[Peripheral polyneuropathy and bilateral optic neuropathy during treatment of chronic hepatitis C].

History And Clinical Findings: A 54-year-old female patient with recently confirmed chronic hepatitis C, genotype Ib and positive HCV-RNA was admitted for interferon induction therapy.

Examinations: Physical examination findings were normal. Ultrasound examination of the abdomen revealed slightly compacted liver structure with otherwise no pathological findings.

Successful treatment of steroid refractory active ulcerative colitis with natural interferon-beta--an open long-term trial.

Introduction: In some steroid refractory patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC), treatment with immunosuppressive agents, such as cyclosporin, azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurin is effective. However, there are patients who fail to respond to these treatment options or who cannot tolerate them. Application of natural interferon-beta (nIFN-beta) may offer an alternative.

Experimental study on the use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in patients with steroid-resistant Crohn's disease.

Introduction: Treatment of Crohn's disease is based on anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive therapy. Over time, however, approx. 20 % of patients develop steroid resistance.

[Acute hepatitis due to kava-kava and St John's Wort: an immune-mediated mechanism?].

History And Clinical Findings: In an otherwise healthy 48-year-old female patient, acute hepatitis with transaminase increase (GOT up to 613 U/l, GPT up to 752 U/l), inconspicuous hepatitis serology findings, negative autoantibody status and negative virus serology was observed after a 10-week long intake of kava-kava (1-3 x 200 mg/day) and St John's Wort (1 x 425 mg/day). Biopsy of the liver showed lobular and portal necroinflammatory activity without indication of cirrhosis.

Diagnosis: Due to these findings with proven T-cell activity (lymphocyte typing, neopterin determination) as well as the aetiopathology, this form of hepatitis with histological characteristics of a nutritive/medicinal toxic origin was classified as induced immunologic idiosyncratic hepatitis, possibly in terms of an antibody-negative autoimmune hepatitis.