Xiaohong’s immune system It is almost certain that the hepatitis B virus in Xiaohong came from her mother. Hepatitis B is a disease transmitted through blood and body fluids, and there are more than 120 million hepatitis B carriers in China, accounting for one-third of the world’s total. Hepatitis B is a virus that is notorious for its weakness, but adults have stronger immune systems, and the vast majority of hepatitis B infections in adults are cleared automatically without the need for treatment, and do not turn into chronic hepatitis B. Children are different, especially newborn babies, whose immune systems are not yet fully developed. Children are a different story, especially newborn babies, whose immune systems are not yet fully developed and have a 90% chance of becoming chronic hepatitis B. This is why hepatitis B is spreading in China. That’s why the main way hepatitis B spreads in China is through mother-to-child transmission. “The hepatitis B virus is the smartest virus in the world.” Prof. Ferruccio Bonino, a renowned Italian hepatitis B expert, told this reporter, “When the hepatitis B virus enters the liver cells, it forms ‘covalent closed circular DNA’ (cccDNA), which is like a mini-chromosome that hides in the liver cell nucleus. Once it encounters the right opportunity, it will use its own DNA as a template and utilize the host cell’s own nucleotides to replicate a large number of hepatitis B viruses and invade healthy liver cells.” Different viruses have different methods of spreading. Influenza viruses use a “brutal” method of breaking down host cells and releasing them in large numbers. The reason flu patients get sore throats is that the epithelial cells of their respiratory tract are broken down by the virus and die off in large numbers. In contrast, the hepatitis B virus is much more cunning, it adopts a more “gentle” approach, so that the surface of the host cell to produce a “bud”, he hides in this “bud”, with the It spreads as it breaks away from the mother cell. There is no significant damage to the host liver cells during the entire process. “Scientists are studying this property of the hepatitis B virus and hope to use cccDNA as a carrier to introduce exogenous genes into human cells and implement gene therapy,” Bonino added. Bonino added. For “mild” viruses like the hepatitis B virus, if the human immune system turns a blind eye, it may be fine. But as soon as a human immune cell realizes that a cell has been infected by a foreign substance, it instinctively attacks it. The immune cell attack may be intended for the virus, but it affects the virus-infected liver cell. When the infected liver cells die, the transaminases that were only inside the cells are released into the bloodstream, which is why hepatitis patients have elevated transaminase levels. It is very important to understand that this means that the hepatitis B virus itself does not have much effect on liver function, and that elevated transaminases are a sign that the patient’s immune system is beginning to work. In the past, people didn’t understand this and made lowering the transaminases the only goal of treating hepatitis B. Later, it was found that even if the transaminase level returns to normal, as long as the virus is still replicating, the immune system will continue to attack the infected liver cells, and over time the patient’s liver will harden (fibrosis) and even cause liver cancer. According to statistics, patients like Xiaohong who contracted chronic hepatitis B through mother-to-child route have more than 40% probability of getting cirrhosis or liver cancer when they grow up, which is a very scary data. Therefore, in treating hepatitis B, the most important thing is not to protect the liver and lower the enzyme, but to remove or inhibit the replication of hepatitis B virus for a long time, so that the immune system can not find the target site of attack (i.e., virus-infected hepatocytes), so as to completely eliminate inflammation and restore the liver function. Xiaohong’s mom is a good example. She is also “triple positive”, but her aminotransferases are normal and her liver function is normal. She already has a certain understanding of her condition, so she is not in a hurry, and only comes to Prof. Chen Crescent regularly for body checkups and waits for the right treatment opportunity. “In her mom’s case, there is basically no need to worry about being infected from general contact at work.” Prof. Chen Xinyue told this reporter, “As long as she doesn’t go for blood transfusions and has regular checkups, she can live and work like a normal person. The discrimination against hepatitis B patients in society is unfounded.” It is because of the discrimination in the society that Xiaohong’s mother poured out everything she had to make sure that her daughter was cured. This discrimination has made Xiao Hong’s treatment process take on a distinctive “Chinese character”.