Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0019204 (hepatocellular carcinoma)
 71,386 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

During the last eighteen years (1970-1987) at the Infectious Diseases Clinic of the University of Pavia, Ospedale Policlinico S. Matteo, IRCCS, Pavia (referral Center for hepatitis in our district: 502534 inhabitants) we observed 4238 patients (2706 M = 63.8%; 1532 F = 36.2%) admitted with presumptive diagnosis of hepatitis. The male to female sex ratio was 1.78 and average age was 38 (1-90) years. Acute viral hepatitis was diagnosed in 3238 patients (76.4%), 1960 of which were males (60.5%) and 1278 (39.5%) females, with an average age of 35 (1-88) years. The possible route of transmission was: drug addition in 487 patients (15%), blood transfusion in 464 (14.3%), other (sexual, professional, familiar) in 332 (10.3%), unknown in 1955 (60.4%). Chronic hepatitis (CH) was diagnosed according to the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and to the International Association for the Study of the Liver (IASL) in 848 patients (20%), 704 M(83%) and 144 F (17%) with an average age of 48 (2-90) years. 463 patients (54.5%) were biopsied during admission, 385 (45.5%) received definitive diagnosis by clinical and previous histologic records. CAH was found in 268 (57.9%), CPH in 161 (34.8%) and CLH in 20 (4.3%) patients. Other liver diseases (steatosis, cirrhosis, HCC) were identified in 152 subjects (3%). The prevalence of A, B, NANB and Delta hepatitis virus and HI virus in the acute disease was respectively of 5.4%, 54.8%, 33.9%, 0.28% and 0.77%. In CH the HBV aetiology accounted for 49.1%, NANB virus for 44.5%, co/super infection with HDV for 15%. Among factors involved in pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis we focused attention on drug addition which was found in 129 (28.7%) patients, blood transfusion in 70 (15.6%), HIV infection in 35 of 166 (21.1%). The data still demonstrate the high prevalence of HBV aetiology of CH and existence of co-factors in the pathogenesis of chronicity. The lack of markers for NANB infection persists as the main problem in the diagnosis of liver disease. This work was supported by grant 40% from M.P.I.: "Epatiti virali acute e croniche"....
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PMID:The spectrum of chronic hepatitis in the last two decades in a university hospital for infectious diseases. 249 35

Acute viral hepatitis is the most common cause of jaundice in pregnant women. In Western Europe and North America acute hepatitis is equally frequent and severe during and outside pregnancy, whereas its frequency and severity are higher during pregnancy in developing countries. The foetal prognosis is dependent upon the severity of the disease in the mother; there is no increase in the incidence of congenital malformations or mongolism. The mode of transmission of hepatitis B virus from mother to foetus is well known. The risk is particularly high in HBe Ag-positive women. In the majority of cases the disease is transmitted during labour or by maternal nursing after birth. Transmission through milk is of minor importance and transmission before birth is rare. It is now possible to prevent maternal foetal transmission by giving infants of HBs Ag-positive mothers an injection of anti-HBs gammaglobulins at birth and by vaccinating them against hepatitis B virus in the same way as adults. Neonates respond well to vaccination. These prophylactic measures offer hopes of eradicating chronic hepatitis, virus-induced cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma.
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PMID:[Viral hepatitis in pregnancy and materno-fetal transmission of the B virus]. 315 31

Acute viral hepatitis is the most usual cause of jaundice and acute liver failure, whereas chronic viral hepatitis is the major cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Taking into the consideration the morbidity and mortality of such lesions, their prophylaxis is a mandatory procedure. In this review we discuss the general measures and the active and passive immunoprophylaxis against hepatitis A. B and Yellow fever, and the general management of hepatitis C. D. and E virus infection.
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PMID:Viral hepatitis prophylaxis. 921 1

The natural course of perinatally acquired hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has three phases. In the first 'immune tolerance phase', patients are HBeAg positive and have high serum levels of HBV DNA, but have no symptoms, normal ALT levels and minimal histological activity. The second 'immune clearance phase' usually occurs between 15 and 35 years of age, during which HBV replication declines, accompanied by increased serum ALT levels and inflammatory activity in the liver; HBeAg to anti-HBe seroconversion is then observed, frequently preceded by a flare of the ALT level. The average rate of spontaneous HBeAg seroconversion is 10% per year. In the third 'low-replicative phase', serum HBsAg persists, but HBeAg is no longer detectable and HBV DNA can only be detected by PCR assay. During this phase, patients are usually asymptomatic and liver disease is inactive; some patients, however, may progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The ultimate outcome of chronic HBV infection appears to depend on the duration and severity of liver injury during the immune clearance phase. About 2.1% of patients with chronic type B hepatitis develop cirrhosis each year. Patients who have a severe acute exacerbation complicated by subacute hepatic failure or who have recurrent episodes of acute exacerbations with bridging hepatic necrosis are more likely to develop cirrhosis. A significant proportion of those with HBsAg eventually develop HCC; they have a 100-fold increased risk of HCC relative to those without. The development of HCC, however, is closely related to the severity of the underlying liver disease. The annual incidence of HCC is only 0.1% in asymptomatic HBsAg individual, 1% in patients with chronic hepatitis B, but increases to 3-10% in patients with cirrhosis. Some anti-HBe-positive patients continue to have active liver disease and they should be tested for HBV DNA by hybridization assay to determine whether the disease results from replicative precore mutant HBV infection or other causes of liver disease, such as superinfection with HCV and HDV. A substantial number of apparently healthy HBV-infected individuals are first recognized when they present with episodes of acute hepatitis. About 30% of these cases could be attributed to other hepatotropic virus superinfection. Acute viral hepatitis in patients with concurrent HBV infection is associated with an increased risk of fulminant hepatic failure. Finally, HBsAg disappears from serum in about 1% of patients each year. HCV superinfection can enhance the termination of HBsAg positivity. HCV, however, replaces HBV as the dominant cause of chronic viral hepatitis. The outcome of HBV-infected persons with 'spontaneous' seroclearance of HBsAg is usually favourable, though progress to cirrhosis and HCC is still possible.
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PMID:Natural history of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in adults with emphasis on the occurrence of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. 1092 78