Combined acoustic radiation force impulse, aminotransferase to platelet ratio index and Forns index assessment for hepatic fibrosis grading in hepatitis B

AIM: To investigate the combined diagnostic accuracy of acoustic radiation force impulse(ARFI), aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index(APRI) and Forns index for a non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B(CHB). METHODS: In this prospective study, 206 patients had CHB with liver fibrosis stages F0-F4 classified by METAVIR and 40 were healthy volunteers were measured by ARFI, APRI and Forns index separately or combined as indicated. RESULTS: ARFI, APRI or Forns index demonstrated a significant correlation with the histological stage(all P < 0.001). According to the AUROC of ARFI and APRI for evaluating fibrotic stages more than F2, ARFI showed an enhanced diagnostic accuracy than APRI(P < 0.05). The combined measurement of ARFI and APRI exhibited better accuracy than ARFI alone when evaluating ≥ F2 fibrotic stage(Z = 2.77, P = 0.006). Combination of ARFI, APRI and Forns index did not obviously improve the diagnostic accuracy compared to the combination of ARFI and APRI(Z = 0.958, P = 0.338). CONCLUSION: ARFI + APRI showed enhanced diagnostic accuracy than ARFI or APRI alone for significant liver fibrosis and ARFI + APRI + Forns index shows the same effect with ARFI + APRI.

Analysis of Tuberculosis-Associated Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome in HIV/TB Co-infected Patients During HAART

Objectives To investigate the clinical features of tuberculosis(TB)-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome(TB-IRIS) in patients co-infected with HIV/TB or latent infection during highly active antiretroviral therapy(HAART).Methods HIV-infected patients treated in the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen, China between March 2012 and March 2013 were recruited, and divided into 3 groups: 1) HIV/TB co-infection group(n = 50), 2) HIV/MTB latent infection group(n = 50), and 3) HIV infection group(n = 50), with 12-month follow-up. Patients in the HIV/TB co-infection group were treated with HAART 2 weeks after TB therapy. Patients were assessed at different time-points.Results The incidence and mortality rates of TB-IRIS were 40% and 10% in the HIV/TB co-infected patients, and 2%(and no mortality) in the HIV/MTB group. The HIV infected group did not display TB-IRIS or death. About 95% HIV/TB co-infected patients were 20-39 years old when TB-IRIS occurred, and 65% of the patients developed TB-IRIS 2 weeks after HAART. For the co-infection group, those with TB-IRIS(20/20, 100%) had fever, with a significantly higher incidence than those who did not develop TB-IRIS(6.7%, 2/30, P < 0.05). The patients with TB-IRIS in co-infection group displayed markedly higher clinical biochemical markers, acute phase reactants, increased CD4+ cell counts, and 2 log10-decreases of HIV RNA loads, compared with the patients not presenting with TB-IRIS(P < 0.05). Conclusion HIV/TB co-infected patients presented with a high-risk of developing TB-IRIS during HAART treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment could decrease mortality rates in TB-IRIS.