Serum malondialdehyde: possible use for the clinical management of chronic hepatitis C patients

Serum lipid peroxidation products are increased in inflammatory liver disease and, as we previously reported, also in chronic hepatitis C. We have performed a specific assay of malondialdehyde, the reported most abundant product of lipid peroxidation, in serum of twenty four chronic hepatitis C patients, before, during, and after interferon treatment. Liver biopsies were performed in each patient before and after interferon treatment. The results show higher serum malondialdehyde values in chronic hepatitis C patients than healthy subjects (n = 68) before interferon treatment (p < .001). Mean value of serum malondialdehyde levels after interferon treatment was significantly lower than before it (p < .002). Associating the histopathological findings in each of the 48 biopsies performed, with serum malondialdehyde and alanine aminotransferase activity levels, of the sample obtained the same day of biopsy, a much better correspondence with the histopathological severity was observed for malondialdehyde concentration than for alanine aminotransferase activity. These levels decreased significantly after interferon treatment. However, when the patients were grouped in responding (group I; n = 9) and non-responding (group II; n = 15) to interferon treatment, according to the histopathological findings before and after interferon, the values of group I before interferon treatment were significantly higher than group II (p < .03). Thus, a potential predictive value could be ascribed to the serum malondialdehyde levels before interferon treatment in these patients. We propose the utility of the specific assay of malondialdehyde for the clinical management of chronic hepatitis C patients.     

中国株丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）结构区蛋白在昆虫细胞中的表达及加工

利用杆状病毒表达系统在昆虫细胞中表达了完整的中国河北株丙丙型肝炎病毒结构蛋白。免疫印迹实验结果显示,表达产物中有一系列分子量不同、可以与ＨＣＶ抗体阳性病人血清反应的蛋白,表明结构蛋白被宿主细胞蛋白酶切割与加工,相应分别为２０ｋＤ的核心蛋白、３２ｋＤ糖基化的Ｅ１蛋白４０ｋＤ的未糖化的Ｅ２蛋白和７０ｋＤ糖基化的Ｅ２蛋白,另有８０ｋＤ及１００ｋＤ的两组前体蛋白。利用表达产物检测慢性ＨＣＶ感染者血清,发现     

中国河南两株庚型肝炎病毒（HGV）NS5区部分cDNA的克隆与序列分析

通过逆转录－聚合酶链反应从我国河南省２例重叠感染ＨＣＶ或ＨＢＶ／ＨＤＶ的献血啼中,分离到ＨＢＶＮＳ５区的部分ｃＤＮＡ,对其进行序列分析比较,结果表明,河南株ＨＧＶＮＳ５工核苷酸与两中国ＨＧＶ主同源性高于国外代表株（８８．５－９０．６％）,但由核苷酸推导的氨基酸的同源性都无明显的地区性区别。ＨＧＶＮＳ５区氨基酸序列较保守,缺乏明显高变区,中国４株ＨＧＶ在７３８４位发生了由Ｃ→Ｔ的变异,从而导致一个人     

新型戊型肝炎诊断试剂盒的研制及其应用

用ＨＥＶＯＲＦ３合成肽及ＯＲＦ２重组抗原研制成新型ＨＥＶＥＩＡ诊断试剂盒。与ＧｅｎｌａｂｓＨＥＶＥＩＡ检测比较,灵敏度和特异性均达１００％（６０／６０）。三批试剂精密性测定均＜１０％。该试剂盒置４℃８个月或３７℃４ｄ保持稳定。检测不同肝炎患者ＨＥＶ抗体,发现急性非甲非乙非丙肝炎中有６３．２％,甲肝有１３．４％,乙肝有８．３％,丙肝有６．６％,正常人群为２．９％。所研制的戊型肝炎诊断试剂盒,灵敏度高,特异性强,精密性好,稳定性合格。适用于戊型肝炎诊断及戊肝病毒感染的流行病学调查     

Patterns of circulating hepatitis B surface antigen variants among vaccinated children born to hepatitis B surface antigen carrier and non-carrier mothers

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) variants that possessed missense mutation within the neutralization epitope of the major S antigen as defined by amino acid residues (aa#) 124–147, termed the a determinant variants, were identified through a population-based serosurvey of 2,305 children of the vaccinated birth cohorts born after 1986. Data on the 678 nucleotides encoding the S antigen of HBV were available for 75 HBV strains that were collected from 63 vaccinated children and 12 unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated children, and 21 HBV strains from 25 unvaccinated adults. Among the diverse patterns of one to three amino acid substitutions within the a determinant, 145-Arg occurred most frequently (5/14); other variants were: 126-Ala, 127-Thr, 126-Ser/131-Asn/133-Thr, 129-His, 129-Arg, 123-Asn/131-Ile, 133-Leu, 141-Glu, and 141-Arg/144-Ala. Only one of these variants occurred in the 16 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-carrier children born to HBsAg-negative mothers, whereas 12 of these variants occurred in the 20 (50%) children born to HBsAg-positive mothers. In addition, early administration of HBV vaccine within the noenatal period increased the likelihood of the emergence of these variants to 64.7% (11/17). Five of the 21 (23.8%) unvaccinated HBsAg-carrier adults harbored the a determinant variants possessing mutations within aa# 125–136, i.e. the putative first loop formed by the cysteine disulfide bonds. Vaccinated children were likely to harbor HBV variants possessing mutations involving altered charge of side chains and/or its hydrophobicity of amino acid residues within the putative second loop between aa#140 and 146. Our data suggest that emergence of these HBV S gene mutants in the phase of HBV vaccination program would be most common among populations in whom perinatal/vertical transmission of HBV is most common, i.e. southeast Asian and the Taiwanese.     

Size-exclusion chromatographic study of the reduction of recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen

The reduction of the P. pastoris-derived hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) has been investigated by size exclusion chromatography performed in a detergent solution containing 0.3% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 0.1 M Tris–HCl, pH 7.0. The HBsAg, reduced under different conditions and passed through the TSK G4000 SW column (600×7.5 mm I.D.) at 0.9 ml min⁻¹, was resolved into two peaks corresponding to the reduced, monomeric, and non-reduced forms, respectively. Under these conditions, the antigen fraction corresponding to the HBsAg dimer can be separated and completely reduced to monomers by repeated reductive treatment with simultaneous lipid removal. The efficiency of reduction was maximal after sample treatment with an equal volume of a solution containing 417 mM dithiothreitol, 4.2% (w/v) SDS and 16% (v/v) 2-mercaptoethanol. In conclusion, complete reduction of recombinant HBsAg to monomer subunits is possible and depends on the efficiency of lipid removal during the reductive treatment.     

Molecular cloning of HCV and clinical application

Abstract: Fifty-five clones encoding epitopes of HCV were isolated from Japanese patients. Their amino acid homology (AAH) to the sequence of prototype (HCV-1) ranged from 47% to 94%. These sequences cover 60% of the HCV genome lacking M/E and NS2 regions suggesting a very low or lacking immunogenecity for these regions. Two test kits for detection of anti-HCV antibody were developed using a combination of a synthetic peptide (AR142) containing the epitope of N14 (QRKTKRSTNRR) having a homology to the core of HCV of | fr | sol 8/11AA and a non-fusion recombinant protein Y19 starting from amino acid number (AAN) 1380 to 1507 in the NS3 region showing a AAH to the HCV-1 of 90%, and a combination of a mixture of three synthetic peptides of S29 AAN of 1–30, 38–65 and 47–74 of the core and a non-fused recombinant protein S4 AAN of 1287–1506 having a 93% AAH of the NS3 region. They showed almost the same order of sensitivity and specificity of the second-generation kits when tested with serum from blood donors and patients with non-A, non-B hepatitis. It should also be stressed that in all of the complete responders of a recombinant α-interferon therapy, the antibody levels against AR142 gradually decreased during and after the treatment. In 1992, studies performed for 125 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in our clinic shows that of these 16 patients might developed from either chronic non-B, non-C liver diseases or chronic liver diseases caused by mutant(s) of HCV as their serum were negative for HBsAg and second-generation of anti-HCV.     

HBV pre-c-Fc融合蛋白在杆状病毒表达系统中的表达及其生物学活性研究

目的:在杆状病毒表达系统中表达融合蛋白乙型肝炎病毒前C蛋白-小鼠IgG Fc蛋白(HBV precore protein-mouse IgG Fc,HBV pre-c-Fc),并鉴定其免疫原性。方法:目的基因HBV prec-Fc连接到pFastBac1载体,获得的pFastBac1-HBV pre-c-Fc质粒转化DH10Bac感受态,通过Tn7转座子将目的基因转座到Bacmid中,得到Bacmid-HBV pre-c-Fc穿梭载体,脂质体包被后转染Sf9昆虫细胞获得P1代病毒,重复转染Sf9获得高滴度病毒。收集细胞上清超滤后通过Protein G亲和层析柱纯化得到目的蛋白HBV pre-c-Fc。纯化的蛋白大腿内侧肌肉注射免疫BALB/c小鼠并检测血清中乙型肝炎病毒核心蛋白抗体产生量。结果:HBV pre-c-Fc在昆虫细胞中成功表达,纯化后蛋白纯度达90%以上,蛋白产量约为3.03mg/L,纯化蛋白能有效刺激BALB/c小鼠产生特异抗体。结论:成功地在杆状病毒表达系统中表达了具有免疫原性的HBV pre-c-Fc蛋白,为生产乙肝治疗性疫苗奠定了基础。     

乙肝免疫标志物与乙肝病毒核酸含量与肝功能的关系研究

目的:研究乙肝免疫标记物(HBV-M)与乙肝病毒脱氧核苷酸(HBV-DNA)载量与肝功能的关系。方法:检测104例乙肝患者HBs Ag、HBe Ag、HBc Ab、HBs Ab、HBe Ab5种HBV-M;用PCR法检测HBV-DNA含量;同时检测天冬氨酸氨基转移酶(AST)、丙氨酸氨基转移酶(ALT)、胆碱酯酶(CHE)等肝功能指标,对三者关系采用Spearman相关性分析。结果:HBs Ag、HBc Ab、HBe Ag阳性组HBV-DNA阳性率及载量均大于其余组(P0.05);HBe Ag含量、ALT浓度与HBV-DNA载量均呈正相关(r=0.48,P0.05)、(r=0.36,P0.05);AST、CHE与HBV-DNA含量无明显相关性,但在无病毒载量与有病毒载量组之间AST比较有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:HBV-M、HBV-DNA与肝功能之间有一定的相关性,但HBe Ag阴转不代表病毒复制停止,HBV-DNA也不能完全反应肝损害程度,临床应加大重视。     

胸腺五肽显著增强干扰素在抗病毒治程中的特异性CTL效应

目的:探究在e抗原(HBe Ag)阳性的慢性乙型肝炎患者采用聚乙二醇干扰素-2a(peg-2a)联合核苷类药物治疗过程中,加用胸腺五肽对细胞免疫应答的影响。方法:选择采用聚乙二醇干扰素α-2a联合核苷类药物(拉米夫定+阿德福韦酯)治疗48周,HBe Ag仍为阳性,且HLA-A2阳性的慢性乙型肝炎患者18例,分为两组。一组原方案延长联合治疗作为对照,另一组在原方案基础上再加用胸腺五肽治疗(10 mg/次,2次/周,共24周)治疗,所有病人均治疗至96周。并做体外HBV特异性细胞毒T淋巴细胞(HBV specific CTL)培养增殖,通过Elispot技术分析其分泌细胞因子(肿瘤坏死因子-α,干扰素-γ,白介素-10)的功能。结果:HBe Ag转阴率,治疗96周时联合胸腺五肽组为44.4%(4/9),原方案对照组为22.2%(2/9)。HBs Ag滴度,48周时,HBs Ag为4571±3772 IU/m:;96周时,联合胸腺五肽组为1962±2869 IU/m L,转阴1人,原方案对照组为3490±3124 IU/m L,P=0.093。HBV特异性CTL培养增殖,96周时联合胸腺五肽组高于原方案对照组,且联合胸腺五肽组TNF-的分泌也高于原方案对照组,P0.05。结论:胸腺五肽显著增强干扰素抗病毒治疗过程中的特异性CTL效应。