An Invisible Diamond Of RecBCD

, 2006; Huang et al., 2010]. In addition, coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs is known to be related with preS deletion mutation, which is a risk factor of HCC [Wang et al., 1999; Huang et al., 2010]. Recently, the authors reported in a cross-sectional study that coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs is associated with preS deletion mutations and both the coexistence and preS deletion mutations are more prevalent in HCC patients than in chronic hepatitis B patients without HCC [Jang et al., 2009]. It can be hypothesized theoretically that coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs may contribute to HCC development via preS deletion mutations. However, there have been, so far, no cohort studies demonstrating selleck the cause and effect between coexistence of HBsAg RecBCD and anti-HBs and HCC. Also, such an atypical serological profile of coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs has not been included in most clinical studies for chronic HBV infection and HCC because of its low prevalence. The authors demonstrated previously the possibility of association between coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs and HCC via preS deletion mutations in a cross-sectional study using HCC patients and patients without HCC at baseline. Therefore, this large-scale retrospective cohort study was aimed to investigate in a longitudinal way whether coexistence of HBsAg and anti-HBs, though it is uncommon, represents as a new risk factor for HCC development in chronic HBV infection. A total of 1,180 patients with chronic HBV infection, HBsAg positive for >6 months, were recruited consecutively as a retrospective cohort at Kandong Sacred Heart Hospital of Hallym University Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. The follow-up duration was calculated from the time of initial visit to the time of last visit or the diagnosis of HCC. The follow-up duration ranged from 1 to 22 years. Exclusion criteria were as follows: patients who (1) were diagnosed with HCC at baseline or within 6 months of initial visit, (2) had other viral markers (HCV, HIV), (3) were heavy alcoholics (>80?g of ethanol daily), Anti-diabetic Compound Library ic50 (4) were followed-up for