Correlative factors of poor prognosis and abnormal cellular immune function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease

BACKGROUND Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a serious disease causing human dementia and social problems.The quality of life and prognosis of AD patients have attracted much attention.The role of chronic immune inflammation in the pathogenesis of AD is becoming more and more important.AIM To study the relationship among cognitive dysfunction,abnormal cellular immune function,neuroimaging results and poor prognostic factors in patients.METHODS A retrospective analysis of 62 hospitalized patients clinical diagnosed with AD who were admitted to our hospital from November 2015 to November 2020.Collect cognitive dysfunction performance characteristics,laboratory test data and neuroimaging data from medical records within 24 h of admission,including Mini Mental State Examination Scale score,drawing clock test,blood T lymphocyte subsets,and neutrophils and lymphocyte ratio(NLR),disturbance of consciousness,extrapyramidal symptoms,electroencephalogram(EEG)and head nucleus magnetic spectroscopy(MRS)and other data.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent prog-nostic factors.the modified Rankin scale(mRS)was used to determine whether the prognosis was good.The correlation between drug treatment and prognostic mRS score was tested by the rank sum test.RESULTS Univariate analysis showed that abnormal cellular immune function,extrapyramidal symptoms,obvious disturbance of consciousness,abnormal EEG,increased NLR,abnormal MRS,and complicated pneumonia were related to the poor prognosis of AD patients.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the decrease in the proportion of T lym-phocytes in the blood after abnormal cellular immune function(odd ratio:2.078,95%confidence interval:1.156-3.986,P<0.05)was an independent risk factor for predicting the poor prognosis of AD.The number of days of donepezil treatment to improve cognitive function was negatively correlated with mRS score(r=0.578,P<0.05).CONCLUSION The decrease in the proportion of T lymphocytes may have predictive value for the poor prognosis of AD.It is recommended that the proportion of T lymphocytes<55%is used as the cut-off threshold for predicting the poor prog-nosis of AD.The early and continuous drug treatment is associated with a good prognosis.

Effect of Astragalus Injection on Serious Abdominal Traumatic Patients’ Cellular Immunity

Objective： To explore the change of serious abdominal traumatic patients＇ cellular immunity and the effect of Astragalus Injection （AI） on it. Methods： Sixty-three serious abdominal traumatic patients were randomly assigned into two groups, the conventional group and the treated group, patients in the conventional group were given conventional treatment, while others in the treated group were given conventional treatment as the basis, with Al20 ml was added into 250 ml of 5% glucose solution given through intravenous dripping, and then on the first day and 14th day, their T cell activated antigens as well as that of 10 healthy subjects were monitored. Results： On the first day, in the conventional group and treated group, the levels of CD3^＋ , CD4^＋ , CD4^＋/CD8^＋ , 0D16^＋ , CD69^＋ and CD3^＋/homologous leucocytic antigen-DR （HLA-DR＋ ） were apparently lower than those in the healthy group （ P〈0.05）, while the CD8^＋ was significantly higher than that in the healthy group （P〈0.05）, and there was no significant difference between the conventional group and the treated group （P〉0.05） ; on the 14th days, the levels of CD3^＋, CD4^＋, CD4^＋/CD8^＋, CD16^＋, CD69^＋ and CD3^＋/HLA-DR^＋ of the treated group got closed to healthy subject value, and got even higher than those of conventional group （P〈0. 05）; CD8^＋ got close to that of healthy subjects, while obviously lower than that of conventional group （ P〈0. 05）. Conclusion： After serious abdominal trauma, cellular immunity lowered, auxiliary use of AI was beneficial to the restoration of cellular immunity.

ACUPUNCTURE EFFECT ON CELLULAR IMMUNITY AND NEUROENDOCRINOIMMUNE NETWORK-A REVIEW OF OUR RESEARCH WORKS

The immune cells,mainly including lymphocytes,possessed tneir respective receptorsfor OLP,such as β-EP,MEK and LEK and for neurotransmitters,such as 5-HT,SP,SOMand VIP.The ligands released from the nervous system and endocrine APUD cells under stimulationof acupuncture,laser or TENS at the acupoint could exert analgesia and generally promotion of cellularimmunity with a dual regulation in individuals.The effects of immune cells preincubated with exogenousligands on cellular immunity were similar to that affected by endogenous ligands underacupuncture.Both effects of preincubation and acupuncture could be inhibited or reversed by naloxonewhich may compete with OLP and its related neurotransmitters at the same receptor slies.The ligands,primarily including OLP,may act as a link between the neuroendocrine system and immunecells or between analgesia and immune cell function.The acupuncture effect on cellular immunity maybe carried out through regulation of the neuroendocrinoimmune network in the organism.

Cellular immunity augmentation in mainstream oncologic therapy

Anticancer immunotherapy has undergone a long evolving journey for decades, and has been dramatically applied to mainstream treatments in oncology in recent 5 years. This progress represents an advanced milestone following cytotoxic medicine and targeted therapy. Cellular immunity plays a pivotal role in the immune responses of hosts to tumor antigens. Such immunity is notably suppressed during neoplastic progression due to immuno-editing processes. Cellular immunity can also be selectively reactivated to combat malignancies while exploiting the advantages of contemporary scientific breakthroughs in molecular immunology and genetic engineering. The rapid advancement of cellular immunity-based therapeutic approaches has achieved high efficacy in certain cancer patients. Consequently, the landscape of oncologic medicine and pharmaceutical innovation has transformed recently. In this regard, we present a comprehensive update on clinically established anti-cancer treatments with cell immunity augmentation as the major mechanism of action.

Cryoablation Combined with TACE for Treating Large Hepatocellular Carcinoma： Tumor Load and Cellular Immunity

OBJECTIVE To study the effectiveness on the tumor load and cellular immune function of percutaneous cryoablation （argon-helium cryoablative system, AHCS） combined with transarterial chemoembolization （TACE） for treating large hepatocellular carcinomas （HCCs） with diameters over 10 ca. METHODS A total of 48 HCC patients were treated with AHCS after TACE. Tumor sizes ranged from 10 to 14 cm. All cases were a hypervascular type. There were 38 Child A cases and 10 Child B cases. Forty were AFP positive and 8 negative. The patients were randomized with therapy group consisting of 26 cases and the control group 22 cases. The therapy group received AHCS 4 weeks following TACE treatment. Reexamination included pathology, tumor markers, T-lymphocyte subgroup levels and computed tomography or MRI. The necrosis rate of the tumor load was calculated by Cavalieri＇s theory. EORTC QLQ-C30 was used in quality of life evaluation. RESULTS The average tumor-load reduction rate （necrosis rate） was 8.07% after TACE, and 28.65% after AHCS. Coagulation necrosis was produced in the target area. The tumor markers deceased significantly after AHCS. Tumor-load reduction after AHCS was more significant than after TACE. Suppression of cellular immunity after TACE was significant. In contrast, CD3^＋, CD4^＋ and NK increased after AHCS and an abnormal T-lymphocyte distribution was corrected. Quality of life after AHCS increased according to the EORTC QLQ-C30 evaluation. No severe complications occurred. CONCLUSION Percutaneous AHCS cryoablation after TACE reduced the tumor load in the short term. At the same time, cellular immune function was increased after AHCS. TACE was critical in increasing the therapeutic efficacy of AHCS because of its embolisation of blood vessels preventing a Flow Effect. Reduction of the tumor load in the short term may conduce to increase cellular immunity. Percutaneous AHCS cryoablation combined with TACE can reduce the tumor load, improve cellular immunity and increase quality of life of HCC patients. This type of therapy deserves to be studied further research.

Predictors of prognosis in Alzheimer’s disease: The role of cognitive dysfunction, immune abnormalities, and advanced neuroimaging

Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a grave illness that results in cognitive and social issues.A recent study examined the association between neuroimaging results,cognitive dysfunction,atypical cellular immune function,and poor prognostic factors in AD patients who demonstrated poor prognosis.Poor prognosis was associated with abnormal cellular immune function,extrapyramidal symptoms,altered consciousness,abnormal electroencephalogram,modified Rankin scale,increased neutrophil lymphocyte ratio,and severe pneumonia.The impaired cellular immune function characterized by a reduction in the blood T lym-phocytes’proportion predicted poor prognosis as an independent risk factor in AD.Early initiation and maintenance of AD medications is associated with better outcomes.

Inflammatory factors, cellular immunity and humoral immunity in patients with secretory otitis media

Objective:To investigate the changes of inflammatory factors, cellular immunity and humoral immunity in patients with secretory otitis media.Methods:A total of 82 cases of secretory otitis media admitted in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2017 were selected as the observation group, and 80 healthy volunteers in our hospital were selected as the control group. The tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), calcitonin (PCT), platelet activating factor (PAF), endothelin-1 (ET-1), CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+, IgA, IgG, IgM. were detected and compared.Results: The levels of TNF-α, PCT, PAF and ET-1 in the observation group were (2.21 ± 0.13) ng/mL, (3.96 ± 0.81) ng/mL, (149.50 ± 21.08) ng/mL, and (1.67 ± 0.53) μg/L, which were all higher than those of the control group, the differences were significant. The levels of CD3+, CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ in the observation group were (51.95 ± 4.47)%, (37.04 ± 3.94)% and (1.10 ± 0.04) respectively, which were all lower than those in the control group, the differences were significant. The level of CD8+ in the observation group was (33.63 ± 3.94)%, higher than that in the control group, the difference was significant. The levels of IgA, IgG and IgM in the observation group were (4.97 ± 0.22) g/L, (31.16 ± 2.53) g/L and (5.12 ± 0.17) g/L respectively, which were all higher than the control group, the differences were significant.Conclusion:Inflammatory factors and immune status of patients with secretory otitis media are abnormal. It is suggested to strengthen clinical monitoring of relevant indicators.

Effects of ulinastatin combined with thymopentin on cellular immunity, humoral immunity and stress response in severe pneumonia

Objective:To explore the effects of ulinastatin combined with thymopentin on cellular immunity, humoral immunity and stress response in severe pneumonia.Methods: A total of 102 cases of severe pneumonia treated in our hospital from February 2016 to November 2017 were collected as subjects and randomly divided into the control group (n=51) and the observation group (n=51), the two groups were treated with routine symptomatic treatment. The control group was treated with the ulinastatin on the basis of routine treatment, the observation group was treated with thymopentin on the basis of the control group. The changes of cellular immunity, humoral immunity, stress response and liver function in the two groups were compared.Results: Before treatment, there was no significant difference in the levels of CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+, IgA, IgM, IgG, SOD, MDA, T-AOC, AKP, TB and ALT between the two groups (P>0.05). After treatment, the two groups of CD4+ and CD4+ /CD8+ were significantly increased (P<0.05), CD8+ was significantly lower than before treatment (P<0.05), and CD4+ and CD4+ /CD8+ in the observation group were significantly increased compared with the control group (P<0.05), CD8+was significantly lower than the control group (P<0.05);the two groups of IgA, IgM and IgG were significantly increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the IgA, IgM and IgG in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05);two groups of SOD and T-AOC were significantly higher than before treatment (P<0.05), while MDA was significantly lower than before treatment (P<0.05), and SOD and T-AOC in the observation group were significantly increased (P<0.05), and MDA was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05);two groups of AKP, TB and ALT were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05), and the AKP, TB and ALT in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05).Conclusions: ulinastatin combined with thymopentin in patients with severe pneumonia can effectively enhance the cellular immunity and humoral immune function, reduce oxidative stress damage and protect the liver function, which has clinical significance.

Cellular immune function and liver damage in post hepatitic cirrhosis

AIM To study the cellular immune function in patients with post hepatitic cirrhosis (PHC) and its relation with different liver damages.

DNA-based vaccination induces humoral and cellular immune responses against hepatitis B virus surface antigen in mice without activation of Cmyc

AIM To develop a safe and effective DNAvaccine for inducing humoral and cellularimmunological responses against hepatitis Bvirus surface antigen(HBsAg).METHODS BALB/c mice were inoculated withNV-HB/s,a recombinant plasmid that had beeninserted S gene of hepatitis B virus genome andcould express HBsAg in eukaryotes.HBsAgexpression was measured by ABC immunohis-tochemical assay,generation of anti-HBs byELISA and cytotoxic T lymphocyte(CTL),byMTT method,existence of vaccine DNA bySouthern blot hybridization and activation ofoncogene C-myc by in situ hybridization,RESULTS With NV-HB/s vaccination byintramuscular injection,anti-HBs was initiallypositive 2 weeks after inoculation while all micetested were HBsAg positive in the muscles.Thetiters and seroconversion rate of anti-HBs weresteadily increasing as time went on and weredose-dependent.All the mice inoculated with100 μg NV-HB/s were anti-HBs positive onemonth after inoculation,the titer was 1:1024 ormore.The humoral immune response was similarinduced by either intramuscular or intradermalinjection.CTL activities were much stronger(45.26%)in NV-HB/s DNA immunized mice as compared with those(only 6%)in plasma-derived HBsAg vaccine immunized mice.Twomonths after inoculation,all muscle sampleswere positive by Southern-blot hybridization forNV.HB/s DNA detection,but decreased to 25%and all were undetectable by in situhybridization after 6 months.No oncogene C-myc activation was found in the muscle ofinoculation site.CONCLUSION NV-HB/s could generatehumoral and cellular immunological responsesagainst HBsAg that had been safely expressed insitu by NV-HB/s vaccination.

Recent advances in immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Background:Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is challenging as most patients are diagnosed at advanced stage with underlying chronic liver conditions.Conventional systemic chemotherapy has failed in HCC,and the clinical efficacy of FDA-approved molecular targeted agents such as sorafenib and lenvatinib remains unsatisfactory.Data sources:Literature search was conducted in Pub Med for relevant articles published before January 2021.The search aimed to identify recent developments in immune-based treatment approaches for HCC.Information of clinical trials was obtained from https://clinicaltrials.gov/.Results:Two immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs),nivolumab and pembrolizumab were approved as monotherapies,which has revolutionized HCC treatment.Besides,combination ICIs have also got accelerated FDA approval recently.Immune-based therapies have challenged targeted drugs owing to their safety,tolerability,and survival benefits.In addition to the significant success in ICIs,other immunotherapeutic strategies such as cancer vaccine,chimeric antigen receptor T-cells,natural killer cells,cytokines,and combination therapy,have also shown promising outcomes in clinical trials.Various diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers have been identified which can help in clinical decision making when starting treatment with ICIs.Conclusions:Immunotherapy has emerged as one of the mainstream treatment modalities for advanced HCC in recent years.However,challenges such as low response rate and acquired resistance in previously respondent patients still exist.Further research is needed to understand the unique resistance mechanism to immunotherapy and to discover more predictive biomarkers to guide clinical decision making.

Effect of liniment levamisole on cellular immune functions of patients with chronic hepatitis B

AIM: To explore the effects of liniment levamisole on cellular immune functions of patients with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: The levels of T lymphocyte subsets and mlL-2R in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were measured by biotin-streptavidin (BSA) technique in patients with chronic hepatitis B before and after the treatment with liniment levamisole. RESULTS: After one course of treatment with liniment levamisole, the levels of CD3+, CD4+, and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ increased as compared to those before the treatment but the level of CD8+ decreased. The total expression level of mIL-2R in PBMCs increased before and after the treatment with liniment levamisole. CONCLUSION: Liniment levamisole may reinforce cellular immune functions of patients with chronic hepatitis B.

TfR1 Extensively Regulates the Expression of Genes Associated with Ion Transport and Immunity

Transferrin receptor 1(TfR1),encoded by the TFRC gene,is the gatekeeper of cellular iron uptake for cells.A variety of molecular mechanisms are at work to tightly regulate TfR1 expression,and abnormal TfR1 expression has been associated with various diseases.In the current study,to determine the regulation pattern of TfR1,we cloned and overexpressed the human TFRC gene in HeLa cells.RNA-sequencing(RNA-seq)was used to analyze the global transcript levels in overexpressed(OE)and normal control(NC)samples.A total of 1669 differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were identified between OE and NC.Gene ontology(GO)analysis was carried out to explore the functions of the DEGs.It was found that multiple DEGs were associated with ion transport and immunity.Moreover,the regulatory network was constructed on basis of DEGs associated with ion transport and immunity,highlighting that TFRC was the node gene of the network.These results together suggested that precisely controlled TfR1 expression might be not only essential for iron homeostasis,but also globally important for cell physiology,including ion transport and immunity.

HPV16E7-HSP70 Hybrid DNA Vaccine Induces E7-Specific Cytotoxic T Cells and Antitumor Immunity

Using human papillomavirus type 16 （HPV16） E7 as an antigen and Heat Shock Protein 70 as adjuvant, we constructed a DNA vaccine by linking HSP70 gene to E7^C91G; gene. Mice, after being immunized with E7^C91G;-HSP70, E7^C91G/HSP70, E7^C91G, and wild E7 DNA vaccines respectively, produced E7 specific CD8^＋ T-cell precursor frequencies of 280.33±2.52, 144.34±4.04, 164.34±5.13 and 82.33±3.51 respectively within every 1 × 10^5 mouse splenocytes. This proves that E7^C91G-HSP70 fusion vaccine can significantly enhance the E7 specific cellular immunity within the mice body（p〈0. 01）. After being immunized with E7^C91G-HSP70 fusion vaccine, tumor-bearing mice of the group being treated have significantly longer latency and survival periods, comparing with other three categories of E7 vaccines. Experiment shows that this vaccine has a significant effect on enhancing E7 positive tumor-treatment within mice body. After being immunized with E7^C91G-HSP70 vaccine, there were no pathological changes found in livers, kidneys and spleens of the mice, which proves that the vaccine is quite safe. After all, E7^C91G-HSP70 fusion vaccine has a much stronger tumor- treatment effect than thai of wild type E7 DNA vaccine.

Role of autoimmunity in primary biliary cirrhosis

Primary biliary cirrhosis(PBC) is an autoimmune liver disease characterized by the presence of serum autoantibodies and chronic nonsuppurative destructive cholangitis.The pathogenesis of PBC involves environmental factors,genetic predisposition and loss of immune tolerance.In recent years,it has become univocally accepted that an inappropriately activated immune response is one of the most important factors in PBC.In this study,the role of autoimmunity in PBC is summarized and a feasible research orientation is recommended.

EFFECTS OF REINFORCED DECOCTION OF ANGELICAE SINENSIS FOR ENRICHING BLOOD ON THE IMMUNITY OF IMMUNOSUPPRESSED MICE

Objective To investigate the effect of reinforced Decoction of Angelicae Sinensis for enriching blood (RDAEB) on the immunity of immunosuppressed mice induced by cyclophosphamide (Cy). Methods Mice were given RDAEB through stomach perfusion for 10 d (50 mg/d). Then, RBC-C3bR rate,RBC-IC rate (as the index- es of erythrocyte immunity)and E-rosette forming rate,acidic a-naphthyl acetate esterase positive rate, lymphocyte transformation rate (as the indexes of cellular immunity) of mice were tested. Results RBC-C3Br rate, RBC-IC rat- e,E-rosette forming rate, acidic α-naphthyl acetate esterase positive rate and lymphocyte transformation rate in the Cy-RDAEB group were markedly higher than those in the Cy group (P<0.0l),and returned to the levels of normal group. Conclusion RDAEB is effective in recovering and enhancing cellular and erythrocyte immunity of immuno- suppressed mice.

Efficient Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses Induced by a Chimeric Virus-like Particle Displaying the Epitope of EV71 without Adjuvant

Objective To eliminate the side effects of aluminum adjuvant and His-tag,we constructed chimeric VLPs displaying the epitope of EV71（SP70） without His-tagged.Then evaluating whether the VLPs could efficiently evoke not only humoral but also cellular immune responses against EV71 without adjuvant.Methods The fusion protein was constructed by inserting SP70 into the MIR of truncated HBc Ag sequence,expressed in E.Coli,and purified through ion exchange chromatography and density gradient centrifugation.Mice were immunized with the VLPs and sera were collected afterwards.The specific antibody titers,Ig G subtypes and neutralizing efficacy were detected by ELISA,neutralization assay,and EV71 lethal challenge.IFN-γ and IL-4 secreted by splenocytes were tested by ELISPOT assay.Results HBc-SP70 proteins can self-assemble into empty VLPs.After immunization with HBc-SP70 VLPs,the detectable anti-EV71 antibodies were effective in neutralizing EV71 and protected newborn mice from EV71 lethal challenge.There was no significant difference for the immune efficacy whether the aluminum adjuvant was added or not.The specific Ig G subtypes were mainly IgG1 and IgG2 b and splenocytes from the mice immunized produced high levels of IFN-γ and IL-4.Conclusion The fusion proteins without His-tagged was expressed and purified as soluble chimeric HBc-SP70 VLPs without renaturation.In the absence of adjuvant,they were efficient to elicit high levels of Th1/Th2 mixed immune response as well as assisted by aluminum adjuvant.Furthermore,the chimeric VLPs have potential to prevent HBV and EV71 infection simultaneously.

Effect of Different Oligosaccharides on Immunity and Production Performance of Piglets

[ Objective] To study the effects of different oligosaccharides on immunity and production performance of piglets.[ Method] A total of 75 Yorkshire x Rongchang piglets were assigned into five groups, 15 in each group. Isomalto-oligosaccharide （ IMO）, fructo-oligosaccharide （ FOS）, mannan-oligosacchadde （MOS）, and mixed oligosacchadde were supplemented to basal diet （7.5 g/kg）, respectively. The control group was also set. The experimental period lasted for 53 d. The clinic symptoms and diarrhea were observed. All piglets were weighed once a week. Feed intake was also recorded. Blood was collected via precaval vein for determination of immunology indexes at the age of 30 and 60 d, respectively. [ Result] The IMO and FOS enhanced cellular immunity of 30-day-old piglets significantly （P 〈 0.05）, and the IMO also enhanced their humoral immunity. The MOS enhanced cellular immunity and humoral immunity of 60-day-old piglets significantly （P 〈 0.05）. It also improved production performance largest, and its diarrhea rate was the lowest. [ Conclusion] Different oligosaccharides have various effects on immunity and production performance of oiolets.

Functional identification of C-type lectin in the diamondback moth,Plutella xylostella(L.)innate immunity

C-type lectins(CTLs)are a superfamily of Ca^(2+)-dependent carbohydrate-recognition proteins,and an important pattern recognition receptor(PRR)in insect innate immunity which can mediate humoral and cellular immunity in insects.In this study,we report a novel dual carbohydrate-recognition domain(CRD)CTL from Plutella xylostella which we designate PxIML.PxIML is a protein with a 969 bp open reading frame(ORF)encoding 322 amino acids,containing a signal peptide and a dual-CRD with EPN(Glu_(124)-Pro_(125)-Asn_(126))and QPD(Gln_(274)-Pro_(275)-Asp_(276))motifs.The expression of PxIML mRNA in the fat body was significantly higher than in hemocytes and midgut.The relative expression levels of PxIML in the whole insect and the fat body were significantly inhibited after infection with Bacillus thuringiensis 8010(Bt8010)at 18 h,while they were significantly upregulated after infection with Serratia marcescens IAE6 or Pichia pastoris.The recombinant PxIML(rPxIML)protein could bind to the tested pathogen-associated molecular patterns(PAMPs),and the bacteria of Enterobacter sp.IAE5,S.marcescens IAE6,Staphylococcus aureus,Escherichia coli BL21,and Bt8010 in a Ca^(2+)-dependent manner,however,it showed limited binding to the fungus,P.pastoris.The rPxIML exhibited strong activity in the presence of Ca^(2+) to agglutinate Bt8010,Enterobacter sp.IAE5 and S.aureus,but it only weakly agglutinated with E.coli BL21,and could not agglutinate with S.marcescens IAE6 or P.pastoris.Furthermore,the rPxIML could bind to hemocytes,promote the adsorption of hemocytes to beads,and enhance the phenoloxidase(PO)activity and melanization of P.xylostella.Our results suggest that PxIML plays an important role in pathogen recognition and in mediating subsequent humoral and cellular immunity of P.xylostella.

Humoral and cellular immunogenecity of DNA vaccine based on hepatitis B core gene in rhesus monkeys

INTRODUCTIONHepatitis B virus (HBV) is the most commonetiologic agent for infectious liver diseases. It isestimated that there are more than 250 millionchronic HBV carriersin the world today and thereis a significant association among persistentinfection, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellularcarcinoma[1-3].