Hepatitis C virus RNA in serum and liver histology in asymptomatic anti-HCV positive subjects.

This study was designed to evaluate serum HCV-RNA, liver histology, and RIBA-II pattern in asymptomatic anti-HCV positive subjects with persistently normal or slightly (i.e. < or = 1.

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in the household contacts of patients with HCV-related chronic liver disease.

It is still controversial whether the familial environment plays a role in the diffusion of HCV infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of anti-HCV positivity in the household contacts of patients with HCV-related chronic hepatitis. Nearly all the household contacts of 113 subjects with anti-HCV+ chronic hepatitis (100/113 spouses and 260/290 children) were investigated.

The association between rifamycin-SV (R-SV) related hyperbilirubinaemia and antipyrine clearance as a new test of liver function in cirrhosis.

Several clearance tests have been used to assess the residual hepatic efficiency in liver cirrhosis. However, the altered clearance values found in cirrhotic patients may reflect not only the impairment in liver function but also a derangement in the hepatic blood-flow. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the possibility that the competition between Rifamycin-SV and bilirubin at the hepatic uptake site might be used as an index for quantitative assessment of residual hepatic efficiency in 48 patients with chronic liver disease.

Autonomic neuropathy in liver cirrhosis: relationship with alcoholic aetiology and severity of the disease.

Autonomic neuropathy has been frequently observed in alcohol-addicts both with and without liver disease but few data are available on non-alcoholic cirrhotics. We studied the prevalence of this disorder in 113 cirrhotics (41 alcoholics and 72 non-alcoholics) to correlate it both with residual liver efficiency and the aetiology of liver cirrhosis. We used 5 cardio-vascular tests commonly adopted to assess the parasympathetic [Valsalva manoeuvre (VR), deep breathing (DB), lying-to-standing (LS)] and sympathetic function [sustained handgrip (SH) and orthostatic hypotension (OH)].

Gastric endoscopic features in patients with liver cirrhosis: correlation with esophageal varices, intra-variceal pressure, and liver dysfunction.

This study was aimed at evaluating the gastric endoscopic features in patients with liver cirrhosis and at assessing whether endoscopic findings correlated with the severity of portal hypertension and of the underlying liver disease. We studied 394 cirrhotic patients and 110 controls. Prevalence of a mosaic-like pattern of the gastric mucosa was significantly higher in cirrhotics than controls (80.

Recombinant human interferon alpha-2a therapy for chronic hepatitis C with or without cirrhosis: comparison of 3 or 6 MU for 1 year.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of two different therapeutical regimens of IFN alpha-2a in patients with HCV related chronic liver disease. Eighty one patients with HCV chronic hepatitis with or without cirrhosis entered the study; 42 and 39 patients were treated with 3 or 6 MU IFN, respectively. The results show that: 1) 25/39 (64.

Decision-making model for a non-invasive diagnosis of compensated liver cirrhosis.

Liver biopsy is used as a gold standard in the diagnosis of chronic liver disease. However, this procedure is not without risk to the patients. This study was aimed to evaluate whether clinical, ultrasonographic, and biochemical variables may discriminate between well-compensated liver cirrhosis and non-cirrhotic chronic liver disease.

Alteration of erythrocyte glutathione, cysteine and glutathione synthetase in alcoholic and non-alcoholic cirrhosis.

Glutathione (GSH) and cysteine were determined in the plasma and the erythrocytes of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cirrhotics as fluorescent monobromobimane derivatives by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Cirrhotic patients displayed a significant decrease of plasma GSH, as well as of plasma cysteine, that was related to the degree of liver disease but not to the nutritional conditions. On the contrary, erythrocyte cysteine was found to increase significantly in all cirrhotics, particularly in alcoholics, regardless of the severity of disease.

Diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma by fine needle biopsy of portal vein thrombosis.

The authors describe a case of HBsAg positive liver cirrhosis and elevated alpha-fetoprotein value (AFP) where imaging techniques failed to detect focal liver changes. Diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma was reached by ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of portal vein thrombosis.

L-alanine plasma levels after oral loads in non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis: relationship with urea extraformation and ammoniogenesis.

In the post-absorptive stage L-alanine is the main source of alpha-amino-nitrogen reaching the liver as glucose precursor. This aminoacid has been used as a measure of urea synthesis capacity in several pathologic conditions, but it has not been employed sistematically in patients with liver cirrhosis. We tried to address this issue by evaluating: a) L-alanine plasma levels, b) urea extraformation (UE), and c) ammoniogenesis after oral L-alanine (0.

Hepatitis C virus infection is an additive risk factor for development of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether hepatitis C virus plays any role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients. The role of age, sex, alcohol abuse, and infection by other hepatitic viruses, such as hepatitis B and Delta viruses, was also assessed. We found that mean age and male/female ratio were significantly higher in patients with HCC plus liver cirrhosis than in those with liver cirrhosis alone.

Responsiveness to phenobarbital in an adult with Crigler-Najjar disease associated with neurological involvement and skin hyperextensibility.

We present the case of a 23-yr-old man who had had since birth marked and sustained unconjugated non-hemolytic hyperbilirubinemia and who had had several attacks of grand mal seizures. Analysis of serum bilirubin by diazoreactive methods showed serum levels of unconjugated bilirubin as high as 445 mumol/L that were not affected by phenobarbital administration. However, analysis of serum bile pigments by high-pressure liquid chromatography demonstrated marked decrease of unconjugated bilirubin after phenobarbital treatment (from 432.

Role of sulphydryl compounds in the defense of rat gastric epithelial cells against oxygen reactive metabolite-induced damage.

This study evaluated the role of endogenous and exogenous sulphydryl compounds in the defense of rat gastric epithelial cells against damage brought about by oxygen reactive metabolites in vitro. Toxic oxygen species were generated by xanthine oxidase in the presence of xanthine. Cell damage was assessed by 51 chromium release assay.

[Early neuropsychological changes in patients with nonalcoholic liver cirrhosis].

The presence of latent encephalopathy was assessed by means of various psychodiagnostic tests in 24 non-alcoholic cirrhotics. Twenty-four subjects hospitalized for chronic extrahepatic conditions served as the control group. The following tests were utilized: 1) semistructured individual clinical interviews; 2) Rorschach test; 3) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory; 4) Reitan's test; 5) spatial capability test (hand test); 6) reaction times to sound and light stimulation.

Familial clustering of hepatitis C virus infection and chronic liver disease.

The present study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of HCV antibodies (anti-HCV) and of chronic liver disease in relatives of anti-HCV positive subjects suffering from chronic active liver disease. We studied 122 subjects from 24 families. Each family had at least one positive anti-HCV component with histologically proven chronic liver disease.

Age-associated decline of hepatic handling of cholephilic anions in humans is reverted by S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe).

Decreased fluidity of hepatocyte plasma membrane may contribute to the age-associated changes of liver function. This study aimed at investigating whether the hepatic clearance of organic anions declines with age and whether S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), a substance proven to be effective in reversing the age-related decrease of membrane fluidity, might influence this process. Nicotinic acid (NA) half-life and serum bilirubin pharmacokinetics after NA load (5.

Medial arterial calcification and diabetic neuropathy.

The aim of this study was to detect linear arterial calcification (Mönckeberg's sclerosis) localized in feet, ankles, legs, knees and hands in an attempt to correlate the extent of calcification with the presence and severity of autonomic neuropathy as well as with microangiopathy (proliferative retinopathy, proteinuria greater than 200 mg/die) and peripheral neuropathy. Typical linear calcification were observed in 37 out of 41 (90.2%) patients with autonomic neuropathy and in none of those without autonomic neuropathy (p less than 0.

Malnutrition in cirrhotic patients: anthropometric measurements as a method of assessing nutritional status.

This study was undertaken to evaluate by anthropmetric measurements the nutritional status of cirrhotic patients at different stages of the disease and to establish intra- and inter-observer variability in the determination of these parameters. In 60 healthy controls and 108 cirrhotics (63 'well compensated' and 45 'decompensated' groups A and B + C on the Child-Pugh classification respectively) two independent experienced observers measured biceps, triceps, subscapular and overiliac skinfold thicknesses and arm circumference three times. Each observer was unaware of the results obtained by the other.

Dissociation between vascular and metabolic effects of nicotinic acid in Gilbert's syndrome.

The relationship between the vasodilating and the hyperbilirubinaemic effect of low and high doses (50 and 300 mg i.v.) of nicotinic acid was studied in baseline conditions and after indomethacin pretreatment in healthy controls and patients with Gilbert's syndrome (a condition characterized by fluctuating, nonhaemolytic unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia).

Decrease of total, glutathione and cysteine SH in non-alcoholic cirrhosis.

The content of plasma thiols was determined in 42 patients with non-alcoholic cirrhosis. Total thiols were evaluated by Ellman's method, glutathione and cysteine by HPLC in fluorescence. Cirrhotic patients showed a significant decrease in plasma thiol content with respect to a control group of 32 healthy subjects, as total sulphydryls as well as glutathione and cysteine.

Effect of metoclopramide on transmural oesophageal variceal pressure and portal blood flow in cirrhotic patients.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of metoclopramide on transmural oesophageal variceal pressure and portal blood flow in cirrhotic patients. Sixteen cirrhotics were randomly assigned to metoclopramide (10 mg i.v.

Effect of nicotinic acid administration on serum levels of bilirubin and iron in patients with porphyria cutanea tarda.

Nicotinic acid (NA) administration in Gilbert's syndrome (GS) patients promotes an increment of bilirubin and of total iron serum levels, dependent on a defective hepatic bilitranslocase function and on a haemolytic effect of NA. In porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT): (1) the effect of nicotinic acid on bilirubinaemia is superimposable to that in controls; (2) a well documented disturbance of iron metabolism occurs; (3) but relationship between bilirubin and iron under NA load has never been investigated. The administration of 5.

Effect of different doses of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) on nicotinic acid-induced hyperbilirubinaemia in Gilbert's syndrome.

S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) has been shown to increase hepatocyte membrane fluidity thereby relieving signs of oestrogen-induced cholestasis. S-adenosyl-L-methionine might therefore prove effective in improving the efficiency of the transport of organic anions such as nicotinic acid (NA) and bilirubin which is impaired in Gilbert's syndrome (GS). In this study the effects on the metabolization rate of NA and bilirubin of two dosages of SAMe were evaluated in respect to placebo in ten male inpatients (mean age 24 years, range 16-31) with GS.