Hepatic Arterial Blood Flow Index Is Associated with the Degree of Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection

Abstract

Background: Liver fibrosis due to Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection is an important public health concern worldwide. An accurate assessment of liver fibrosis is crucial for the identification of susceptible patients to severe clinical conditions and selection of treatment for patients with Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) infection. Today, the development of simple, accurate, cost-effective, and non-invasive liver fibrosis tests is essential in clinical practice. Methods: According to liver biopsy as the reference standard, we compared the efficacy of hepatic arterial blood flow index (HBI) versus liver stiffness measurement (LSM), aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet count ratio index (APRI), and fibrosis index based on 4 factors (FIB-4) to predict various degrees of liver fibrosis among 87 patients with CHB infection. Results: Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient of HBI versus the degree of liver fibrosis, according to the METAVIR scoring system, was 0.672 (P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of HBI (0.884; 95% CI: 0.806 - 0.961; P = 0.000) was greater than that of LSM (0.807; 95% CI: 0.703 - 0.912; P = 0.00), APRI (0.684; 95% CI: 0.556 - 0.812; P = 0.009), and FIB-4 (0.757; 95% CI: 0.641 - 0.873; P = 0.000) for the diagnostic analysis of significant liver fibrosis (≥ F2); similar results were obtained for the prediction of other liver fibrosis stages. Conclusions: The present findings shed new light on the association of HBI with the degree of liver fibrosis in patients with CHB infection. Hepatic Arterial Perfusion Scintigraphy (HAPS) with the measurement of HBI is a promising diagnostic method of liver fibrosis stage, which can guide therapy in CHB patients, although further large-scale studies are needed.

Serum proteomic profiling in patients with advanced Schistosoma japonicum-induced hepatic fibrosis

“…SHF was staged from F0 to F4 according the METAVIR scoring system by two independent and experienced pathologists. Clinical laboratory parameters were measured and recorded using a Hitachi 7600 analyser (Hitachi High-Technologies Corp., Ibaraki, Japan) following the manufacturer’s instructions, on the same day as liver biopsy in the same laboratory [ 31 ]. A medical history, biochemical data and additional information on previous exposure to water involving schistosomal infection were also obtained, and a physical examination, sample collection and pathological analysis were performed.…”

Serum Proteomic Profiling in Patients with Advanced Schistosoma Japonicum-Induced Hepatic Fibrosis

“…Therefore, clinical proteomic strategies provide an overall understanding of the host factors involved in parasite infection and provide insights into signalling pathway alterations, improving our understanding of parasite pathogenesis. Serum proteomic analysis is a valuable approach for discovering protein biomarkers for the early recognition, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of diseases, including parasite infections [27][28][29][30]. Here, to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying host resistance to schistosomes, we used DIA-based quantitative proteomics to examine the differential expression of proteins in the pooled serum of patients with advanced S. japonicum-induced hepatic brosis.…”