Publications by authors named "Goergen B"

Background: Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS), an autosomal-dominant connective tissue disorder, is characterised by systemic manifestations including arterial aneurysm and craniofacial dysmorphologies. Although ocular involvement in LDS has been reported, detailed information on those manifestations is lacking.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients with diagnosed LDS and comparison with age-matched control patients.

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Background: To study biometric and structural ocular manifestations of Marfan syndrome (MFS).

Methods: Observational, retrospective, comparative cohort study in a tertiary referral center on 285 MFS patients and 267 controls. Structural and biometric ocular characteristic were compared.

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We report the results of a multicenter evaluation of a new assay for the detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in human serum or plasma based on transcription-mediated amplification (HCV TMA). Analysis of combined data obtained from 15 independent sites, including 4 sites in the United States and 11 in Europe, by using preproduction kits showed a limit of detection of 9.8 IU/ml and an overall mean specificity of 97.

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Background: The flavivirus GB virus C (GBV-C, also designated hepatitis G virus) was identified in a search for hepatitis viruses, but no disease is currently known to be associated with it. We investigated the relation between coinfection with GBV-C and the long-term outcome in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Methods: A total of 197 HIV-positive patients were followed prospectively beginning in 1993 or 1994.

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Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a possible treatment for acute or chronic liver failure due to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but reinfection of the graft can be a serious complication. The aim of this study was to monitor HBV markers, to analyse pre-core-/core-mutations as well as to identify the viral population causing reinfection after OLT, and to investigate the emergence or disappearance of these mutants in patients receiving immunosuppressive treatment. Fifty-four pre-and posttransplant serum samples of 17 patients were analysed.

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A ligase chain reaction (LCR)-based approach to detect hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) is described. Using this new amplification technique, we determined semi-quantitatively the amount of a short HBV S-gene fragment in PBMC lysates of 25 patients with different forms of chronic hepatitis (group A (n = 8), hepatitis B s antigen (HBsAg)+/hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)+; group B (n = 9), HBsAg+/HBeAg-; group C (n = 8), HBsAg-/HBeAg-). The LCR results were compared with the findings obtained with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of three distinct HBV gene regions (preS1/2, S and C) and related to the serological profiles of the patients.

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Identification of the T-cell receptors (TCR) used by synovial cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) of patients with reactive arthritis (ReA) may be crucial to better understanding the pathogenetic mechanism underlying the HLA-B27 association of spondylarthropathies. The authors, therefore, sequenced 25 TCRB chains from HLA-B27-restricted CD8+ CTL clones and two clonal lines specific for self- or Yersinia enterocolitica antigen isolated from synovial fluids of 3 HLA-B27+ patients with ReA and PBL of one healthy HLA-B27+ individual. Fourteen non-HLA-B27-restricted CTL served as controls.

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Recently, it was demonstrated in chronic hepatitis C that the release of IgG and IgM anti-HCV antibodies by mononuclear cells (PBMCs) correlated with inflammatory activity, HCV persistence in serum, and negative outcome from antiviral therapy. Thus, persistent antigenic stimulation of the antibody-secreting B cells has been suggested. In this study, PBMCs were derived from 13 patients with chronic hepatitis C.

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To assess the significance of cell-mediated immunity, T cells were derived from the peripheral blood and liver tissue of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients and controls. The analysis of the 3H-thymidine-uptake in response to a panel of recombinant HBV antigens revealed that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of the 25 viremic patients with inflammatory active, chronic hepatitis B, 16 with wild-type and nine with HBe-minus HBV mutant infection, showed stronger proliferative responses to HBc and HBe antigens than 16 asymptomatic nonviremic HBsAg carriers with normal aminotransferase levels (HBc: SI 19.3 +/- 3.

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A number of naturally occurring hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutants unable to synthesize the hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) have been identified in patients characterized by HBV DNA and anti-HBe in their serum. Because the analysis of the HBV-associated DNA and antigens in the liver tissue is still not complete, we investigated the precore sequence of HBV DNA and its encoded proteins in the liver tissue of 32 patients positive for HBV DNA and anti-HBe in their serum. Three different groups of patients were identified.

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For chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) treatment has recently been established. However, the complete responding rate is not higher than 20-25%. The aim of our study was to assess IFN-alpha retreatment in chronic hepatitis C.

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The case of a young female patient with chronic active hepatitis B, vasculitic purpura, edema, and circulating immune complexes due to mixed cryoglobulinemia is described. Serum transaminases were elevated. Serological assays showed hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody to hepatitis B e antigen (anti-HBe), and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) antibodies but no antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) or antibody to hepatitis delta virus (anti-HDV) antibodies.

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Hepatitis C virus antibodies are found in the serum of most patients with chronic hepatitis C. However, the significance of the humoral response is still uncertain. In this study, in vitro IgG and IgM anti-hepatitis C virus secretion by peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with chronic hepatitis C was analyzed.

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A solid phase assay for the colorimetric detection of competitively amplified HCV-cDNA has been established and used to investigate clinical samples from patients with chronic hepatitis. The assay is based on the reduction in the amplification of an hepatitis C virus-related competitor molecule by wild-type hepatitis C virus during polymerase chain reaction. The internal standard contains a lac operator sequence, allowing the amount of amplified competitor to be determined using a lac I-repressor/beta-galactosidase fusion protein.

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Sequence analysis of the HBV DNA from patients with anti-HBe+, chronic hepatitis B revealed that the lack of HBeAg is mostly due to a single G-->A transition at nucleotide position 1896, resulting in a translational stop codon. A point mutation-specific polymerase chain reaction (msPCR) for the detection of this genetic variant was established. Two serologically defined groups of patients with symptomatic chronic hepatitis B (HBeAg+ n = 14, anti-HBe+ n = 11) were included in this study.

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