Does peripheral T-lymphocyte subpopulations correlate with hepatitis B virus load?
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a dynamic process with variable biochemical, virological and histological profiles at different stages of the infection, depending on host and viral factors. Furthermore, this profile may change at a variable pace over time. The correlation between detection of T-cell response and HBV load in chronic HBV infection remains unknown. In each of the clinical stages of chronic HBV infection, whether the composition of T-cell subpopulations is different and relates to viral load. Thus characterization of T-cell profile is relevant to improved understanding of chronic HBV infection and the design of antiviral therapy. A research article to be published on July 21, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team, led by Professor Jing You from the Department of Infectious Diseases of the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University of China and the Epidemiology Unit of the Faculty of Medicine of Prince of
