0000000000520022
AUTHOR
Hans P. Dienes
Hepatic expression patterns of the large and middle hepatitis B virus surface proteins in viremic and nonviremic chronic hepatitis B.
The envelope of hepatitis B virus consists of large, middle, and small hepatitis B surface proteins. Recent data from in vitro studies suggest that intracellular expression and distribution of the three polypeptides may be variable. These observations in artificial expression systems prompted this analysis of the occurrence and distribution of the three hepatitis B surface proteins in the liver tissue of substantial viremic (hepatitis B virus DNA- and hepatitis B e antigen-positive) and low-viremic or nonviremic (hepatitis B virus DNA-negative, anti-hepatitis B e antigen-positive) carriers by specific monoclonal antibodies against large, middle, and small proteins. Patients with an active f…
Accumulation of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) in the liver of patients with renal failure and portal hypertension
Summary Hydroxyethyl starch (HES) has gained wide clinical acceptance as a colloidal plasma substitute. We were able to study the liver biopsies of two patients with renal failure who developed ascites after repeated infusions of HES. All types of liver cells displayed massive accumulation of HES with the morphologic resemblance to a storage disease. These changes could be distinguished clearly from the lesions of a hereditary disorder by light and electron microscopy. Although it is difficult to establish a causative role for HES in the development of ascites on the bases of morphological changes alone, one should be cautious about giving HES to patients with renal failure until exact data…