Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0019158 (hepatitis)
 30,205 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This study reports on four empirical models likely to contribute to understanding the behaviors linked with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among intravenous drug users. The sample comprises 1,637 intravenous drug users recruited between May 1989 and June 1990 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Adjusting for sociodemographics, four logistic regression models were constructed to assess the association of risk behaviors with HIV seropositivity. In model 1, the variables found to be significantly associated with HIV seropositivity were injecting four times a day, injection as the only route of consuming drugs, and years of injection. In model 2, the only risk behavior significantly associated with HIV seropositivity was injecting drugs in shooting galleries. In model 3, all sex risk variables failed to meet the adjusted level of significance. In model 4, pneumonia, hepatitis, and syphilis were significantly linked with HIV infection. In order to assess the individual effects of the significant variables in each one of the four models, a logistic regression analysis was performed simultaneously controlling for all of the variables. After adjustment for the Bonferroni correction, age group 25-34 years, injection as the only route of using drugs, number of years of injection, and syphilis were the only significant variables remaining.
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PMID:Behavioral risk factors and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence among intravenous drug users in Puerto Rico. 157 Aug 19

WHO statistics indicated that as of October 1, 1991 there were 418,403 acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients in the world, and an estimated 5-10 million persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were at risk of developing AIDS. 50% of AIDS victims have died. It has been reported that after 1 year of clinical use HIV could develop resistance to AZT (azidothymidine), the only effective drug used worlwide and recommended for clinical use by the US government. AIDS has also been treated by acupuncture and moxibustion which recent experiments have associated with improving immune function and enhancing resistance to disease. The American scientists Smith and Naomi Rabinowitz used acupuncture and moxibustion in the clinical treatment of AIDS from 1982 to 1988 when they treated 350 patients with AIDS and AIDS related complex. 1 advanced case with Kaposi's sarcoma and signs of hemorrhage was significantly improved after treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used successfully in treating cholera, syphilis, epidemic encephalitis, influenza, and hepatitis with a great variety of clinical treatment measures and experiences. In recent years the treatment of AIDS by TCM using herbs and their extracts has been increasing. Dr. Yu of Santa Barbara, California, Hospital, in cooperation with Dr. Chen of China, successfully treated on AIDS patient with Chinese herbal medicine. The patient was still living and well more than 2 years later when another 24 cases which were not treated with TCM died during the same period. In China there are no special laboratories dealing with the prevention and treatment of AIDS, although scientific HIV research could benefit from such activities. On the other hand, foreign scientists and Chinese abroad have accomplished a significant amount of relevant research.
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PMID:Recent development of studies on traditional Chinese medicine in prophylaxis and treatment of AIDS. 159 94

Many agents are associated with bone marrow failure, including toxins, inherited metabolic defects, ionizing radiation, and viral infection. In most cases, the etiologic agent is unknown. Many of these unclassified cases have symptomatic, immunologic, or epidemiologic similarities to viral infections. Viruses from different taxonomic families have been implicated in bone marrow failure syndromes, and they appear to cause hematosuppression by a variety of mechanisms. Some of the viruses involved in relatively well characterized suppressive interactions will be reviewed, including parovovirus B19, dengue, hepatitis viruses, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus and the human immunodeficiency virus.
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PMID:Viruses and bone marrow failure. 165 29

To evaluate the Ethiopian national blood requirement and supply and to determine the impact of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAG) screening on the blood supply, 407 random blood donor sera were tested for HBsAG, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and ALT activity. HBsAG and anti-HIV antibody were determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique using Hepanostica and Welcozyme kits, respectively. The Western Blot test was performed to confirm anti-HIV positive sera by the ELISA technique. ALT was determined by an automated photometer using ALAT kits and serologic testing for syphilis was done by the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test. The amount of blood required in Ethiopia and the actual supply was calculated on the basis of the number and type of hospital beds in Addis Abada and the number of blood transfusions in units/hospital bed. The results demonstrated that the combined donor and unit rejection rate was 34.6%. The annual blood requirement was 7 units for emergency and 4 for nonemergency beds. The national blood requirement in 1989 was 64,350-80,000 units, but the supply met only 1/3 of the requirement. The mean and 2SD cutoff ALT levels were 28 and 69 IU/L, respectively. ALT was elevated in 9.1% of HBsAG positive but apparently health donors, while HBsAG screening eliminated 25% of those with elevated ALT activity. These data suggest that there is a serious blood shortage in Ethiopia and that the currently supplied blood is relatively unsafe in terms of hepatitis. Thus, HBsAG screening should be done along with the implementation of a blood policy that ensures the procurement of sufficient blood for hemotheraphy in Ethiopia.
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PMID:National blood requirement, serum ALT and hepatitis in Ethiopian blood donors. 165 34

To assess the risk of transmission of hepatitis C virus from mother to infant during pregnancy or at delivery, we measured the antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) in serum from 43 infants whose mothers took illicit drugs intravenously. Passively transmitted maternal anti-HCV was detected in 17 (40%) of the 43 infants tested with the ELISA during the first 4 postnatal months. Ten of these initially seropositive infants were followed to 15 months of age or beyond; anti-HCV cleared from nine infants and persisted in one. Among 24 initially seronegative infants, three (12.5%) showed persistent anti-HCV at 6, 11, and 18 months of age, respectively. The remaining two infants were initially tested with ELISA at 6 and 15 months of age; both were transiently seropositive, but anti-HCV disappeared by 12 and 24 months of age, respectively. Among the 17 infants with maternal antibody, nine with ELISA reactions greater than 2.5 optical density units were reactive by RIBA: the eight with weaker reactivity by ELISA were nonreactive by RIBA. When serum samples from the four infants who showed persistent reactivity by ELISA were tested with RIBA, one reacted to both antigens displayed by RIBA (C-100 and 5-1-1), one reacted to the 5-1-1 antigen only, and two were nonreactive. Serum transaminase values were elevated in three of these four infants; all four were also infected with human immunodeficiency virus. The results indicate that vertically transmitted hepatitis C virus may be a cause of hepatitis in infants, especially those coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus. Neonates at risk of hepatitis C virus infection should be monitored beyond 12 months of age. The interpretation of tests for anti-HCV antibody during infancy requires further investigation.
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PMID:Hepatitis C virus infection in infants whose mothers took street drugs intravenously. 196 Jun 8

Epstein-Barr virus infection (EBV) was discovered 25 years ago in tumour cells from Burkitt's lymphoma. Extensive virological studies have relieved that EBV causes infectious mononucleosis and contributes to the pathogenesis of Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal cancer. Atypical courses of the primary infection may induce meningoencephalitis or hepatitis and are attracting increasing attention. Antiviral treatment with acyclovir has been administered for 7 days, intravenously or orally, in the early stages of infectious mononucleosis, in 2 placebo controlled trials. An inhibition of oropharyngeal EBV replication was verified but minimal effects on clinical symptoms was observed. A combination of intravenous acyclovir and prednisolone treatment for 10 days was therefore tried in 15 patients with fulminant mononucleosis in a pilot study. A transient cessation of virus shedding was noticed in all patients, and a substantial clinical effect on pharyngeal symptoms and on fever was seen in 12/15 patients within 3 days. Treatment with chemotherapy or irradiation is recommended in EBV-associated B-cell lymphomas seen in immunosuppressed, transplanted, or human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive patients. No effect of acyclovir has been reported, but such therapy may be considered in the early stage when EBV induces a polyclonal B cell activation. Acyclovir treatment is effective in the EBV-genome positive hairy leukoplakia noticed in human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive patients. However, no effect of any antiviral therapy has been reported in the X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome affecting in particular 2-7 year old boys. Prophylactic use of immunoglobulin or acyclovir has been suggested in susceptible children. These results indicate that the variety of clinical manifestations induced by EBV at least partly depend on the immune response elicited in the host and not of virus replication per se. Therefore, treatment of these various disorders cannot be generalized but must be based on the use of antiviral drugs combined with immunomodulatory agents.
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PMID:Clinical aspects on Epstein-Barr virus infection. 166 50

The expression "immunocompromised host" refers to an individual who has one or more defects in the body's natural defense, which leads to severe, often life-threatening, infections. Alcoholism, diabetes mellitus, advanced age, the use of antacids, and viral infections have immune-modulating effects. The human immunodeficiency virus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and Non A, Non B hepatitis virus also contribute to immunosuppression. The lung has a special vulnerability to infection, and pneumonia accounts for more than 40% of deaths in the immunosuppressed population. Diagnostic methods include detection of microbial antigens by monoclonal antibodies, DNA sequences by the polymerase chain-reactions or DNA probes, and unique metabolites of pathogens by gas chromatography. Transtracheal aspiration was used to obtain uncontaminated respiratory secretions, but fiberoptic bronchoscopy with shielded brush and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is a better means of diagnosis because of a 90% sensitivity in diagnosing pneumocystis infection. Percutaneous aspiration and open lung biopsy are reserved for more complicated cases. Empiric treatment is justified in far advanced AIDS or relapsed myelogenous leukemia with limited life expectancy, or when there is uncontrollable bleeding diathesis or impaired pulmonary function as invasion diagnostic procedures will not be tolerated. The most important antiinfective measure is careful hand washing, while prophylactic antibiotics, selective decontamination, and antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic agents can be used. Active and passive immunization against specific pathogens, immunological reconstitution with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and reducing the dosage of immunosuppression are the other strategies for prevention. In the last several decades there has been substantial progress in the management of chronic diseases which used to be fatal.
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PMID:Pulmonary infections in the immunocompromised host. 166 54

Between 1972 and 1976, 585 persons attending methadone maintenance clinics at East Coast veterans hospitals were enrolled in a survey of hepatitis antibody prevalence. Sera were tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV) using both HTLV-I and HTLV-II immunoblots. Clinical and death records were also reviewed. None of the sera had HIV antibodies (upper 95% confidence limit, 0.5%); however, 103 (18%) had reactivity to HTLV. The profile of reactivity suggested that these subjects had been exposed to HTLV-II rather than to HTLV-I. Prevalence was as high in the early 1970s as today and correlated with duration of drug use rather than age. Neither cancers, specific neurologic diseases, nor excess deaths from any cause (overall 14%) could be ascribed to seropositivity. Therefore, HTLV (probably HTLV-II) has been a common infection of drug users for many years but adverse outcomes following infection were not demonstrated.
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PMID:Antibody to human retroviruses among drug users in three east coast American cities, 1972-1976. 167 Jun 8

The influence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on the clinical course of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is controversial. We followed a cohort of 64 homosexual men with persistent HBs antigenemia for a median of 24 months in the hepatitis clinic of a large urban public hospital. We divided the patients into three groups according to their immune status. Group 1 (n = 13) consisted of HIV-seropositive men with evidence of immunosuppression; group 2 (n = 17), HIV-positive patients without evidence of immunosuppression; and group 3 (n = 34), HIV-negative patients. We followed serum ALT and HBV DNA determinations. There was no difference in the demographic characteristics of the three groups. Group 1 had significantly lower levels of circulating T4 lymphocytes. We found no differences in the number and severity of episodes of HBV reactivation, serum ALT levels, or HBV DNA scores among the three groups. In each group, the percentage of patients with circulating HBV DNA was the same. We conclude that HIV infection apparently does not influence the markers of liver inflammation or HBV replication in homosexual men.
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PMID:Human immunodeficiency virus infection does not alter serum transaminases and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in homosexual patients with chronic HBV infection. 167 96

To determine whether the abnormalities of cell-mediated immunity described in chronic D hepatitis are associated with hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection or concomitant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, serologic and tissue hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HDV markers and T lymphocyte subsets were studied in serum samples from 38 patients with chronic D hepatitis, 26 of whom had HIV infection. Patients with chronic D hepatitis and HIV infection had significantly lower peripheral blood T4:T8 ratios resulting from a significant increase in T8+ (suppressor/cytotoxic) cells, while numbers of T lymphocyte subsets were normal in cases with chronic D hepatitis only. HIV+ patients showed an increase in HBV replication (identified by hepatitis B core antigen in liver and hepatitis B e antigen and HBV DNA in serum) and in HDV replication (tissue D antigen and HDV RNA) without evidence of more active liver disease. Probably the immunologic disturbances detected in chronic D hepatitis are secondary to HIV infection, do not contribute to the pathogenesis of liver injury, and are associated with increased viral B and D replication.
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PMID:Influence of human immunodeficiency virus infection on cell-mediated immunity in chronic D hepatitis. 167 49


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