Short-term entecavir therapy of chronic severe hepatitis B

BACKGROUND: Chronic severe hepatitis B patients often have limited survival. This investigation aimed to evaluate the short-term effects of nucleoside analog therapy on chronic severe hepatitis B. METHODS: We retrospectively, randomly collected the data of 129 chronic severe hepatitis B patients: 55 were treated with entecavir, and the remaining 74 were not treated with nucleoside analogues. RESULTS: No significant difference in short-term survival rate was found between the group treated with entecavir and that treated without nucleoside analogues. Although entecavir greatly reduced HBV replication in different periods of therapy (P<0.001), the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score and liver function (alanine aminotransferase, albumin, bilirubin, prothrombin time) showed no significant change. No significant differences were found in MELD scores and liver function in patients with different HBV DNA levels (<= 10(4) copies/ml, >10(4) to <10(6) copies/ml, >= 10(6) copies/ml). Nor correlation was observed between HBV DNA levels and MELD scores in different periods of therapy (P>0.05). The HBV DNA levels of patients who survived for over 3 months or less than 3 months were not significantly different either. However, the MELD score and parameters of liver function (albumin, bilirubin, prothrombin time) were different between the two groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that short-term suppression of HBV replication may not slow down the progression of liver failure in patients with chronic severe hepatitis B.

Prognostic factors for chronic severe hepatitis and construction of a prognostic model

BACKGROUND: Chronic severe hepatitis is a serious illness with a high mortality rate. Discussion of prognostic judgment criteria for chronic severe hepatitis is of great value in clinical guidance. This study was designed to investigate the clinical and laboratory indices affecting the prognosis of chronic severe hepatitis and construct a prognostic model. METHODS: The clinical and laboratory indices of 213 patients with chronic severe hepatitis within 24 hours after diagnosis were analyzed retrospectively. Death or survival was limited to within 3 months after diagnosis. RESULTS: The mortality of all patients was 47.42%. Compared with the survival group, the age, basis of hepatocirrhosis, infection, degree of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and the levels of total bilirubin (TBil), total cholesterol (CHO), cholinesterase (CHE), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), blood creatinine (Cr), blood sodium ion (Na), peripheral blood leukocytes (WBC), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), international normalized ratio (INR) of blood coagulation and prothrombin time (PT) were significantly different in the group who died, but the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), albumin (ALB) and hemoglobin (HGB) were not different between the two groups. At the same time, a regression model, Logit (P)=1.573xAge+1.338xHE-1.608xCHO+0.011xCr-0.109xNa+1.298xINR+11.057, was constructed by logistic regression analysis and the prognostic value of the model was higher than that of the MELD score. CONCLUSIONS: Multivariate analysis excels univariate anlysis in the prognosis of chronic severe hepatitis, and the regression model is of significant value in the prognosis of this disease.

Portalsystemic hemodynamic changes in chronic severe hepatitis B: An ultrasonographic study

AIM： To evaluate portalsystemic hemodynamic changes in chronic severe hepatitis B. METHODS： Hemodynamic parameters included portal vein diameter （PVD）, portal vein peak velocity （PVPV）, portal vein volume （PW）, spleen length （SPL）, spleen vein diameter （SPVD）, spleen vein volume （SPW） and umbilical vein recanalization. They were measured by Color Doppler ultrasonography in 36 patients with chronic severe hepatitis B, compared with 51 normal controls, 61 patients with chronic hepatitis B, 46 patients with compensable cirrhosis, and 36 patients with decompensable cirrhosis. RESULTS： In the group of chronic severe hepatitis B, PVD （12.38 ± 1.23 mm） was significantly different from the normal control, compensable cirrhosis and decompensable cirrhosis groups （P = 0.000-0.026）, but not significantly different from the chronic hepatitis group. PVPV （16.15 ± 3.82 cm/s） dropped more significantly in the chronic severe hepatitis B group than the normal control, chronic hepatitis B and compensable cirrhosis groups （P = 0.000-0.011）. PW （667.53 ± 192.83 mL/min） dropped significantly as compared with the four comparison groups （P = 0.000-0.004）. SPL （120.42 ± 18.36 mm） and SPVD （7.52 ± 1.52 mm） were longer in the normal control and chronic hepatitis B groups （P = 0.000-0.009）, yet they were significantly shorter than those in the decompensable cirrhosis group （P = 0.000）. SPW （242.51 ± 137.70 mL/min） was also lower than the decompensable cirrhosis group （P = 0.000）. The umbilical vein recanalization rate （75%） was higher than the chronic hepatitis B and compensable cirrhosis groups. In the course of progression from chronic hepatitis to decompensable cirrhosis, PVD, SPL and SPVD gradually increased and showed significant differences between every two groups （P = 0.000-0.002）. CONCLUSION： Patients with chronic severe hepatitis B have a tendency to develop acute portal hypertension, resulting in significantly reduced portal vein perfusion, Observation of the portalsystemic hemodynamic changes may be contributed to the disease progression of chronic liver disease.

Study on the relationship between interleukin-10 promoter polymorphism and the chronic severe hepatitis

The aim of this study is to investigate whether three mononucleotide polymorphisms at the locus -1082,-819 and -592 in the promoter region of the IL-10 gene are associated with chronic severe hepatitis. The IL-10-592 and IL-10-1082 polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reactionrestriction fragment length polymorphism analysis （PCR-RFLP） while polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer （PCR-SSP） assay was used to test the IL-10-819 polymorphism. The polymorphisms of IL-10-1082, -819 and -592 genes were detected in 98 patients with chronic severe hepatitis （CSH）, 478 patients with chronic hepatitis B （CHB）, 223 asymptomatic （chronic） HBV carriers （ASC） and 267 patients with self-restricted HBV. There was significant difference of the polymorphisms of IL-10-1082, IL-10-819 and IL-10-592 genes between CSH group and other groups. The frequency of AA genotype at IL-10 gene promoter -1082 locus in chronic severe hepatitis patients was higher than that in asymptomatic HBV carriers （2 = 13. 314, P = 0.001）, and self-restricted HBV patients （χ^2 = 13.545, P = 0.000）; the frequency of CC and AC genotype at IL-10 gene promoter -592 locus in chronic severe hepatitis patients was higher than that in chronic hepatitis patients（χ^2 = 15.970, P=0.000） （χ^2 =20.414, P=0.000）, asymptomatic HBV carriers （χ^2 =21.283, P= 0.000） （χ^2 = 28.309, P = 0.000） and self-restricted HBV patients（χ^2 = 17.047, P = 0.000） （χ^2 = 16.528, P = 0.000） ; the frequency of TC genotype at IL-10 gene promoter -819 locus in chronic severe hepatitis patients was higher than that in chronic hepatitis patients（χ^2 = 58.961, P = 0.000）, asymptomatic HBV carriers （ χ^2 = 53. 255, P = 0. 001 ） and self-restricted HBV patients （χ^2 = 39.616, P = 0.001）. So interleukine-10 gene polymorphism was associated with the chronic severe hepatitis.

Changes in intestinal microflora in patients with chronic severe hepatitis

Objective To investigate changes in intestinal microflora in patients with chronic severe hepatitis (CSH), and their role in this life-threatening disease.Methods We classified nineteen patients with chronic severe hepatitis as the CSH group, thirty patients with chronic hepatitis (CH) as the CH group and thirty-one healthy volunteer as the control group. Fecal flora from all subjects were analyzed. Concentrations of plasma endotoxin, serum cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and liver function were assessed.Results The number of fecal bifidobacterium (P<0.001, P<0.05 respectively), as well as bacteroidaceae (P<0.001, P<0.01 respectively) were significantly deceased in patients with chronic severe hepatitis compared with the CH and control groups, while the number of enterobacteriaceae (P<0.001, P<0.05 respectively) and yeasts (P<0.01, P<0.05 respectively) were significantly increased. Levels of plasma endotoxin, serum TNF-α, IL-1β and total bilirubin (TBiL) were significantly increased in the CSH group. The concentration of endotoxin positively correlated with levels of both TNF-α, IL-1β and TBiL (P<0.001, respectively). Levels of plasma endotoxin were positively correlated with the number of fecal enterobacteriaceae and negatively correlated with bifidobacterium (P<0.05, P<0.001, respectively).Conclusion Intestinal flora in patients with chronic severe hepatitis were severely disturbed and gut mircobiological colonization resistance was impaired. Changes in intestinal flora may have a pivotal role in both the elevation of plasma endotoxin and further hepatic lesions resulting in liver failure.

Model for end-stage liver disease-sodium predicts prognosis in patients with chronic severe hepatitis B

Background Serum sodium predicts prognosis in chronic severe hepatitis B and may improve the prognostic accuracy of the model for end-stage liver disease （MELD） score, but the available information is limited. The present study was undertaken to study the clinical use of the serum sodium incorporated MELD （MELD-Na） and assess its validity by the concordance （c）-statistics in predicting the prognosis of the patient with chronic severe hepatitis B.Methods A total of 426 adult patients with a diagnosis of chronic severe hepatitis B between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2007 at a single center were studied. The scores of serum sodium, MELD, MELD-Na, and ΔMELD-Na （ΔMELD-Na=MELD-Na at 14 days after medical treatment -MELD-Na score on admission） of the patients with chronic severe hepatitis B were calculated. The 3-month mortality in the patients was measured, and the validity of the models was determined by means of the concordance （c） statistics.Results The average MELD, MELD-Na scores of survival group were 25.70±5.08 and 26.60±6.90, and those of dead group were 35.60±6.78 and 42.80±9.57 on admission. There was a significant difference in MELD and MELD-Na between the survival and dead groups （P 〈0.01）. The average △MELD-Na score of the survival group was -0.97±3.51, and that of the dead group was 3.45±2.38 at 2 weeks after the treatment. There was a significant difference in △MELD-Na between the survival and dead groups （P 〈0.01）. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curves of Na, MELD and MELD-Na for the occurrence of death in 3 months were 0.742, 0.875 and 0.922. The 3-month mortality of the MELD-Na scores group 〈25, 25-30, 31-34, 35-40 and 〉40 were 2.0%, 5.4%, 35.4%, 53.8 % and 86.9%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the 3-month mortality between the five groups （P 〈0.05）. The 3-month mortality of the △MELD-Na〉0 group was 65.9%, and that of the △MELD-Na ≤0 group was 15.8%; there was a significant difference in the 3-month mortality between the two groups （P 〈0.05）.Conclusions MELD-Na score is a valid model to predict the 3-month mortality in patients with chronic severe hepatitis B. △MELD-Na is a clinically useful parameter for predicting the therapeutic effect of chronic severe hepatitis B.

Combined human growth hormone and lactulose for prevention and treatment of multiple organ dysfunction in patients with severe chronic hepatitis B

AIM: To evaluate the efficiency and safety of combined recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) and lactulose for treatment and/or prevention of multiple organ dysfunction in patients with chronic severe hepatitis B. METHODS: Forty-eight inpatients with chronic severe hepatitis B were randomly divided into rhGH group (n = 28)and control group (n = 20). In rhGH group, 4-4.5 IU of rhGH was injected intramuscularly once daily for 2-4 wk,and 100 mL of enema containing 30 mL of lactulose, 2 g of metronidazole and 0.9% saline was administered every 2 d for 2-4 wk. Their symptoms and complications were noted. Liver and kidney functions were analyzed by an Olympus analyzer. Serum GH, IGF-1, IGFBP1 and IGFBP3 were measured by ELISA.RESULTS: Clinical symptoms of 90% of these patients in rhGH group were obviously improved. The total effectiveness in rhGH group was better than that in control group (75% vs40%, P＜0.05). After 2- and 4-wk treatment of rhGH respectively, serum albumin (26.1±4.1 vs 30.2±5.3,31.9±5.1 g/L), prealbumin (79.6±28.0 vs 106.6±54.4,108.4±55.0 g/L), cholesterol (76.3±16.7 vs 85.6±32.3,96.1±38.7 mg/dL), and IGFBP1 (56.8±47.2 vs 89.7±50.3ng/mL after 2 wk) were significantly increased compared to control group (P＜0.05). However, serum GH was decreased. The increase of serum IGF1 and IGFBP3 after rhGH treatment was also observed.CONCLUSION: rhGH in combination with lactulose may be beneficial to the prevention and treatment of multiple organ dysfunction in patients with chronic severe hepatitis.

Effect of medical ozone therapy on renal blood flow and renal function of patients with chronic severe hepatitis

Background Medical ozone therapy system was reported to have certain effects on the treatment of severe hepatitis, but its mechanism is not very clear. One of the causes of death of severe hepatitis is complication of renal damage or hepatorenal syndrome. The present study aimed to observe effects of medical ozone therapy system on plasma renin activity （PRA）, angiotensin II （All）, aldosterone （ALD）, renal blood flow and renal function of patients with chronic severe hepatitis and explore mechanisms of medical ozone therapy in the treatment of severe hepatitis. Methods Eighty-five cases with chronic severe hepatitis were randomly divided into ozone therapy group （43 cases） and control group （42 cases）. The patients in the ozone therapy group were treated with basic treatments plus ozone therapy system. Basic autohemotherapy was used. One hundred milliliter venous blood was drawn from each patient, and was mixed with 100 ml （35 pg/ml） medical ozone and then was returned the blood to the patient intravenously, once every other day for 20 days. Only the basic treatments were given to the control group. PRA, All, ALD, renal blood flow and damage to renal function of the two groups before treatment and 20 days after treatment were compared. Survival rates were also compared. Results Twenty days after the treatment, in ozone therapy group, PRA was （1.31±0.12） ng.m^-1.h^1, All （111.25±17.35） pg/ml, ALD （251.31±22.60） pg/ml, which decreased significantly compared with those before treatment （PRA （2.23±0.13） ng.ml^-1.h^-1, All （155.18±19.13） pg/ml, ALD （405.31±29.88） pg/ml, t=4.67-14.23, P 〈0.01 ）, also lower than those of control group 20 days after the treatment （PRA （2.02±0.11） ng.ml^-1.h^-1, All （162.21±15.32） pg/ml, ALD （401.20±35.02） pg/ml, t=4.97-15.61, P 〈0.01）; renal blood flow was （175.15±28.20） ml/min, which increased compared with that before the treatment （（125.68±21.25） ml/min） and was higher than that of control group 20 days after the treatment （（128.59±23.15） ml/min, t=4.78, 4.61, P 〈0.01）. Renal damage occurred in 2 cases （5%） in ozone therapy group, less than that in control group （9 cases, 21%） （X^2=5.295, P 〈0.05）. Thirty-three cases （77%） in ozone therapy group vs. 16 cases （38%） in control group survived （X^2=12.993, P 〈0.01 ）. Conclusions Basic treatment plus medical ozone therapy for patients with chronic severe hepatitis could decrease PRA, All and ALD levels significantly increase renal blood flow, prevent renal damage to certain extent and improve survival rate of the patients.

Resting energy expenditure and glucose, protein and fat oxidation in severe chronic virus hepatitis B patients

AIM: To study and determine the resting energy ex- penditure (REE) and oxidation rates of glucose, fat and protein in severe chronic hepatitis B patients. METHODS: A total of 100 patients with liver diseases were categorized into three groups: 16 in the acute hepatitis group, 56 in the severe chronic hepatitis group, and 28 in the cirrhosis group. The REE and the oxidation rates of glucose, fat and protein were as- sessed by indirect heat measurement using the CCM-D nutritive metabolic investigation system. RESULTS: The REE of the severe chronic hepatitis group (20.7 ± 6.1 kcal/d per kg) was significantly lower than that of the acute hepatitis group (P = 0.014). The respiratory quotient (RQ) of the severe chronic hepatitis group (0.84 ± 0.06) was significantly lower than that of the acute hepatitis and cirrhosis groups (P = 0.001). The glucose oxidation rate of the severe hepatitis group (39.2%) was significantly lower than that of the acute hepatitis group and the cirrhosis group (P < 0.05), while the fat oxidation rate (39.8%) in the severe hepatitis group was markedly higher than that of the other two groups (P < 0.05). With improve- ment of liver function, the glucose oxidation rate in- creased from 41.7% to 60.1%, while the fat oxidation rate decreased from 26.3% to 7.6%. CONCLUSION: The glucose oxidation rate is signifi-cantly decreased, and a high proportion of energy is provided by fat in severe chronic hepatitis. These re- sults warrant a large clinical trail to assess the optimal nutritive support therapy for patients with severe liver disease.

Assessment of prognosis and curative effect in patients with chronic severe hepatitis using the model for end-stage liver disease scores

Severe hepatitis is the most severe liver disease, with poor prognosis and high mortality. We explored the practical use of the model for end-stage liver disease （MELD） on clinical and the molecular adsorbents recirculating system （MARS） on chronic severe hepatitis to predict the short-term prognosis of patients with chronic severe hepatitis using the MELD score and the curative effect of MARS treatment.

Effects of WeChat platform-based health management on health and self-management effectiveness of patients with severe chronic heart failure

BACKGROUND Epidemiological studies have found that the prevalence of chronic heart failure in China is 0.9%,the number of people affected is more than 4 million,and the 5-year survival rate is even lower than that of malignant tumors.AIM To determine the impact of WeChat platform-based health management on severe chronic heart failure patients’health and self-management efficacy.METHODS A total of 120 patients suffering from chronic heart failure with cardiac function grade III-IV,under the classification of the New York Heart Association,were admitted to our hospital in May 2017.In January 2020,they were divided into two groups:A control group(with routine nursing intervention)and an observation group(with WeChat platform-based health management intervention).Changes in cardiac function,6-min walking distance(6MWD),high-sensitivity cardiac troponin(hs-cTnT),and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP)were detected in both groups.The Self-Care Ability Scale(ESCA)score,Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire score,and compliance score were used to evaluate self-management ability,quality of life,and compliance of the two groups.During a follow-up period of 12 mo,the occurrence of cardiovascular adverse events in both the groups was counted.RESULTS The left ventricular ejection fraction,stroke output,and 6MWD increased,and the hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP decreased in both the groups,as compared to those before the intervention.Further,cardiac function during the 6MWD,hs-cTnT,and NT-proBNP improved significantly in the observation group after intervention(P<0.05).The scores of self-care responsibility,self-concept,self-care skills,and selfcare health knowledge in the observation group were higher than those of the control group before intervention,and their ESCA scores were significantly improved after intervention(P<0.05).The Minnesota heart failure quality of life(LiHFe)scores of physical restriction,disease symptoms,psychological emotion,social relations,and other items were decreased compared to those of the control group before intervention,and the LiHFe scores of the observation group were significantly improved compared to those of the control group(P<0.05).With intervention,the compliance scores of rational diet,regular medication,healthy behavior,and timely reexamination were increased,thereby leading to the compliance scores of the observation group being significantly improved compared to those of the control group(P<0.05).During the 12 mo follow-up,the incidence rates of acute myocardial infarction and cardiogenic rehospitalization in the observation group were lower than those of the control group,and the hospitalization time in the observation group was shorter than that of the control group,but there was no significant difference between the two groups(P>0.05).CONCLUSION WeChat platform-based health management can improve the self-care ability and compliance of patients with severe chronic heart failure,improve the cardiac function and related indexes,reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular adverse events,and enable the avoidance of rehospitalization.

Antiviral therapy with nucleos(t)ide analogues for severe chronic hepatitis B

To the Editor:I read the paper by Chen et al[1]with great interest.The authors performed a retrospective study to evaluate the short-term efficacy of antiviral therapy with