IL17A and fibrosis: The current literature indicates that circulating Th17 cells increase histological activity index (HAI) via IL-17, IL-10, and INF-γ, and that IL-10, TNF-α, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta are correlated with fibrosis stages in CHB patients.14–18 In a cohort of African-American injection drug users with chronic hepatitis C, CXCR3 ligands (CXCL-11, CXCL-10, and CXCL-9) were shown to contribute to liver cirrhosis and to discriminate advance liver fibrosis from mild fibrosis.9,19 These studies, however, have included relatively few CHB patients with liver biopsy.