C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5+CD8+ T cells as immune regulators in hepatitis Be antigen-positive chronic hepatitis B under interferon-alpha treatment

Table 1 Baseline demographic profiles and characteristics related to pegylated interferon response

HC (n = 20)		SR (n = 16)	NSR (n = 44)	P value
Age (years)	28.17 ± 0.25	26.00 ± 4.94	28.86 ± 8.32	0.260
Gender (male/female)	10/10	6/10	29/15	0.048a
Weight (kg)	56.26 ± 4.20	57.54 ± 9.12	63.51 ± 11.03	0.097
ALT (IU/mL)	24.97 ± 6.47	205.55 ± 69.38	185.5 ± 103.61	0.530
HBV DNA (log10 IU/mL)	n.d	7.73 ± 0.61	7.94 ± 1.15	0.530
HBsAg (log10 IU/mL)	Negative	4.13 ± 0.46	4.44 ± 0.56	0.087
Anti-HBs positive	12	0	0	n.d
HBeAg (log10 COI)	n.d	2.90 ± 0.62	3.26 ± 0.46	0.044a
IL-21 (pg/mL)	12.31 ± 5.42	91.27 ± 188.34	105.30 ± 379.75	0.901
CXCR5+ (%)	12.11 ± 4.00	17.39 ± 8.11	16.04 ± 8.68	0.639
PD-L1+ (%)	8.65 ± 1.94	12.57 ± 9.55	18.31 ± 10.97	0.113
CXCR5+CD8+ (%)	5.50 ± 2.43	3.41 ± 3.00	1.47 ± 1.34	0.042a
CXCR5+CD4+ (%)	6.62 ± 1.06	14.43 ± 2.52	13.98 ± 1.39	0.867
PDL1+CD8+ (%)	7.75 ± 1.21	5.07 ± 3.22	8.59 ± 8.46	0.061
PDL1+CD4+ (%)	1.29 ± 0.23	7.95 ± 1.75	7.95 ± 1.40	0.812

^aP < 0.05.

Data are shown as mean ± SE. ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; HC: Healthy control; SR: Serologic response; NSR: Non-serologic response; n.d.: Not determined; HBV: Hepatitis B virus; PD-L1: Programmed death-ligand 1; IL-21: Interleukin-21; CXCR5: C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5.