The relationship between serum Hepatitis B virus DNA (HBV-DNA) and the Hepatitis B e-antigen/ anti-Hepatitis Be (HBeAg/anti-HBe) serological status in Malaysians was studied. 212 cases of asymptomatic HBV carriers were recruited for this study. 92 cases were positive for the HBeAg at the point of recruitment. 85 (92.4%) of these patients tested positive for HBV-DNA, of whom 55 (64.7%) had level...

To test the hypothesis that Na+ transport in human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells is regulated by a protease-mediated mechanism, we investigated the effects of BAY 39-9437, a recombinant Kunitz-type serine protease inhibitor, on amiloride-sensitive short-circuit current of normal [non-cystic fibrosis (CF) cells] and CF HBE cells. Mucosal treatment of non-CF and CF HBE cells with BAY 39-9437 d...

Introduction. In iron overload status, excess iron deposits in reticuloendothelial cells and tissues and can be detected using Prussian blue staining. The aim of this paper was to investigate the relationship between siderocyte numbers and plasma ferritin levels (a practically standard marker of iron overload) in the blood of the splenectomized and nonsplenectomized β-thalassemia/HbE patients, ...

The Harris Benedict equations (HBE) were derived from indirect calorimetric data obtained in 239 normal subjects. Using these data and additional data published by Benedict, which were obtained from subjects spanning a wider age range (n = 98), the present study evaluated the relationship between measured resting energy expenditure and age, sex, and predicted body cell mass (BCM). When the addi...

OBJECTIVE Anti-HBe seroconversion and HBsAg loss are important therapeutic endpoints in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Quantitative measures of hepatitis B surface antigen (qHBsAg) and e antigen (qHBeAg) have been identified as potentially useful indicators of therapeutic response in HBV monoinfection. The aim of this study was to examine serological change including quantitat...

Background and Objectives. This study aimed to describe hematologic and molecular characterization of the interaction of hemoglobin (Hb) E and several forms of α-thalassemia causing complex thalassemia syndromes in two Cambodian families as well as to establish a rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for simultaneous detection of Hb Constant Spring (CS) and Hb Pakse’ (PS). Design and Meth...

Survivin plays important roles in maintaining cell proliferation and survival and promoting tumorigenesis. The present study was conducted to determine the stage of lung carcinogenesis at which survivin expression is induced and to investigate how survivin affects the chemopreventive action of deguelin. In in vitro studies, we observed higher levels of survivin expression in a subset of premali...

To try to further define the mechanisms that increase the levels of hemoglobin F (HbF) in the blood of patients with severe forms of beta thalassemia, we have studied two comparable populations of hemoglobin E (HbE)/beta thalassemics, one regularly transfused and one receiving only occasional blood transfusions. Regular transfusion was associated with a significant decrease in soluble transferr...

Serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers are the most important data for epidemiological screening and clinical diagnosis of HBV infection, especially in endemic areas. We compared the results of the Roche Modular Analytics E170 assay, the Abbott Architect i2000 assay, and an immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HBV surface antigen (anti-HBs), HBV e antigen (HBeAg),...

BACKGROUND Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes a spectrum of diseases ranging from asymptomatic infective state to cirrhosis and hepato-cellular carcinoma. The asymptomatic state has highly variable characteristics. METHODS Sixty-one incidentally detected asymptomatic HBsAg-positive subjects (IDAHS), in whom HBsAg positivity persisted for > 6 months, were studied for liver b...