Table 4_Dynamic changes in IFI44L and SAMHD1 mRNA levels in PBMCs are associated with treatment response in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B during peg-IFN-α therapy.docx

Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors independently associated with VR and SR, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the discriminatory performance of the two genes.</p>Results<p>Following 48 weeks of Peg-IFN-α treatment, 53.95% of patients achieved VR and 36.84% achieved SR. IFI44L and SAMHD1 expression showed distinct on-treatment patterns according to virological and serological outcomes.

Higher expression of either gene at weeks 12 and 24 was associated with greater reductions in HBsAg and HBV DNA at the corresponding time points, and week 12 expression was also positively associated with the subsequent declines in both markers by week 24. In multivariable analyses, IFI44L and SAMHD1 expression at weeks 12 and 24 remained independently associated with VR and SR at week 48. ROC analysis showed greater discriminatory performance at the on-treatment assessment points, with the highest AUCs observed at week 24.

At this time point, IFI44L yielded AUCs of 0.8822 for VR and 0.8445 for SR, while SAMHD1 yielded AUCs of 0.8627 and 0.8400, respectively.</p>Conclusion<p>IFI44L and SAMHD1 may represent candidate dynamic on-treatment biomarkers of host interferon responsiveness during Peg-IFN-α therapy.</p>