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C Wolff

Publications and source records attributed to C Wolff.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

[Treatment of porphyria cutanea tarda with chloroquine and its effect on associated liver disease: retrospective analysis].

BACKGROUND: Chloroquine may improve cutaneous symptoms and liver disease manifestations in patients with porphyria cutanea tarda. AIM: To retrospectively analyze the effects of choloroquine in patients with porphyria cutanea tarda. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Five patients (one female), aged 45 to 65 years old, were studied. The duration of the disease ranged from 2 to 15 years. One patient was alcoholic and other was a hepatitis C virus carrier. All patients received chloroquine 125 mg twice weekly. Before, during and after treatment, cutaneous signs, serum bilirubin, hepatic enzymes and urine copro and uroporphyrin were assessed. Four patients were subjected to a liver biopsy before starting chloroquine. RESULTS: All patients had increased levels of urine porphyrins, four had abnormal serum liver enzymes. All liver biopsies showed variable hemosiderosis, two patients had a chronic active hepatitis (one with cirrhosis), one a chronic persistent hepatitis and one had mild rague alterations. During chloroquine treatment, cutaneous symptoms improved in all patients, transaminases and gamma glutamyl transferase decreased. In three, urine uroporphyrin increased initially and normalized afterwards. Choloroquine was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Chloroquine improved cutaneous symptoms, urine uroporphyrin and serum liver enzyme levels in treated patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Human cytomegalovirus immediate early and late transcripts in peripheral blood leukocytes: diagnostic value in renal transplant recipients.

Peripheral blood leukocytes of renal transplant recipients were investigated to compare the following markers of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection: pp65 antigen by indirect immunofluorescence, viral DNA by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and immediate early (IE) and late (pp150) mRNA by nested PCR following reverse transcription. Sixty-five patients were monitored weekly for 20 weeks after transplantation. In 76 samples from 20 patients positive for HCMV DNA by PCR, HCMV mRNA was detected. Detectable amounts of IE and pp150 mRNA were positively correlated with high numbers of pp65 antigen-positive cells and confirmed the significance of pp65 antigen as a marker for active viral replication. However, with respect to the early diagnosis of HCMV-related disease and monitoring of antiviral therapy, the test for viral mRNA was not superior to the pp65 antigen test.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Conserved and divergent expression aspects of the Drosophila segmentation gene hunchback in the short germ band embryo of the flour beetle Tribolium.

The segmentation gene hunchback (hb) plays a central role in determining the anterior-posterior pattern in the Drosophila embryo. We have cloned the homologue of hb from the flour beetle Tribolium and show that, on the basis of its expression pattern, most of its functions seem to be conserved between these two species. Like Drosophila, Tribolium has a maternal hb expression that appears to be under translational control by a factor at the posterior pole of the embryo. The maternal expression is followed by a zygotic expression in the region of the developing head and thoracic segments. During germ band extension, a posterior expression domain appears that is likely to be homologous to the posterior blastoderm expression of hb in Drosophila. These observations suggest that hb may have the same functions in early Drosophila and Tribolium development, despite the different types of embryogenesis in these two species (long versus short germ development). One differing aspect of hb expression in Tribolium concerns a structure that is not present in Drosophila, namely the serosa. An hb expression domain at the anterior pole precisely demarcates the border between the extraembryonic serosa and the embryonic field in the Tribolium embryo at an early stage, and hb protein remains expressed in the serosa cells until the end of embryogenesis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Age-specific incidence of cancer in Kingston and St. Andrew, Jamaica, 1988-1992.

During the period 1988-1992, a total of 4,030 malignant neoplasms were recorded in Kingston and St. Andrew, Jamaica. These comprised 1,829 in males and 2,201 in females. Histological confirmation was obtained in 83.4%. The crude incidence rate for males was 128.5, and 136.2 for females. The age-standardized rates (ASR) were 179.9 for males and 166.1 for females. Age-specific rates by site, sex and age are tabulated. Attention is drawn to increased incidence for cancers of prostate, larynx, bronchus and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in males. There was also an increase in female breast cancer (crude rate 36.0; ASR 47.1). Invasive cervix cancer has shown no significant change in incidence. Neoplasms of the body of the uterus have increased (crude rate 7.6; ASR 9.5). The rise in cancer of breast and body of uterus suggests that the influence of exogenous oestrogens should be considered.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Hepatitis C virus infection in patients with porphyria].

Hepatitis C virus antibodies were studied in sera coming from 39 patients with porphyria (cutanea tarda in 17, variegate in 8, intermittent acute in 4, coproporphyria in 2 and protoporphyria in 8). Nine of 17 patients with porphyria cutanea tarda had positive antibodies, but none of the patients with other types of porphyria. All subjects with porphyria cutanea tarda had histological or laboratory liver abnormalities. There was no relationship between the presence of antibodies and frequency of alcoholism, diabetes, or carbohydrate intolerance. Family background of porphyria was significantly less frequent among patients with positive hepatitis C virus antibodies. In 13 patients, a liver biopsy was performed, always showing signs of chronic hepatitis, whose magnitude was higher in those with positive antibodies. It is concluded that, as reported previously, hepatitis C virus may be an activating factor for porphyria cutanea tarda or may potentiate its accompanying liver disease.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay↗
PubMed1994

[Porphyria cutanea tarda, chronic liver disease caused by the C virus and hepatocarcinoma. Clinical case].

We report a non alcoholic, Chinese, 65 years old male that presented in august, 1992 with painful hepatomegaly of rapid installation and malaise. Ultrasound examination revealed multiple substitution images, diagnosed histologically as hepatoma. Serum alpha fetoprotein was 6600 U/ml. Malaise increased and the patient died two months later. This patient had a porphyria cutanea tarda and a chronic hepatitis diagnosed 6 years before. He also had positive titers for hepatitis C virus antibodies. In patients with porphyria cutanea tarda, hepatoma frequency is 400 fold higher and hepatitis C virus infection is highly prevalent. Thus, the surveillance of these patients with periodic alpha feto protein determinations and abdominal ultrasound examinations is recommended, specially in those infected by hepatitis C virus.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

[Molecular biological screening of viruses important to transfusion medicine].

The usefulness of the direct virus detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) for blood donor screening was investigated, including the following viruses: cytomegalovirus (CMV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency type 1 virus (HIV1). Hepatitis C viraemia was detected by RT PCR in 97% of anti-HCV-positive haemophiliacs, in 48% of anti-HCV-positive hepatitis patients, in only 21% of anti-HCV-positive blood donors from North-West Germany, and not at all in 945 blood donors with elevated serum ALT. In order to compare HIV1 detection by PCR and by p24 antigen determination, we tested 34 anti-HIV1-positive AIDS patients for p24 antigen, HIV1 RNA and HIV1 provirus DNA. 97% had HIV1 provirus DNA, 35% had HIV RNA, but only 30% had p24 antigen. A multiplex PCR specific for HBV, HCV and HIV1 (RNA and DNA) was developed for the investigation of a blood donor population from Namibia, where HBV and HIV1 infections occur more frequently than in German blood donors. The prevalence of anti-HIV1 antibodies in this population was 0.6%. HIV1 RNA was never detected in the plasma of 2,569 anti-HIV1-negative donors. HIV1 provirus DNA was present in 75% of the 16 anti-HIV1-positive individuals. None of these anti-HIV1-positive blood donors was also positive for p24 antigen. CMV infections and reactivations in 130 immunocompromised heart transplant patients and in 420 healthy anti-CMV-positive blood donors were monitored using cytochemical detection of CMV early antigen, and PCR. CMV DNA was neither detected in the plasma nor in the leucocytes of any anti-CMV-positive blood donor. During the course of CMV reactivation in immunocompromised heart transplant patients, CMV DNA was always detectable first in granulocytes and afterwards in the plasma. The cytochemical demonstration of CMV early antigen was typically delayed by several days and was observed in only 11% of those blood samples which contained CMV DNA in leucocytes. The determination of CMV DNA in leucocytes proved to be the most sensitive method to detect viraemia. Thus, CMV detection in leucocytes is the method of choice for the monitoring of transplant patients. This method is also promising for blood donor screening. The sensitive routine monitoring of blood donations for virus infections by multiplex PCR is practicable. However, nucleic acid must be extracted both from the plasma and from the cellular compartments of blood in order to detect HIV and CMV provirus DNA. Lysate from EDTA blood is a suitable material for this purpose. The determination of the surrogate marker serum ALT activity is of no use in hepatitis C screening, and determination of p24 antigen is not required in HIV1 screening.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1993

Adjuvant arthritic (AA) rats exhibit enhanced endotoxin-induced plasma TNF (EIPT) levels.

Adjuvant arthritis (AA) was induced in male Lewis rats by a single FCA (M. butyricum) injection into the tail. At various time periods post FCA injection, AA and control rats were anesthetized and administered E. coli endotoxin (30 mg/kg, i.v.). Plasma samples were obtained at 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 min following endotoxin administration and assayed for TNF alpha levels by ELISA. Compared to control rats, AA rats exhibited enhanced EIPT levels (706% of control, p < 0.05) which was associated with the onset of inflammatory lesions on days 12-14 post FCA, and remained significantly elevated (> 300% of control, p > 0.05) for at least 30 days post FCA. There were no significant correlations between EIPT levels and hindpaw volumes or body weights. The results of this study support previous observations that AA is associated with macrophage activation and suggest that EIPT levels in AA rats may be a useful parameter for the evaluation of novel antiarthritic agents.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Lung function in insulation workers.

To evaluate the effects of working with modern insulation materials (rock and glass wool), the members of the Copenhagen Union of Insulation Workers were invited to participate in a study based on a health examination that included lung function tests. Three hundred and forty men (74%) agreed to participate, and 166 bus drivers served as the control group. Age distribution, height, and smoking habits were similar in the two groups. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were used as tests for lung function. There were no differences in FVC between the study and control groups, but the insulation workers had significantly lower values of FEV1 (mean 2.51) compared with the controls (mean 3.4 1), independent of smoking habits. Six years before the present study, 114 of the insulation workers participated in a similar study, and eight years after the initial study, the lung function of 59 of the bus drivers was tested. The decline in FVC in insulation workers who smoked was significantly higher (7.7 cl/year) than in bus drivers who smoked (3.1 cl/year); the decline in FEV1 was significantly higher in insulation workers independent of smoking habits (17.0 cl/year v 2.9 cl/year). Self assessed former exposure to asbestos was not associated with lung function in insulation workers. The study concludes that working with modern insulation materials is associated with increased risk of developing obstructive lung disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Hepatitis C virus antibodies in chronic non-alcoholic liver disease].

The presence of hepatitis C virus antibodies was studied in 64 patients with non alcoholic liver disease and found in 11 (17%). The greater frequency of positive antibodies was found among patients with cryptogenetic liver disease, specially those without serum auto-antibodies (32%). The antibody was unusually found (0 to 11%) in non alcoholic liver diseases of other etiologies. It is concluded that hepatitis C virus chronic infections may be the etiology of an important number of non alcoholic chronic liver diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Prevalence of hepatitis C virus antibodies in a hemodialysis unit].

The prevalence of hepatitis C antibody was studied using the EIA 2 Abbott assay in patients and staff of the San Juan de Dios Hospital Hemodialysis Unit. The antibody was detected in 29.8% of patients, no member of the staff had positive antibodies. Patients with a positive antibody had been on hemodialysis for a longer time than those with a negative test (53.3 +/- 18.8 vs 37.9 +/- 33.5 months respectively). No differences in the number of transfusions received were observed between patients with positive or negative antibodies. Hepatitis B surface antigen was detected in 2 patients, with negative hepatitis C virus antibody. No clinical evidence of liver disease was found among patients with positive antibodies.

Acute Kidney Injury↗
PubMed1993

[Rheumatoid arthritis. Therapeutic efficacy of methotrexate and its hepatotoxic effects].

The efficacy and toxicity (specially hepatic) of methotrexate in low doses (7.5 mg/week) was prospectively assessed in 21 patients with rheumatoid arthritis refractory to treatment with gold or penicillamine, during two years. Three patients were prematurely withdrawn from the protocol. A fast and significant improvement of RA was observed during the first six months, which tapered thereafter. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate decreased from 51.5 +/- 20.1 to 27.7 +/- 11.5 mm/h (p < 0.05). A rise in serum transaminases, always raising to less than twice the normal value, was observed in 75% of patients in some moment of the follow up. Hepatic scintigraphy did not show significant changes. Hepatic histological alterations were mild and no changes were observed after two years of treatment. The main secondary effects were moderate and transitory gastrointestinal and hematological disturbances. The prednisone dose was decreased from 6.8 +/- 2.6 to 4.8 +/- 1.9 mg/day at twelve months. There were no withdrawals due to drug toxicity. It is concluded that methotrexate proved to be efficacious in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis refractory to conventional treatments. Its secondary effects, although frequent, were discrete and transitory and there were no changes in liver histology.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Prevention of digestive hemorrhage recurrence in hepatic cirrhosis with propranolol. A 4 years' follow-up study].

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of propranolol treatment on the recurrence of variceal bleeding and mortality in patients with hepatic cirrhosis. Fifty seven patients were studied; they were recruited within 15 days of an episode of variceal bleeding, assigned randomly to receive propranolol (n = 29) placebo (n = 28) and followed during 4 years. Three patients were lost from follow up and in 3 propranolol was discontinued due to secondary effects. Bleeding recurrence was less frequent in the treated patients (Kaplan Meier analysis p < 0.01). Ten patients on placebo and 1 receiving the active drug died. Life table analysis showed a significantly better survival in the group of patients treated with propranolol. It is concluded that propranolol decreases the recurrence of variceal bleeding and improves survival in patients with hepatic cirrhosis.

Adult↗