• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.238-243
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• 1999

This study was undertaken to test for anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) activity of the aqueous extracts prepared from 9 medicinal plants of Korea (Cornus officinalis, Caesalpinia sappan, Rubus coreanus, Lycium chinense, Artemisia capillaris, Isatis tinctoria, Phyllanthus urinaria, Lysimachia christinae, Lonicera japonica). Aqueous extracts were tested for cytotoxicity and assayed for inhibition of HBV replication by measurement of HBV DNA and surface antigen (HBsAg) levels in the extracellular medium f HepG2 2.2.15 cells. The extract from Rubus coreanus, Artemisia capillaris, Phyllanthus urinaria decreased the levels of extracellular HBV virion DNA at concentrations ranging from 128 to $256\;{\mu}g/ml$ and inhibited the production fo HBsAg dose-dependently without showing cytotoxicity. Our findings suggest that these three hebal medicinal plants may have potential to develop as specific anti-HBV drugs in the future.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.173-177
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• 2005

YMDD motif mutants of the hepatitis B virus(HBV) emerge in chronic hepatitis B patients after prolonged lamivudine treatment. HBV DNA breakthrough may be accompained by the emergence of YMDD mutants. We compared the performance of the sequencing method with that of RFMP method in chronic hepatitis B patients who had suffered the HBV DNA breakthrough after lamivudine treatment. Both sequencing and RFMP methods were used to detect YMDD variants in 20 chronic hepatitis B patients. YMDD mutants were detected in 17 samples (85.0%) by both methods. Among them, no mutants were detected in two samples(10.0%), while they were detected in the other sample(5.0%) with the RFMP method. The concordance rate between both methods was 95.0%. There was inconsistency in one sample showing mutants detected by the RFMP method, but not by sequencing method. In the sequencing method, the mutants was detected in the major type virus, but not in the minor type virus. However, both sequencing and RFMP methods were highly concordant except in one sample, so it is suggested that both methods are useful to detect YMDD mutants of chronic hepatitis B patients.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.166-172
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• 2007

Purpose: It has recently been reported that de novo HBV infection following liver transplantation is caused by grafts from HBcAb positive donors, and this phenomenon has been observed in one third of the liver transplant patients in our center. Therefore, we investigated the presence of HBV virus DNA in liver tissues obtained from HBcAb positive donors to determine the mechanism by which de novo HBV infection occurs. Methods: This study was conducted on 6 patients that were HBsAg negative, HBsAb positive, and HBcAb positive who were donors for liver transplantation between November 1997 and November 1998 at Asan Medical Center. We isolated DNA from a portion of liver biopsy tissues that were obtained during the operation, and then identified the surface and core region of HBV DNA using nested PCR. In addition, four children who received liver grafts from these donors were monitored to determine if they became afflicted with non-HBV related diseases while receiving prophylaxis consisting of short-term HBIG treatment and long-term treatment with an antiviral agent. Results: The surface antigen region was identified in all 6 donors and the core antigen region was observed in 4 of the 6 donors. However, no episodes of de novo HBV infection with prophylaxis were observed. Conclusion: The results of this study support the results of previous studies, which indicated that HBV infection may be the main cause of de novo HBV infection in patients that receive HBsAb positive and HBcAb positive donor grafts.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.1207-1211
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• 2008

The pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$ (TNF-$\alpha$) is an important mediator of the immune response in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Since the production of TNF-$\alpha$ is mostly regulated at the transcriptional level and polymorphisms in the TNF-$\alpha$ promoter alter its expression, TNF-$\alpha$ promoter polymorphisms could affect the pathogenesis of chronic HBV infection. In this study, we investigated the potential association of TNF-$\alpha$ promoter polymorphisms with chronic HBV infection. The study included 181 patients with chronic HBV infection, 201 persons who had been spontaneously recovered from hepatitis B, and 170 unrelated healthy controls. The -308G/A and -238G/A polymorphisms in the TNF-$\alpha$ promoter were analyzed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The distribution of both the -308 and -238 genotypes in the patient group was not statistically different from that in the spontaneous recovery and control groups (p>0.05). There was also no significant difference in the allele frequency between the groups (p>0.05). The results suggest that the TNF-$\alpha$ -308 and -238 promoter polymorphisms are not associated with the development of chronic HBV infection in the Korean population.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6227-6231
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• 2013

In the past, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was endemic in the general Korean population. The association of HBV infection with the occurrence of liver cancer has been well demonstrated in several epidemiologic studies. While the mortality rates of liver cancer in Korea have decreased steadily over the last decade, the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in mothers remains high at 3-4%, and 25.5% of these HBsAg positive mothers are positive for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). HBV infection caused almost a quarter of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases and one-third of deaths from HCC. These aspects of HBV infection prompted the Korean government to create a vaccination program against HBV in the early 1980s. In 1995, the Communicable Disease Prevention Act (CDPA) was reformed, and the government increased the number of HBV vaccines in the National Immunization Program (NIP), driving the vaccination rate up to 95%. In 2000, the National Health Insurance Act (NHIA) was enacted, which provided increased resources for the prevention of perinatal HBV infection. Then in 2002, the Korean government, in conjunction with the Korean Medical Association (KMA), launched an HBV perinatal transmission prevention program. The prevalence of HBsAg in children had been high (4-5%) in the early 1980s, but had dropped to below 1% in 1995, and finally reached 0.2% in 2006 after the NIP had been implemented. After the success of the NIP, Korea finally obtained its first certification of achievement from the Western Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WPRO-WHO) for reaching its goal for HBV control. An age-period-cohort analysis showed a significant reduction in the liver cancer mortality rate in children and adolescents after the NIP had been implemented. In addition to its vaccination efforts, Korea launched the National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP) for 5 leading sites of cancer, including the liver, in 1999. As a consequence of this program, the 5-year liver cancer survival rate increased from 13.2% (1996-2000) to 23.3% (2003-2008). The development of both the primary and secondary prevention for liver cancer including HBV immunization and cancer screening has been of critical importance.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.2395-2399
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• 2016

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cytokines play an important role in the regulation of immune responses and defense against viral infections. Human interleukin 6 (IL6) is a multifunctional cytokine that participates in these processes. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the IL6-174 gene polymorphism in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection as compared with healthy controls in an Iranian population. Materials and Methods: Totals of 297 HBV patients and 368 control individuals were evaluated. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and the SSP-PCR (sequence specific primer-polymerase chain reaction) method was applied for genotyping. Results: The frequencies of genotypes C/C, G/G and C/G in HBV cases were 4.7%, 34.3%, 60.9% and in controls were 12.8%, 39.7% and 47.6%, respectively. The frequencies of G and C allele in patients and controls were 78.1%, 21.9% and 67.4%, 32.6 % respectively. There was a significant difference in the frequencies of G/G genotype (CI=1.8-7.1, OR=3.47, P=0.00001) and G allele (CI=1.34-2.23, OR=1.72, P=0.0001) between HBV patients and the control group. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the IL6-174 C/G genotype and the G allele are strongly associated with susceptibility to HBV infection. Demographic information showed that most of the subjects were male (74.4%). According to high frequency of G/G genotype in male participants (63.1%) men probably are more susceptible to hepatitis than women.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.237-245
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• 1998

만성 B형 간염 환자에서 Interferon (IFN) 치료 후 혈청 HBeAg 소실 및 anti-HBe의 양전율을 높이고 효율적인 치료의 근거를 알기 위하여 치료 전 간기능검사상 갑자기 상승한 혈청 ALT치를 나타낸 환자군과 그렇지 않은 대조군을 대상으로 하여 IFN을 투여한 군과 IFN 치료없이 정상 HBeAg의 자연 소실을 보인 환자군을 임상적으로 장기간 관찰하고 조사하였다. ALT치가 정상 상한치의 4배 이상 높이 증가되어 3개월 이상 왕복을 보인 40명의 환자(A군)와 ALT치가 정상 상한치의 3배 이하로 증가된 10명(B군)에게 ${\alpha}$-IFN 2b를 매일 300만 단위 피하주사로 3~12개월 주사하였다. 대조군으로는 ALT치가 A군처럼 장승한 45명 (C군)이었으며, IFN 치료없이 평균 2.9년을 관찰하였다. HBeAg/anti-HBe 혈청 양전율은 A군 68%, B군 20%, C군 13%이었으며 IFN 치료 중단 후 1년까지의 HBeAg 재양성율은 A군에서 29%였고 HBeAg이 소실된 A와 B군의 38명중에서 6명에서 HBV DNA가 양성이었다. 6명중 4명은 HBeAg/anti-HBe 양전을 보였으나 HBV DNA 양성이었고 나머지 2명은 HBeAg, anti-HBe 및 HBV DNA (hybridization) 모두 음성이었으나 중합효소연쇄반응검사상 HBV DNA 양성이었다. 이상의 결과를 보면 비록 IFN 치료 후에 HBeAg이 소실되었다가 다시 양성화되더라도 IFN은 단기간내에 혈중 HBeAg이나 DNA가 자연적으로 감소가 될 환자나 그렇지 않은 환자에게도 HBV의 비증식화를 유발하여 도움이 될 것으로 사료된다. 그러나 IFN 투여 후에도 혈중 HBeAg과 DNA 소실에 전혀 도움이 되지 않을 환자 및 HBV 증식 억제효과가 기대되는 HBV 간질환 환자의 조건, IFN 투여량, 기간 등에 대한 계획적이고 체계적인 연구로 더 나은 치료효과를 기대할 수 있으리라 생각된다.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.89-99
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• 2003

This study aims to furnish basic data about prevention and infection control of Hepatitis B Virus(HBV) for those who, working in dental offices, are particularly exposed to a high risk of HBV infection. A survey was conducted to 310 students including freshmen, sophomores and juniors enrolled in the dental hygiene department in order to examine their knowledge about infection routes of HBV, clinical history of their family members and their own health. The outcomes of the survey showed following facts; 1. Students were found to lack knowledge about the present conditions of their HBsAg and HBsAb of HBV(PF0.05), conduct of preventive vaccination(PE0.05), completion of 3 required vaccinations(PF0.05) and formation of antibody(PF0.05). 2. Students named "blood"(88.6%) and "infected needles"(82.5%) as most likely infection routes of HBV(PE0.05 and PE0.01). These replies came mostly from sophomores(65.6% and 92.1%), followed by juniors(89.2%, 82.5%) and freshmen(81.1%, 73.0%). Least knowledge about infection routes of HBV was sensed with the reply "infection through breast-feeding of positive mother(27.9%)"(PE0.05). Generally, sophomores seemed to have much knowledge about infection routes, followed by juniors and freshmen in order. 3. As to clinical history of family members, 10 students(3.5%) replied that any of their family members is suffering from HBV now, 8(2.6%) revealed that some of their family members once suffered from it and 10(3.2%) reported cases of death of their family members from liver diseases. 4. Ninety-four point seven percent of respondents believed their health to be better than normal.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 2010

Integrins are transmembrane receptor proteins that mediate cell-cell adhesion and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion. The deregulation of cell-ECM adhesion and the abnormal expression of beta1 (${\beta}1$) integrins (ITGB1s) are involved in tumor development and metastasis. In the liver, the expression of integrins and ECM proteins can be a cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. We performed direct DNA sequencing of 24 individuals, and identified 23 sequence variants of ITGB1 polymorphisms. Among these 23 variants, 7 common variants were selected based on frequencies and linkage disequilibrium, and then genotyped in a larger-scale group of subjects (n=1,103). The genetic associations of ITGB1 polymorphisms with the clearance of HBV and HCC outcome of HBV patients were analyzed using logistic regression models and Cox relative hazard models. Although there was no significant association observed between the polymorphisms and the HCC outcome of HBV patients, the second most common haplotype (ITGB1 haplotype-2 [C-C-C-C-T-C-T]) was putatively associated with HBV clearance (OR=0.75, p=0.008 and $P^{corr}=0.05$). The minor allele frequency (MAF) of ITGB1 haplotype -2 of the spontaneously recovered (SR) group was significantly higher than that of the chronic carrier group (CC) (freq. = 0.248 vs. 0.199). The information derived from this study could be valuable for understanding the genetic factors involved in the clearance of HBV.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.265-270
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• 2015

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is amongst the top three cancer causes of death worldwide with hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV/HCV) as the main etiological agents. An up-to-date descriptive epidemiology of the burden of HBV/HCV-associated HCC in the Arab world is lacking. We therefore determined the burden of HBV/HCV-associated HCC deaths in the Arab world using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2010 dataset. GBD 2010 provides, for the first time, deaths specifically attributable to viral-associated HCC. We analyzed the data for the 22 Arab countries by age, sex and economic status from 1990 to 2010 and compared the findings to global trends. Our analysis revealed that in 2010, an estimated 752,101 deaths occurred from HCC worldwide. Of these 537,093 (71%) were from HBV/HCV-associated HCC. In the Arab world, 17,638 deaths occurred from HCC of which 13,558 (77%) were HBV/HCV-linked. From 1990 to 2010, the burden of HBV and HCV-associated HCC deaths in the Arab world increased by 137% and 216% respectively, compared to global increases of 62% and 73%. Age-standardized death rates also increased in most of the Arab countries, with the highest rates noted in Mauritania and Egypt. Male gender and low economic status correlated with higher rates. These findings indicate that the burden of HBV/HCV-associated HCC in the Arab world is rising at a much faster rate than rest of the world and urgent public health measures are necessary to abate this trend and diminish the impact on already stretched regional healthcare systems.