Genetic variants at KCNQ1 rs151290, KLF14 rs972283, GCKR rs780094 and MTNR1B rs10830963 have been associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but the results are contradictory in Chinese populations. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of these four SNPs with T2DM in a large population of Han Chinese at Henan province, China. Seven-hundred-thirty-six patients with T2DM (cases) and Seven-hundred-sixty-eight healthy glucose-tolerant controls were genotyped for KCNQ1 rs151290, KLF14 rs972283, GCKR rs780094 and MTNR1B rs10830963. The association of genetic variants in these four genes with T2DM was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Genotypes and allele distributions of KCNQ1 rs151290 were significantly different between the cases and controls (p < 0.05). The AC and CC genotypes and the combined AC + CC genotype of rs151290 in KCNQ1 were associated with increases risk of T2DM before (OR = 1.482, 95% CI = 1.062–2.069; p = 0.021; OR = 1.544, 95% CI = 1.097–2.172, p = 0.013; and OR = 1.509, 95% CI = 1.097–2.077, p = 0.011, respectively) and after (OR = 1.539, 95% CI = 1.015–2.332, p = 0.042; OR = 1.641, 95% CI = 1.070–2.516, p = 0.023; and OR = 1.582, 95% CI = 1.061–2.358, p = 0.024; respectively) adjustment for sex, age, anthropometric measurements, biochemical indexes, smoking and alcohol consumption. Consistent with results of genotype analysis, the C allele of rs151290 in KCNQ1 was also associated with increased risk of T2DM (OR = 1.166, 95% CI = 1.004–1.355, p = 0.045). No associations between genetic variants of KLF14 rs972283, GCKR rs780094 or MTNR1B rs10830963 and T2DM were detected. The AC and CC genotypes and the C allele of rs151290 in KCNQ1 may be risk factors for T2DM in Han Chinese in Henan province.

BackgroundPersistent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is sustained by inadequate immune responses, either natural or acquired. Recent studies have suggested that immune responses to viral infection may be affected by microRNA (miR)-155, via its involvement in immune cell differentiation and maturation. However, little is known on the specific interaction between miR-155 and HBV in host antiviral immunity.ObjectivesThis study evaluated the levels of miR-155 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, relative to that of healthy subjects, and investigated an association between miR-155 levels and HBV DNA or alanine aminotransferase (ALT).Patients and MethodsTotal RNA was extracted from peripheral venous blood samples of 90 treatment-naive patients with chronic HBV infection and 20 healthy volunteers. The levels of miR-155 in the PBMCs were measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Serum HBV DNA and liver enzymes were estimated using standard clinical laboratory methods.ResultsIn the HBV-infected patients, the miR-155 levels were significantly lower than in the healthy controls (P = 0.001). Chronic HBV-infected patients with elevated ALT had higher levels of miR-155 compared with patients with normal ALT (P = 0.014). No correlations were found between miR-155 and ALT or HBV DNA.ConclusionsThe miR-155 appeared to be suppressed during HBV infection. The significantly higher miR-155 levels in ALT-elevated patients infected with HBV suggest that miR-155 levels in PBMCs correlate with the immune state of patients with chronic HBV infection.

T follicular helper cells (Tfh cells) affect essential immune pathogenesis in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The CCR7loPD-1hi Tfh subset has a partial Tfh effector phenotype and is associated with active Tfh differentiation, whereas the CCR7hiPD-1lo Tfh subset is a resting phenotype. We recruited 20 healthy volunteers and 77 patients with chronic HBV infection, including those in the immune tolerant (IT) phase (n=19), immune clearance (IC) phase (n=20), low replicative (LR) phase (n=18), and reactivation (RA) phase (n=20). The expression of CD4, CXCR5, PD-1, and CCR7 was detected in T cells from peripheral blood by flow cytometry. The frequency of the CCR7loPD-1hi T subset was significantly higher in the patients than in the healthy controls (14.92±4.87% vs 12.23±2.95%, p=0.018). The frequency of this Tfh subset in the IC group (18.42%±3.08) was increased compared with the IT group (11.94±2.87%, p=0.001) and LR group (13.65±4.93%, p=0.031) and was higher in the RA group than in the IT group (16.03±5.37% vs 11.94±2.87%, p=0.030). We observed a weak positive correlation between the CCR7loPD-1hi Tfh subset population and the alanine transaminase (ALT) level (r=0.370, p=0.001). The CCR7loPD-1h Tfh subset in the chronic HBV-infected patients was elevated to various degrees among the different immune phases. CCR7loPD-1hiCXCR5+CD4+ T cells are correlated with the immune status of chronic HBV infection patients and may be developed as a potential indicator for antiviral treatment.

Background: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are two leading hepatic diseases that cause severe public health problems. The relationship between the severity of NAFLD and liver fibrosis in CHB patients remains controversial.Objectives: This study aimed at further clarifying the association between them. Methods: A total of 272 CHB patients and 31 NAFLD patients without CHB, who underwent liver biopsies and routine blood tests were included. The NAFLD activity scores (NAS) for NAFLD patients and the METAVIR scoring system for all the patients were used to evaluate the liver pathology. The associations between steatosis or NAS score and liver fibrosis were statistically analyzed. Results: METAVIR F0-4 was identified in 10.0%, 30.5%, 36.0%, 13.2%, and 10.3% of all the CHB patients, respectively. The prevalence of hepatic steatosis in CHB patients was 39.7% (n = 108). Among them, 26.9% (n = 29) of patients had NAS ≥ 5. The severity of fibrosis was not related to the degree of steatosis nor NAS score (P > 0.05) in NAFLD patients without CHB. Similarly, the results suggested that there was no significant difference in the severity of liver fibrosis in CHB patients with varying degrees of steatosis (P > 0.05). However, the severity of liver fibrosis increased with NAS score (P = 0.004) in CHB patients with NAFLD. Conclusions: The severity of liver fibrosis in CHB patients was associated with NAS score, yet not with fat content.