Viral hepatitis E:Clinical manifestations,treatment,and prevention

Hepatitis E is a globally distributed infection that varies in seroprevalence between developed and developing regions.In the less developed regions of Asia and Africa,a high seropositivity rate has been reported for hepatitis E virus(HEV)antibodies.Although acute hepatitis E is often self-limited and has a favorable prognosis,some populations experience severe manifestations,which may progress to liver failure.Moreover,some immunocompromised patients are at risk of developing chronic HEV infection and cirrhosis.Proactive screening,reducing misdiagnosis,improving patient management,timely anti-viral therapy for severe and chronic cases,and vaccination of high-risk groups are important measures to reduce the morbidity of hepatitis E.This review focused on the clinical presentation,management,and prevention of hepatitis E.

Double Plasma Molecular Adsorption System with Sequential Low-dose Plasma Exchange in Patients with Hepatitis B Virus-related Acute-on-chronic Liver Failure:A Prospective Study

Background and Aims:To investigate the safety and efficacy of double plasma molecular adsorption system(DPMAS)with sequential low-dose plasma exchange(LPE)in treating early hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure(HBV-ACLF).Methods:Clinical data of patients with HBVACLF were prospectively collected,including patients in a DPMAS with sequential LPE(DPMAS+LPE)group and those in a standard medical treatment(SMT)group.The primary endpoint was death or liver transplantation(LT)at 12 weeks of follow-up.Propensity-score matching was performed to control the effects of confounding factors on prognosis between the two groups.Results:After 2 weeks,total bilirubin,alanine aminotransferase,blood urea nitrogen levels,and Chinese Group on the Study of Severe Hepatitis B score,were significantly lower in the DPMAS+LPE group than those in the SMT group(p<0.05).After 4 weeks,laboratory parameters of the two groups were similar.The cumulative survival rate of the DPMAS+LPE group was significantly higher than that of the SMT group at 4 weeks(97.9%vs.85.4%,p=0.027),but not at 12 weeks(85.4%vs.83.3%,p=0.687).Cytokine levels were significantly lower in 12-week survival group than in the death-or-LT group(p<0.05).Functional enrichment analysis showed that downregulated cytokines were mainly involved in positive regulation of proliferation and activation of lymphocytes and monocytes,regulation of immune effect response,regulation of endotoxin response,and glial cell proliferation.Conclusion:DPMAS+LPE significantly improved the 4-week cumulative survival rate,and ameliorated the inflammatory response in patients.DPMAS+LPE may be a promising modality for patients with early HBV-ACLF.