Showing papers on "Hepatitis published in 1997"
TL;DR: The host factors of ageing, alcohol consumption, and male sex have a stronger association with fibrosis progression than virological factors in HCV infection.
3,008 citations
TL;DR: Results indicate that TTV would be a novel DNA virus with a possible capacity to induce posttransfusion non-A to G hepatitis.
1,148 citations
TL;DR: Recent findings suggest that there is an additional form of viral hepatitis to which two recently discovered human viruses — the hepatitis .
Abstract: Chronic viral hepatitis is the principal cause of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma in the world and now ranks as the chief reason for liver transplantation in adults.1–3 Of the five known hepatitis viruses, three can cause persistent infection and chronic hepatitis: the hepatitis B virus (HBV),4 the hepatitis C virus (HCV),5 and the hepatitis delta (or hepatitis D) virus (HDV).6 The other two viruses, hepatitis A and hepatitis E, cause acute, self-limited disease only. Recent findings suggest that there is an additional form of viral hepatitis to which two recently discovered human viruses — the hepatitis . . .
901 citations
TL;DR: HIV-related immunodeficiency may be a determinant of higher hepatitis C viremia levels and more severe liver damage and mean interval from estimated time of HCV infection to cirrhosis was significantly longer in HIV-negative than HIV-positive patients.
733 citations
TL;DR: It is indicated that the HCV core protein plays a direct role in the development of hepatic steatosis, which characterizes hepatitis C, and this transgenic mouse system would be a good animal model for the study of pathogenesis in human HCV infection.
Abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic hepatitis worldwide, which finally leads to development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Chronic hepatitis C is characterized by several histological features in the liver which discriminate it from other forms of hepatitis: bile duct damage, lymphoid follicles and steatosis (fatty change). Little is known, however, about the role of HCV or its viral proteins in the pathogenesis of hepatitis. Recently, the core protein of HCV has been suggested to have a transcriptional regulatory function, and thereby to be involved in inducing phenotypic changes in hepatocytes. To clarify whether or not the HCV core protein has an effect on pathological phenotypes in the liver, two independent transgenic mouse lines carrying the HCV core gene were established. These mice developed progressive hepatic steatosis, indicating that the HCV core protein plays a direct role in the development of hepatic steatosis, which characterizes hepatitis C. This transgenic mouse system would be a good animal model for the study of pathogenesis in human HCV infection.
641 citations
TL;DR: HGV was common in a group of volunteer blood donors, and it can be transmitted by transfusion, and no causal relation between HGV and hepatitis has been established.
Abstract: Background The role of hepatitis G virus (HGV) in transfusion-associated infection and its relation to liver disease are not well understood. Methods Serum samples collected between 1972 and 1995 from 357 transfusion recipients, 157 controls who did not receive transfusions, 500 randomly selected volunteer blood donors, and 230 donors of blood received by HGV-infected patients were tested for HGV RNA by qualitative and quantitative polymerase-chain-reaction assays. Samples obtained before transfusion and serially after transfusion from 79 of the 81 transfusion recipients who had transfusion-associated non-A, non-B hepatitis were available for testing. Results Of the 79 patients with transfusion-associated hepatitis, 63 (80 percent) had infections related to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and 3 had preexisting HCV and the cause of their acute hepatitis could not be determined; of the remaining 13 patients, 3 had acute HGV infection, and 10 were infected with unidentified agents. Six of the 63 patients with HC...
568 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that ANA/SMA positive and LKM‐1 positive AIH in childhood have clinical, biochemical, and histological differences, but similar severity and long‐term outcome.
540 citations
TL;DR: The authors in this paper found that approximately 85% of persons with acute hepatitis C develop chronic hepatitis as determined by persistently abnormal serum enzymes and/or viremia (hepatitis C virus [HCV] RNA).
506 citations
TL;DR: Results suggest that FasL has an essential role in the development of hepatitis and administration of the soluble form of Fas into HBsAg transgenic mice prevented the CTL-induced liver disease.
Abstract: The Fas ligand (FasL) is expressed in activated T cells and induces apoptosis in Fas-bearing cells. A cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) clone specific for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) causes an acute liver disease in HBsAg transgenic mice. Here we observed that the CTL clone killed hepatocytes expressing HBsAg in a Fas-dependent manner. Administration of the soluble form of Fas into HBsAg transgenic mice prevented the CTL-induced liver disease. In the second model, mice were primed with Propionibacterium acnes. A subsequent challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) killed the mice by inducing liver injury. Neutralization of FasL rescued the mice from LPS-induced mortality, and Fas-null mice were resistant to LPS-induced mortality. These results suggest that FasL has an essential role in the development of hepatitis.
492 citations
TL;DR: Persistent infection with HGV was common, but it did not lead to chronic disease and did not affect the clinical course in patients with hepatitis A, B, or C.
Abstract: Background Little is known about the relation of the newly discovered hepatitis G virus (HGV) to the cause and clinical course of acute and chronic viral hepatitis. Methods We selected patients from a surveillance study of acute viral hepatitis in four U.S. counties who had acute disease during 1985 to 1986 or 1991 to 1995. Serum samples were tested for HGV RNA by the polymerase chain reaction. Results HGV RNA was detected in 4 of 45 patients with a diagnosis of non-A–E hepatitis (9 percent), 23 of 116 patients with hepatitis C (20 percent), 25 of 100 patients with hepatitis A (25 percent), and 32 of 100 patients with hepatitis B (32 percent) (P<0.05 for the comparison of hepatitis B with hepatitis non-A–E or C). The clinical characteristics of the acute illness were similar for patients with HGV alone and those with hepatitis A, B, or C with or without HGV infection. During a follow-up period of one to nine years, chronic hepatitis did not develop in any of the patients with HGV alone, but 75 percent wer...
395 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Observations suggest that IFN-gamma plays a central role in Con A-hepatitis by activating Fas-induced apoptosis of liver cells by activating the Fas-Fas ligand system.
Abstract: Con A-induced hepatitis (Con A-hepatitis) is a hepatitis model in which hepatic injury is supposed to be caused by cytokines from activated T cells To elucidate the pathogenesis of this disease, we analyzed the roles of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha using deficient mice of these cytokines Development of hepatitis was reduced significantly in IFN-gamma(-/-) mice, while susceptibility of TNF-alpha(-/-) mice was not changed Interestingly, apoptotic cell death was observed in the affected livers of control or TNF-alpha(-/-) mice, but not in those of IFN-gamma(-/-) mice Fas mRNA expression was increased in the livers of hepatitis mice, but less abundantly in those of IFN-gamma(-/-) mice Since apoptosis of liver cells was rarely observed in Con A-treated lpr/lpr mice, involvement of the Fas-Fas ligand system in this apoptotic process was suggested These observations suggest that IFN-gamma plays a central role in Con A-hepatitis by activating Fas-induced apoptosis of liver cells
TL;DR: A decision analytic model was developed to project the immediate responses to treatment and predict the long-term outcomes on the basis of current natural history data to determine whether treatment of histologically mild chronic hepatitis C with a single 6-month course of interferon-2b would affect life expectancy and lifelong costs.
Abstract: Background: Chronic hepatitis C is a major cause of illness and death in the United States. Interferon-α2b can induce clinical, biochemical, and virologic remission in some patients with chronic he...
TL;DR: In conclusion, it is shown that a continuous intake of Se is essential to sustain the chemopreventive effect of HBV infection and primary liver cancer, and on cessation of treatment, PLC developed at a rate comparable to that in the control group, demonstrating that the inhibitory response to HBV was sustained during the 3-yr cessation of Treatment.
Abstract: High rates of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and primary liver cancer (PLC) are present in Qidong county. Epidemiological surveys demonstrated an inverse association between selenium (Se) level and regional cancer incidence, as well as HBV infection. Four-year animal studies showed that dietary supplement of Se reduced the HBV infection by 77.2% and liver precancerous lesion by 75.8% of ducks, caused by exposure to natural environmental etiologic factors. An intervention trial was undertaken among the general population of 130,471. Individuals in five townships were involved for observation of the preventive effect of Se. The 8-yr follow-up data showed reduced PLC incidence by 35.1% in selenized table salt supplemented vs the nonsupplemented population. On withdrawal of Se from the treated group, PLC incidence rate began to increase. However, the inhibitory response to HBV was sustained during the 3-yr cessation of treatment. The clinical study among 226 Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg)-positive persons provided either 200 micrograms of Se in the form of selenized yeast tablet or an identical placebo of yeast tablet daily for 4 yr showed that 7 of 113 subjects were diagnosed as having PLC in the placebo group, whereas no incidence of PLC was found in 113 subjects supplemented with Se. Again on cessation of treatment, PLC developed at a rate comparable to that in the control group, demonstrating that a continuous intake of Se is essential to sustain the chemopreventive effect.
TL;DR: At least five different viruses cause hepatitis in humans, and two — hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) — are nonenveloped RNA viruses that are spread predominantly by fecal–oral transmission and cause acute self-limited disease.
Abstract: At least five different viruses cause hepatitis in humans. Two — hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) — are nonenveloped RNA viruses that are spread predominantly by fecal–oral transmission and cause acute self-limited disease.1,2 The others — hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis delta virus (HDV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) — are enveloped viruses with various tendencies to cause persistent infection, chronic hepatitis, and, in the case of HBV and HCV, hepatocellular carcinoma.3–5 Fecal–oral transmission does not occur with these viruses, because their lipid envelopes preclude the passage of viable virus from the liver through . . .
TL;DR: This work hypothesizes that a delay in the lytic poliomyelitis, and infectious hepatitis (hepatitis A) onset of H. pylori infection led to a lower rate of developall made their appearance during this period as ‘‘new’’ ment of atrophic gastritis and was responsible for the diseases.
TL;DR: It is concluded that a humoral immune response to E2 is associated with loss of detectable HGV viraemia, and E2-specific antibodies might serve as a useful marker for diagnosing recovery from HGV infections.
TL;DR: Examination of the frequency of the two recently described polymorphisms of the TNF‐α promoter in 150 patients with biopsy‐proven alcoholic liver disease and 145 healthy volunteers found a significant excess of the rare allele (TNFA‐A; G(−238) → A) at position −238 in patients with steatohepatitis compared with controls or patients without this lesion, consistent with previous suggestions.
TL;DR: Eight patients with autoimmune, steroid-responsive hepatitis in whom cirrhosis or extensive fibrosis was confirmed on liver biopsy at diagnosis but disappeared or was markedly reduced in response to effective treatment are described.
Abstract: Background: Hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis occur in many types of chronic liver injury and generally seem to be irreversible. Objective: To determine whether cirrhosis caused by autoimmune hepatiti...
TL;DR: A simple score combining age and platelet count enabled the accurate prediction of the presence of activity and fibrosis in patients infected with the hepatitis C virus and could be avoided owing to its high predictive value.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to identify clinical and biological factors associated with histological lesions in patients with chronic hepatitis C and to construct a simple diagnostic index. A database consisting of 500 patients with untreated biopsy-proven chronic non-A non-B hepatitis was used. Liver biopsies were reviewed, blind, by a panel of pathologists. Patients were classified according to the presence of necroinflammatory lesions (histological activity) and fibrosis. The diagnostic value of nine clinical and 10 biological factors was assessed using logistic regression analysis, sensitivity, specificity and predictive values, and a score was constructed combining the most significant factors identified. The validation used an independent population of 120 patients. Serum platelet concentration and age were the two main factors significantly and independently correlated with the presence of fibrosis and/or histological activity. A simple score referred to as AP, combining age and platelet count, varied from 0-10. For the presence of significant histological disease (moderate to severe necroinflammatory lesions and/or septal fibrosis to cirrhosis), an AP score of 6 or more had a specificity of 0.93 and a sensitivity of 0.52%. In the validation population, the area under the curve was 0.690 +/- 0.085, not significantly different from that of the first population, 0.763 +/- 0.043. Hence, a simple score combining age and platelet count enabled the accurate prediction of the presence of activity and fibrosis in patients infected with the hepatitis C virus. When this score reached 6, liver biopsy could be avoided owing to its high predictive value. However, the negative predictive value was not high enough to prevent a liver biopsy in patients with a lower score.
TL;DR: Lamivudine was well tolerated and induced sustained suppression of hepatitis B replication during treatment in all patients at all doses, and these data support investigation of longer treatment durations of 100 mg once daily.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The data suggest that allograft hepatitis in patients with preexisting HCV occurs earlier and with greater severity in patients treated with OKT3 for SRR, compared with age-, gender-, and initial immunosuppression-matched contemporary controls.
TL;DR: The hepatitis of the hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia does not appear to be caused by any of the known hepatitis viruses, and several features of the syndrome suggest that it is mediated by immunopathologic mechanism.
Abstract: Background Hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia is a variant of aplastic anemia in which aplastic anemia follows an acute attack of hepatitis. The aplastic anemia, however, is often fatal if untreated. To characterize the illness, investigate the role of hepatitis viruses, and assess the response to immunosuppressive treatment, we studied patients with the syndrome who were referred to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Methods Standard hematologic and biochemical tests and measurements of bone marrow cellularity were used to monitor the patients' response to treatment. Serum was assayed for antibodies and antigens related to hepatitis A, B, and C viruses and for the RNA of hepatitis C and GB virus C by the polymerase chain reaction. All patients were treated with antithymocyte globulin and cyclosporine. Results Ten patients with hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia were referred to the NIH between 1990 and 1996; all had the typical features of this syndrome. There was evidence of activated CD8 T ly...
TL;DR: It is concluded that alleles associated with susceptibility to type 1 autoimmune hepatitis also influence its clinical features and prognosis.
TL;DR: In this paper, the prevalence and influence of coinfection with either hepatitis B or C on the clinical course in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
TL;DR: DRB 1*0301 and DRB1*0401 are confirmed as the principal susceptibility alleles for type 1 autoimmune hepatitis, and the hypothesis that a lysine residue at position 71 of the DR beta-polypeptide chain may be the major risk factor is supported.
TL;DR: Ultrasonography is accurate in predicting the final diagnosis in patients with compensated chronic liver disease and may identify cirrhosis even in the absence of a typical histopathological pattern, however, neither percutaneous liver biopsy nor ultrasonography can be assumed to be the definitive criterion for the diagnosis of compensated Cirrhosis.
TL;DR: In this paper, the prevalence and routes of transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Hafizabad, Pakistan, were determined and sera was collected from a geographically based random sample of residents, and in 1994 identified 15 HCV-infected individuals (cases) and 67 age and sex matched uninfected individuals(controls).
Abstract: To determine the prevalence and routes of transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Hafizabad, Pakistan, we collected sera in 1993 from a geographically based random sample of residents, and in 1994 identified 15 HCV-infected individuals (cases) and 67 age and sex matched uninfected individuals (controls). Initially we approached 504 households, and collected serum from a randomly selected household member in 309 (64%). Twenty persons (6.5%) had anti-HCV antibody; 31% percent had hepatitis B core antibodies, and 4.3% had hepatitis B surface antigen. In the case-control study, persons who received more therapeutic injections (categorized as averaging 1, 2-4, 5-9 or > 10 injections per year in the previous 10 years) were more likely to be infected with HCV (odds ratio 0, 1.5, 2.5 and 6.9 respectively, P = 0.008) compared to persons averaging 0 injections per year. Efforts to limit therapeutic injections to only those that are medically indicated and that use sterile equipment are essential in order to prevent transmission of HCV.
TL;DR: It is concluded that significant liver disease may occur irrespective of clinical symptoms, ALT levels, HCV genotypes, and viral load.
TL;DR: If the occurrence of hepatitis E virus antibody (anti-HEV) in regions where the disease is not endemic represents infection, rates may be greater in high-risk populations and behavioral correlates may reflect recognized transmission modes.
Abstract: If the occurrence of hepatitis E virus antibody (anti-HEV) in regions where the disease is not endemic represents infection, rates may be greater in high-risk populations and behavioral correlates may reflect recognized transmission modes. Serum samples from 300 homosexual males, 300 injection drug users (IDUs), and 300 blood donors from Baltimore, Md., were tested for anti-HEV by enzyme immunoassay. Anti-HEV was found in an unexpectedly high percentage of homosexual men (15.9%) and IDUs (23.0%). However, anti-HEV was present in a similar proportion of blood donors (21.3%) (P > 0.05), while hepatitis A, B, and C virus antibodies were more prevalent in the high-risk groups (P < 0.001). Among homosexual men, anti-HEV was not significantly correlated with a history of hepatitis, high-risk sexual practices, or sexually transmitted infections, in contrast to hepatitis A and B antibodies. Among IDUs, anti-HEV was not significantly associated with a history of hepatitis or high-risk drug-using practices, as was found with hepatitis C antibodies. In a setting without endemic hepatitis E disease, there was no evidence that anti-HEV reflected subclinical infection. Until the basis for HEV seroreactivity in such areas is elucidated, anti-HEV results should be interpreted with caution.