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Correlation between plasma amino acid profiles and the various stages of hepatitis B infection

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Abstract

The amino acid metabolism in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is significantly changed. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between the amino acid profiles and varying clinical stages of HBV infection, and investigated their significance. The plasma amino acid concentrations in 115 patients with HBV infection and 32 healthy donors were detected and analyzed, and the main indicators of liver function were measured. Correlation analysis was performed between the amino acid profiles (Fischer’s ratio, branched-chain amino acid to tyrosine ratio [BTR]) and the key indicators of liver function in patients with HBV infection. Fisher’s ratio and the BTR of patients with HBV infection was found to differ from that of the healthy controls, and was also found to significantly correlate with the stage of HBV infection. Changes in the BTR were closely related to the level of key indicators of liver function, and a significant relationship was detected between the Fischer’s ratio and the BTR (r = 0.928, p < 0.001). These results suggest that Fischer’s ratio and the BTR can indirectly reflect the degree of liver cell injury. Determining and tracking the plasma amino acid profiles could, therefore, be used for the diagnosis, treatment selection, and prognosis of patients with varying stages of HBV infection.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Team of Key Science and Technology Innovation of Zhejiang Province (2009R50041), People’s Republic of China, the National High-technology R&D Program of China (2009CB522406), the Zhejiang Medical Health Foundation of China (2009B069), and the Major National S&T Projects for infectious diseases (11th Five Year) (2008ZX10002-007, 2009ZX10004-309).

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310003, People’s Republic of China

    J. Yang, J. He, H. Cao, X. Zhao, S. Fu, H. Lu, Y. Chen, X. Pan & L. Li

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  1. J. Yang
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  2. J. He
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  3. H. Cao
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  4. X. Zhao
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  7. Y. Chen
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  8. X. Pan
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  9. L. Li
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Correspondence to L. Li.

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Yang, J., He, J., Cao, H. et al. Correlation between plasma amino acid profiles and the various stages of hepatitis B infection. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 31, 2045–2052 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-011-1538-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-011-1538-x

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