment of liver fibrosis is essential in the management of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Although semi-quantitative scoring systems describe well the pathological patterns of hepatic structure, they produce fibrosis evaluation that is not very precise. Image analysis or morphometry has the theoretical advantage of providing truly quantitative data. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The present study aimed at validating a new image analysis system, Bioquant Nova Prime, in estimating collagen content in liver biopsy samples from patients with CHB. The biopsies were stained with picrosirius red and the areas of collagen were measured. The results were correlated with laboratory parameters and Ishak modified histological scores. Discriminative reliability of morphometry was determined using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: There was excellent interobserver agreement (r=0.84-0.94, P<0.01) in the morphometric analysis. Significant correlations between the quantitative morphometric data and the semi-quantitative score (Spearman's r=0.68-0.78, P<0.001) were also demonstrated. Excellent discriminative power of morphometry in differentiating mild from advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis from absence of cirrhosis was shown by the ROC analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results validated the use of Bioquant Nova Prime in estimating collagen content in liver biopsies. We showed that morphometry is a sensitive method of liver fibrosis quantification in CHB and complements semi-quantitative histological scoring system. This tool, with its reliable intraassay variability, could be of special value in assessing histological response to treatment after anti-viral or anti-fibrotic therapy.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2003

Use of hepatitis B virus DNA quantitation to predict hepatitis B e antigen reversion in cases of chronic hepatitis B.

Seventy-three chronic hepatitis B patients who had either hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion (group I) or HBeAg-negative disease (group II) were studied. HBV DNA levels at HBeAg seroconversion (group I) and at initial visits (group II) were significantly lower among patients who were persistently negative for HBeAg than among those who underwent HBeAg reversion.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Hepatitis B virus genotype C takes a more aggressive disease course than hepatitis B virus genotype B in hepatitis B e antigen-positive patients.

One hundred forty-six hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B patients were followed up for 32 +/- 13 months. All six patients with hepatocellular carcinoma had hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype C. Disease activity was greater in patients infected by HBV genotype C than in those infected by HBV genotype B in the HBeAg-positive phase but not after HBeAg seroconversion.

Adult↗