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)

Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection frequently report fatigue, lassitude, depression, and a perceived inability to function effectively. Several studies have shown that patients exhibit low quality-of-life scores that are independent of disease severity. We therefore considered whether HCV infection has a direct effect on the central nervous system, resulting in cognitive and cerebral metabolite abnormalities. Twenty-seven viremic patients with biopsy-proven mild hepatitis due to HCV and 16 patients with cleared HCV were tested with a computer-based cognitive assessment battery and also completed depression, fatigue, and quality-of-life questionnaires. The HCV-infected patients were impaired on more cognitive tasks than the HCV-cleared group (mean [SD]: HCV-infected, 2.15 [1.56]; HCV-cleared, 1.06 [1.24]; P =.02). A factor analysis showed impairments in power of concentration and speed of working memory, independent of a history of intravenous drug usage (IVDU), depression, fatigue, or symptom severity. A subgroup of 17 HCV-infected patients also underwent cerebral proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS). The choline/creatine ratio was elevated in the basal ganglia and white matter in this group. Patients who were impaired on 2 or more tasks in the battery had a higher mean choline/creatine ratio compared with the unimpaired patients. In conclusion, these preliminary results demonstrate cognitive impairment that is unaccounted for by depression, fatigue, or a history of IVDU in patients with histologically mild HCV infection. The findings on MRS suggest that a biological cause underlies this abnormality.
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PMID:Hepatitis C and cognitive impairment in a cohort of patients with mild liver disease. 1182 20

The VP1-encoding gene of the duck hepatitis type 1 virus (DHV-1) HP-1 strain was cloned and expressed in Escherichiacoli. The open reading frame (ORF) of VP1 comprised 714 bp and encoded 238 amino acids, with a predicated molecular mass of 26.5 kDa. The expressed VP1 fusion protein in E. coli was detected by Western blotting with duck anti-DHV-1 polyclonal serum. A VP1-ELISA using the expressed VP1 protein as a coating antigen for the detection of antibodies to DHV-1 in ducks was developed. In comparison with the virus neutralization test, the specificity and sensitivity of the VP1-ELISA was 92.5% and 96.7%. Comparative analysis between Western blots and the VP1-ELISA showed that the concordance between the two methods was 86%. The VP1-ELISA did not react with the anti-sera to other duck viral pathogens, implying that this protein is specific for the recognition of duck anti-DHV-1 antibodies. Taken together, the VP1-ELISA is a highly sensitive and specific test that could be used for screening for DHV-1 infection and monitoring antibody titres against DHV-1.
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PMID:Development and evaluation of a VP1-ELISA for detection of antibodies to duck hepatitis type 1 virus. 2060 74

We compared in vivo hepatic (31) P magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((31) P MRS) and hepatic vein transit times (HVTT) using contrast-enhanced ultrasound with a microbubble agent to assess the severity of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver disease. Forty-six patients with biopsy-proven HCV-related liver disease and nine healthy volunteers had (31) P MRS and HVTT performed on the same day. (31) P MR spectra were obtained at 1.5 T. Peak areas were calculated for metabolites, including phosphomonoesters (PME) and phosphodiesters (PDE). Patients also had the microbubble ultrasound contrast agent, Levovist (2 g), injected into an antecubital vein, and time-intensity Doppler ultrasound signals of the right and middle hepatic veins were measured. The HVTT was calculated as the time from injection to a sustained rise in Doppler signal 10% greater than baseline. The shortest times were used for analysis. Based on Ishak histological scoring, there were 15 patients with mild hepatitis, 20 with moderate/severe hepatitis and 11 with cirrhosis. With increasing severity of disease, the PME/PDE ratio was steadily elevated, while the HVTT showed a monotonic decrease. Both imaging modalities could separate patients with cirrhosis from the mild and moderate/severe hepatitis groups. No statistical difference was observed in the accuracy of each test to denote mild, moderate/severe hepatitis and cirrhosis (Fisher's exact test P =1.00). (31) P MRS and HVTT show much promise as noninvasive imaging tests for assessing the severity of chronic liver disease. Both are equally effective and highly sensitive in detecting cirrhosis.
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PMID:A comparison of 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy and microbubble-enhanced ultrasound for characterizing hepatitis c-related liver disease. 2191 73

Aim. We evaluated both direct and indirect hepatic fibrosis markers in obese children and their relationship with intrahepatic fat (IHF) content. We also aimed to investigate the possible roles of IHF and fibrosis markers in metabolic syndrome (MS). Methods. 189 obese children were divided into simple obese (SOB), simple steatosis (SS), and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) groups according to their IHF and blood alanine transaminase (ALT) levels. They were also scored for the MS components. IHF was assessed as a continuous variable by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). In addition, 30 nonobese children were enrolled as controls and their direct hepatic fibrosis markers and IHF were assessed. Results. Age was related to IHF, NFS, and FIB-4. Both NFS and APRI were related to IHF more significantly than the direct markers. In the estimation of liver function impairment, indirect markers had greater AUROC than direct markers. In MS, IHF and all the fibrosis markers showed similar AUROC. Conclusions. Both direct and indirect markers played a valuable role in evaluating MS. Indirect markers were more effective in distinguishing fatty hepatitis. Age is an important factor underlying hepatic steatosis and fibrosis even in children.
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PMID:Intrahepatic Fat Content and Markers of Hepatic Fibrosis in Obese Children. 2696 36

Noninvasive in vivo imaging of hepatic glutathione (GSH) levels is essential to early diagnosis and prognosis of acute hepatitis. Although GSH-responsive fluorescence imaging probes have been reported for evaluation of hepatitis conditions, the low penetration depth of light in liver tissue has impeded reliable GSH visualization in the human liver. We present a liver-targeted and GSH-responsive trimodal probe (GdNPs-Gal) for rapid evaluation of lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced acute liver inflammation via noninvasive, real-time in vivo imaging of hepatic GSH depletion. GdNPs-Gal are formed by molecular coassembly of a GSH-responsive Gd(III)-based MRI probe (1-Gd) and a liver-targeted probe (1-Gal) at a mole ratio of 5/1 (1-Gd/1-Gal), which shows high r 1 relaxivity with low fluorescence and fluorine magnetic resonance spectroscopic (19F-MRS) signals. Upon interaction with GSH, 1-Gd and 1-Gal are cleaved and GdNPs-Gal rapidly disassemble into small molecules 2-Gd, 2-Gal, and 3, producing a substantial decline in r 1 relaxivity with compensatory enhancements in fluorescence and 19F-MRS. By combining in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (1H-MRI) with ex vivo fluorescence imaging and 19F-MRS analysis, GdNPs-Gal efficiently detect hepatic GSH using three independent modalities. We noninvasively visualized LPS-induced liver inflammation and longitudinally monitored its remediation in mice after treatment with an anti-inflammatory drug, dexamethasone (DEX). Findings highlight the potential of GdNPs-Gal for in vivo imaging of liver inflammation by integrating molecular coassembly with GSH-driven disassembly, which can be applied to other responsive molecular probes for improved in vivo imaging.
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PMID:Responsive Trimodal Probes for In Vivo Imaging of Liver Inflammation by Coassembly and GSH-Driven Disassembly. 3302 87