Hello @ThomasTu
I appreciate your response and thank you for taking the time to reach out.
I have an unconventional approach to understanding, where I rely on abstract reasoning to uncover connections and patterns. While I may not have a wealth of experience with data, I approach it methodically to test hypotheses rather than being overly enthusiastic about it. My goal is to cultivate a deeper understanding of various perspectives through abstract reasoning and thorough information gathering, enabling me to effectively identify and construct patterns.
For me, conceptualizing connections, even when they can’t be represented as data, is a more intuitive process. My research journey was ignited by a deeply personal question: “Why do some individuals, who were exposed to Hepatitis B as babies, test positive for the HBe antigen in adulthood?”
While humorously, I might quip about having “environmental advantages,” the inquiry stems from a sincere desire to understand a complex phenomenon.
Considering the challenges faced by individuals with Hepatitis B-Delta co-infection, I felt compelled to delve into identifying specific factors contributing to advanced fibrosis. My hope was that gaining a deeper understanding could pave the way for improved responses and outcomes overall.
I started by trying to relate the frequency of mdsc in newborns to hepatitis exposure and qHBs levels and the presence of antigens and antibodies. As that wasn’t explanatory enough, I changed the focus and arrived at my personal situation.
Expressing my journey of understanding with sensitivity, I found that through personal reflection, I was able to draw a connection between my mother’s lack of Hepatitis B history and the absence of HBe antibodies in myself. This reflection made it much easier for me to address my own inquiries.
This led to the hypothesis that the absence of placental transfer of HBe antibodies in the absence of HBs antibodies could result in HBe antigen positivity, evident in presented dataset and similar cases with comparable immune status at birth.
As detailed in the case presented, it was established that there were no acute manifestations at the time of diagnosis or afterward, and there was no history of Hepatitis B in my mother. In terms of methodology, my approach is somewhat unconventional as it relies on abstract reasoning as a preliminary framework, representing a potential idea before delving into conventional methods.
In my approach, I formulate the methods after establishing the abstract framework, rather than the other way around. This correlated analysis seeks to comprehend the progression of fibrosis over time, with a specific focus on cases of hepatitis B coexisting with Hepatitis Delta.
The color scheme denotes the initial antibody phase, immutable in individuals born to Hepatitis B-free mothers.
I then looked at the rarer occurrence of HBe antigen positivity in hepatitis B delta co-infection scenario, investigating potential causative events and taking into account baseline antibody status, as in my situation, and posed the question of what leads to HBe antigen seroconversion.
Different situations and different values for qHBs and years between baseline antibodies status, time of acute hepatitis and antibodies status now were considered.
Depending on the extent of viral exposure, the colors indicating antigen positivity may either undergo modification or remain unchanged.
This correlation between HBe antibodies transfer and the absence of immune response prompted consideration of neutralization. Various aspects of the existing literature have been thoroughly examined.
So I was wondering what leads to HBe antigen seroconversion in the absence of acute hepatitis and at what levels this occurs. (qHBs, Ag HBe SC/O).
A straightforward calculation was performed for MDSCs, considering the highest fixed value at birth and the highest percentage of quantitative HBs using a proportional method.
Similarly, lymphocyte analysis and other tests follow the same methodology.
This correlated analysis aims to understand the fibrosis status over time, particularly in Hepatitis B-Delta cases.
In all existing tests, a consistent maintenance of lymphocytes above a certain constant level was observed.
Only two exceptions, both with percentages below 20%, were noted. One occurred earlier before interferon treatment, attributed to a non-hepatitis B factor, while the other occurred during interferon treatment as well, with the value around 900, albeit for a brief duration.
Therefore, the values of 1000 and 20% became ingrained in my memory, leading me to deduce that similar responses occur in other situations, whether in the long term, with or without interferon.
The impact of interferon on lymphocytes lasted only two weeks; lymphocyte levels swiftly reverted to their previous values and remained elevated throughout the interferon treatment period. These observations were correlated with the degree of fibrosis in the presented case and the platelet count.
Based on the aforementioned observations, it became evident that not all cases would exhibit identical characteristics.
These hypotheses were scrutinized at a granular level and were instrumental in elucidating certain aspects of Hepatitis B-Delta co-infection.
I reiterate that the focus was on analytical characteristics and the degree of fibrosis, including parameters such as HBV DNA, HDV RNA levels, lymphocyte subpopulations, ALT/AST levels, quantitative measures of hepatitis B antigen, number and percentage of lymphocytes, and values considered abstract at a constant level of lymphocyte subpopulations based on the absence of HBe antibodies.
As a methodology, situations can be divided according to certain parameters. The initial stage of antibodies, based on placental transfer and the current antibody situation correlated with the presence or absence of acute hepatitis.
Regarding question number 4, I presented a poster at the GHS, Paris 2023.
Given that this project is independent and some aspects are complex from this standpoint, I’ve opted to publish this personal dataset, particularly considering the effort I’ve invested in its creation.
Cosmin