Spatial transcriptomics reveals a low extent of transcriptionally active hepatitis B virus integration in patients with HBsAg loss

OBJECTIVE

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) can integrate into the chromosomes of infected hepatocytes, contributing to the production of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and to hepatocarcinogenesis. In this study, we aimed to explore whether transcriptionally active HBV integration events spread throughout the liver tissue in different phases of chronic HBV infection, especially in patients with HBsAg loss.

DESIGN

We constructed high-resolution spatial transcriptomes of liver biopsies containing 13 059 tissue spots from 18 patients with chronic HBV infection to analyse the occurrence and relative distribution of transcriptionally active viral integration events. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate the expression of HBsAg and HBV core antigen. Intrahepatic covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) levels were quantified by real-time qPCR.

RESULTS

Spatial transcriptome sequencing identified the presence of 13 154 virus-host chimeric reads in 7.86% (1026 of 13 059) of liver tissue spots in all patients, including three patients with HBsAg loss. These HBV integration sites were randomly distributed on chromosomes and can localise in host genes involved in hepatocarcinogenesis, such as ALB, CLU and APOB. Patients who were receiving or had received antiviral treatment had a significantly lower percentage of viral integration-containing spots and significantly fewer chimeric reads than treatment-naïve patients. Intrahepatic cccDNA levels correlated well with viral integration events.

CONCLUSION

Transcriptionally active HBV integration occurred in chronically HBV-infected patients at different phases, including in patients with HBsAg loss. Antiviral treatment was associated with a decreased number and extent of transcriptionally active viral integrations, implying that early treatment intervention may further reduce the number of viral integration events.

Quantification of circulating HBV RNA expressed from intrahepatic cccDNA in untreated and NUC treated patients with chronic hepatitis B

OBJECTIVE

A convenient, reproducible biomarker of hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) transcriptional activity is lacking. We measured circulating HBV RNA (cirB-RNA) in untreated and nucleos(t)ide analogues (NUC) treated chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients to define its correlation with intrahepatic viral markers and HBV core-related antigen (HBcrAg).

DESIGN

Paired liver biopsy and serum samples were collected from 122 untreated and 30 NUC-treated CHB patients. We measured cirB-RNA, HBV DNA, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), HBcrAg and alanine aminotransferase levels. cirB-RNA was quantified using an investigational HBV RNA assay for use on the cobas 6800 system. The test detects a region spanning the HBV canonical polyadenylation site. cccDNA and 3.5 kb RNA in liver tissue were assessed by quantitative PCR and droplet digital PCR.

RESULTS

cirB-RNA was detectable in 100% of HBeAg(+) chronic hepatitis (CH), 57% and 14% of HBeAg(-) CH and chronic infection untreated patients and 47% of NUC-treated patients. cirB-RNA undetectability was associated with lower intrahepatic cccDNA transcriptional activity, as well as serum HBcrAg, but no significant differences in HBsAg, in both untreated and treated patients. In untreated HBeAg(-) patients, cirB-RNA correlated with intrahepatic 3.5 kb RNA and cccDNA transcriptional activity, serum HBV DNA and HBcrAg, but not with HBsAg or total cccDNA levels. Combined undetectability of both cirB-RNA and HBcrAg detection in untreated HBeAg(-) patients identified a subgroup with the lowest levels of intrahepatic transcriptionally active cccDNA.

CONCLUSION

Our results support the usefulness of quantification of circulating HBV RNA expressed from cccDNA as an indicator of intrahepatic active viral reservoir in both untreated and NUC-treated CHB patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT02602847.

Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease and Chronic Viral Hepatitis: The Interlink

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has now affected nearly one-third of the global population and has become the number one cause of chronic liver disease in the world because of the obesity pandemic. Chronic hepatitis resulting from hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) remain significant challenges to liver health even in the 21st century. The co-existence of MAFLD and chronic viral hepatitis can markedly alter the disease course of individual diseases and can complicate the management of each of these disorders. A thorough understanding of the pathobiological interactions between MAFLD and these two chronic viral infections is crucial for appropriately managing these patients. In this comprehensive clinical review, we discuss the various mechanisms of chronic viral hepatitis-mediated metabolic dysfunction and the impact of MAFLD on the progression of liver disease.

Novel function of MOTS-c in mitochondrial remodelling contributes to its antiviral role during HBV infection

OBJECTIVE

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes substantial harm to mitochondrial activity, which hinders the development of effective treatments for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The discovery of the mitochondrial-derived short peptide MOTS-c, which possesses multiple bioactivities, offers a promising new approach in treating HBV infection. This study aims to explore the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of MOTS-c in HBV-related diseases and its molecular mechanism.

DESIGN

In total, 85 healthy subjects and 404 patients with HBV infection, including 20 clinical treatment cohorts, were recruited for this study. MOTS-c levels were measured by ELISA and its diagnostic value was evaluated by receiving operating characteristic curve analysis. The therapeutic effect of MOTS-c was observed in multiple HBV-infected mice and cells through various techniques, including transcriptomic sequencing, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. Additionally, MOTS-c's potential interaction with myosin-9 (MYH9) and actin was predicted using immunoprecipitation, proteomics and target prediction software.

RESULTS

MOTS-c negatively correlates with HBV DNA expression (R=-0.71), and its AUC (the area under the curve) for distinguishing CHB from healthy controls is 0.9530, and IA (immune reactive) from IC (inactive HBV carrier) is 0.8689. Inhibition of HBV replication (with a 50-70% inhibition rate) was observed alongside improved liver function without notable toxicity in vitro or in vivo. MOTS-c was found to promote mitochondrial biogenesis and enhance the MAVS (mitochondrial antiviral signalling protein) signalling pathway. The impact is dependent on MOTS-c's ability to regulate MYH9-actin-mediated mitochondrial homeostasis.

CONCLUSION

MOTS-c has the potential to serve as a biomarker for the progression of HBV infection while also enhancing antiviral efficacy. These findings present a promising innovative approach for effectively treating patients with CHB. Furthermore, our research uncovers a novel role for MOTS-c in regulating MYH9-actin-mediated mitochondrial dynamics and contributing to mitochondrial biogenesis.

FibroMeter scores are predictive noninvasive markers of advanced and significant liver fibrosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease

Background

FibroMeter and FibroMeter vibration-controlled transient elastography (FibroMeter VCTE) were assessed in a Greek cohort of patients with chronic viral hepatitis (CVH) B and C or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) to evaluate their accuracy in predicting advanced liver fibrosis against other well-validated noninvasive markers.

Methods

Group 1: n=83 CVH and group 2: n=38 MASLD patients underwent liver biopsy and transient elastography (TE) on the same day as sera collection. FibroMeter scores APRI and FIB-4 were calculated in all 121 patients, while MASLD fibrosis score (MFS) was also calculated in group 2.

Results

In CVH, FibroMeter VCTE performed equivalently to TE and better than the other markers in predicting advanced (≥F3) and significant (≥F2) fibrosis (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] 0.887, P<0.001 for F3; AUC 0.766 P<0.001 for F2). FibroMeter Virus (cutoff 0.61) had lower sensitivity (20%) but performed equivalently to APRI and FIB-4. In MASLD, all markers but APRI performed equivalently in predicting advanced fibrosis. FibroMeter VCTE >0.2154 had the same sensitivity (100%) and specificity (81%) as TE (cutoff >7.1 kPa). FibroMeter MASLD >0.25 performed equivalently to MFS and FIB4, but with higher specificity (100%). Both FibroMeter and FibroMeter VCTE correlated with liver histology but not with liver enzymes.

Conclusions

FibroMeter VCTE predicts accurately advanced fibrosis in CVH and MASLD, irrespectively of transaminase levels. FibroMeter Virus can be applied only as an alternative marker in CVH, while FibroMeter MASLD performs equally to TE and calculated scores (MFS, FIB-4) in predicting advanced fibrosis in MASLD patients.

Phenotypic CD8 T cell profiling in chronic hepatitis B to predict HBV-specific CD8 T cell susceptibility to functional restoration in vitro

OBJECTIVE

Exhausted hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific CD8 T cells in chronic HBV infection are broadly heterogeneous. Characterisation of their functional impairment may allow to distinguish patients with different capacity to control infection and reconstitute antiviral function.

DESIGN

HBV dextramer+CD8 T cells were analysed ex vivo for coexpression of checkpoint/differentiation markers, transcription factors and cytokines in 35 patients with HLA-A2+chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and in 29 control HBsAg negative CHB patients who seroconverted after NUC treatment or spontaneously. Cytokine production was also evaluated in HBV peptide-stimulated T cell cultures, in the presence or absence of antioxidant, polyphenolic, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor and TLR-8 agonist compounds and the effect on HBV-specific responses was further validated on additional 24 HLA-A2 negative CHB patients.

RESULTS

Severely exhausted HBV-specific CD8 T cell subsets with high expression of inhibitory receptors, such as PD-1, TOX and CD39, were detected only in a subgroup of chronic viraemic patients. Conversely, a large predominance of functionally more efficient HBV-specific CD8 T cell subsets with lower expression of coinhibitory molecules and better response to in vitro immune modulation, typically detected after resolution of infection, was also observed in a proportion of chronic viraemic HBV patients. Importantly, the same subset of patients who responded more efficiently to in vitro immune modulation identified by HBV-specific CD8 T cell analysis were also identified by staining total CD8 T cells with PD-1, TOX, CD127 and Bcl-2.

CONCLUSIONS

The possibility to distinguish patient cohorts with different capacity to respond to immune modulatory compounds in vitro by a simple analysis of the phenotypic CD8 T cell exhaustion profile deserves evaluation of its clinical applicability.

Diabetic MAFLD is associated with increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and mortality in chronic viral hepatitis patients

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) can coexist with chronic viral hepatitis. MAFLD is a heterogeneous disease because the diagnostic criteria include various metabolic traits. We aimed to identify patients at high risk of poor long-term outcomes based on MAFLD subgroups in chronic viral hepatitis patients. We evaluated 63 273 chronic hepatitis B and C patients. Patient with a fatty liver index ≥30 was defined to have hepatic steatosis. MAFLD was defined as the presence of hepatic steatosis with any one of the following three conditions, overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes or ≥2 metabolic risk factors. The prevalence of MAFLD was 38.4% (n = 24 290). During a median 8.8-year follow-up, 1839 HCCs and 2258 deaths were documented in MAFLD patients. Among MAFLD patients, diabetes could identify patients at high risk of HCC and mortality, whereas overweight/obesity and metabolic risk factors did not. Compared with non-MAFLD patients, risk of HCC and mortality was significantly higher in diabetic MAFLD patients (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.26-1.43 for HCC; aHR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.08-1.22 for mortality). Risk of HCC and mortality was significantly higher in diabetic MAFLD patients (aHR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.26-1.55 for HCC; aHR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.63-1.93 for mortality) compared with non-diabetic MAFLD patients. Diabetic MAFLD is associated with increased risk of HCC and mortality among chronic viral hepatitis patients. Our findings highlight the need for close surveillance and effective treatment for these high-risk patients to reduce HCC and mortality in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.

Enolase represents a metabolic checkpoint controlling the differential exhaustion programmes of hepatitis virus-specific CD8+ T cells

OBJECTIVE

Exhausted T cells with limited effector function are enriched in chronic hepatitis B and C virus (HBV and HCV) infection. Metabolic regulation contributes to exhaustion, but it remains unclear how metabolism relates to different exhaustion states, is impacted by antiviral therapy, and if metabolic checkpoints regulate dysfunction.

DESIGN

Metabolic state, exhaustion and transcriptome of virus-specific CD8+ T cells from chronic HBV-infected (n=31) and HCV-infected patients (n=52) were determined ex vivo and during direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy. Metabolic flux and metabolic checkpoints were tested in vitro. Intrahepatic virus-specific CD8+ T cells were analysed by scRNA-Seq in a HBV-replicating murine in vivo model of acute and chronic infection.

RESULTS

HBV-specific (core18-27, polymerase455-463) and HCV-specific (NS31073-1081, NS31406-1415, NS5B2594-2602) CD8+ T cell responses exhibit heterogeneous metabolic profiles connected to their exhaustion states. The metabolic state was connected to the exhaustion profile rather than the aetiology of infection. Mitochondrial impairment despite intact glucose uptake was prominent in severely exhausted T cells linked to elevated liver inflammation in chronic HCV infection and in HBV polymerase455-463 -specific CD8+ T cell responses. In contrast, relative metabolic fitness was observed in HBeAg-negative HBV infection in HBV core18-27-specific responses. DAA therapy partially improved mitochondrial programmes in severely exhausted HCV-specific T cells and enriched metabolically fit precursors. We identified enolase as a metabolic checkpoint in exhausted T cells. Metabolic bypassing improved glycolysis and T cell effector function. Similarly, enolase deficiency was observed in intrahepatic HBV-specific CD8+ T cells in a murine model of chronic infection.

CONCLUSION

Metabolism of HBV-specific and HCV-specific T cells is strongly connected to their exhaustion severity. Our results highlight enolase as metabolic regulator of severely exhausted T cells. They connect differential bioenergetic fitness with distinct exhaustion subtypes and varying liver disease, with implications for therapeutic strategies.

Apulian infectious diseases network: survey on the prevalence of delta infection among chronic HBV carriers in Apulia

Background

The current prevalence and clinical burden of Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) infection in Apulia are unknown. This study aimed to define the current epidemiological scenario of delta infection and to detect difficulties in the diagnosis and clinical management of HDV patients in Apulia.

Methods

From May to September 2022, a fact-finding survey was conducted at eight Infectious Diseases Units of the Apulian region; each Unit was asked to complete a questionnaire on screening and diagnosis of HDV infection and demographic, virological, and clinical characteristics of HDV patients.

Results

A total of 1,461 HBsAg-positive subjects were followed up on an outpatient basis. Screening for HDV ranged from 30 to 90% of HBsAg + carriers in a single center. Overall, 952 HBsAg ± subjects (65%) were tested for HDV, and 80/952 (8.4%) were anti-HDV positive. Serum HDV RNA was detected only in 15/80 (19%) anti-HDV-positive subjects, and 12/15 patients (80%) were viremic. Sixty-five anti-HDV-positive subjects (81%) were from Italy; risk factors for HDV acquisition included the presence of HDV infection in the family (29/80 = 36%), drug addiction (12/80 = 15%), and co-infection with HCV or HIV (7/80 = 9%). Liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma were diagnosed in 41 (51%) and 4 (5%) patients, respectively. Fifty-seven patients (71%) received nucleos(t)ide analog treatment.

Conclusions

The results of this survey show that HDV screening is variable and insufficient, thus real prevalence data on delta infection are lacking in Apulia. Moreover, the HDV RNA test is not available in most laboratories and is not provided by the national health system. These results underline the need for an organizational model to optimize the management of HDV patients throughout the Apulian region.

Recent Insights into the Role of B Cells in Chronic Hepatitis B and C Infections

Chronic viral hepatitis infections, caused by the hepatitis B or C virus, are a major global health problem causing an estimated one million deaths each year. Immunological studies have classically focused on T cells, while B cells have largely been neglected. Emerging evidence, however, highlights a role for B cells in the immunopathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B and C infections. B cell responses appear to be altered across different clinical phases of chronic HBV infection and across stages of disease in chronic HCV infection. These B cell responses show signs of a more activated state with a simultaneous enrichment of phenotypically exhausted atypical memory B cells. Despite the fact that studies show an activating B cell signature in chronic viral hepatitis infection, antibody responses to HBsAg remain impaired in chronic HBV infection, and glycoprotein E2-specific neutralizing antibody responses remain delayed in the acute phase of HCV infection. At the same time, studies have reported that a subset of HBV- and HCV-specific B cells exhibit an exhausted phenotype. This may, at least in part, explain why antibody responses in chronic HBV and HCV patients are suboptimal. Here, we summarize recent findings and discuss upcoming research questions while looking forward to how new single-cell technologies could provide novel insights into the role of B cells in chronic viral hepatitis infections.

The Liver-Heart Connection: A Literature Review of Liver Disease as a Risk Factor for Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a common type of cardiac arrhythmia, characterized by disorganized atrial electrical activity with features of irregularly irregular heart rhythm and often with rapid ventricular response increasing the risk of stroke and heart failure due to tachyarrhythmia. The pathophysiology mechanism of AFib is either triggered by atrial distension, abnormality in conducting system, catecholamine excess, or increased atrial irritation or automaticity. Risk factors include uncontrolled diabetes, obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, and certain stimulants. Based on recent research, liver disease has recently been identified as a risk factor for AFib. Considering the progression of chronic liver disease, this literature review aims to investigate and summarize the relationship between liver disease and AFib and explore clinical interventions that can be utilized to prevent AFib aggravation.

Inactivated genotype 1a, 2a and 3a HCV vaccine candidates induced broadly neutralising antibodies in mice

OBJECTIVE

A prophylactic vaccine is needed to control the HCV epidemic, with genotypes 1-3 causing >80% of worldwide infections. Vaccine development is hampered by HCV heterogeneity, viral escape including protection of conserved neutralising epitopes and suboptimal efficacy of HCV cell culture systems. We developed cell culture-based inactivated genotype 1-3 HCV vaccine candidates to present natively folded envelope proteins to elicit neutralising antibodies.

DESIGN

High-yield genotype 1a, 2a and 3a HCV were developed by serial passage of TNcc, J6cc and DBN3acc in Huh7.5 cells and engineering of acquired mutations detected by next-generation sequencing. Neutralising epitope exposure was determined in cell-based neutralisation assays using human monoclonal antibodies AR3A and AR4A, and polyclonal antibody C211. BALB/c mice were immunised with processed and inactivated genotype 1a, 2a or 3a viruses using AddaVax, a homologue of the licenced adjuvant MF-59. Purified mouse and patient serum IgG were assayed for neutralisation capacity; mouse IgG and immune-sera were assayed for E1/E2 binding.

RESULTS

Compared with the original viruses, high-yield viruses had up to ~1000 fold increased infectivity titres (peak titres: 6-7 log10 focus-forming units (FFU)/mL) and up to ~2470 fold increased exposure of conserved neutralising epitopes. Vaccine-induced IgG broadly neutralised genotype 1-6 HCV (EC50: 30-193 µg/mL; mean 71 µg/mL), compared favourably with IgG from chronically infected patients, and bound genotype 1-3 E1/E2; immune-sera endpoint titres reached up to 32 000.

CONCLUSION

High-yield genotype 1-3 HCV could be developed as basis for inactivated vaccine candidates inducing broadly neutralising antibodies in mice supporting further preclinical development.

Health Inequality among Fishery Workers during Climate Change: A National Population-Based and Retrospective Longitudinal Cohort Study

Background: Owing to specific working environments, it is important to attain sustainable development goals for the health of fishery workers during climate change. Fishery workers have a hazardous working environment, leading to specific injuries and fatal events. However, limited studies have investigated the health status of fishery workers through long-term longitudinal follow-up and compared it with that of farmers and employed workers with similar socioeconomic status. Methods: The Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000, a subset of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database was used for this retrospective cohort study. Only fishery workers, farmers, and employed workers were included. Based on the majority of causes of death and related diseases, participants newly diagnosed with 18 diseases, classified into cardiometabolic diseases, mental illness, chronic kidney disease, infection, and malignancy, were included. Participants with an old diagnosis of these diseases were excluded. All included participants were followed up from 1 July 2000 to the diagnosis and withdrawal date, or 31 December 2012, whichever occurred first. Due to the substantial difference in the baseline demographics, we executed a cohort study with propensity score-matched and applied the Cox model to explore the participants’ health status. Results: After matching, there were negligible differences in the baseline demographics of fishery workers, farmers, and employed workers. Compared to farmers and employed workers, fishery workers were more frequently diagnosed with 11 and 14 diseases, respectively, such as hypertension (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.11, p < 0.01), diabetes (HR: 1.21, p < 0.001), dyslipidemia (HR: 1.18, p < 0.001), depression (HR: 1.38, p < 0.001), peptic ulcer (HR: 1.17, p < 0.001), chronic viral hepatitis (HR: 2.06, p < 0.001), hepatocellular carcinoma (HR: 1.67, p < 0.001), and total malignancy (HR: 1.26, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Compared to farmers and employed workers, fishery workers were more impacted by cardiometabolic diseases, mental illness, infection, and malignancy. Therefore, it is imperative to specifically focus on health policies for fishery workers, such as providing curable antiviral treatment and initiating culture-tailored health promotion programs, to mitigate health inequality.

Novel prime-boost immune-based therapy inhibiting both hepatitis B and D virus infections

OBJECTIVE

Chronic HBV/HDV infections are a major cause of liver cancer. Current treatments can only rarely eliminate HBV and HDV. Our previously developed preS1-HDAg immunotherapy could induce neutralising antibodies to HBV in vivo and raise HBV/HDV-specific T-cells. Here, we further investigate if a heterologous prime-boost strategy can circumvent T-cell tolerance and preclude HDV superinfection in vivo.

DESIGN

A DNA prime-protein boost strategy was evaluated for immunogenicity in mice and rabbits. Its ability to circumvent T-cell tolerance was assessed in immunocompetent hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-transgenic mice. Neutralisation of HBV and HDV was evaluated both in vitro and in immunodeficient human-liver chimeric mice upon adoptive transfer.

RESULTS

The prime-boost strategy elicits robust HBV/HDV-specific T-cells and preS1-antibodies that can effectively prevent HBV and HDV (co-)infection in vitro and in vivo. In a mouse model representing the chronic HBsAg carrier state, active immunisation primes high levels of preS1-antibodies and HDAg-specific T-cells. Moreover, transfer of vaccine-induced antibodies completely protects HBV-infected human-liver chimeric mice from HDV superinfection.

CONCLUSION

The herein described preS1-HDAg immunotherapy is shown to be immunogenic and vaccine-induced antibodies are highly effective at preventing HBV and HDV (super)infection both in vitro and in vivo. Our vaccine can complement current and future therapies for the control of chronic HBV and HDV infection.

Transcriptional Pattern Analysis of Virus-Specific CD8+ T Cells in Hepatitis C Infection: Increased Expression of TOX and Eomesodermin During and After Persistent Antigen Recognition

Thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box (TOX) has been described to be a key regulator in the formation of CD8+ T cell exhaustion. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with different lengths of antigen exposure in acute, chronic, and after resolution of HCV infection is the ideal immunological model to study the expression of TOX in HCV-specific CD8+ T cells with different exposure to antigen. HCV-specific CD8+ T cells from 35 HLA-A*01:01, HLA-A*02:01, and HLA-A*24:02 positive patients were analyzed with a 16-color FACS-panel evaluating the surface expression of lineage markers (CD3, CD8), ectoenzymes (CD39, CD73), markers of differentiation (CD45RO, CCR7, CD127), and markers of exhaustion and activation (TIGIT, PD-1, KLRG1, CD226) and transcription factors (TOX, Eomesodermin, T-bet). Here, we defined on-target T cells as T cells against epitopes without escape mutations and off-target T cells as those against a "historical" antigen mutated in the autologous sequence. TOX+HCV-specific CD8+ T cells from patients with chronic HCV and on-target T cells displayed co-expression of Eomesodermin and were associated with the formation of terminally exhausted CD127-PD1hi, CD39hi, CD73low CD8+ T cells. In contrast, TOX+HCV-specific CD8+ T cells in patients with off-target T cells represented a progenitor memory Tex phenotype characterized by CD127hi expression and a CD39low and CD73hi phenotype. TOX+HCV-specified CD8+ T cells in patients with a sustained virologic response were characterized by a memory phenotype (CD127+, CD73hi) and co-expression of immune checkpoints and Eomesodermin, indicating a key structure in priming of HCV-specific CD8+ T cells in the chronic stage, which persisted as a residual after therapy. Overall, the occurrence of TOX+HCV-specific CD8+ T cells was revealed at each disease stage, which impacted the development of progenitor Tex, intermediate Tex, and terminally exhausted T cell through an individual molecular footprint. In sum, TOX is induced early during acute infection but is modulated by changes in viral sequence and antigen recognition. In the case of antigen persistence, the interaction with Eomesodermin leads to the formation of terminally exhausted virus-specific CD8+ T cells, and there was a direct correlation of the co-expression of TOX and Eomes and terminally exhausted phenotype of virus-specific CD8+ T cells.

Peritumoral histopathologic findings in patients with chronic viral hepatitis-associated hepatocellular carcinoma

Data on peritumoral histopathologic findings in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is limited. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the peritumoral histopathologic changes in patients with chronic viral hepatitis (CVH)-associated HCC (CVH-HCC) and their prognostic value. 61 consecutive cirrhotic patients who underwent liver transplantation due to CVH-HCC were included. Histopathologic features within 1 cm distance of the tumor, and their association with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis were evaluated. A random representative slide of cirrhotic parenchyma unrelated to invasive and/or dysplastic foci was also evaluated for the same histopathologic criteria. The majority (85%, n = 52) were male with a median age of 55 ± 6.38 (range, 39-67). The etiologic agent was only HBV in 90% (n = 55). The most common peritumoral findings were portal inflammation (100%; n = 61), ductular reaction (100%; n = 61) and sinusoidal dilatation (95%; n = 58). Macrovascular invasion was observed only in four cases (7%) with mild peritumoral portal inflammation. Neutrophilic infiltration of the peritumoral portal tracts (n = 18; 30%) was significantly associated with pT4 tumor stage, tumor grade, macrovascular invasion, and pretransplant therapy. Patients with moderate or severe peritumoral sinusoidal dilatation tended to have worse prognosis, albeit not significantly. Peritumoral ballooning degeneration was associated with multifocality, recurrence and recurrence-free survival in both uni- and multivariate analysis. Peritumoral histopathologic changes in CVH-HCC can be classified as: changes related to pathogenesis, changes indirectly affecting prognosis, and changes directly affecting prognosis. Peritumoral prominent ballooning degeneration may be a predictor of recurrence while portal neutrophilic infiltration and sinusoidal dilatation seem to indicate poor prognosis.

Noninvasive Assessment of Liver Fibrosis with ElastPQ in Patients with Chronic Viral Hepatitis: Comparison Using Histopathological Findings

Chronic viral hepatitis is a major cause of chronic liver disease leading to liver fibrosis. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of elastography point quantification (ElastPQ), transient elastography (TE), and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet count ratio index (APRI) for the staging of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis using histopathological findings as a reference standard. For 122 patients with chronic viral hepatitis, diagnostic performance was evaluated using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) analysis and correlations were determined using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. The AUROC of ElastPQ for the diagnosis of the fibrosis stage ≥ F2 was 0.917 with a cut-off value of 3.935. There was a significant positive correlation between the different stages of histologic liver fibrosis and stiffness values obtained using ElastPQ, TE, and APRI (ρ = 0.556, ρ = 0.657, ρ = 0.375, respectively; p < 0.001). ElastPQ showed a higher diagnostic accuracy than APRI, resembling that of TE; AUROC values of ElastPQ, TE, and APRI were 0.917, 0.964, and 0.896, respectively, for a fibrosis stage ≥ F2. ElastPQ is a promising noninvasive technique with a diagnostic accuracy comparable with that of TE for the evaluation of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.

Periodontitis, chronic liver diseases, and the emerging oral-gut-liver axis

The liver carries out a wide range of functions ranging from the control of metabolites, nutrient storage, and detoxification to immunosurveillance. While inflammation is essential for the tissue remodeling and maintenance of homeostasis and normal liver physiology, constant exposure to dietary and microbial products creates a niche for potentially prolonged immune activation and unresolved inflammation in susceptible host. Failure to restrain inflammation can lead to development of chronic liver diseases characterized by fibrosis, cirrhosis and eventually liver failure. The liver maintains close interactions with numerous organs which can influence its metabolism and physiology. It is also known that oral cavity microenvironment can influence the physiological conditions of other organs and emerging evidence implicates that this could be true for the liver as well. Presence of chronic inflammation and dysbiotic microbiota is a common feature leading to clinical pathology both in periodontitis and chronic liver diseases (CLDs). In fact, known CLDs appear to have some relationship with periodontitis, which impacts the onset or progression of these conditions in a bidirectional crosstalk. In this review, we explore the emerging association between oral‐gut‐liver axis focusing on periodontitis and common CLDs including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular cancer. We highlight the immune pathways and oral microbiome interactions which can link oral cavity and liver health and offer perspectives for future research.

Immunopathology caused by impaired CD8+ T cell responses

Recent findings indicate that many immunopathologies are at their roots a consequence of impaired immune responses ("too little" immunity) and not the result of primarily exaggerated immune responses ("too much" immunity). We have summarized this conceptional view as "IMPATH paradox". In this review, we will focus on impaired immune reactions in the context of CD8+ T cell-mediated immunopathologies. In particular, we will exemplify this concept in two disease models: Virus-triggered primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, an inflammatory syndrome caused by genetically impaired cytolytic functions of T cells, and viral hepatitis, where T cell exhaustion is a major underlying mechanism for impaired effector functions. In both situations, T cells fail to eliminate the source of immune stimulation, which usually serves as an important negative feedback loop curtailing immune reactions. Persistent antigen presentation by antigen-presenting and/or infected cells results in continuous stimulation causing chronic inflammation and immunopathology mediated by residual T cell functions. Hence, immune stimulation or reconstitution rather than immune suppression may be strategies for therapeutic interventions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Whole exome HBV DNA integration is independent of the intrahepatic HBV reservoir in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B

OBJECTIVE

The involvement of HBV DNA integration in promoting hepatocarcinogenesis and the extent to which the intrahepatic HBV reservoir modulates liver disease progression remains poorly understood. We examined the intrahepatic HBV reservoir, the occurrence of HBV DNA integration and its impact on the hepatocyte transcriptome in hepatitis B 'e' antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

DESIGN

Liver tissue from 84 HBeAg-negative patients with CHB with low (n=12), moderate (n=25) and high (n=47) serum HBV DNA was analysed. Covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) were evaluated by quantitative PCR, whole exome and transcriptome sequencing was performed by Illumina, and the burden of HBV DNA integrations was evaluated by digital droplet PCR.

RESULTS

Patients with low and moderate serum HBV DNA displayed comparable intrahepatic cccDNA and pgRNA, significantly lower than in patients with high HBV DNA, while hepatitis B core-related antigen correlated strongly with the intrahepatic HBV reservoir, reflecting cccDNA quantity. Whole exome integration was detected in a significant number of patients (55.6%, 14.3% and 25% in high, moderate and low viraemic patients, respectively), at a frequency ranging from 0.5 to 157 integrations/1000 hepatocytes. Hepatitis B surface antigen >5000 IU/mL predicted integration within the exome and these integrations localised in genes involved in hepatocarcinogenesis, regulation of lipid/drug metabolism and antiviral/inflammatory responses. Transcript levels of specific genes, including the proto-oncogene hRAS, were higher in patients with HBV DNA integration, supporting an underlying oncogenic risk in patients with low-level to moderate-level viraemia.

CONCLUSIONS

HBV DNA integration occurs across all HBeAg-negative patients with CHB, including those with a limited HBV reservoir; localising in genes involved in carcinogenesis and altering the hepatocyte transcriptome.

Hepatitis D virus in 2021: virology, immunology and new treatment approaches for a difficult-to-treat disease

Approximately 5% of individuals infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) are coinfected with hepatitis D virus (HDV). Chronic HBV/HDV coinfection is associated with an unfavourable outcome, with many patients developing liver cirrhosis, liver failure and eventually hepatocellular carcinoma within 5-10 years. The identification of the HBV/HDV receptor and the development of novel in vitro and animal infection models allowed a more detailed study of the HDV life cycle in recent years, facilitating the development of specific antiviral drugs. The characterisation of HDV-specific CD4+ and CD8+T cell epitopes in untreated and treated patients also permitted a more precise understanding of HDV immunobiology and possibly paves the way for immunotherapeutic strategies to support upcoming specific therapies targeting viral or host factors. Pegylated interferon-α has been used for treating HDV patients for the last 30 years with only limited sustained responses. Here we describe novel treatment options with regard to their mode of action and their clinical effectiveness. Of those, the entry-inhibitor bulevirtide (formerly known as myrcludex B) received conditional marketing authorisation in the European Union (EU) in 2020 (Hepcludex). One additional drug, the prenylation inhibitor lonafarnib, is currently under investigation in phase III clinical trials. Other treatment strategies aim at targeting hepatitis B surface antigen, including the nucleic acid polymer REP2139Ca. These recent advances in HDV virology, immunology and treatment are important steps to make HDV a less difficult-to-treat virus and will be discussed.

Correlation Between Serum Ferritin and Viral Hepatitis in Thalassemia Patients

Serum ferritin is an acute phase protein; importantly, its level is noticeably increased in response to iron overload and systemic inflammation. The iron overload status in thalassemia patients has been recognized as a potential way to measure liver iron concentration (LIC) levels using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of chronic viral hepatitis on the level of serum ferritin in patients with thalassemia. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving chronic viral hepatitis infection. Mean serum ferritin and LIC levels were recorded. The LIC values were used to divide the patients into two groups; a higher LIC group (>5 mg Fe/g) and a lower LIC group (<5 mg Fe/g). Mean serum ferritin levels were then compared between the two LIC groups. We identified 32 thalassemia patients comprising of 13 chronic viral hepatitis patients, seven patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV), and six patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV). With regard to the group with higher LIC values, the mean serum ferritin levels in the hepatitis group were significantly higher than for those in the non hepatitis group (1776 ± 488 vs. 967 ± 860 ng/mL, p = 0.03). Furthermore, the linear correlation between the mean serum ferritin levels and the viral load in the non transfusion-dependent thalassemia (NTDT) group were found to be significantly correlated (r = 0.7, p = 0.04). Chronic viral hepatitis was determined to be a possible casualty of disproportionately high ferritin levels in the NTDT group.

In Vivo Models of HDV Infection: Is Humanizing NTCP Enough?

The discovery of sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP) as a hepatitis B (HBV) and delta virus (HDV) entry receptor has encouraged the development of new animal models of infection. This review provides an overview of the different in vivo models that are currently available to study HDV either in the absence or presence of HBV. By presenting new advances and remaining drawbacks, we will discuss human host factors which, in addition to NTCP, need to be investigated or identified to enable a persistent HDV infection in murine hepatocytes. Detailed knowledge on species-specific factors involved in HDV persistence also shall contribute to the development of therapeutic strategies.

HBV vaccination and HBV infection induces HBV-specific natural killer cell memory

OBJECTIVE

Vaccination against hepatitis B virus (HBV) confers protection from subsequent infection through immunological memory that is traditionally considered the domain of the adaptive immune system. This view has been challenged following the identification of antigen-specific memory natural killer cells (mNKs) in mice and non-human primates. While the presence of mNKs has been suggested in humans based on the expansion of NK cells following pathogen exposure, evidence regarding antigen-specificity is lacking. Here, we demonstrate the existence of HBV-specific mNKs in humans after vaccination and in chronic HBV infection.

DESIGN

NK cell responses were evaluated by flow cytometry and ELISA following challenge with HBV antigens in HBV vaccinated, non-vaccinated and chronic HBV-infected individuals.

RESULTS

NK cells from vaccinated subjects demonstrated higher cytotoxic and proliferative responses against autologous hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-pulsed monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) compared with unvaccinated subjects. Moreover, NK cell lysis of HBsAg-pulsed moDCs was significantly higher than that of hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg)-pulsed moDCs (non-vaccine antigen) or tumour necrosis factor α-activated moDCs in a NKG2D-dependent manner. The mNKs response was mediated by CD56^dim NK cells coexpressing CD57, CD69 and KLRG1. Further, mNKs from chronic hepatitis B patients exhibited greater degranulation against HBcAg-pulsed moDCs compared with unvaccinated or vaccinated patients. Notably, mNK activity was negatively correlated with HBV DNA levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data support the presence of a mature mNKs following HBV antigen exposure either through vaccination or infection. Harnessing these antigen specific, functionally active mNKs provides an opportunity to develop novel treatments targeting HBV in chronic infection.

WGO Guidance for the Care of Patients With COVID-19 and Liver Disease

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the least deadly but most infectious coronavirus strain transmitted from wild animals. It may affect many organ systems. Aim of the current guideline is to delineate the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the liver. Asymptomatic aminotransferase elevations are common in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease. Its pathogenesis may be multifactorial. It may involve primary liver injury and indirect effects such as "bystander hepatitis," myositis, toxic liver injury, hypoxia, and preexisting liver disease. Higher aminotransferase elevations, lower albumin, and platelets have been reported in severe compared with mild COVID-19. Despite the dominance of respiratory disease, acute on chronic liver disease/acute hepatic decompensation have been reported in patients with COVID-19 and preexisting liver disease, in particular cirrhosis. Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has a higher risk of respiratory disease progression than those without MAFLD. Alcohol-associated liver disease may be severely affected by COVID-19-such patients frequently have comorbidities including metabolic syndrome and smoking-induced chronic lung disease. World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) recommends that interventional procedures such as endoscopy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography should be performed in emergency cases or when they are considered strictly necessary such as high risk varices or cholangitis. Hepatocellular cancer surveillance may be postponed by 2 to 3 months. A short delay in treatment initiation and non-surgical approaches should be considered. Liver transplantation should be restricted to patients with high MELD scores, acute liver failure and hepatocellular cancer within Milan criteria. Donors and recipients should be tested for SARS-CoV-2 and if found positive donors should be excluded and liver transplantation postponed until recovery from infection.

Severity of Non-B and Non-C Hepatitis Versus Hepatitis B and C Associated Chronic Liver Disease: A Retrospective, Observational, Comparative Study

Background and objectives

Chronic liver disease (CLD) encompasses a variety of etiologies, and the infectious causes are mainly hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus. Chronic alcohol abuse and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease also have a major contribution to CLD. The Child-Pugh scoring system indicates the probable prognosis and mortality risk of a patient with cirrhosis. The primary objective of this research is to observe the mortality risks of CLD caused by a variety of etiologies mentioned above. The secondary objective is to determine the biochemical markers that are correlating with the severity of the study groups. Another aim was to determine the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scoring of each study group predicting the severity of disease among the Child-Pugh classification.

Materials and methods

We broadly classified the etiologies into two study groups: (1) hepatitis B, C associated CLD (hepatitis B, C­-CLD) and (2) non-hepatitis B, C associated CLD (non-hepatitis B, C-CLD). This study was conducted as a descriptive, retrospective study involving patients admitted to the Gastroenterology Department at Dow University Hospital between July 2019 and December 2019. All patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study in order to document their levels of severity markers of CLD. A total of 167 individuals met the inclusion criteria, and the sampling was done through non-probability consecutive methods. All continuous variables were described as mean and standard deviations, which were then compared using an independent sample t-test. The comparison of categorical data was done either using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test accordingly. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant (two-tailed).

Results

The mean age of the study population was 51.83 ± 13.67, with no difference in gender and type of CLD. The frequent co-morbidities (other than CLD) found in the study population were diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and chronic kidney disease, with most of them having significant association with non-hepatitis B, C-CLD. Both types of CLD had equal gender proportion (p=0.708). Among the study groups, 56.28% (n=94) had hepatitis B, C-CLD, out of which 18 (19%) belonged to Child-Pugh class A, 36 (38%) to Child-Pugh class B, and 40 (43%) to Child-Pugh class C, whereas 43.72% (n=71) had non-hepatitis B, C-CLD, comprising of 13% (n=10) of Child-Pugh class A patients, 42% (n=31) of Child-Pugh class B patients, and 44% (n=32) of Child-Pugh class C patients (p=0.631). Bilirubin levels (p=0.055), serum creatinine (p=0.201), and International normalized ratio (INR) are found higher in non-hepatitis B, C-CLD (p=0.312), whereas thrombocytopenia was more likely to be associated with hepatitis B, C-CLD (p=0.205). Hyponatremia was slightly associated with non-hepatitis B, C-CLD (p=0.281). The mean MELD score was comparable among the two study groups in both Child-Pugh classes A and B, but in Child-Pugh class C it was significantly higher in non-hepatitis B, C-CLD patients as compared to hepatitis B, C­-CLD (p=0.006).

Conclusion

Non-hepatitis B, C-CLD was proved to be milder in Child-Pugh class A as compared to hepatitis B, C-CLD, but its mortality risk increases with severity, as mean MELD score was found significantly higher in Child-Pugh class C. Our research was able to identify severe biochemical markers in both types of CLD.

Efficacy of antiviral therapy in patients with post-hepatitis C liver cirrhosis: is hyperuricaemia a potential adverse effect?

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) related liver cirrhosis is considered a major health problem; sofosbuvir (SOF)/ledipasvir (LDV) and SOF/daclatsvir (DACLA) are very promising direct antiviral agents (DAAS) especially in treating HCV genotype 4 which is the main genotype in Egypt. Uric acid elevation was reported in many systemic diseases and might be elevated during direct antiviral therapy. The aim is to evaluate efficacy and safety of SOF/LDV and SOF/DACLA plus ribavirin in treating HCV related child A liver cirrhosis and assess hyperuricaemia as a potential adverse effect to this regimen.

METHODS

This prospective observatinal study included 128 HCV naive child A cirrhotic patients divided into two groups (77 patients were treated with SOF 400 mg, DACLA 60 mg and ribavirin 600 mg and 51 patients were treated with SOF 400 mg, LDV 90 mg and ribavirin 600 mg) for 12 weeks, during the treatment complete blood count, creatinine, bilirubin, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase and serum uric acid were monitored, HCV RNA quantitative PCR at 12 weeks after the end of treatment was done.

RESULTS

Response to treatment in SOF/LDV (sof/led) group is about (98%), response to treatment in SOF/DACLA (sof/dacla) group is about (96%). Hyperuricaemia was noticed in 17.6% of patients received sof/led and in 15.5% of those received sof/dacla.

CONCLUSION

SOF+LDV and SOF+DACLA plus ribavirin regimens are highly effective in treating chronic HCV patients with compensated liver cirrhosis. Hyperuricaemia is considered a potential adverse effect to DAAS containing ribavirin and may lead to serious side effects such as renal impairment.

TOX defines the degree of CD8+ T cell dysfunction in distinct phases of chronic HBV infection

OBJECTIVE

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterised by HBV-specific CD8+ T cell dysfunction that has been linked to Tcell exhaustion, a distinct differentiation programme associated with persisting antigen recognition. Recently, Thymocyte Selection-Associated High Mobility Group Box (TOX) was identified as master regulator of CD8+ T cell exhaustion. Here, we addressed the role of TOX in HBV-specific CD8+ T cell dysfunction associated with different clinical phases of infection.

DESIGN

We investigated TOX expression in HBV-specific CD8+ T cells from 53 HLA-A*01:01, HLA-A*11:01 and HLA-A*02:01 positive patients from different HBV infection phases and compared it to hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific, cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific and influenza virus (FLU)-specific CD8+ T cells. Phenotypic and functional analyses of virus-specific CD8+ T cells were performed after peptide-loaded tetramer-enrichment and peptide-specific expansion.

RESULTS

Our results show that TOX expression in HBV-specific CD8+ T cells is linked to chronic antigen stimulation, correlates with viral load and is associated with phenotypic and functional characteristics of T-cell exhaustion. In contrast, similar TOX expression in EBV-specific and CMV-specific CD8+ T cells is not linked to T-cell dysfunction suggesting different underlying programmes. TOX expression in HBV-specific CD8+ T cells is also affected by targeted antigens, for example, core versus polymerase. In HBV-specific CD8+ T cells, TOX expression is maintained after spontaneous or therapy-mediated viral control in chronic but not self-limiting acute HBV infection indicating a permanent molecular imprint after chronic but not temporary stimulation.

CONCLUSION

Our data highlight TOX as biomarker specific for dysfunctional virus-specific CD8+ T cells in the context of an actively persisting infection.

Chronic Viral Hepatitis in a Cohort of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients from Southern Italy: A Case-Control Study

We performed an epidemiologic study to assess the prevalence of chronic viral hepatitis in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and to detect their possible relationships. Methods: It was a single centre cohort cross-sectional study, during October 2016 and October 2017. Consecutive IBD adult patients and a control group of non-IBD subjects were recruited. All patients underwent laboratory investigations to detect chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infection. Parameters of liver function, elastography and IBD features were collected. Univariate analysis was performed by Student's t or chi-square test. Multivariate analysis was performed by binomial logistic regression and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated. We enrolled 807 IBD patients and 189 controls. Thirty-five (4.3%) had chronic viral hepatitis: 28 HCV (3.4%, versus 5.3% in controls, p = 0.24) and 7 HBV (0.9% versus 0.5% in controls, p = 0.64). More men were observed in the IBD-hepatitis group (71.2% versus 58.2%, p < 0.001). Patients with IBD and chronic viral hepatitis had a higher mean age and showed a higher frequency of diabetes, hypertension and wider waist circumference. They suffered more frequently from ulcerative colitis. Liver stiffness was greater in subjects with IBD and chronic viral hepatitis (7.0 ± 4.4 versus 5.0 ± 1.2 KPa; p < 0.001). At multivariate analysis, only old age directly correlated with viral hepatitis risk (OR = 1.05, 95%CI 1.02-1.08, p < 0.001). In conclusion, the prevalence of HBV/HCV in IBD is low in our region. Age may be the only independent factor of viral hepatitis-IBD association. Finally, this study firstly measured liver stiffness in a large scale, showing higher values in subjects with both diseases.

New Therapeutics for Hepatitis B: The Road to Cure

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection impacts an estimated 257-291 million people globally. The current approach to treatment for chronic HBV infection is complex, reflecting a risk:benefit approach driven by the lack of an effective curative regimen. This complexity and the lack of a durable treatment response, necessitating indefinite treatment in the majority of cases, have resulted in low uptake of testing and treatment, particularly in regions where comprehensive primary care is lacking and access to affordable testing and treatment is limited. Multiple targeted therapies are now in early human study with the primary goal to achieve persistent HBV DNA and hepatitis B surface antigen suppression after a finite course of treatment, which is referred to as functional cure. This article summarizes the current therapies for HBV infection and discusses the limitations of these therapies, novel approaches to HBV cure, and therapeutic endpoints of clinical trials aimed to cure hepatitis B.

Adeno-associated virus in the liver: natural history and consequences in tumour development

OBJECTIVE

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a defective mono-stranded DNA virus, endemic in human population (35%-80%). Recurrent clonal AAV2 insertions are associated with the pathogenesis of rare human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) developed on normal liver. This study aimed to characterise the natural history of AAV infection in the liver and its consequence in tumour development.

DESIGN

Viral DNA was quantified in tumour and non-tumour liver tissues of 1461 patients. Presence of episomal form and viral mRNA expression were analysed using a DNAse/TaqMan-based assay and quantitative RT-PCR. In silico analyses using viral capture data explored viral variants and new clonal insertions.

RESULTS

AAV DNA was detected in 21% of the patients, including 8% of the tumour tissues, equally distributed in two major viral subtypes: one similar to AAV2, the other hybrid between AAV2 and AAV13 sequences. Episomal viral forms were found in 4% of the non-tumour tissues, frequently associated with viral RNA expression and human herpesvirus type 6, the candidate natural AAV helper virus. In 30 HCC, clonal AAV insertions were recurrently identified in CCNA2, CCNE1, TERT, TNFSF10, KMT2B and GLI1/INHBE. AAV insertion triggered oncogenic overexpression through multiple mechanisms that differ according to the localisation of the integration site.

CONCLUSION

We provided an integrated analysis of the wild-type AAV infection in the liver with the identification of viral genotypes, molecular forms, helper virus relationship and viral integrations. Clonal AAV insertions were positive selected during HCC development on non-cirrhotic liver challenging the notion of AAV as a non-pathogenic virus.

[Biomarkers of angiogenesis and endothelial dysfunction in children and adolescents with chronic viral hepatitis.]

At some works, it has been shown there are signs of damage and endothelium dysfunction in patients with chronic viral hepatitis (CVH) and liver cirrhosis of viral etiology the severity of these conditions depends on the severity of the pathological process. Evaluation of the role of angiogenic factors and endothelial dysfunction in persistent of CVH in children and adolescents. 35 patients were examined: of which 11 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 24 with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The reference group consisted of 120 practically healthy persons of the corresponding age and sex. VEGF-A, angiotensin (ANG), soluble receptors of VEGF-A (sVEGF-R1 и sVEGF-R2) and trombomodulin (TM) have been investigated in serum by enzyme immunoassay using special kits (BCM Diagnostics, USA). Other endothelial dysfunction markers as von Willebrand factor (vWf) was determined in blood plasma by immunoturbidimetry (Siemens, Germany), plasminogen (PLG) was investigated due to extended coagulation. In children with CVH, regardless of etiology, the concentration of VEGF-A was significantly lower, and sVEGF-R2, sVEGF-R1 and TM was higher than in children without liver disease (p <0.001, p <0.05, p <0.01, p <0.001, respectively). The concentration of TM and the level of PLG activity in patients with CHC were slightly higher than in CHB. Decreased level of VEGF-A and increased expression of its soluble receptors indicate enhanced inhibition of angiogenesis in CVH, which may indicate the pathogenetic role of this phenomenon in the development of liver damage in CHC.

Diagnostic value of circulating miRNA-122 for hepatitis B virus and/or hepatitis C virus-associated chronic viral hepatitis

Background: The liver-specific microRNA-122 (miR-122) has been demonstrated as a powerful and promising biomarker of hepatic diseases. However, the researches on the accuracy of miR122 detection in chronic viral hepatitis have been inconsistent, leading us to conduct this meta-analysis to systematically summarize the diagnostic value of circulating miR-122 in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated chronic viral hepatitis.Methods: A comprehensive literature search (updated to January 30, 2019) in PubMed, Cochrane library, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang, and CQVIP databases was performed to identify eligible studies. The sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), positive and negative likelihood ratios (PLR and NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under the curve (AUC) were pooled to explore the diagnostic performance of circulating miR-122. Subgroup and threshold effect analysis were further carried out to explore the heterogeneity.Results: Overall, 15 studies were finally included in this meta-analysis according to the exclusion and inclusion criteria. The pooled estimates indicated a moderately high diagnostic accuracy for circulating miR-122, with a sensitivity of 0.92 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.86-0.95], a specificity of 0.84 (95% CI, 0.78-0.89), a PLR of 5.7 (95% CI, 4.7-8.1), a NLR of 0.1 (95% CI, 0.06-0.18), a DOR of 57 (95% CI 25-129), and an AUC of 0.93 (95% CI, 0.91-0.95). The subgroup analysis demonstrated that diagnostic accuracy was better for HCV-associated chronic viral hepatitis patients and non-Chinese compared with other subgroups. In addition, we found that serum might be a more promising matrix for detecting the expression of miR-122 than plasma.Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that circulating miR-122 have a relatively high diagnostic value for chronic viral hepatitis detection, especially in the patients with HCV-associated chronic viral hepatitis. However, further large cohort studies are still required to confirm our findings.

Impact of antiretroviral therapy containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate on the survival of patients with HBV and HIV coinfection

BACKGROUND

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is active against both HBV and HIV. Whether the introduction of TDF-containing combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has improved the outcome of HIV/HBV-coinfected patients remains unclear in areas of higher HBV endemicity.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed medical records of newly diagnosed antiretroviral-naïve HIV-infected patients between 2007 and 2015. Four groups of patients were defined, according to the HBV status and availability of TDF for HIV treatment in Taiwan in 2011. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

During the 9-year study period, 1,723 HIV-infected patients were included, with a median age of 31 years and baseline CD4 count of 273 cells per μL. The HBV seroprevalence had declined from 18.1% (125/692) in the pre-TDF era to 10.1% (104/1031) in the post-TDF era. The respective mortality rate for HIV/HBV-coinfected and HIV-monoinfected patients in the pre-TDF era was 23.2 (95% CI, 12.5-43.1) and 9.6 (95% CI, 6.1-15.0) deaths per 1000 person-years of follow-up [PYFU], and the respective mortality rate in the post-TDF era was 15.7 (95% CI, 7.0-34.8) and 8.0 (95% CI, 5.5-11.6) deaths per 1000 PYFU. The adjusted hazard ratio for mortality in multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis among HIV/HBV-coinfected patients compared to HIV-monoinfected patients was 2.79 (95% CI, 1.25-6.22) in pre-TDF era and 1.11 (95% CI, 0.45-2.72) in post-TDF era.

CONCLUSIONS

In this country of high HBV endemicity, the adverse impact of chronic HBV infection on the survival observed in the pre-TDF era has significantly diminished among HIV/HBV-coinfected patients compared to HIV-monoinfected patients in the era of TDF-containing cART.

Evaluation of lipid peroxidation processes in patients with chronic parenteral viral hepatitis and HIV co-infection depending on degree of inflammatory process activity in the liver

AIM

To evaluate of parameters of lipid peroxidation - antioxidant defense changes in women of fertile age with chronic viral hepatitis (CVH) and with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection, depending on the degree of inflammatory process activity in the liver.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

99 women of reproductive age were examined, of them 44 patients with chronic parenteral viral hepatitis, 27 patients with HIV co-infection (HIV + hepatitis B and/or C) and 28 practically healthy women (control group).

RESULTS

Patients with CVH in combination with HIV-infection with the presence of minimal and low degree of inflammatory activity in comparison with patients with CVH-monoinfection had a higher content of lipid peroxidation products (an increase in the content of diene conjugates and ketodienes and conjugated trienes), reduced values of total antioxidant activity, superoxide dismutase activity, as well as the concentration of fat-soluble vitamins α-tocopherol and retinol. In the group with CVH and HIV with moderate and high degree of activity, similar, but even more pronounced changes in the system of lipid peroxidation were observed.

CONCLUSION

The presence of co-infection - CVH in combination with HIV infection with minimal and low, as well as moderate and high inflammatory activity, is characterized by more intensive lipid peroxidation processes and a pronounced lack of antioxidant factors than with CVH-monoinfection.

Testing for hepatitis C virus infection in UK prisons: What actually happens?

Prisons are a key demographic in the drive to eradicate hepatitis C virus (HCV) as a major public health threat. We have assessed the impact of the recently introduced national opt-out policy on the current status of HCV testing in 14 prisons in the East Midlands (UK). We analysed testing rates pre- and post-introduction of opt-out testing, together with face-to-face interviews with prison healthcare and management staff in each prison. In the year pre-opt-out, 1972 people in prison (PIP) were tested, compared to 3440 in the year following opt-out. From July 2016 to June 2017, 2706 people were tested, representing 13.5% of all prison entrants (median 16.6%, range 7.6%-40.7%). Factors correlating with testing rates were as follows: pre-admission location of the PIP (another prison or the community, OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.9-2.3, P < 0.001); whether the PIP could access health care independently of prison officers (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.5-1.8, P < 0.001); the absence of out-reach services for HCV treatment (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.2-1.5, P < 0.001), whether >50% of PIP reported ease of access to a nurse (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.8-2.2, P < 0.001), and whether prison health care was supplied by private or NHS providers (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.2-1.5, P < 0.001). Testing rates remained far below the minimum national opt-out target of 50%. Inadequacy of healthcare facilities and constraints imposed by adherence to prison regimens were cited by healthcare and management staff at all prisons. Without radical change, the prison estate may be intrinsically incapable of supporting NHSE to deliver the HCV elimination strategy.

Phenotypic and functional differences of HBV core-specific versus HBV polymerase-specific CD8+ T cells in chronically HBV-infected patients with low viral load

OBJECTIVE

A hallmark of chronic HBV (cHBV) infection is the presence of impaired HBV-specific CD8+ T cell responses. Functional T cell exhaustion induced by persistent antigen stimulation is considered a major mechanism underlying this impairment. However, due to their low frequencies in chronic infection, it is currently unknown whether HBV-specific CD8+ T cells targeting different epitopes are similarly impaired and share molecular profiles indicative of T cell exhaustion.

DESIGN

By applying peptide-loaded MHC I tetramer-based enrichment, we could detect HBV-specific CD8+ T cells targeting epitopes in the HBV core and the polymerase proteins in the majority of 85 tested cHBV patients with low viral loads. Lower detection rates were obtained for envelope-specific CD8+ T cells. Subsequently, we performed phenotypic and functional in-depth analyses.

RESULTS

HBV-specific CD8+ T cells are not terminally exhausted but rather exhibit a memory-like phenotype in patients with low viral load possibly reflecting weak ongoing cognate antigen recognition. Moreover, HBV-specific CD8+ T cells targeting core versus polymerase epitopes significantly differed in frequency, phenotype and function. In particular, in comparison with core-specific CD8+ T cells, a higher frequency of polymerase-specific CD8+ T cells expressed CD38, KLRG1 and Eomes accompanied by low T-bet expression and downregulated CD127 indicative of a more severe T cell exhaustion. In addition, polymerase-specific CD8+ T cells exhibited a reduced expansion capacity that was linked to a dysbalanced TCF1/BCL2 expression.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the molecular mechanisms underlying impaired T cell responses differ with respect to the targeted HBV antigens. These results have potential implications for immunotherapeutic approaches in HBV cure.

Review of Liver Elastography Guidelines

Nowadays, shear wave elastographic techniques have brought a substantial reduction of liver biopsies performed to stage liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis. The availability of accurate noninvasive methods for the assessment of liver fibrosis was an important breakthrough and prompted ultrasound federations of societies as well as clinical and radiologic societies to issue international guidelines or consensus statements on the clinical applications of shear wave elastographic techniques. This article reviews the guidelines that have been published as of today.

The Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Coinfection Among Patients Newly Diagnosed With Chronic Hepatitis B or C in Denmark: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Background

Early identification of patients with chronic viral hepatitis coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is essential for optimal care. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of HIV coinfection among patients newly diagnosed with chronic viral hepatitis, HIV testing prevalence, and identify factors associated with coinfection.

Methods

Patients with chronic viral hepatitis newly enrolled in The Danish Database for Hepatitis B and C between 2002 and 2015 were identified. The HIV coinfection prevalence was calculated, and risk factors associated with HIV coinfection were estimated by logistic regression.

Results

In total, 8490 patients were included: 3091 had chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 5305 had chronic hepatitis C (CHC), and 94 had CHB and CHC. The prevalence of HIV coinfection was 4.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.0–4.9) and was higher among CHC and CHB-CHC patients than CHB patients with a prevalence of 5.3% (95% CI, 4.7–5.9), 6.4% (95% CI, 2.4–13.4), and 2.9 (95% CI, 2.3–3.5), respectively (P < .0001). The HIV testing prevalence increased from 65% to 88% between 2002 and 2014 concurrently with a decrease in the HIV coinfection prevalence from 7.8% (95% CI, 5.5–10.7) to 1.6% (95% CI, 0.7–3.2). Age 35–50 years, male sex, and sexual route of viral hepatitis transmission were associated with HIV coinfection with odds ratios of 4.42 (95% CI, 1.40–13.94), 2.21 (95% CI, 1.74–2.81), and 8.81 (95% CI, 6.30–12.33), respectively.

Conclusions

The prevalence of HIV coinfection among patients with newly diagnosed chronic viral hepatitis decreased concurrently with an increase in HIV testing prevalence.

Focus on histological abnormalities of intrahepatic vasculature in chronic viral hepatitis

BACKGROUND & AIMS

The histological intrahepatic microvasculature lesions have not been deeply investigated outside the setting of portal hypertension. The aim of this study was to analyse the type and the prevalence of microvasculature abnormalities and their correlation with inflammatory activity, fibrosis stage and tissue markers of fibrogenesis, angiogenesis and oxidative DNA damage in liver biopsies obtained from patients with chronic viral hepatitis.

METHODS

Seventy-four liver biopsies from untreated patients affected by hepatitis B (22 cases) and C (52 cases) were included. The presence of microvascular changes was correlated with (i) the severity of the activity and fibrosis; (ii) immunohistochemical markers of angiogenesis (CD34) and hepatic stellate cells activation (alpha-smooth muscle actin); (iii) a tissue marker of oxidative damage (8-OHdG adducts).

RESULTS

Sixty-five out of 74 biopsies (87.8%) showed vascular lesions. Portal angiomatosis was the most prevalent (62.2%) and it was associated with, on 1 side, the fibrosis stage at both univariate (P < .0001) and multivariate analysis (P = .01, OR = 9.4 [1.6-54]) and, on the other, with angiogenesis (P = .05) and hepatic stellate cells activation (P = .002). Interestingly, 36/46 cases with portal angiomatosis were at early/intermediate fibrosis stage. The hepatic stellate cells activation was also associated with the presence of aberrant periportal vessels (P = .01).

CONCLUSIONS

The histological alterations of intrahepatic microvasculature, usually seen in cirrhosis and portal hypertension, occur in chronic viral hepatitis even at early/intermediate fibrosis stages. Their correlation with angiogenesis and fibrogenesis supports a possible involvement in disease progression.

[Diagnostic possibilities of methods for the evaluation of liver fibrosis in chronic viral hepatitis]

The paper reviews the diagnostic possibilities of different methods for the evaluation of liver fibrosis in chronic viral hepatitis from the point of view of their clinical application. Histological examination retains its value as the gold standard method in evaluating the liver. Transient elastography is a rather effective tool for identifying severe liver fibrosis.

High risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and death in patients with immune-tolerant-phase chronic hepatitis B

OBJECTIVE

High serum HBV DNA levels are associated with high risks of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Although the immune-tolerant (IT) phase is characterised by high circulating HBV DNA levels, it remains unknown whether antiviral treatment reduces risks of HCC and mortality.

DESIGN

This historical cohort study included HBeAg-positive patients with CHB with high HBV DNA levels (≥20 000 IU/mL) and no evidence of cirrhosis at a tertiary referral hospital in Korea from 2000 to 2013. The clinical outcomes of 413 untreated IT-phase patients with normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (females, <19 IU/mL; males, <30 IU/mL) were compared with those of 1497 immune-active (IA)-phase patients (ALT ≥80 IU/mL) treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues.

RESULTS

The IT group was significantly younger than the IA group (mean age, 38 vs 40 years at baseline, p=0.04). The 10-year estimated cumulative incidences of HCC (12.7% vs 6.1%; p=0.001) and death/transplantation (9.7% vs 3.4%; p<0.001) were significantly higher in the IT group than the IA group. In multivariable analyses, the IT group showed a significantly higher risk of HCC (HR 2.54; 95% CI 1.54 to 4.18) and death/transplantation (HR 3.38; 95% CI 1.85 to 6.16) than the IA group, which was consistently identified through inverse probability treatment weighting, propensity score-matched and competing risks analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Untreated IT-phase patients with CHB had higher risks of HCC and death/transplantation than treated IA-phase patients. Unnecessary deaths could be prevented through earlier antiviral intervention in select IT-phase patients.