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Biomedical subjects

E Sagnelli

Publications and source records attributed to E Sagnelli.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Multiple hepatitis virus infections in chronic HBsAg carriers in Naples.

In order to determine the prevalence of multiple infections with hepatitis viruses in chronic HBsAg carriers in Naples, to assess the interaction between HBV, HDV and HCV infections and to evaluate the influence of multiple virus hepatitis infections on the clinical presentation, we studied 198 HBsAg chronic carriers observed consecutively from 1971 to 1988 at our Liver Unit. Of the 198 HBsAg chronic carriers, 171 had undergone percutaneous liver biopsy. The presence of HBcAg or HDAg in the liver biopsy was considered a marker of HBV or HDV replication, respectively; the presence of anti-HCV was considered a marker of HCV infection. Anti-HCV was observed in 13.6% of the 22 subjects with normal liver, in 27.7% of the 47 patients with minimal chronic hepatitis, in 40% of the 50 with mild chronic hepatitis, in 70.6% of the 17 with moderate hepatitis, in 66.7% of the 3 with severe chronic hepatitis and in 65.6% of the 32 with active cirrhosis. Anti-HCV positive cases were antiHD positive more frequently than the anti-HCV negative (59.2% vs. 43%, p = 0.05). HDV infection exerted a clear inhibition on the HBV genome. Among the 171 HBsAg chronic carriers, the finding of an active chronic hepatitis (moderate chronic hepatitis + severe chronic hepatitis + active cirrhosis) is less frequent in subjects with HBV replication alone than in those with HDV replication or HCV infection. Patients with both HBV replication and HCV infection and those with both HDV replication and HCV infection showed a very high prevelance of active chronic hepatitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Decrease in HDV endemicity in Italy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To evaluate a possible variation in hepatitis D virus endemicity in Italy, the data from a multicentre study concerning HBsAg chronic carriers first observed in 31 liver units during 1992 were compared with the corresponding figures from a similar study performed in 1987. METHODS/RESULTS: In both studies the methodology for the recruitment of cases was the same. The overall anti-HD prevalence in 1992 was 14.4%, a significantly lower rate than that observed in 1987 (23.4%, p < 0.01). The decrease significantly (p < 0.01) affected both males and females; it occurred in all geographical areas, although to a greater extent in northern regions. It was evident in subjects below 50 years of age, but not in subjects older than 50. A significant reduction in the anti-HD prevalence was seen in all forms of chronic hepatitis. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate a lower level of hepatitis D virus endemicity in Italy, probably as a consequence of the reported decreased pool of HBsAg chronic carriers, the reduced size of families, the improved socio-economic conditions and changes in intravenous drug abuser behaviour. All these factors may have affected the strength of hepatitis D virus infection which has greatly reduced the spread of the virus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

[Hepatitis viruses and development of hepatocellular carcinoma].

The incidence rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been increasing over the last 20 years. HCC is a worldwide, but the incidence is very high in countries of South East Asia, China, sub-Saharan Africa and southern Europe. Liver cirrhosis is the most important risk factor for the development of HCC, through necrotic-proliferative and dysplastic activity. HBV is indicated as a carcinogen agent, while it is unknown the real role of HCV in hepatocarcinogenesis. The role played by aflatoxins, ethanol, hemochromatosis, familiarity and sex hormones is still undefined. The clinical presentation of HCC is similar to that of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis indicating the need of a periodic screening (even 4-6 months) with alpha-fetoprotein determination and abdominal ultrasound scan. Hepatic resection, liver transplantation and percutaneous ethanol injection are the options more frequently chosen for treating patients with HCC.

English Abstract↗
PubMed1997

[Serum anti-HIV IgA in seropositive patients and in subjects at risk of HIV infection].

To detect the presence of anti-HIV IgA in HIV infected subjects and in seronegative subjects at risk of infection, we assessed a Western Blot using nitrocellulose strips with HIV separated proteins. We tested at least 2 different serum samples from 9 anti-HIV positive subjects (Group A), 9 anti-HIV negative subjects at risk of infection (Group B) and 9 controls (Group C). One subject in Group B became anti-HIV positive during the observation. Anti-HIV IgA were detected in all patients of Group A, in 66.6% of patients of Group B and in no patient of Group C. The subject who seroconverted during the observation showed positivity for IgA anti-HIV in both serum samples, while anti-HIV IgG became detectable only on the second serum sample. A newborn from a seropositive mother showed maternal anti-HIV IgG on the first 2 out of 3 serum samples while showed anti-HIV IgA positivity on the third sample only. This child is still anti-HIV negative.

English Abstract↗
PubMed1997

[Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of HIV proviral DNA (pDNA) in subjects at risk of infection].

To detect HlV proviral DNA in lymphocytes from subjects at risk of acquiring HIV infection, we assessed a Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay using the SK38 and SK39 primers for the amplification and the SK19 probe for the hybridization. The detection of amplified HIV-DNA was obtained by a new colorimetric method, the DNA enzyme immunoassay (DEIA). The PCR we performed allowed to detect HIV-pDNA in lymphocytes of 13 out of 64 subjects at risk of acquiring HIV infection. Seven of these 13 became anti-HIV positive during a follow up of 8 months.

English Abstract↗
PubMed1997

[Anti-HAV screening patients with chronic hepatitis].

Following the decrease in HAV endemic levels in the last decades, nowadays in Italy most people aged less than 30 years are susceptible to the infection. We have tested for serum anti HAV IgG 194 chronic hepatitis patients from Naples to evaluate the level of protection against HAV in a category of patients in whom an acute necrosis due to HAV might induce liver failure. The study shows that 90.7% of Neapolitan chronic hepatitis patients has serologic evidence of prior HAV infection. Specifically, 98.1% of the patients over 40 years of age, but only 54.6% of those under 40 tested positive for anti HAV IgG. 102 patients had cirrhosis and only one tested negative. The data suggest that HAV vaccination in susceptible chronic hepatitis patients should be judged by the physicians in care on the basis of the severity of disease, patient's age, real risk of exposure to the infection, and level of education.

English Abstract↗
PubMed1997

[HIV Antigens as complement fixing circulating immune complexes].

To detect HIV antigens in circulating complement fixing immune complexes (ICs) we assessed an ELISA using wells of microtitre plates coated with F(ab)2 anti-C3b and monoclonal antibodies anti-HIV gp120 and anti-HIV p24. We tested 24 anti-HIV positive subjects (Group A), 10 anti-HIV negative subjects at risk of acquiring HIV infection (Group B), 20 normal controls (Group C) and 2 seroconversion panels. We found HIV antigens in ICs in all sera from seroconversion panels, in 25.5% of sera from subjects in Group A, in 28.6% of sera from subjects in Group B and in no serum from subjects in Group C. A subject in Group B acquired HIV infection during the observation. HIV antigens in ICs by our assay were detected 8 months before Anti-HIV and Ag by commercial ELISA.

English Abstract↗
PubMed1996

[Laboratory diagnosis of HIV infection].

The diagnosis of HIV infection is generally lead using two different ELISAs to detect specific anti-HIV antibodies, the eventual reactivity must then be confirmed by a Western Blot The antibodies can be detected only 1-6 months after the infection; in fact in the earliest phases neither the antibodies, for their low titre, nor the specific antigens, for the antibodies could form immune complexes, can be detected by the achieved methods. Only the viral isolation can reveal the presence of the virus in this early phase, but the isolation must be conducted only in adequately safe laboratories (P3 laboratories). The only test able to replace the viral isolation is the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The PCR technique can be useful to reveal an HIV infection in its early phase and to monitor the infection progression and the efficacy of an antiretroviral treatment

English Abstract↗
PubMed1994

Treatment of chronic hepatitis B in children with prednisone followed by alfa-interferon: a controlled randomized study.

The efficacy and safety of sequential treatment with prednisone and interferon was evaluated in a randomized, controlled study on 43 children with biopsy proven HBsAg/HBeAg/hepatitis B virus-DNA positive, anti-delta negative, chronic hepatitis (34 chronic persistent hepatitis, 9 chronic active hepatitis). Patients received either a 1-month course of prednisone (0.6 to 0.3 mg/kg per day) followed by interferon alfa-2a (3 MU/m2, thrice weekly, for 12 months; 22 patients) or no treatment (21 patients). At the end of the study (20 months), clearance of hepatitis B virus-DNA and HBeAg seroconversion were observed in nine (41%) of the patients treated with prednisone and interferon and in two (9.5%) of the untreated controls (p = 0.020). Two of the treated patients who lost HBeAg, also cleared HBsAg. In the treated group, 13 (59%) patients had stable normal levels of alanine aminotransferase on their last examination. The baseline serum level of hepatitis B virus-DNA was an important predictor of response. In fact, HBeAg clearance was observed in 75% of patients with a baseline hepatitis B virus-DNA level lower than 100 pg/ml and in none with a level above 100 pg/ml. We suggest that combined treatment with prednisone followed by alfa-interferon may be safe and effective in inducing a stable clearance of HBeAg and, in some cases, of HBsAg in children with chronic hepatitis B and with a low level of viral replication. For children with high levels of viral replication, this regimen seems to be ineffective.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

The etiology of chronic hepatitis in Italy: a multicenter study.

In a multicenter retrospective study, we reviewed the etiology of chronic hepatitis (CH) in Italy during the period 1980-1989, before the laboratory diagnosis of HCV hepatitis had become possible. Among the 5,461 patients investigated, 31.3% had HBV-CH, 5.5% HDV-CH, 3.0% serological markers of autoimmune hepatitis and 3.7% post-transfusion NANB CH. Alcohol abuse was considered responsible in 10.9% of the cases and a diagnosis of crytogenic CH was made in 42.5%. Considering that most cryptogenic cases were actually due to chronic HCV infection, we may assume that as many as two-thirds of our cases were due to a hepatitis virus infection. Some differences were observed between patients with chronic hepatitis of different etiologies. Drug abuse was frequently recorded only in HDV-CH; patients with HBV-CH and HCV-CH were younger than those in other etiological groups; a histological picture of chronic active hepatitis was more frequently recorded in HDV-CH and autoimmune CH. The only identifiable geographical differences observed were a higher prevalence of HDV-CH in the south and of alcoholic chronic liver diseases in the north. During the period under observation, we noted a clear reduction in the percentages of HBV chronic hepatitis cases after 1984 and, accordingly, the mean age of HBV-CH progressively increased from 1980 to 1989 by almost a year each year. This observation is in agreement with recent data suggesting a reduction in HBV endemicity in Italy in recent years.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Non responders to interferon therapy among chronic hepatitis patients infected with hepatitis C virus.

We studied a series of 268 chronic hepatitis C patients (31 chronic persistent hepatitis CPH, 69 mild chronic active hepatitis CAH, 125 severe CAH, and 43 active cirrhosis) enrolled from 1988 to 1991 in different therapeutic protocols using lymphoblastoid or recombinant interferon (IFN) at a dosage of 3 mega units (M.U.), three times a week for 12 months. Of these patients 54.8% showed a complete response (normalization of aminotransferases), 14.2% a partial response (decrease in aminotransferases of over 50%), 27.6% no response, and 3.4% a substantial progressive increase in the liver enzymes during IFN (becoming worse). The prevalence of non responders was lower in CPH (9.7%) than in CAH patients (31.9% in the mild form and 20.8% in the severe), and significantly higher in patients with cirrhosis (53.5%). No correlation was observed between non response and the baseline aminotransferase level or the patient's sex. Patients under 35 had a better response to IFN when compared with patients 36-50 years. This is probably due to the higher prevalence of CPH patients with a good response to IFN in the youngest group. No effect was gained in non responders by increasing the dose or shifting from recombinant to lymphoblastoid IFN; three patients were then treated with steroids, but only one benefitted. For 5 of the 9 patients who became worse, steroids were started after discontinuation of IFN therapy, and they induced a favorable response only for the 3 who had developed autoantibodies during IFN treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The role of H2 antagonists in perennial allergic rhinitis.

The biological effects of anti-H2 in allergic reactions are dose dependent: low doses enhance, and high doses significantly decrease the reaction of hypersensitivity. The administration of cimetidine H2 antagonist to 20 perennial allergic rhinitis patients brought about an abatement in the symptoms and a decrease in the total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in 72% of treated patients, but no variation was perceived in placebo-treated patients. These results strengthen the hypothesis of anti-H2-induced immunoregulatory effects and suggest a possible way of inhibiting IgE synthesis in vivo.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

The epidemiology of hepatitis delta infection in Italy. Promoting Group.

The epidemiology of HDV infection in Italy was assessed in a retrospective study involving 1556 HBsAg chronic carriers on their first presentation at one of the 35 Liver Units in 1987. Total anti-HD was detected in 23.4% of HBsAg carriers and was significantly more frequent in southern than in northern Italy (26.6% vs. 19.1%, p less than 0.01). Age distribution showed that 73% of the anti-HD-positive subjects, but only 56% of the anti-HD-negative subjects, were under 40 years of age (p less than 0.01). Anti-HD prevalence increased with the severity of the liver disease from 3.8% in healthy carriers to 42.5% in cirrhosis. No geographical statistical difference was found among HBsAg healthy carriers or subjects with chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH), while among patients with chronic active hepatitis (CAH) or cirrhosis anti-HD prevalence was much higher in the south (p less than 0.01). The various potential risk factors were evaluated by multiple logistic regression analysis. HDV infection was independently related to young age, residence in the south, i.v. drug abuse, a large family and household contact with an anti-HD-positive carrier. No association was found with blood transfusion or male homosexuality. These findings confirm that HDV infection is endemic in Italy, particularly in some southern areas, where intrafamily contact probably at a young age may favour the spread of the infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Hepatitis B virus DNA in chronic HBsAg carriers: correlation with HBeAg/anti-HBe status, anti-HD and liver histology.

Hepatitis B virus DNA was determined in the sera of 198 chronic hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers by the spot hybridization technique. The results were correlated with hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg) and antibody (anti-HBe), delta antibody (anti-HD) and liver histology. All subjects had a liver biopsy. The prevalence of HBV DNA was 63% in HBeAg-positive subjects and 8.8% in anti-HBe positives. HBV DNA was not found more frequently in chronic HBsAg carriers who had histological evidence of liver disease than in carriers without such evidence. Anti-HD was detected in 48.5% of subjects, with an increasing trend (p less than 0.001) according to the severity of liver disease. Among patients with more severe liver disease (CAH and cirrhosis), HBV DNA and HBeAg were detected less frequently in anti-HD-positive than in anti-HD-negative subjects (7% vs. 42.3%, p less than 0.001 and 7% vs. 34.4%, p less than 0.005, respectively). These findings indicate that HDV infection jointly affects both HBeAg status and HBV DNA.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Hepatitis-C virus infection in Italy: a multicentric sero-epidemiological study (a report from the HCV study group of the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver).

To assess possible geographical differences in the spread of hepatitis-C virus (HCV), the prevalence of antibodies against HCV (anti-C-100-3) was investigated in various adult population groups in 29 centres in Italy. Anti-HCV was positive in 375 out of 28,433 voluntary blood donors (1.3%): prevalence was higher in southern Italy (1.51%) than in the northern regions (1.28%), but the difference was not statistically significant. Anti-HCV prevalence was similar in the north and south in post-transfusion chronic hepatitis (91%), haemophiliacs (73%), intravenous drug users (70%), and haemodialysis patients (28%), where parenteral contacts are obvious, and in HBsAg carriers (14%), a group with evidence of previous parenteral contamination. In contrast, anti-HCV prevalences were found to be significantly higher in the south than in the north and central Italy among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (73 vs 59%), cryptogenic liver disease (67 vs 58%), autoimmune chronic hepatitis (72 vs 44%) and alcoholic liver disease (51 vs 34%). These results indicate a very high circulation of HCV in Italy, with maximum incidence in the south and in the islands. They suggest that its spread in the community can occur through inapparent parenteral routes as observed for hepatitis-B (HBV) and hepatitis-delta viruses (HDV) and possibly facilitated by poorer social-demographic and life-style factors.

Adult↗