Hepatic haemangiomas: possible association with female sex hormones.

Background And Aims: The association of hepatic haemangiomas with female sex hormones is not entirely clear. We prospectively evaluated the impact of female sex hormones on the natural history of liver haemangiomas.

Methods: We followed 94 women with 181 haemangiomas diagnosed by ultrasound for a period of1-17 years (mean 7.

High initial dose combination regimen with interferon-alpha and ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C.

Background/aims: Combination of interferon-alpha and ribavirin becomes the antiviral therapy of choice for chronic hepatitis C. The aim of this trial was to assess the efficacy of two combination treatment strategies: standard regimen Interferon-alpha 3 MU three times per week (group A) and initial high dose Interferon 6 MU daily for 2 weeks followed by intermittent administration 3 MU three times per week (group B), plus Ribavirin in naive and relapsed patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Methodology: Twenty-four patients (group A, 6; group B, 18) received medication for median 6 months (range, 5-12) and followed for 6 months.

[Clinico-laboratory characteristics of the cholestatic form of acute alcoholic hepatitis].

Altogether 108 patients with acute alcoholic hepatitis (AAH) were examined. Of these, 14 patients (13%) presented with the cholestatic pattern of AAH, 45 with extrahepatic cholestasis, and 45 were healthy. As compared with the total patients' group with AAH, the patients with the cholestatic form consumed alcohol in greater amounts.

[Changes in the levels of serum lipids and lipoprotein fractions of patients with acute alcoholic hepatitis].

Some serum lipid and lipoprotein fractions were investigated in 58 patients with acute alcoholic hepatitis and in 20 clinically healthy subjects. A significantly higher level of cholesterol, total lipids, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, free cholesterol and a lower level of esterified cholesterol were detected in the patients with alcoholic hepatitis. The level of beta-lipoproteins was raised, a beta-lipoproteins/alpha-lipoproteins ratio rising significantly.