title: Serum Levels of Annexin A2 as a Candidate Biomarker for Hepatic Fibrosis in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatologists have studied serologic markers of liver injury for decades. Annexins are a prominent group of such markers and annexin A2 (AnxA2) is one of the best characterized annexins. AnxA2 inhibits HBV polymerase among other functions. Its expression is up-regulated in regenerative hepatocytes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine if serum AnxA2 level has a role in estimating liver damage in chronic HBV infection and investigate whether AnxA2 levels correlate with hepatic fibrosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 173 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 51 healthy controls. Liver fibrosis was graded histologically on liver biopsy samples. Blood samples were taken from patients during biopsy and serum AnxA2 levels were measured with ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a group of adult patients with CHB, AnxA2 values were far higher than those of the control group (P = 0.001). When we assessed AnxA2 levels based on fibrosis stages, serum AnxA2 levels of patients with early stage fibrosis (stages 1 - 3) were significantly higher than those of patients with advanced stage fibrosis (stages 4 - 5; P = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AnxA2 is a useful biomarker for early stage fibrosis in patients with CHB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Adiyaman University Faculty of Medicine, Adiyaman, Turkey.
authors.forename: Servet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kolgelier
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Selcuk University Faculty of Medicine, Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nazlim Aktug
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet Cagkan
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Inkaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Selcuk University Faculty of Medicine, Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sumer
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Konya State Hospital, Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serap
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozcimen
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Lutfi Saltuk
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Adiyaman State Hospital, Adiyaman, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatma Seher
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Pehlivan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Adiyaman State Hospital, Adiyaman, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mahmure
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arslan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Adiyaman University, Adiyaman, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arpaci
keywords: Annexin A2; Biological Marker; Chronic; Hepatitis B; Liver Fibrosis