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)

We administered ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) orally, at a daily dose of 600 mg, for 4 months to 36 patients with chronic viral hepatitis C. Another 36 patients with chronic viral hepatitis C, treated with placebo for 4 months, served as controls. None of the patients were alcoholics and none suffering from autoimmune hepatitis. Of the 36 patients in the UDCA-treated group, 13 had high levels of serum gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), i.e., exceeding 150 U/l (normal < 50 U/l). Histological examination of liver biopsy specimens obtained from 10 patients in this group before treatment suggested that damage of the interlobular bile ducts was prominent in patients with higher levels of serum GGT. After 1 month of UDCA treatment, significant decreases in the levels of serum GGT, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were observed (P < 0.05 for GGT and AST), and the decreases continued for the 4-month treatment period. The reduction of GGT levels was the most prominent change in the liver function indices; the percent change in the GGT level was -25.2 +/- 4.4 (mean percent change +/- SE) at 1 month and -38.0 +/- 5.0 at 4 months. A significant correlation was observed between the serum delta GGT level (GGT value before treatment minus value after 3 months of treatment) and the total score for morphological injury of the bile ducts (P < 0.05). These results suggested that UDCA has the potential to reverse hepatocellular damage in patients with chronic viral hepatitis C, in whom high GGT levels may be due, in part, to a damaged interlobular bile duct. UDCA may be useful for the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis C, especially in patients exhibiting a high level of GGT.
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PMID:Efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid therapy in chronic viral hepatitis C with high serum gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase levels. 880 32

We found that NADPH-dependent ubiquinone reductase (NADPH-UQ reductase) in rat liver cytosol reduces ubiquinone (UQ) to ubiquinol (UQH2) in lipid membranes and consequently inhibits lipid peroxidation [Takahashi T., et al., Biochem. J., 309, 883-890 (1995)]. Here we examined whether or not this UQH2-regenerating system functions as a cellular antioxidant defense in animals. Rats were given UQ-10 for 2 weeks, and were then exposed to carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). The UQ-10 supplement increased only in the NADPH-UQ reductase and the UQH2-10 pool of rat liver without any appreciable change in the levels of other antioxidant factors. On the other hand, CCl4 markedly increased plasma aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, liver weight and thiobarbituric acid reacting substances formation, which are indicators of CCl4-hepatitis, and it decreased the liver levels of L-ascorbic acid, reduced form of glutathione (GSH), alpha-tocopherol, NADPH-UQ reductase and glutathione S-transferase. However, all the above indicators of CCl4-induced hepatitis were significantly improved in rats given UQ-10. Furthermore, alpha-tocopherol, but neither L-ascorbic acid nor GSH, was significantly saved. UQ-10 supplement also was recovered glutathione S-transferase and NADPH-UQ reductase activities slightly. These results indicated that UQ-10 given to rats increased the cellular UQH2-10 pool and cytosolic NADPH-UQ reductase activity in their livers, resulting in the inhibition of lipid peroxidation in the biomembranes, and consequently protected the rats from the CCl4-hepatotoxicity.
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PMID:Cellular antioxidant defense by a ubiquinol-regenerating system coupled with cytosolic NADPH-dependent ubiquinone reductase: protective effect against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in the rat. 887 5

Malignant histiocytosis, as defined by Rappaport, is now known as a manifestation of malignant lymphoma, the majority of which is the T-cell type. However, unlike the typical presentation of most non-Hodgkin lymphomas, this condition presents with atypical features mimicking acute hepatitis or infectious mononucleosis. The latter diagnosis is often made because of the occurrence of atypical mononuclear cells on the peripheral blood films. This is clearly seen in the seven patients we report where the initial diagnoses were that of viral fever or hepatitis. Some characteristics were found in these patients to differentiate the condition from infectious mononucleosis (IMS) and acute hepatitis (AH): paucity of lymph nodes, cholestasis and prolonged prothrombin time (PT) which is atypical IMS; persistent fever, thrombocytopaenia and disproportionately high aspartate aminotransferase which is unusual in AH in the absence of any drug or alcohol history. The PT is the most important prognosis factor. Early diagnosis and treatment led to improved survival in an otherwise aggressive and rapidly fatal condition.
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PMID:Hepatic manifestation of malignant histiocytosis: a case study. 905 6

Interferon (IFN) therapy is of proven efficacy in chronic hepatitis C, but it is not universally effective and is often limited by side effects. Cyclosporine A (CsA) is a potent immunosuppressant widely used in organ transplantation. We conducted a pilot study to determine whether CsA therapy could affect aminotransferase activity and hepatitis C virus RNA levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Cyclosporine A was administered to 10 patients (mean age of 59 years; male:female = 9:1) who did not respond to IFN therapy previously and who had elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) values for at least 6 months. All patients were positive for HCV-RNA by RT-PCR with genotype 1b. Their mean duration of hepatitis was 15 years. Oral CsA was given for 3 months in a dose that was increased at 1 month intervals from 1.5-2.0 to 2.0-3.0 and 3.0-4.0 mg/kg per day. All patients completed the treatment schedule, although two patients developed mild non-symptomatic hypertension. Serum ALT levels gradually decreased in all but one patient. The mean percentage decrease was 59.5% at the end of therapy (from 153 +/- 82 to 62 +/- 48 IU/L; P < 0.02). The ALT levels fell to the normal range in five patients, although once therapy was discontinued the enzyme levels tended to return to pretreatment levels. Serum aspartate aminotransferase and g-glutamyl transpeptidase levels similarly decreased. The serum HCV-RNA titre, determined by competitive RT-PCR, did not change in any patient throughout the study period. There were no appreciable alterations in other laboratory tests, such as serum creatinine levels and lymphocyte subsets, except for an increase in serum alkaline phosphatase levels. These findings suggest that CsA, even in a relatively low dose, reduces serum aminotransferase levels without serious side effects in patients with chronic hepatitis C, although an antiviral effect was not noted.
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PMID:Cyclosporine therapy affects aminotransferase activity but not hepatitis C virus RNA levels in chronic hepatitis C. 907 26

Of 786 children and adolescents enrolled in a multicenter trial of acyclovir for chickenpox, 27 (3.4%) met the case definition of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) hepatitis (serum aspartate aminotransferase level > or = 100 U/l). The clinical and cutaneous manifestations of chickenpox in the 15 placebo recipients with this complication did not differ significantly from those in 45 matched controls (p > 0.05), indicating that liver involvement by VZV is not a consequence of more extensive disease. Although acyclovir modified the course of chickenpox overall, it did not prevent VZV hepatitis; that is, the proportions of affected subjects with liver involvement postenrollment did not differ significantly between the drug and placebo recipients (50% vs 80%, p > 0.05). Serum aspartate aminotransferase levels that were elevated on day 4 postenrollment had returned to normal (< or = 60 U/l) by day 28 in 88% of the placebo group and in 83% of the drug-treated group. With 2 exceptions, all values were normal by 88 days postenrollment. We conclude that chemically defined VZV hepatitis is an infrequent, self-limiting complication of chickenpox in otherwise healthy children and adolescents.
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PMID:Incidence and natural history of chemically defined varicella-zoster virus hepatitis in children and adolescents. 911 95

For the past few years, we have been investigating polysaccharides from Ganoderma lucidum as antifibrotic agents. In a previous study, we discovered that polysaccharides extracted from G. Iucidum lowered the collagen content in liver but had no effect on serum biochemical parameters in rats subjected to bile duct ligation and scission-induced fibrosis. In this study, we changed the extraction method and obtained polysaccharides extracted from G. Iucidum. The polysaccharide from G. Iucidum reduced the serum aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin and also reduced the collagen content in liver and improved the morphology. Pentoxifylline, which is reported to exhibit an antifibrotic effect in pigs with fibrosis induced by yellow phosphorus, did not have any antifibrotic effects in fibrosis induced by biliary obstruction. Glycyrrhizin, which is used in the treatment of hepatitis, reduced serum ALT and AST values but there was no significance. It had no effect on liver hydroxyproline content which implies that glycyrrhizin has no antifibrotic effect in the rats with fibrosis induced by bile duct ligation and scission. These data suggest that the polysaccharide from Ganoderma lucidum could be a promising antifibrotic agent. However, further study is needed to understand the inhibition mechanism of collagen deposition of polysaccharides from Ganoderma Iucidum and its clinical applicability remains to be established.
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PMID:Antifibrotic effects of a polysaccharide extracted from Ganoderma lucidum, glycyrrhizin, and pentoxifylline in rats with cirrhosis induced by biliary obstruction. 914 21

Hepatitis G virus (HGV) is a newly described virus that has been implicated in transfusion-associated hepatitis. The prevalence of HGV in a group of multitransfused patients with hematological malignancy was studied using a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction technique. Transfusion histories and serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were recorded. HGV was detected in 29 of 60 (48%) patients. There was no difference in HGV positivity rates between those with normal AST levels and those with raised AST levels. Analysis of patients by treatment type showed that 20 of 33 (61%) patients who received a bone marrow transplantation procedure were HGV positive compared with 9 of 27 (33%) treated with conventional combination chemotherapy (P = .036) despite similar transfusion histories. There was no significant difference in HGV positivity between patients treated before the introduction of United Kingdom blood donor screening for hepatitis C virus antibody:18 of 39 (46%) and those treated after the introduction of screening 11 of 21 (52%). HGV infection appears to be extremely common in these patients; however, the clinical significance of these findings with respect to liver dysfunction is not yet clear.
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PMID:High prevalence of hepatitis G virus in bone marrow transplant recipients and patients treated for acute leukemia. 916 Jun 93

We report 2 fatal cases of the acetaminophen-alcohol syndrome and review 51 reported cases in the medical literature. The MEDLINE database from January 1966 to December 1995 and bibliographies of selected articles were used to obtain the case reports. Inclusion criteria were a clear history of alcohol use, a history of acetaminophen use and/or an elevated serum acetaminophen level, peak aspartate aminotransferase (AST) greater than 800 U/L, and exclusion of other causes of hepatotoxicity by negative hepatitis serologies and/or a liver biopsy showing typical findings of acetaminophen toxicity. Demographic characteristics, clinical features, treatment, and outcome were extracted from reports meeting inclusion criteria and our own 2 cases. This syndrome affected relatively young, frequently healthy patients. Acetaminophen was invariably taken for nonsuicidal intent. The mortality rate was 32%. A typical laboratory picture was defined, characterized by an extraordinarily high AST level. Treatment with N-acetylcysteine was not effective due to delayed presentation and diagnosis. Patients who use alcohol and health care providers should be educated about this potentially fatal syndrome. Prevention is the key to reducing its occurrence.
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PMID:Enhanced hepatotoxicity of acetaminophen in the alcoholic patient. Two case reports and a review of the literature. 919 53

To study prevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in patients with viral hepatitis and its clinical characteristics, serum anti-CMV-IgM was detected in 6411 hospitalized hepatitis cases, and clinical symptoms, signs and liver function in 115 cases with CMV infection were compared with 192 cases of non-CMV infection. Results showed a CMV infection rate of 1.79% in them with an average age of 33.6 years, a sex ratio of 2.13, and dual superinfection with CMV and hepatitis accounting for 44.74%, and triple and quadruple superinfection for 47.37% and 7.89%, respectively. Proportion of those with fever, digestive symptoms, hepatomegaly, changes of gallbladder in ultra sound scan, rising activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT) were more, and duration of hospitalization longer in the cases with CMV infection. It suggests that CMV can be found in the cases with viral hepatitis, most in a form of dual or multiple infection, and it can aggravate hepatitis.
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PMID:[An analysis of CMV infection in 115 cases with viral hepatitis]. 920 27

Liver abnormalities in the course of Adult Onset Still's Disease (AOSD), both in form of hepatomegaly and elevation of hepatic enzymes, have been reported in up to three-quarts of the affected patients. These abnormalities may reflect disease activity or may be induced by drugs. Only in a few of this patients a liver biopsy was performed. However liver histology has shown, generally, non specific abnormalities or even normal pictures. We have recently observed a 47-year-old woman with a febrile illness started five months before, who after pertinent investigation was diagnosed as AOSD (according to criteria of Yamaguchi et al.). Apart from laboratory findings characteristic of an inflammatory disease, in absence of drug therapies the biochemical data showed raised levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and aminoglutamil transferase. Serological tests for either viral hepatitis viruses (HAV, HBV, HCV) or other viruses were negative. Ultrasonographic examination of gallbladder and bile ducts did not find gallstones or other abnormalities. A liver biopsy was performed, which histopathologic examination showed moderate fatty methamorphosis with focal areas of hepatocellular swelling with minimal necrosis, mild Kuppfer cell hyperplasia, portal and sinusoidal infiltrates of mononuclear cells. This picture consisted with the diagnosis of an acute unspecific reactive hepatitis.
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PMID:[Acute hepatitis in a patient with adult onset Still disease]. 937 53


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