Objective To analyze the detection characteristics of novel hepatitis B virus (HBV) serum biomarkers including HBV RNA, hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg), hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc), intrahepatic HBV total DNA (tDNA), and covalently closed circle (cccDNA) in patients with different types of HBV infection. Methods A total of 227 HBV-infected patients, who were hospitalized in the Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2017 to December 2019 and underwent liver biopsy, were included in this study. The clinical data were retrospectively analyzed and serum HBV RNA, HBcrAg, anti-HBc, intrahepatic HBV tDNA and cccDNA were quantitatively detected. The characteristics and anti-HBV treatment impact on the above virological biomarkers in patients with different types of clinical illness were analyzed. Results Among 16 patients with acute hepatitis B (AHB), 4 were positive for serum HBV RNA (25.0%), 15 were positive for serum HBcrAg(93.8%), 14 were positive for HBV tDNA (87.5%), and 13 were positive for cccDNA (81.3%) in liver tissues. Among 184 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 34 were treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs), and their HBV RNA and HBcrAg contents were significantly lower than those without treatment, and the anti-HBc content was significantly higher (P<0.05). Among 18 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), 9 were treated with NAs, the virological parameters, excepting HBV DNA, showed no significant differences between NAs-treated patients and treatment-naïve patients (P>0.05). Among 9 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma,5 were positive for serum HBV RNA (55.6%), 7 were positive for serum HBcrAg (77.8%), 8 were positive for HBV tDNA (88.9%),and 6 were positive for cccDNA (66.7%) in liver tissues. Conclusions Serum HBcrAg might be used to differentiate whether AHB is cured or not. In NAs-treated patients, even if HBV DNA decreases to the undetectable level, HBVRNA is still detectable and might cause the slow progresses of the disease, so antiviral therapy cannot be discontinued. Serum HBV RNA and HBcrAg might serve as serological substitutes for intrahepatic HBV cccDNA.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |