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)

Various types of non-tuberculous mycobacteria can be the aetiologic factors of chronic lung infections especially in patients with underlying chronic lung diseases. The aim of this study is to present the cases of pulmonary mycobacterioses observed in Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in the years 1995-2001. There were 23 patients, 12 men and 11 women in the age between 35-77 years, mean 56 years. 16 out of 23 patients had underlying respiratory problems, mainly healed tuberculosis (7) and COPD (6). Two additional patients suffered from other diseases with potential immunosuppression (leukopenia). In 5 patients no disease other than mycobacteriosis was found, but they were chronic smokers. In 19 cases cough and expectoration of purulent sputum lasting from several months to several years was observed. In 5 patients onset of disease was acute or subacute with high fever. Eight patients had haemoptysis. In chest X-ray pathological lesions including (18 cases) lung cirrhosis (10) and cavities (15) were found. In 4 cases disseminated bronchiectases with small nodules were the main radiologic feature. Mycobacteriosis was caused by M. kansasii in 11 cases, by M. intracellularae in 6, by M. xenopi in 5 and by M. scrofulaceum in 1 case.
Pneumonol Alergol Pol 2002
PMID:[Pulmonary mycobacterioses--frequency of occurrence, clinical spectrum and predisposing factors]. 1288 64

Fibrosis is the process accompanying majority of chronic diseases of liver, independent of etiological factor and leading to cirrhosis and hepatic failure. Monitoring fibrosis process by liver's biopsy is limited, so many attempts are undertaken to assess concentrations of definite proteins in blood, which could be easily accessible marker of intrahepatic process. It seems, that among others, determinations of blood concentration of aminoterminal propeptide of procollagen III--index of collagen's III synthesis and TGF-beta 1--cytokine of antiproliferative action and inhibiting hepatocytes' growth, yet inducing fibroblasts' growth and stimulating fibrosis process brings out such a possibility. The aim of the study was simultaneous determination of TGF-beta 1 and PIIINP concentration in blood of patients with chronic hepatitis B and C before interferone's therapy in comparison to healthy controls, assessment of the parameters in dependence on stage of liver fibrosis and determination of correlation between TGF-beta 1 and PIIINP. Studies were performed in 40 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CAH B) and 35 patients with chronic hepatitis C (CAH C). Significantly increased serum concentrations of TGF-beta 1 as PIIINP in both groups of patients (CAH B and CAH C; grading 2-3, staging 1-2) in comparison with control group was noted. Significant positive correlation of TGF-beta 1 and PIIINP serum concentrations in both groups of patients was observed. There was not significant changes in PIIINP serum levels in patients with hepatitis B and C in dependence on stage of liver fibrosis (staging 1 vs staging 2) but TGF-beta 1 serum levels was significantly increased in CAH B and C patients with higher stage of liver fibrosis process. On the base of obtained results, it seems that changes in TGF-beta 1 concentrations in blood reflect "grading" and "staging" and can be a marker of intensification of intrahepatic fibrosis process whereas PIIINP levels in blood have rather the relation with "grading".
Pol Arch Med Wewn 2003 Jun
PMID:[Serum aminoterminal peptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C]. 1456 92

The aim of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of the antioxidant system in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Total antioxidant status (TAS), superdoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity was examined in liver primary cancers and in blood serum of patients before and after surgery. In comparison with healthy liver, very low activity of TAS was observed in liver cirrhosis and in primary cancer. High activity of TAS in the blood serum of patients before and after surgery was comparable with TAS activity in blood serum of healthy persons. The highest activity of SOD and CAT was observed in liver cirrhosis. The lowest activity was observed in liver primary cancer. Activity of SOD and CAT in the blood serum of patients before surgery was higher than in the blood serum of patients after surgery. The highest activity was observed in the blood serum of healthy persons. Obtained results shows, that the dysfunction of the defensive antioxidant mechanisms have characterised with not only local disturbances (in the tumour cells region), but also circuital ones (blood). Low levels of the activity of TAS, SOD and CAT in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma indicate to the distortion of the oxidant--antioxidant balance and the decrease of organism antioxidant system efficiency. These observations show at the participation of free radical processes in the tumour pathogenesis.
Pol Merkur Lekarski 2003 Aug
PMID:[Evaluation of antioxidant status in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma]. 1464 72

Anorexia or loss of appetite, one of the most typical symptoms observed in experimental and human cirrhosis, has been proposed to be associated with altered brain serotonin (5-HT) metabolism. In order to evaluate this hypothesis, brain 5-HT, its precursor tryptophan (TRP) and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindole-acetic acid (5-HIAA) were measured in brains of rats with thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver cirrhosis. Thioacetamide at a dose of 500 mg/l in drinking water was administered for 6 weeks and during this period food intake was carefully measured in order to monitor the loss of appetite or decrease in food intake observed in cirrhosis. Concentrations of brain TRP, 5-HT and 5-HIAA were measured by HPLC with electrochemical detection. In TAA-treated rats, concentrations of 5-HT, TRP and 5-HIAA were increased in brain (44%, 33% and 36% of controls, p < 0.01). In plasma and liver of cirrhotic rats, TRP levels were increased (195% and 43%; p < 0.01). Plasma glucose and albumin levels were decreased (50%; p < 0.01 and 31%). Food intake, growth rate and locomotor activity of TAA-treated rats also decreased (73%, 22% and 73% of controls; p < 0.01). The results of this study show that brain 5-HT concentration in rats is increased in TAA-treated rats and it may, therefore, play an important role in the pathogenesis of anorexia associated with TAA-induced cirrhosis.
Pol J Pharmacol
PMID:Is anorexia in thioacetamide-induced cirrhosis related to an altered brain serotonin concentration? 1504 80

Hepatocellular carcinoma (carcinoma hepatocellulare) kills about 1.25 million of people a year all over the world and makes 1.5% of all malignant neoplasms. Many factors play a role in etiology of hepatocellular cancer; the most important seem to be: hepatitis B and C viruses, alcohol and aflatoxin exposure. They all can cause hepatic cirrhosis. In present days, however, it is assumed that all diseases which lead to hepatic cirrhosis may be complicated by growth of primary liver cancer, but degree of risk of its development is various. Hepatocellular carcinoma grows in three macroscopic forms: nodular (multifocal), massive (unifocal) and diffusely infiltrative. Its varying microscopic pattern has resulted in separating four major types: trabecular, pseudoglandular, solid and scirrhous. Immunohistochemical analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma plays an important role in practical diagnosis. Metastatic tumors of the liver (breast, pancreas, kidney and adrenal gland cancers) are more common than primary ones. In routine histological examination they may imitate primary hepatic cancer. Precise diagnosis is of vital importance for therapy and prognosis.
Pol Merkur Lekarski 2004 Mar
PMID:[Pathogenesis and morphology of hepatocellular carcinoma]. 1519 Jun 13

The role of lymphocytes in host defence in neoplastic disorders is known. Accumulation of lymphocytes in pleural cavity frequently occurs in different diseases. The aim of the study was to evaluate: 1) the frequency of lymphocyte predominance in different malignant and non-malignant pleural effusions; 2) lymphocyte phenotype and the ratio between helper (CD4+) and cytotoxic/suppressor (CD8+) lymphocytes in malignant and non-malignant effusions. Patients with mesothelioma, lung cancer, lymphoma and metastatic neoplasms were analysed. Analysis was performed on fluids with or without malignant cells. Non-malignant fluids were obtained from patients with: congestive heart failure, liver cirrhosis, pneumonia and tuberculosis. Lymphocytes were the predominant cell type in neoplastic effusions. For further analysis effusions with more than 10% of lymphocytes were included: 12 malignant and 9 non-malignant. For lymphocyte subpopulations analysis, the monoclonal antibodies anti-CD4 and anti-CD8 and APAAP method was used. We observed lower percentage of CD4+ lymphocytes (47%) and higher percentage of CD8+ (39%) lymphocytes in malignant when compared to non-malignant fluids (58% vs 31% respectively). The CD4+/CD8+ ratio was significantly lower in pleural fluid in cases with neoplastic disease when compared to benign cause of pleural involvement (1.03 vs 1.85). Our observations suggest the potential role of lymphocytes, especially CD8+ cells in local response in malignancy in pleural disease.
Pol Arch Med Wewn 2004 Mar
PMID:[Lymphocyte and lymphocyte subsets in pleural fluid--comparison of malignant and non-malignant disorders]. 1523 Feb 9

Cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) is usually used to monitor the course of epithelial ovarian cancer. It has recently been reported that liver cirrhosis is associated with elevated serum CA-125, especially in the presence of ascites. The aim of the study was to evaluate CA-125 as a marker of ascites in patients with liver cirrhosis. Seventy-two (72) patients with liver cirrhosis of different aetiology were studied. Ca-125 levels were measured in stored serum collected from the patients. Ca-125 concentrations were elevated in patients with liver cirrhosis and ascites, irrespective of patients' sex and cirrhosis aetiology. CA-125 concentrations were normal in cases of liver cirrhosis without ascites. Elevated cancer antigen 125 is a sensitive marker of cirrhotic ascites. An inappropriate use of this test in cases of liver cirrhosis in females may suggest the ovarian cancer incident and lead to unnecessary surgical intervention.
Pol Merkur Lekarski 2004
PMID:[Cancer antigen 125 as a marker of ascites in patients with liver cirrhosis]. 1560 76

Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia where persistence of the virus is commonly associated with complicating cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Licensed therapies for HBV are partially effective in selected patients and development of novel treatments remains an important global medical objective. HBV has an unusually compact genome that restricts the ability of the virus to evade potentially therapeutic nucleic acid hybridization. Thus, exploiting the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, which enables sequence-specific target RNA degradation using small interfering RNA (siRNA), is well suited to developing novel treatment for HBV infection. Several studies, both in vitro and in vivo, have demonstrated that HBV replication can be inhibited in transfected cells by synthetic siRNA duplexes and also Pol III-derived short hairpin RNA (shRNA) sequences. The effectiveness of anti-HBV sequences varies considerably, and is likely to result from differences in activation of the RNAi pathway by individual siRNA species. Exclusion of potentially toxic off-target effects and also development of efficient methods of hepatotropic nucleic acid delivery are important prerequisites before RNAi can be used successfully for anti-HBV treatment.
 ...
PMID:Exploiting the RNA interference pathway to counter hepatitis B virus replication. 1569 93

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an important cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and liver failure worldwide. Chronic hepatitis C virus infection is treated with interferon-a (IFN-alpha), pegylated interferon-alpha (PEG-IFNalpha) alone or in combination with ribavirin; however, a significant fraction of patients either fail to respond or relapse after cessation of therapy. Efforts to identify and develop highly specific and potent HCV inhibitors have intensified recently. Each of the virally encoded replication enzymes has been a focus of studies as well as viral receptors and the host immune system. This review summarizes recent progress in the search for novel anti-HCV agents.
Acta Biochim Pol 2005
PMID:Existing and future therapeutic options for hepatitis C virus infection. 1582 6

Portal vein thrombosis is one of the main prehepatic causes of portal hypertension. The most frequent causes of thrombosis in this localization, apart from hepatic cirrhosis, are the following: acute inflammatory diseases and abdominal cancers, traumas, proliferative diseases of the hematopoietic system. In recent years attention was given to disorders in hemostasis, such as thrombophilia, in the course of which thrombosis development is particularly common. The authors present 10 patients after an incident of portal vein thrombosis, in which primary hepatic pathology was excluded and tests directed at thrombophilia were performed. In seven patients abnormalities in the examined parameters were found, and what is more, in two cases they had a complex character and involved more than one parameter. In five patients hyperhomocysteinemia was found. Among them, in two patients there was also a decreased protein S activity and in one of them there was also APC-resistance. In the next two patients there were abnormalities in one of the examined parameters - APC-resistance. Hyperhomocysteinemia was found in all patients with idiopathic thrombosis, and in one of them there were concurrent changes in protein S activity and APC-resistance. In patients with the history of portal vein thrombosis diagnostics of thrombophilia should be performed.
Pol Arch Med Wewn 2005 Apr
PMID:[Portal vein thrombosis in patients with thrombophilia--own observations]. 1620 49


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