Changes in hepatitis C-related liver disease in a large clinic population.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a significant problem in the Australian community. Over the past few years, the number of patients with diagnosed hepatitis C has increased greatly. The aims of the present study were to define the clinical features of a large group of patients with chronic HCV infection and to examine changes occurring in the referral base and epidemiological characteristics of this group since analysis of the first 342 patients in 1994.

Lysosomal enzyme activities of human fetal organs during development.

The developmental patterns of four lysosomal enzymes have been investigated in liver, kidney, lung, heart, spleen, muscle and brain tissues of human fetuses at varius gestational ages. The largest increment in the activity of all four enzymes, namely acid alpha-glucosidase, alpha-galactosidase, beta-galactosidase and acid phosphatase had been observed in kidney with a 6- to 12-fold increase between the second and third trimester of gestation. The activity of all liver and spleen enzymes also increased considerably during these periods.