Search results for "hepatitis"
showing 10 items of 1578 documents
Visceral adiposity index is associated with histological findings and high viral load in patients with chronic hepatitis C due to genotype 1.
2010
Metabolic factors have been associated with liver damage in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (G1 CHC). We tested visceral adiposity index (VAI), a new marker of adipose dysfunction in G1 CHC, patients to assess its association with host and viral factors and its link to both histological findings and sustained virological response (SVR). Two hundred thirtysix consecutive G1 CHC patients were evaluated by way of liver biopsy and anthropometric and metabolic measurements, including insulin resistance (IR), homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), and VAI using waist circumference, body mass index, triglycerides, and highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol. All biopsies were scored by one …
High sCD36 plasma level is associated with steatosis and its severity in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C
2013
SUMMARY. Soluble CD36 (sCD36) plasma levels, a known marker of cardiometabolic disorders, are associated with surrogate markers of steatosis, while experimental and human studies show a link between CD36 expression in the liver and steatosis. In a cohort of patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (G1 CHC), we tested the association of sCD36 plasma levels with host and viral factors and sustained virological response (SVR). One hundred and seventy-five consecutive biopsy-proven patients were studied. sCD36 plasma levels were assessed by an in-house ELISA. All biopsies were scored by one pathologist for staging and grading (Scheuer) and graded for steatosis, which was considered moderate…
Circulating microparticles as disease-specific biomarkers of severity of inflammation in patients with hepatitis C or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
2012
Background & Aims Microparticles released into the bloodstream upon activation or apoptosis of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells correlate with inflammation as determined by histologic analysis in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) can be differentiated from those with CHC based on activation of distinct sets of immune cells in the liver. Methods We compared profiles of circulating microparticles from patients with NAFL and NASH (n = 67) to those of CHC (n = 42), with healthy individuals (controls) using flow cytometry; the profiles were correlated with inflammation grade and fibrosis stage based on histologic an…
Autoreactive CD4+ LKM-specific and anticlonotypic T-cell responses in LKM-1 antibody-positive autoimmune hepatitis
1996
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and controls were studied for their proliferative response to six overlapping synthetic peptides covering the 33-amino acid immunodominant region of cytochrome P450IID6, the main target antigen of LKM-1 antibody-positive type II AIH. PBMC from 8 of 8 type II AIH patients (100%), 6 of 12 LKM-1 antibody-negative type I AIH patients (50%), but only 4 of 31 patients with chronic hepatitis C (12.9%) reacted with a 23-amino acid LKM peptide and mainly with a shorter 18-amino acid LKM peptide. Follow-up showed that LKM-specific T-cell responses decreased after immunosuppression had started. Fine specificity, HLA …
Identification of CD4 T-Cell Epitopes in Soluble Liver Antigen/Liver Pancreas Autoantigen in Autoimmune Hepatitis
2008
Background & Aims Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic inflammatory liver disease associated with autoantibodies and liver-infiltrating lymphocytes. Although autoantibodies are tested routinely to diagnose and classify AIH, liver-infiltrating lymphocytes are regarded as the primary factor for disease pathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize autoantigenic peptides within human AIH-specific soluble liver antigen/liver pancreas antigen (SLA/LP) that are targeted by CD4 + T cells and restricted by the disease susceptibility gene HLA-DRB1*0301. Methods HLA-DRB1*0301 transgenic mice were immunized with SLA/LP. Antibody and T-cell responses were analyzed with SLA…
Hepatitis B virus-specific T-cell responses during IFN administration in a small cohort of chronic hepatitis B patients under nucleos(t)ide analogue …
2013
The effect of pegylated interferon-α (IFN) add-on therapy on HBV-specific T-cell responses was evaluated in 12 patients with stable, undetectable hepatitis B virus (HBV) load under nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated at week 0, 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 of IFN add-on therapy. Quantity and quality of circulating HBV S- and core-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells were analysed ex vivo by flow cytometry. HBV S- and core-specific CD4 T-cell numbers modestly increased within 8 weeks of IFN administration (P = 0.0391 and P = 0.0195), whereas HBV-specific CD8 T cells in general showed only minor changes under IFN add-on therapy. Functionality of HBV-specific CD4 bu…
Treatment of Patients with Chronic Type B Hepatitis and Concurrent Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection with a Combination of Interferon Alpha and …
1989
Six patients with chronic type B hepatitis and concurrent infection with the immunodeficiency virus were treated with 600 mg azidothymidine (AZT)/day and 3 X 10(6) units of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) every other day for a total of 4 months. None of the patients treated lost the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV-DNA concentrations were not significantly influenced by this treatment. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection was also not affected except for a transient rise in CD 4-positive cells in 2 individuals, who had initially low CD 4-positive cells. Treatment did not influence the presence of HIV-Ag in the serum. In conclusion, a combination therapy of IFN and AZT does not seem to be b…
Immunogenicity and safety of an inactivated hepatitis A vaccine in anti-HIV positive and negative homosexual men.
1995
The immunogenicity, reactogenicity, and safety of an inactivated hepatitis A vaccine were assessed in anti-HIV positive homosexual men. Fourteen anti-HIV positive (group 1) and 20 anti-HIV negative (group 2) men received vaccine (containing 720 ELISA units of hepatitis A antigen per dose) intramuscularly at 0, 1, and 6 months. Twelve unvaccinated anti-HIV positive men (group 3) were included as controls to evaluate disease progression. Seroconversion (anti-hepatitis V virus (HAV ⩾20 mlU/ml) was higher in group 2 than group 1 at months 2 (100% vs. 73%) and 7 (l00%vs. 77%). Group 2 had higher antibody titres than group 1 at months 1 (201 vs. 92 mlU/ml) and 7 (1, 687 vs. 636 mlU/ml). The decli…
Active immunization of homosexual men using a recombinant hepatitis B vaccine
1989
Twenty homosexual men [13 anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive, seven anti-HIV negative] without HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc were vaccinated with three 20 micrograms doses of a recombinant hepatitis B vaccine. All anti-HIV-positive homosexuals were nonresponders independent of the initial number of CD4-positive cells. Among seven anti-HIV-negative individuals, five responded. After three doses of the vaccine, CD4-positive cells fell in anti-HIV positive individuals by 22.4%. A similar fall in CD4-positive cells of an average 24.9% was noted in 17 matching, but nonvaccinated, anti-HIV-positive homosexuals. The study indicates that the efficacy of vaccination in anti-HIV-positiv…
Pregnancy in primary sclerosing cholangitis
2011
Background There is a paucity of data on fertility or pregnancy in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Objective To assess fertility in PSC by comparing the number of children in a large cohort of PSC patients to healthy controls and to investigate the outcome of pregnancy, as well as the influence of pregnancy on the disease course. Design Case series. Setting Germany. Participants 229 PSC patients and 569 healthy controls were evaluated for the number of children. 17 patients with PSC and at least one pregnancy, or who received a diagnosis of PSC within 6 months after delivery, were included in the more detailed analysis. Main outcome measures Number of children per patien…