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Biomedical subjects

B L Murphy

Publications and source records attributed to B L Murphy.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Relation of e antigen to hepatitis B virus infection in an area of hyperendemicity.

A study of the e determinant of hepatitis B surface antigen in an area of hepatitis B hyperendemicity revealed that the presence of e antigen or of antibody to e in the sera of individuals was specifically related to evidence of past or present infection with hepatitis B virus. Among asymptomatic long-term carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen, presence of the e antigen was associated with elevated levels of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases in serum; this observation suggested that the e antigen might be a marker for persisting hepatic dysfunction. Higher levels of DNA polymerase found in carriers of the surface antigen with e antigen suggested that these individuals might have a higher level of circulating Dane particles and thus, perhaps, a higher level of hepatitis B virus infectivity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Antiviral effects of virazole in chronic hepatitis B surface antigen-seropositive chimpanzees.

Virazole (Ribavirin, ICN 1229), a broad-spectrum, antiviral chemotherapeutic agent was used to treat two adult chronically hepatitis B surface antigen (HB(s) Ag)-seropositive chimpanzees. No significant change in serum hepatitis B surface antigen was noted and no adverse reactions were observed. The role of viral replication in the chronic carrier state of hepatitis B is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

"e" Antigen, Dane particles, and serum DNA polymerase activity in HBsAg carriers.

Sera of 103 carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen were assayed for e-antigen and anti-e. Twenty-four were e-antigen-positive, 31 anti-e-positive, and 48 had neither detectable (e-negative). Aminotransferases were elevated in 75% of the e-antigen-positive carriers compared with 25% of e-negative carriers (P less than 0.001) and 13% of anti-e-positive carriers (P less than 0.001). Serum DNA polymerase activity was significantly higher in the e-antigen-positive carriers than in carriers without e-antigen. Dane particles were shown in 10 of 12 carriers with e-antigen, compared with one of 12 e-negative carriers (P less than 0.0003) and none of 12 anti-e-positive carriers (P less than 0.00003). These results suggest that ongoing hepatitis B viral replication is more active in e-antigen-positive carriers than in carriers without e-antigen, a finding that may help explain the high prevalence of chronic active hepatitis described in these individuals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Studies of the "e" antigen in acute and chronic hepatitis.

Sera from well individuals, including controls and asymptomatic HBsAg carriers, post-transfusion hepatitis cases, and chronic active liver disease patients were examined for the presence of "e" antigen and e antibody by rheophoresis. Our data confirm the specific association between the e determinant and hepatitis B infections and indicate that e antigen is closely associated with evidence of chronic hepatic dysfunction, in contrast to the association of e antibody with hepatic normalcy in HBsAg carriers. However, these correlations are not absolute and, therefore, it should not be inferred that all e antigen-positive individuals will develop chronic hepatitis nor, conversely, that presence of e antibody invariably protects against the development of chronic hepatitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1975

e antigen and anti-e in HBsAg carriers.

A new antigen/antibody system, "e" and anti-e, was described in 1972. In order to assess the clinical significance of e antigen and anti-e, their presence was correlated with the clinical status, S.G.P.T. levels and liver biopsies of HBsAg carriers. 31 of the carriers had liver biopsies, 32 of 70 carriers had anti-e and 2 had e antigen. 28 of 55 carriers with normal S.G.P.T. and 4 of 15 patients with raised S.G.P.T. had anti-e. This difference is not statistically significant. 2 patients with e had raised S.G.P.T. All patients with normal histology, 45% of patients with mild, and 23% of patients with striking histological changes in the liver had anti-e. This association of anti-e with a normal or mildly abnormal liver was statistically significant. The 2 patients with e antigen had the most severe abnormalities in liver function and liver histology.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1975

Hepatitis B antigens in serum and liver of chimpanzees acutely infected with hepatitis B virus.

We report the temporal patterns of various immunohistological and serological parameters of acute self-limited hepatitis B virus infection of two chimpanzees, and we provide evidence that the synthesis of hepatitis B core antigen precedes that of hepatitis B surface antigen. Our data suggest that existence of a biphasic hepatitis B virus infection involving a hematogenous reinfection of the liver and indicate that recruitment of liver cells to produce hepatitis B virus may occur in a pattern consistent with a replicative cycle of about 8 days.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed1971

Occurrence of a carrier state for Herpesvirus tamarinus in Marmosets.

The ecology of herpesviruses in marmosets and other nonhuman primates is important today, for colonies of these animals are being established for biomedical research. This paper presents the first reported isolations of Herpesvirus tamarinus from throat swabs of a healthy white-lipped marmoset carrier (Saguinus nigricollis) during a 2-month period. Infectivity studies with this virus in both white-moustached (S. mystax) and white-lipped marmosets demonstrated that the virus is not lethal to white-moustached marmosets (perhaps a more resistant species) at 1,000 TCID(50). Which environmental conditions trigger the unmasking of herpesviruses in marmosets is not known. Hoever, intermittent H. tamarinus shedding may help explain spontaneous infections in established colonies as well as suggest an additional mechanism for transmission of virus between marmosets under natural conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1970

Description of a viral agent found in blood obtained from patients with infectious hepatitis.

A small, double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid viral agent (agent Y) has been found in blood from patients with infectious hepatitis. The agent was propagated in chimpanzee liver tissue culture which had been grown and maintained on unheated agamma calf serum. A causal relationship between this agent and the occurrence of human disease cannot be determined from the data presented.

Adult↗