Characteristics of Adults in the Hepatitis B Research Network in North America Reflect Their Country of Origin and Hepatitis B Virus Genotype

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is an important cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide; populations that migrate to the US and Canada might be disproportionately affected. The Hepatitis B Research Network (HBRN) is a cooperative network of investigators from the United States and Canada, created to facilitate clinical, therapeutic, and translational research in adults and children with hepatitis B. We describe the structure of the network and baseline characteristics of adults with hepatitis B enrolled in the network

Characteristics of Adults in the Hepatitis B Research Network in North America Reflect Their Country of Origin and Hepatitis B Virus Genotype

Background & aimsChronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is an important cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide; populations that migrate to the United States and Canada might be affected disproportionately. The Hepatitis B Research Network (HBRN) is a cooperative network of investigators from the United States and Canada, created to facilitate clinical, therapeutic, and translational research in adults and children with hepatitis B. We describe the structure of the network and baseline characteristics of adults with hepatitis B enrolled in the network.MethodsThe HBRN collected data on the clinical characteristics of 1625 adults with chronic HBV infection who are not receiving antiviral therapy from 21 clinical centers in North America.ResultsHalf of the subjects in the HBRN are men, and the median age is 42 years; 72% are Asian, 15% are black, and 11% are white; with 82% born outside of North America. The most common HBV genotype was B (39%); 74% of subjects were negative for the hepatitis B e antigen. The median serum level of HBV DNA when the study began was 3.6 log10 IU/mL; 68% of male subjects and 67% of female subjects had alanine aminotransferase levels higher than the normal range.ConclusionsThe HBRN cohort is used to address important clinical and therapeutic questions for North Americans infected with chronic HBV and to guide health policies on HBV prevention and management in North America

Patient Sex, Reproductive Status, and Synthetic Hormone Use Associate With Histologic Severity of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.

Background & aimsSex and sex hormones can affect responses of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to metabolic stress and development of hepatocyte injury and inflammation.MethodsWe collected data from 3 large U.S. studies of patients with NAFLD (between October 2004 and June 2013) to assess the association between histologic severity and sex, menopause status, synthetic hormone use, and menstrual abnormalities in 1112 patients with a histologic diagnosis of NAFLD. We performed logistic or ordinal logistic regression models, adjusting for covariates relevant to an increase of hepatic metabolic stress.ResultsPremenopausal women were at an increased risk of lobular inflammation, hepatocyte ballooning, and Mallory-Denk bodies than men and also at an increased risk of lobular inflammation and Mallory-Denk bodies than postmenopausal women (P < .01). Use of oral contraceptives was associated with an increased risk of lobular inflammation and Mallory-Denk bodies in premenopausal women, whereas hormone replacement therapy was associated with an increased risk of lobular inflammation in postmenopausal women (P < .05).ConclusionsBeing a premenopausal woman or a female user of synthetic hormones is associated with increased histologic severity of hepatocyte injury and inflammation among patients with NAFLD at given levels of hepatic metabolic stress

Characteristics of Adults in the Hepatitis B Research Network in North America Reflect Their Country of Origin and Hepatitis B Virus Genotype

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is an important cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide; populations that migrate to the US and Canada might be disproportionately affected. The Hepatitis B Research Network (HBRN) is a cooperative network of investigators from the United States and Canada, created to facilitate clinical, therapeutic, and translational research in adults and children with hepatitis B. We describe the structure of the network and baseline characteristics of adults with hepatitis B enrolled in the network

Erratum to: Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition) (Autophagy, 12, 1, 1-222, 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356

non present