Impact of occult HBV infection in HIV/HCV co-infected patients: HBV-DNA detection in liver specimens and in serum samples.

Prevalence and impact of occult HBV infection in HIV positive patients is controversial. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of occult HBV infection and its impact on histological and virological parameters. 52 HIV/HCV (but HBsAg-negative) co-infected patients, 29 HBsAg and anti-HCV negative chronic hepatitis, and 20 HBsAg positive chronic hepatitis controls were studied.

Hepatitis C virus infection in spouses: sexual transmission or common exposure to the same risk factors?

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) between spouses occurs through sexual contact or through other types of exposure.

Methods: We consecutively enrolled 311 chronic HCV carriers and their spouses. The spouses underwent HCV blood testing.

Usefulness of human papilloma virus testing in the screening of cervical cancer precursor lesions: a retrospective study in 314 cases.

Objective: To assess the usefulness of human papilloma virus (HPV) typing for predicting pre-malignant and malignant cervical lesions.

Study Design: 314 women, who underwent colposcopy, biopsies and high and low-risk HPV typing after a confirmed abnormal routine Pap test were studied. HPV-DNAs were typed by using PCR technique.

Molecular characterisation of HCV genotype 4 isolates circulating in Italy.

The characteristics of genotype 4 subtype variability of HCV isolates circulating in Italy were studied. The viral isolates were identified from 736 HCV-RNA positive sera originated from seroepidemiological studies undertaken in 4 different regions of North, South Italy and Sardinia. 24 out of 28 genotype 4 isolates (86%) were classified by phylogenetic analysis of E1 genome region (915-1128) as belonging to subtype 4d (Neighbour Joining Method).

TTV infection in patients with acute hepatitis of defined aetiology and in acute non-A-E hepatitis.

Background/aims: Recently, the presence of a novel nonenveloped single-stranded DNA virus (TTV) has been associated with either acute or chronic hepatitis of unknown aetiology, suggesting a possible aetiological role. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, the significance and the clinical impact of TTV infection in patients with acute viral hepatitis of defined aetiology and in patients with non-A-E acute hepatitis.

Methods: TTV-DNA was tested by hemi-nested PCR in serum samples collected from 121 patients during and after acute hepatitis (103 with acute viral hepatitis of defined aetiology and 18 with acute non-A-E hepatitis) and in 30 healthy controls.

Interferon alfa-2b alone or in combination with ketoprofen as treatment for interferon-naive chronic hepatitis C patients.

Background: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may amplify the anti-viral effect of alpha-interferon in vitro but in vivo data are still controversial.

Aim: : To test the hypothesis that ketoprofen may increase the rate of response to alpha-interferon of chronic hepatitis C patients.

Methods: Fifty patients with chronic hepatitis C who had never received alpha-interferon were randomly assigned to receive 3-8 MU of alpha2b-interferon, three times weekly for 6 months, alone or in association with ketoprofen at a dose of 200 mg/day five times weekly.

Cytokines and the progression of liver damage in experimental bile duct ligation.

1. Cytokines are soluble factors whose action has been documented in physiological and pathological conditions. Some may be involved in the pathogenesis of cholestasis, whether of acute or chronic origin.

High prevalence of HCV-RNA in the saliva cell fraction of patients with chronic hepatitis C but no evidence of HCV transmission among sexual partners.

The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of HCV-RNA in different fractions of saliva taken from patients with chronic hepatitis C, to establish whether virologic parameters or disease severity exert any influence on the detectability of HCV-RNA in saliva, and to evaluate the prevalence of HCV infection in partners of HCV-infected subjects with respect to the presence of HCV-RNA in saliva. Sera samples and different fractions of saliva (whole saliva, surnatant, and cell fraction) from 48 subjects (45 with chronic hepatitis C and three healthy anti-HCV+ carriers) were examined for HCV-RNA by RT nested PCR and DEIA hybridization. HCV-RNA-positive sera were also tested for genotype and viral titer (bDNA2 method).

Tumour necrosis factor alpha and cellular proliferation in primary biliary cirrhosis.

Aims: 1) To evaluate serum levels and tissue expression of Tumour necrosis factor alpha in primary biliary cirrhosis: 2) to correlate serum tumour necrosis factor alpha levels and cellular proliferation with the severity and prognosis of liver disease.

Methods: Twenty-nine primary biliary cirrhosis patients (6 stage I, 8 II, 8 III, and 7 IV) entered the study. Serum tumour necrosis factor alpha was measured by EIA (Innogenetics, Antwerp, Belgium).

[Recurrent aphthous stomatitis: which role for viruses, food, and dental materials?].

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is a frequently occurring disorder which may be a clinical feature of systemic disease. For many other patients, it is a tedious problem often having no known cause. The aim of this study was to verify if immune responses to common foods and/or viruses are involved in the etiopathogenesis of recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

HGV/GBV-C in liver tissue and in sera from patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Forty-eight persons (M = 45, F = 3; age range = 20-53, mean = 32.2) affected with chronic hepatitis C were tested for HGV/GBV-C RNA and HCV-RNA by nested PCR and DEIA in serum and in liver specimens to evaluate the prevalence and the impact of HGV/GBV-C coinfection in patients with chronic HCV-related hepatitis. Sera were also assayed for antibodies to HGV/GBV-C E2 protein.

HGV/GBV-C infection in patients with acute hepatitis of different etiology and in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

To investigate the prevalence of hepatitis G virus (HGV/GBV-C) in patients with liver disease and to confirm its hypothesized ability to cause liver damage, we studied 130 subjects; 61 had chronic hepatitis C virus infection and 69 had acute hepatitis of either defined etiology (n = 57) or of unknown origin (n = 12). Positivity for HGV/GBV-C RNA was detected in 10 of the 61 subjects with chronic hepatitis C (16.3%) and in 11 of the 57 subjects with acute hepatitis of defined etiology (19%), whereas we failed to detect HGV/ GBV-C viremia in subjects with hepatitis of nonestablished etiology.

A DNA hybridization method for typing hepatitis C virus genotype 2c.

A high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2c (22%) was detected in sera from 459 italian patients by core-region amplification and hybridization with specific probes by DNA enzyme immunoassay. Amplified fragments failed to hybridize with 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b and 3a subtype-specific and 4, 5, 6 type-specific oligonucleotides in 105 patients. Hybridization of these samples with type 2 probe, which recognized all the subtypes sequences, showed evidence for genotype 2 distinct from 2a and 2b.

Comparison of competitive and non-competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the quantification of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA.

A competitive reverse transcription (RT)-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for HCV RNA was compared with the Roche Amplicor HCV Monitor assay, based on non-competitive, single step RT-PCR. A total of 83 serum samples were tested in parallel by both assays. All samples could be quantified by competitive RT-PCR (cPCR), whereas seven were negative by the non-competitive assay (ncPCR).

Prognostic value of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Recent studies indicate that evaluation of cell proliferation in mallignant tumors may have prognostic value, but limited data are available on its expression in hepatocellular carcinoma. We therefore evaluated the prognostic tool of PCNA antigen expression on paraffin-embedded sections of 54 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and concomitant cirrhosis. According to the number of positive cells, the PCNA expression ranged between 0.

Altered lipid peroxidation/glutathione ratio in experimental extrahepatic cholestasis.

1. Lipid peroxidation can occur in the presence of a cellular antioxidant-oxidant imbalance, but the role of lipid peroxides in cholestasis is not well understood. 2.

[A case of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the cheek in adolescence. Its cytological diagnosis by fine-needle aspiration via the gingival fornix].

The authors present a case of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the cheek in a young patient. The histological diagnosis, on the tumoral mass, was preceded by cytological researches with fine needle aspiration biopsy, carried out on the gingival fornix. The cytology, by immunocytochemical techniques, made possible the diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma.

Localization of hepatitis C virus antigen(s) by immunohistochemistry on fixed-embedded liver tissue.

Using two sources of primary antibodies, we immunohistochemically stained hepatitis C virus-related antigen(s) on fixed-embedded liver specimens. These antigens were localized in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes. The results obtained serologically correlated well with immunohistochemistry.

Aspiration cytology and immunocytochemistry of sacral chordoma with liver metastases: a case report.

We present the cytologic features and immunocytochemical profile of a case of sacrococcygeal chordoma metastatic to the liver. Cytologic diagnosis was suspected from the aspiration biopsy smears of the primary sacrococcygeal tumor and confirmed by histology. Further aspirates failed to reveal diagnostic physaliferous cells, and only undifferentiated spindle cells were obtained.

Localization of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antigen by immunohistochemistry on fixed-embedded liver tissue.

An immunohistochemical method of staining HCV-related antigens in fixed-embedded liver biopsies is described. Two primary antisera were used: 1) a high titre anti-HCV human IgG separated from an anti-HCV positive serum; and 2) rabbit anti-HCV antibodies. In our experience this method proves to be reproducible and shows a good correlation with serologic results.