Hemodynamic changes in visceral organs following closed head trauma in rats.

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) tract dysfunction is well documented following head injury. Our study sought to determine whether head injury causes an immediate impairment of the splanchnic circulation which may contribute to later GI sequelae.

Methods: Three groups of eight rats each received either no closed head trauma (CHT) (group 1) or CHT (groups 2 and 3) immediately following baseline measurements at time 0.

Iatrogenic transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) by an anesthesiologist: comparative molecular analysis of the HCV-E1 and HCV-E2 hypervariable regions.

Background: Transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) from infected health care workers to patients rarely occurs. In 2003, a cluster of patients with HCV infection was identified at a medical center in Israel. All patients had a common history of various surgical procedures performed during the period 2001-2003.

Hepatitis C virus infection in dialysis and chronic liver patients: Viraemia dependent anti-E2-antibody response.

Cryptic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection relates to patients infected chronically with HCV that are seronegative but have HCV-RNA. These patients are not identified by the standard serological tests for HCV, which are based on detection of antibodies to core, NS3 and NS5 antigens. They will, therefore, be wrongly diagnosed as non-infected, and are considered as a potential risk for others.