Hepatitis B virus subgenotypes and basal core promoter mutations in Indonesia

AIM:To identify the distribution of hepatitis B virus (HBV) subgenotype and basal core promoter (BCP) mutations among patients with HBV-associated liver disease in Indonesia.METHODS: Patients with chronic hepatitis (CH, n=61), liver cirrhosis (LC, n=62), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC,n=48) were included in this study. HBV subgenotype was identified based on S or preS gene sequence, and mutations in the HBx gene including the overlapping BCP region were examined by direct sequencing.RESULTS: HBV genotype B (subgenotypes B2, B3, B4, B5 and B7) the major genotype in the samples, accounted for 75.4%, 71.0% and 75.0% of CH, LC and HCC patients, respectively, while the genotype C (subgenotypes C1, C2 and C3) was detected in 24.6%, 29.0%, and 25.0% of CH, LC, and HCC patients, respectively. Subgenotypes B3 (84.9%) and C1 (82.2%) were the main subgenotype in HBV genotype B and C, respectively. Serotype adw2 (84.9%) and adrq+ (89.4%) were the most prevalent in HBV genotype B and C, respectively. Double mutation (A1762T/G1764A) in the BCP was significantly higher in LC (59.7%) and HCC (54.2%) than in CH (19.7%), suggesting that this mutation was associated with severity of liver disease. The T1753V was also higher in LC (46.8%), but lower in HCC (22.9%) and CH (18.0%), suggesting that this mutation may be an indicator of cirrhosis.CONCLUSION: HBV genotype B/B3 and C/C1 are the major genotypes in Indonesia. Mutations in BCP, such as A1762T/G1764A and T1753V, might have an association with manifestations of liver disease.

Association of core promoter mutations of hepatitis B virus and viral load is different in HBeAg(+) and HBeAg(-) patients

AIM:To identify the prevalence of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and to assess the association of hepatitis B virus (HBV) core promoter mutations and viral load in Indonesian patients.METHODS:Sixty-four patients with chronic hepatitis,65 with liver cirrhosis and 50 with hepatocellular carcinoma were included in this study.HBeAg and hepatitis B e antibody (HBeAb) tests were performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the mutations were analyzed by sequencing.Viral load was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction.RESULTS:Of 179 patients,108 (60.3%) were HBeAg(-) and 86 (79.6%) of these HBeAg(-) patients had been seroconverted.The A1896 mutation was not found in HBeAg(+) patients,however,this mutation was detected in 70.7% of HBeAg(-) patients.This mutation was frequently found when HBeAg was not expressed (87.7%),compared to that found in HBeAg seroconverted patients (65.1%).The A1899 mutation was also more prevalent in HBeAg(-) than in HBeAg(+) patients (P=0.004).The T1762/A1764 mutation was frequently found in both HBeAg(+) and HBeAg(-) patients,however,the prevalence of this mutation did not significantly differ among the two groups (P=0.054).In HBeAg(+) patients,the T1762/A1764 mutation was correlated with lower HBV DNA (P < 0.001).The A1899 mutation did not correlate with HBV DNA (P=0.609).In HBeAg(-) patients,the T1762/A1764 mutation alone was not correlated with HBV DNA (P=0.095),however,the presence of either the T1762/A1764 or A1896 mutations was associated with increased HBV DNA (P < 0.001).CONCLUSION:The percentage of HBeAg(-) patients is high in Indonesia,and most of the HBeAg(-) patients had been seroconverted.The A1896 mutation was most likely the major cause of HBeAg loss.The T1762/A1764 mutation alone was associated with lower viral loads in HBeAg(+) patients,but not in HBeAg(-) patients.

Therapeutic interventional endoscopic ultrasound in pancreatobiliary disorders:Does it really replace the surgical/percutaneous approach?

Pancreato-biliary disorders are still incredibly challenging in the field of gastroenterology,as they would sometimes require multi-approach interventional procedures.Recently,therapeutic interventional endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)has emerged as a potential alternative to surgical or percutaneous approaches.Unfortunately,considering the high cost of EUS,lack of facility and expertise,most gastroenterologists still often refer cases to undergo surgical interventions without contemplating the possibility of utilizing EUS first.EUS-guided biliary drainage has become one of the best choices for establishing access to biliary system,given the clear visualization of pancreas,gallbladder,and common bile duct.Although there are still only a few studies which directly compare EUSguided and surgical approaches for biliary drainage,current evidence demonstrated the superiority of EUS-guided approach in terms of adverse events and reintervention rates,with similarly high technical and clinical success rates compared to percutaneous and surgical approaches,especially in patients with history of failed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography attempt.Comparable success rates with shorter length of hospital stay between endoscopic and surgical approaches have also been exhibited for pancreatic pseudocysts and walled-off necrosis.Recent findings about the progress of EUS approach in gastroenterostomy/jejunostomy also indicated a promising potential of EUS,as a less invasive approach,for managing gastric outlet obstruction.