title: Estrogen receptor alpha expression and liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1b: a clinicopathological study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatic damage due to chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1b infection varies widely.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate whether estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) plays a role in liver fibrosis in patients infected with HCV genotype 1b.
  
  
  METHODS
  All the consecutive patients who received the same standard treatment protocol for HCV genotype 1b were subdivided into two subgroups according to their fibrosis scores as fibrotic stages < 2 in mild fibrosis group and fibrotic stages ≥ 2 in advanced fibrosis group, depending on the presence of septal fibrosis. ERα was stained in liver biopsy specimens. Demographics and clinical properties were compared between the groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to predict advanced fibrosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 66 patients in the mild fibrosis group and 24 in the advanced fibrosis group. Among the mild and advanced fibrosis groups, 65.1% and 50%were female, respectively (P = 0.19). There was an inverse correlation between ERα and fibrotic stage (r: -0.413; P < 0.001). Age, platelet counts, neutrophil counts, Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) and ERα were statistically significant in the univariate analysis. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, ERα expression continued to be an independent predicting factor of liver fibrosis in patients infected with chronic HCV genotype 1b (OR: 0.10; 95% CI: 0.018-0.586; P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ERα expression in liver was inversely correlated with liver fibrosis among patients infected with chronic HCV genotype 1b.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Dr. A.Y. Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cengiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Seren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozenirler
authors.affiliation: Deparment of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Guldal
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
keywords: Estrogen Receptors Alpha; Genotype; Hepatitis C Virus, Liver Fibrosis