To define the relationship between pre-core hepatitis B virus mutants and the long-term outcome of chronic hepatitis B virus infection, we monitored the type of circulating pre-core hepatitis B virus-DNA by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing in 41 selected chronic HBsAg carriers with extensive follow up. They included 12 HBeAg-positive patients with chronic hepatitis, who seroconverted to...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Clearance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is characterised by a strong cytotoxic T cell response. Persistence of HBV in chronic hepatitis B carriers may be related to failure of this response. The aim of this study was to determine whether HLA class I restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses persist in anti-hepatitis B e (HBe) positive / HBV DNA negative individuals, and to ...

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process associated with airway remodeling in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which leads to progressive pulmonary destruction. Panax ginseng is a traditional herbal medicine that has been shown to improve pulmonary function and exercise capacity in patients with COPD. Ginsenoside Rg1 is one of the main active components and was shown to...

Studies of regulated mucin secretion from goblet cells in primary cultures of human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells have suffered, generally, from poor signal-to-noise ratios, with reported secretory responses of <100% (less than onefold) relative to baseline. Using, instead, HBE cells grown as xenografts in the backs of nude mice, we found that UTP (100 micro M) stimulated strong mucin secret...

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of resveratrol (RSV) on cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced cell apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction in vitro, as well as changes in the MFN2 expression level. METHODS Cultured human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells were initially treated with CSE to induce apoptosis, followed by incubation either with or without RSV. Numerous ...

Changes in markers of hepatitis B viral replication and standard liver function tests were studied in 30 patients with HBsAg positive chronic liver disease starting or stopping prednisolone/azathioprine therapy, and compared with those occurring in 15 patients who did not receive therapy. On stopping prednisolone/azathioprine, 10 out of 11 HBeAg positive patients and one out of three patients n...

UBE1L, ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1-like, is the activating enzyme of ISG15ylation (ISG15, interferon stimulated gene 15). Loss of UBE1L and activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling are common events in lung carcinogenesis. Curcumin, a well-studied chemopreventive agent, is known to down-regulate EGFR. The present study demonstrated that curcumin decreased EGFR expressi...

In order to study the clinical, serological, and morphological evolution of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in childhood, a prospective study has been carried out. A total of 90 children with a chronic infection were followed up for a mean (SD) of 3 (1.8) years. At the beginning of the study, 61 children were asymptomatic and 77 were household contacts of chronic carriers. Serologically 77 ...