Efficacy And Safety Of Hylan G-F 20 Injection In Treatment Of Knee Osteoarthritis In Chinese Patients: Results Of A Prospective, Multicentre, Longitudinal Study

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High hepatitis B surface antigen levels predict insignificant fibrosis in hepatitis B e antigen positive chronic hepatitis B

INTRODUCTION: There is no data on the relationship between hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels and liver fibrosis in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: Serum HBsAg and HBV DNA levels in HBeAg-positive CHB patients with liver biopsies were analyzed. The upper limit of normal (ULN) of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was 30 and 19 U/L for men and women respectively. Histologic assessment was based on Ishak fibrosis staging for fibrosis and Knodell histologic activity index (HAI) for necroinflammation. RESULTS: 140 patients (65% male, median age 32.7 years) were recruited. 56 (40%) had ALT 1, had significantly higher median HBsAg levels (50,320 and 7,820 IU/mL respectively, p/= 25,000 IU/mL was independently associated with fibrosis score </= 1 (p=0.025, odds ratio 9.042).Using this cut-off HBsAg level in patients with ALT </=2xULN, positive and negative predictive values for predicting fibrosis score </= 1 were 92.7% and 60.0% respectively. HBV DNA levels had no association with liver histology. CONCLUSION: Among HBeAg-positive patients with ALT </=2xULN, high serum HBsAg levels can accurately predict fibrosis score </= 1, and could potentially influence decisions concerning treatment commencement and reduce the need for liver biopsy.published_or_final_versio

Reduction of covalently closed circular DNA with long-term nucleos(t)ide analogue treatment in chronic hepatitis B

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Melia toosendan regulates PC12 cell differentiation via the activation of protein kinase A and extracellular signal-regulated kinases

With a history of several thousand years, traditional Chinese medicine has been well documented to be effective in the treatment of various disorders. We have investigated the activities of potential neuroactive compounds in traditional Chinese medicine such as Melia toosendan using an in vitro model system, rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. We report here that treatment of PC12 cells with a crude extract of the fruits of M. toosendan reduces cell growth in a dose-dependent manner without detectable cytotoxicity. Upon treatment with M. toosendan, PC12 cells exhibit robust neurite outgrowth, to a greater extent than that observed with nerve growth factor. Results obtained with specific kinase inhibitors and protein kinase A-deficient PC12 cells indicate that the actions of M. toosendan are mediated by the activation of protein kinase A and extracellular signal-regulated kinases. Copyright (C) 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

Photosynthetic and transcriptional responses of the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana to the combined effect of temperature stress and copper exposure

Special Issue: The 8th International Conference on Marine Pollution and Ecotoxicolog

Hepatitis B surface antigen levels predict minimal histologic changes in hepatitis B e antigen positive chronic hepatitis B

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A multi-centre, prospective, longitudinal study of the benefits of treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee with Hylan G-F 20 in a Chinese population

Conference Theme: Foot and Ankle Surgery - 足部及足踝外科The 31st Annual Congress of the Hong Kong Orthopaedic Association (HKOA 2011), Hong Kong, 19-20 November 2011

Profound reduction of HBV covalently closed circular DNA with long-term nucleoside/tide analogue therapy

Poster Session 4: Hepatitis B Therapy: no. 1855This free journal suppl. entitled: Special Issue: The 65th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases: The Liver Meeting 2014BACKGROUND: Long-term nucleoside/tide analogue (NA) treatment suppresses serum HBV DNA to undetectable levels in a majority of patients. We aimed to investigate the effect of longterm NA on the suppression of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) and intrahepatic HBV DNA (ihHBV-DNA). METHODS: We recruited 40 patients (median age 44.2 years, range 24.3-63.2) who had been on continuous long-term (5 – 10 years) NA. All patients had 3 liver biopsies: at baseline, after 1 year of treatment and at the last follow-up. Serum HBV DNA and HBsAg were measured by the COBAS TaqMan HBV Test and the Elecsys HBsAg II Assay, respectively (both Roche Diagnostics). ihHBV-DNA and cccDNA were assayed by real-time PCR, with lower limits of detection of 0.001 and 0.005 copies/cell, respectively. RESULTS: The median duration of treatment was 10.5 years (range: 6.0 – 11.9 years). At baseline, 13 patients had 100mg lamivudine, 11 had 600mg telbivudine, 9 had 0.5mg entecavir, 4 had 30mg clevudine, and 3 had 10mg adefovir. At the last follow up, these patients were on 0.5-1.0mg entecavir (n=23), 600mg telbivudine (n=9), 10mg adefovir (n=4), 300mg tenofovir (n=2), or combination therapy of lamivudine plus adefovir/tenofovir (n=2). Histology of the third biopsy showed complete resolution of interface hepatitis in 60% of patients with the remainder showing mild-to-moderate activity. Persistent immunoreactivity for HBsAg was found in 80%, the mean number of hepatocytes positive for HBsAg being 10.4% (range 1-80%). All but 1 (2.5%) was immunoreactive for HBcAg. At baseline, the median serum HBV DNA, HBsAg, ihHBV-DNA and cccDNA levels were 6.84 logIU/mL, 3.38 logIU/mL, 286 copies/cell, and 7.3 copies/cell, respectively. At the time of the last biopsies, 36 (90%) patients had undetectable serum HBV DNA (<20 IU/mL), all but one patient still had detectable HBsAg (median: 2.74 logIU/mL), all had detectable ihHBV-DNA (median: 0.4 copies/cell), but 18 (45%) patients had undetectable cccDNA. There was a trend of reduction of HBsAg, ihHBV-DNA and cccDNA levels from baseline to 1 year to last follow-up (all p<0.0001). The median log drop of HBsAg at last biopsy was 0.55 logIU/mL. The median percentage reductions of HBsAg, ihHBV-DNA and cccDNA at last biopsies were 71.46%, 99.85% and 99.89%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term NA treatment significantly reduced cccDNA and ihDNA. 45% of patients had undetectable cccDNA, although small amount of ihHBV-DNA were still detectable in all patients. Integrated HBV DNA may be a possible source of detectable ihHBV-DNA and HBsAg. Continuous long-term NA therapy can reduce cccDNA to undetectable levels, suggesting a possible end-point of treatment.link_to_OA_fulltex