English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Background   Treatment with interferon-α (IFN-α) leads to a response in only a minority of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but the reasons for this are poorly understood. It was recently shown that in patients with chronic HBV infection, CD4 + CD25 +  regulatory T-cells (Treg) can suppress the HBV-specific immune response. We aimed to investigate whether in non-responders to IFN-α therapy Treg contribute to treatment failure by downregulating the HBV-specific T-cell responses.Patients and methods   Fourteen patients positive for hepatitis B e antigen received pegylated IFN-α monotherapy for 52 weeks and were followed for 26 weeks.Results   Compared with non-responders, responders displayed an increased HBV-specific T-helper cell proliferation. At the start of treatment there was no difference in the frequencies of CD4 + CD25 +  Treg between responders and non-responders. During therapy, the frequency of CD4 + CD25 +  Treg increased in non-responders, but not in responders. In contrast to the responders, the non-responders showed a significant increase in the frequency of interleukin-10-producing cells. Treg depletion resulted in increased proliferation capacity, but did not affect the frequency of interleukin-10-producing cells measured during the course of the treatment.Conclusion   This study indicates that Treg might have an important role in HBV persistence during and after pegylated IFN-α therapy.

Induction of Regulatory T-Cells and Interleukin-10-Producing Cells in Non-Responders to Pegylated Interferon-α Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis B