Seronegative and occult hepatitis C virus infections in patients with hematological disorders.

Studies of the association between seronegative or occult (OCI) hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and hematological disorders have yielded controversial results. The aim of this study was to investigate seronegative and OCI HCV infections in among patients with different hematological disorders. This study included 90 anti-HCV-negative patients with either benign or malignant hematological disorders (group I), along with 20 age- and sex-matched apparently healthy subjects, who served as controls (group II).

Diagnostic value of alpha-glutathione S-transferase as a sensitive marker of increased risk for hepatocellular damage in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection: relation to HCV viraemia.

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is a disease characterized by a silent evolution, a wide fluctuation of transaminase activities, and the potential presence of significant histological lesions in patients with normal concentrations of transaminases. Alpha-Glutathione S-transferase (alpha-GST) is a class of enzymes responsible for cellular detoxifying processes. Its wide hepatic distribution, high cytosolic concentration, and short in vivo plasma half-life of this enzyme are properties, which may make monitoring this enzyme more clinically useful than conventional biochemical liver function tests as a marker of hepatocellular damage.