The antibody against the receptor for polymerized human serum albumin was determined by radioimmunoassay. The method involved the inhibition by the test serum, absorbed with HBsAg particles without the receptor, on the binding of polymerized human serum albumin to HBsAg particles with the receptor fixed on a solid support. The amount of polymerized human serum albumin captured by the receptor on HBsAg was then determined by the radiolabeled monoclonal antibody directed to an epitope specific for polymerized human serum albumin. In acute infection, the antibody to the receptor for polymerized human serum albumin appeared in the early recovery phase while HBs antigenemia and elevated transaminase levels were still present, preceding the antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs). The antibody was detected in 4 (1%) of 358 sera from asymptomatic carriers of HBsAg containing antibody to HBeAg, and in none of 67 sera containing HBeAg. Although the antibody was found in as many as 111 (74%) of 150 sera from blood donors who had presumably acquired anti-HBs after natural infection, it was not detected in any sera from 77 recipients of hepatitis B vaccine who had seroconverted for anti-HBs. On the basis of these observations, the determination of antibody to the receptor for polymerized human serum albumin helps in further understanding the immunity to hepatitis B virus.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The relationship between hepatic microsomal biphenyl 2-hydroxylase, 4-hydroxylase and urinary glucaric acid excretion in the rat.

Treatment of rats with phenobarbital (PB) caused an increase in microsomal biphenyl 4-hydroxylase activity and urinary glucaric acid excretion. Hepatic microsomal biphenyl 4-hydroxylase activity was correlative with urinary glucaric excretion in PB-treated rats. Hepatic microsomal biphenyl 2-hydroxylase activity was not correlated with urinary glucaric excretion in PB, 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC)- and beta-naphthoflavone (beta-NF)-treated rats. Pretreatment of rats with carbon tetrachloride caused decreases in urinary glucaric acid excretion and biphenyl 2- and 4-hydroxylase activities. On the other hand, pretreatment with cobalt chloride caused decreases of these enzyme activities, but not of urinary glucaric acid excretion. These findings suggest that the urinary glucaric acid level would not always provide an index for assessment of hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme activity. These findings suggest that the urinary glucaric acid level would not always provide an index for assessment of hepatic drug metabolizing enzyme activity.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Gallbladder opacification 12-24 h after angiography by CT examination: a multivariate analysis.

BACKGROUND: To examine the incidence and predisposing factors of gallbladder opacification in delayed computed tomography (CT) after angiography. METHODS: CT examination 12-24 h after angiography was performed in 389 patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses were made. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-three of 389 patients (60%) revealed gallbladder opacification. Type of contrast medium (P < 0. 01), total bilirubin (P < 0.01), and serum creatinine (P < 0.01) were significant and independent factors relating to gallbladder opacification. Ioxaglate (70%, relative odds = 2.86) and iohexol (63%, relative odds = 2.03) showed higher gallbladder opacification rates than that of iopamidol (45%, relative odds = 1.43) and diatrizoate (30%). Patients with a lower serum bilirubin level (relative odds = 1.67) and a raised serum creatinine level (relative odds = 2.01) showed higher incidence of gallbladder opacification. CONCLUSION: Gallbladder opacification after angiography is not an abnormal finding on delayed CT in patients with not only abnormal renal function but also normal hepatobiliary and normal renal function, especially for modern contrast media.

Angiography↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Urinary ortho-cresol concentrations as an indicator of toluene inhalation in glue-sniffers.

In a Japanese study of glue-sniffers, urinary ortho-cresol and expired air toluene concentrations were determined by gas chromatography, and urinary hippuric acid concentrations by high performance liquid chromatography. There were significant differences among three sample groups (30 male "glue-sniffers", 13 "non-glue-sniffers" and 32 industrial workers) in their expired air toluene, urinary hippuric acid and ortho-cresol concentrations. Moreover, there was a better correlation between expired air toluene and urinary ortho-cresol concentrations than between toluene and urinary ortho-cresol concentrations than between toluene and hippuric acid. These results suggest that urinary ortho-cresol is a good indicator of toluene inhalation in glue-sniffers.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Rebound phenomenon to systemic corticosteroid in atopic dermatitis.

Three patients with atopic dermatitis, one boy and two girls, aged between 6 and 17 years, presented eczematous skin, pruritus, scarifications, lichenification and a family history of atopy. During exacerbations, the patients sought emergency care and were prescribed oral corticosteroids for a period of approximately 15 days. Initially, the patients improved but after cessation of therapy or dose reduction, marked worsening occurred with the development of lesions with extreme pruritus, several confluent lesions, scarification and intense exudates, as well as fever and dehydration. The patients' condition was so severe that two were admitted to the allergy unit. The medication was withdrawn and intravenous hydration was administered, together with hydrating skin creams and antihistamine therapy. In addition, weak topical corticosteroids were applied on the most severely affected areas. All three patients progressively improved. We conclude that the patients with atopic dermatitis described herein presented a rebound phenomenon after the use of corticosteroids. We believe that systemic corticosteroids may exacerbate the acute phase of atopic dermatitis, mediated by IgE, accentuating the Th2 pattern in these patients.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Trimethadione tolerance test for the quantitative assessment of liver function in rats.

The quantitative estimation of the hepatic functional volume in rats was attempted using the serum dimethadione (DMO)/trimethadione (TMO) ratio in a single blood sampling after oral administration of TMO, which we call the TMO tolerance test, in order to develop a means of pre-operatively assessing hepatic resectability. Serum DMO/TMO ratios correlated well with the total amount of the hepatic microsomal TMO-N-demethylase activity (enzyme activity) and with the remnant liver weight after 37% and 68% partial hepatectomy. These ratios increased after partial hepatectomy in parallel with the changes in the enzyme activity and the remnant liver weight. The results suggest that the quantitative functional changes of the remnant liver after hepatectomy in both CCl4-treated and untreated rats can be estimated pre-operatively by the TMO tolerance test.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

High prevalence of antibody to hepatitis C virus in heavy drinkers with chronic liver diseases in Japan.

To investigate the prevalence of antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in heavy drinkers with liver disease in Japan, we tested serum samples from 113 heavy drinkers with liver disease and 121 without liver disease. All were negative for HBsAg with no history of blood transfusion. These subjects had consumed more than 80 g of ethanol daily for 5 years or more. Findings for anti-HCV determined by recombinant immunoblot assay testing were positive in 14 (35.9%) of the 39 patients with liver cirrhosis, 14 (58.3%) of the 24 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and in 8 (53.3%) of the 15 patients with chronic hepatitis. The anti-HCV positive rate in the drinkers with these liver diseases was significantly higher than in those with such disorders as fatty liver (0/10), hepatic fibrosis (0/22), and alcoholic hepatitis (0/3), as well as in the alcoholics without liver disease (5/121, 4.2%). Considering histologic findings in the anti-HCV positive cirrhotics, the occurrence of lymph follicle formation (71.4%), piecemeal necrosis (78.6%) and loose fibrosis (64.3%) were observed to a significantly higher extent than in cirrhotics who were negative for anti-HCV. These findings suggest that advanced chronic liver disease among heavy drinkers in Japan, especially of hepatocellular carcinoma, is closely associated with HCV infection. In the livers of heavy drinkers who were positive for anti-HCV, histologic findings indicated the possibility of viral infection.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Trimethadione tolerance tests for the assessment of feasible size of hepatic resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Pre-operative evaluation of the quantity of functional remnant hepatic parenchyma after hepatectomy was carried out to predict the optimal amount of hepatic resection using the trimethadione (TMO) tolerance test. This test is an estimate based on serum diamethadione (DMO)/TMO ratio (DMO is the only metabolite of TMO) 4 h after oral administration of TMO, and computed tomography (CT) scans of the liver in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The percentage of remnant hepatic parenchyma was calculated pre-operatively from the remaining non-cancerous portion and the whole hepatic parenchyma, excluding the HCC portion, using the CT scans. Presumptive remnant DMO/TMO ratio was calculated by multiplying the percentage of remnant hepatic parenchyma and pre-operative serum DMO/TMO ratio in 45 patients with HCC undergoing resection. The presumptive remnant DMO/TMO ratios were 0.31 +/- 0.10 (mean +/- s.d.) in 42 patients who survived hepatectomy and 0.13 +/- 0.02 (below 0.15) in the three patients who died from postoperative hepatic failure. Of these surviving patients, two patients who had the presumptive remnant DMO/TMO ratios under 0.15 developed postoperative severe complications. Thus, hepatectomy may not be indicated in patients where presumptive remnant DMO/TMO ratio is 0.15 and lower. These findings suggest that pre-operative measurement of presumptive remnant DMO/TMO ratio, when obtained with the CT of the liver and TMO tolerance test, is useful for prediction of the quantity of functional remnant hepatic parenchyma after hepatectomy in patients with chronic liver disease.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Low prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with auto-immune hepatitis type 1.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies were measured in 28 patients with auto-immune hepatitis type 1 using six different assay kits, three for C100-3 antibody and three for second generation HCV antibody, and two confirmatory tests to determine the prevalence of HCV infection in auto-immune hepatitis. These patients were confirmed to have human leucocyte antigen DR 4 or 2 which is susceptible to auto-immune hepatitis in Japanese. Of the 28 patients, four (14.3%) were positive for HCV antibody in all assays and reacted positively in at least one of the two confirmatory tests, indicating a true positive finding. Eight were positive for HCV antibody only by the Ortho ELISA kit and were negative in both confirmatory tests. The cut-off level for these results was low and became negative soon after the patients received corticosteroid treatment. Thus, these eight patients are presumed to be false-positive reactors. Hepatitis C virus RNA was detected in the serum of two of the four patients with HCV antibody and in none of 24 patients without HCV antibody. No significant difference was observed between the patients with and without HCV antibody in terms of clinical background, liver function tests and auto-antibodies. Our results showed that the prevalence of a past or present HCV infection in patients with auto-immune hepatitis in Japan is low; thus, auto-immune hepatitis is thought to be distinct from hepatitis type C. However, it is also suggested that HCV infection can potentially trigger auto-immune hepatitis.

Adult↗