Endotoxin receptor CD14 gene variants and histological features in chronic HCV infection

Serum Soluble CD14 in Egyptian Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C: Its Relationship to Disease Progression and Response to Treatment

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health problem. Soluble CD14 (sCD14) level was shown to be associated with HCV infection. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between sCD14 concentration and disease progression, as well as the response to pegylated interferon/ribavirin (peg-IFN/RBV) therapy in Egyptian patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The ELISA technique was used to test 80 patients with CHC and 20 healthy control persons for serum levels of sCD14 (pretreatment and after 12 weeks of treatment). CHC patients were 65 males and 15 females. Normal healthy controls included 20 age- and sex-matched volunteers. The mean age of the CHC patients was 39.94 years, while that of the controls was 39.2 years The serum sCD14 level was significantly higher in chronic HCV-infected patients (3.6±0.18 μg/mL) compared to healthy control subjects (3.1±0.18 μg/mL). The serum sCD14 level was significantly directly correlated with the hepatic fibrosis score (r=0.24, P=0.03), histological activity index (r=0.26, P=0.02), and serum aminotransferases [r=0.28, P=0.005 for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and r=0.30, P=0.003 for aspartate aminotransferase (AST)]. The pretreatment sCD14 level was not significantly correlated to the treatment response, but it increased after 12 weeks of peg-IFN/RBV therapy and values were significantly higher in nonresponders (P=0.02). The pretreatment sCD14 level cannot predict the treatment response in chronic HCV patients receiving peg-IFN/RBV therapy. However, the serum sCD14 level after 12 weeks of treatment can serve as a negative predictor of treatment response.

Genetic factors associated with the presence and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a narrative review

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the world. Whereas insulin resistance and obesity are considered major risk factors for the development and progression of NAFLD, the genetic underpinnings are unclear. Before 2008, candidate gene studies based on prior knowledge of pathophysiology of fatty liver yielded conflicting results. In 2008, Romeo et al. published the first genome wide association study and reported the strongest genetic signal for the presence of fatty liver (PNPLA3, patatin-like phospholipase domain containing 3; rs738409). Since then, two additional genome wide scans were published and identified 9 additional genetic variants. Whereas these results shed light into the understanding of the genetics of NAFLD, most of associations have not been replicated in independent samples and, therefore, remain undetermined the significance of these findings. This review aims to summarize the understanding of genetic epidemiology of NAFLD and highlights the gaps in knowledge.

Toll-like receptor 7 rs179008/Gln11Leu gene variants in chronic hepatitis C virus infection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects an estimated 3% of the world's population. The natural outcome of infection and the natural course of disease are highly variable. Sensing of viral single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) by Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) is likely involved in early pathogen detection and host response to viral infections. This study analyzed epidemiological and clinical data from 136 patients with HCV infection with regard to rs179008/Gln11Leu, a non-synonymous polymorphism within exon 3 of the X-linked TLR7 gene, the variant allele of which is suggested to code for a functionally impaired protein. Allele-specific transcript quantification (ASTQ) analyses in heterozygous females revealed individual skewed mosaicism in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Thus, analyses were restricted to homo- and hemizygous individuals. Among the clinical and histological parameters studied, the variant allele T was found to be solely associated with the presence of portal lymphoid aggregates. Whereas hepatic viral load and expression of genes known to be induced in chronic HCV infection were not found to differ in patients with wild-type or variant TLR7 rs179008 genotype, significant lower gene expression of interleukin-29 (IL-29)/lambda(1) interferon (IFN-λ(1)) and both of its receptor subunits was found for T homo- and hemizygous patients. Irrespective of the minor differences in disease phenotype including hepatic viral load, natural, and alpha interferon (IFN-α)-mediated outcome of infection, and disease activity and progression, the significant differences in hepatic IL-29/IFN-λ(1) and IFN-λ receptor gene expression between TLR7 rs179008 T and A allele patients might have implications for responsiveness to future IFN-λ-based approaches.