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Purpose To investigate the association between serum complement 5a (C5a) concentration and liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in a large cohort of patients chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Methods Five hundred and eight patients with chronic HBV infection undergoing liver biopsy were included. Serum concentrations of C5a was measured by Luminex screening system. Ishak histological system was obtained. Results C5a levels were negatively associated with liver fibrosis stages and significantly declined in patients with severe fibrosis and cirrhosis (P

Purpose YKL-40 is a chitinase-like protein expressed in multiple tissues including liver and is reported as a fibrosis marker. This study aimed to determine whether YKL-40 could serve as a diagnostic marker for the assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients with normal and mildly elevated ALT. Methods Six hundred and eighty-five patients with chronic hepatitis B infection were enrolled in this study from October 2013 to March 2016. All patients underwent liver biopsy and then staged based on Ishak histological system. Serum YKL-40 levels were measured by Human Magnetic Luminex Assays. Results Among chronic hepatitis B patients with normal and mildly elevated ALT, almost more than 30% of patients have significant liver fibrosis. Serum YKL-40 levels increased significantly in parallel with the progression of fibrosis in patients with ALT less than two times the upper limit of normal range (P