Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023890 (cirrhosis)
 42,195 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections occur world-wide and more than 200 million people have been estimated to be chronic carriers of HB surface antigen (HBsAg). Long-term chronic carriage of HBsAg has been associated with an increased risk of chronic active hepatitis (CAH), cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In Western countries, the prevalence of HBV infection is low in the general population. Only particular subgroups, for the most part adults, are at risk of such infections: health care workers, haemodialysis patients, transfusion patients, drug abusers and homosexuals. In Asia and tropical Africa, however, the prevalence of HBV infection is relatively high. Transmission occurs mainly during the perinatal period and infancy. Infection at a young age often results in the chronic carrier state. A hepatitis B vaccine has been developed in France and has been demonstrated to be safe, immunogenic, and effective in preventing HBV infection. Extensive experience from clinical trials now makes it possible to recommend vaccination strategies in terms of target populations and of optimal schedules. This paper reports the results of hepatitis B vaccination and, in particular, presents an overview of the vaccination experience in newborns and children.
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PMID:Hepatitis B vaccine: clinical experience. 624 47

Of 209 patients with liver disease attending the Al Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah, 172 were suffering from acute hepatitis. The proportion harbouring the hepatitis B surface antigen was unknown. Of the remainder, 10 were suffering from chronic active hepatitis, five from primary hepatoma and six from cirrhosis. Infection with hepatitis virus B was regarded as of aetiological significance in three cases of chronic active hepatitis, four of primary hepatoma and two of cirrhosis.
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PMID:The spectrum of liver disease in the United Arab Emirates. 627 80

Serum immunoreactive prolyl hydroxylase protein, galactosylhydroxylysyl glucosyltransferase activity, and the aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen (S-Pro(III)-N-P) were measured in twenty patients with cirrhosis and ninety with various infectious diseases, and the values were compared with those in sixty apparently healthy Nigerians. The means for all three markers were elevated significantly in the patients with cirrhosis (P less than 0.001), acute viral hepatitis (P less than 0.001), amoebic liver abscess (P less than 0.001) and the early stages of Schistosoma mansoni infection (P less than 0.001 for S-Pro(III)-N-P, P less than 0.005 for the two other markers). The mean S-Pro(III)-N-P was also distinctly elevated during the early stages of Schistosoma haematobium infection (P less than 0.01) and filariasis (P less than 0.001), whereas none of the three markers was elevated during an acute attack of malaria. Significant correlations were found between the values for the three markers within the groups of patients with cirrhosis, amoebic liver abscess and schistosomiasis, the correlations for the pooled group of all patients being highly significant (P less than 0.001). The data suggest that elevated hepatic collagen formation is found not only in cirrhosis but also in several infectious diseases. The three serum markers may be useful for showing the stages of active collagen formation in various liver diseases and for predicting the development of fibrosis in acute cases if the values remain elevated.
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PMID:Three serum markers of collagen biosynthesis in Nigerians with cirrhosis and various infectious diseases. 632 66

Ultrastructural studies with the transmission (TEM) and scanning (SEM) electron microscopes have added greatly to our knowledge of cellular structure and function in the liver. The normal polyhedral hepatocyte has numerous subcellular organelles, such as mitochondria, peroxisomes, lysosomes and complex rough (rer) and smooth (ser) endoplasmic reticulum. The normal hepatocyte stores glycogen, and sometimes lipid droplets, and secretes bile through the bile canaliculi between adjacent liver cells. It receives nutrients from the sinusoidal lumen across a fenestrated endothelium which is separated by the Space of Disse' from the plasma membrane. The Space of Disse' contains a scant network of reticulin fibers but no basal lamina. Two types of parasinusoidal cells are found in Disse's space: the fat storing cells of Ito, and the Pit cells which may have an endocrine function. The diseased liver has yielded much information in studies with TEM and SEM. The studies with TEM have been most helpful in studying the etiology of infectious diseases such as hepatitis B; have revealed organelle changes such as megamitochondria in cirrhosis and the fibrillar nature of alcoholic hyaline; have led to the identification of specific deposits in metabolic and storage diseases such as hemochromatosis (iron). Wilson's disease (copper), and alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (glycoprotein) have proven useful in identifying drug induced liver cell changes such as proliferation of SER and cholestasis, and are useful for identifying specific cell types in inflammatory and neoplastic diseases. In the future, both TEM and SEM coupled with histochemical, cytochemical, immunohistochemical and other analytic techniques will continue to add greatly to our understanding of the liver in health and disease.
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PMID:Ultrastructure of the liver and biliary tract in health and disease. 637 90

Chile has been no exception to the Latin American trend of declining general mortality, i.e., over the past 20 years (between 1961-81) general mortality in Chile fell by some 47%. A number of circumstances makes Chile a suitable place for studying the factors leading to these favorable developments. National information is available, including reasonably reliable data on the magnitude of health problems, the risks of dying, and the collection of conditioning factors affecting health. Adjusting for age and sex, overall mortality in Chile fell by 20% in the 1960s and 29% in the 1970s, but the most marked declines, especially in the latter decade, occurred among infants (a 60% reduction) and children 1-4 years old (a 67% reduction). Morbidity indicators suggest that overall morbidity declined little, but considerable reductions were observed in infectious disease cases preventable by immunization as well as in moderate and severe cases of malnutrition. Data on deaths attributed to specific causes show that mortality due to certain causes, including communicable diseases, malnutrition, maternal problems, and stomach cancer, dropped sharply, while mortality caused by a wide range of mostly chronic problems remained relatively stable. This implies that health efforts made to combine those latter problems failed to greatly modify the mortality involved. It is difficult to quantify the mental health status of any group unless data on reliable and representative indicators are available. In Chile, information is available only on mortality caused by problems whose genesis normally involves a change in mental health. This happens in the case of alcoholism and cirrhosis of the liver, the latter generally being caused in Chile by excess alcohol consumption. Accidents and violent acts also have been associated frequently in Chile with excess alcohol consumption and emotional disturbances. With the exception of mortality attributed to alcoholism, which increased by 0.3 deaths/100,000 inhabitants between 1970-80, mortality caused by the rest of the conditions associated with mental problems decreased during the decade. The major economic crisis of the 1970s seemed to have no effect on the mortality trend, so that declining mortality appears independent of the significant variations in per capita income during this period. Since the 1960s the Chilean health policy has assigned top priority to maternal and child health, emphasizing periodic checkups for expectant mothers, infants, and young children. Available evidence strongly supports the idea that a notable extension of coverage provided by the Chilean health services, especially primary care and infant oriented health services, was principally responsible for the rapid decline of infant and young child mortality.
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PMID:An analysis of health progress in Chile. 665 16

The prevalence, epidemiology and consequences of delta infection were analysed in 60 patients attending the Roslagstull Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Stockholm, Sweden, between 1972 and 1982. All of the patients had biopsy-documented chronic hepatitis B. Using radioimmunoassay techniques, sera from all patients were tested for antibodies to hepatitis A virus, for hepatitis B surface antigen and the corresponding antibody, for antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen, for hepatitis B e antigen and the corresponding antibody and for antibodies to delta antigen. All 60 patients underwent a liver biopsy which was repeated in 28 patients. 32% of the patients (19/60) were found to be anti-delta positive. The majority of the anti-delta positive patients were either immigrants from non-European countries or addicts (both 9/19 or 47%). Infections with delta agent were found to have already occurred in the Stockholm region in the early 1970s. During the study period, four of the patients developed clinical and laboratory signs of acute hepatitis in association with a delta infection. Among the anti-delta positive patients, 63% (12/19) were classified as having chronic active hepatitis, with or without cirrhosis, as against 39% (16/41) of the anti-delta negative patients. Histological progression to cirrhosis was observed in two of the four anti-delta positive patients with initial chronic active or chronic persistent hepatitis.
Infection
PMID:Delta infection among patients with chronic hepatitis B in the Stockholm region. 670 9

Although many viral agents may be associated with inflammatory hepatic changes, the vast majority of clinically important viral hepatitis is caused by hepatitis A, hepatitis B and the non A, non B agents. Infection of the liver of man by these hepatotropic agents is still a major public health problem in all parts of the world and constitutes a major hazard of the transfusion of blood and plasma derivatives. The magnitude of this hepatitis problem is not only documented by the about 200 million carriers of the hepatitis-B virus throughout the world, many of them asymptomatic, but also by the fact, that hepatitis B and non A, non B may progress to chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis and probably primary liver cancer. Potentially important pathogenetic determinants include viral factors such as subtype, dosage and mode of transmission and host factors such as age, sex, preexisting liver disease, coexisting non-liver disease (diabetes etc.), genetics and immune response to viral or autoantigens. As the virus itself seems not directly cytopathic, the diversity of lesions has been attributed to variation in the capacity of the host's response.
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PMID:[Virus-induced liver diseases in humans. I. Viral hepatitis]. 681 82

A group of 164 consecutive patients with chronic liver disease and 60 healthy HBsAg carriers were investigated in an area highly endemic for hepatitis B virus (HBV). Eighty-two of the 164 patients (50%) were found to be HBsAg-positive and only 39 (24%) had no HBV markers. A statistically significant correlation was found in the HBsAg-positive patients between the HBe system, their age and the time which had elapsed since their acute episode. Thus, the prevalence of HBeAg decreased with increasing age and with increasing time since their acute episodes. Furthermore, a statistically significant correlation was found between the presence of HBeAg and active chronic liver disease. Of the patients with chronic active hepatitis with or without cirrhosis, all patients below the age of 13 years were HBsAg-positive and 72% were also HBeAg-positive. The data suggest that the HBeAg-positivity in HBsAg carriers is of limited duration and that the seroconversion from HBeAg to anti-HBe is related to a histologically less active or inactive stage of the disease.
Infection
PMID:The significance of the HBe system in an area highly endemic for hepatitis B virus. 684 Aug 63

The clinical course of 40 patients with significant quantities of mixed cryoglobulins, but without lymphoproliferative, collagen-vascular or chronic infectious diseases, is presented. These cases comprise 51.3 percent of all mixed and 31.7 percent of all types of cryoglobulins evaluated by us over the period 1960--1978. A characteristic clinical syndrome, consisting of recurrent palpable purpura (100 percent), polyarthralgias (72.5 percent) and renal disease (55 percent), was seen. Biopsy specimens of skin lesions showed cutaneous vasculitis, and half had immune reactants in vessel walls. Seventy percent of patients had evidence of hepatic dysfunction, often subclinical, and more than 60 percent of those tested had serologic evidence of prior infection with hepatitis B virus. Hepatic lesions ranged from minimal triaditis to chronic active hepatitis and/or cirrhosis. All 22 patients in whom clinical renal disease developed had significant proteinuria; 63.6 percent had diastolic hypertension, 77.3 percent edema, 45.5 percent renal failure and 22.7 percent were nephrotic. Glomerular disease associated with deposition of immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin M and complement, often with coexistent renal arteritis, was confirmed pathologically in 15 cases. All cryoglobulins had rheumatoid factor activity and consisted of IgM and polyclonal IgG; five also contained IgA. Thirteen had a monoclonal IgM kappa component. Serum protein electrophoresis was unremarkable or showed diffuse hyperglobulinemia. Striking depression of early complement components was noted but did not correlate well with the cryoprotein concentration, renal involvement or clinical course. Follow-up for periods up to 21 years from onset of symptoms revealed that renal involvement has a deleterious effect on prognosis. Postmorten examinations of nine patients demonstrated widespread vasculitis in addition to renal involvement. Preterminal infection was found in eight.
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PMID:Mixed cryoglobulinemia: clinical aspects and long-term follow-up of 40 patients. 699 82

Causes of death of widowed and married were compared in a nonconcurrent prospective study in Washington County, Maryland, which identified 4032 white persons aged 18 years and over who were enumerated in a 1963 nonofficial census and who became widowed between 1963 and 1974, and an equal number of married persons, each matched to a widowed person as to race, sex, year of birth, and geography of residence. Underlying causes of death were obtained from the death certificates of those who had died. Deaths from infectious diseases, accidents, and suicide were significantly higher than expected among widowed males, and deaths from cirrhosis of the liver were significantly higher than expected among widowed females. The similarity in causes of death of the widowed and their predeceased spouses was no greater than expected to occur by chance. There was no indication that widowed males or females suffering from chronic diseases, as defined by duration of underlying causes of death being two years or more, suffered earlier mortality after bereavement than others.
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PMID:Causes of death in a widowed population. 712 18


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