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Biomedical subjects

G H Haydon

Publications and source records attributed to G H Haydon.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Assessment of liver histology in patients with hepatitis C and normal transaminase levels.

OBJECTIVE: To compare liver histology in patients with hepatitis C infection (HCV) between patients with normal and abnormal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and examine its relationship with HCV genotype and route of infection. METHODS: One hundred consecutive patients with known HCV presenting for diagnostic laparoscopy and liver biopsy were studied. Route of infection was noted and ALT measured on the day of biopsy and HCV genotype determined. Hepatic pathology was analysed using the Edinburgh scoring system (ESS). RESULTS: Fifteen patients had normal ALT, of whom three (20%) had cirrhosis and 10 (66.7%) fibrosis. Of patients with raised ALT, cirrhosis and fibrosis were similarly found in 14 (16.5%) and 62 (72.9%) respectively. Severe, moderate and mild inflammation occurred in one (6.7%), four (26.7%) and 10 (66.6%) patients with normal ALT compared with 17 (20%), 50 (58.8%) and 18 (21.2%) of those with raised ALT (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in age, route of infection or genotype between those with normal and raised ALT levels. CONCLUSION: Of patients with normal ALT at time of liver biopsy, a significant minority have cirrhosis or significant hepatic inflammation. Liver biopsy is essential in HCV infection as a guide to both therapy and prognosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

New immunosuppressive treatment in transplantation medicine.

Currently, the standard immunosuppressive regimen in organ transplantation is centred around cyclosporin. However, despite the use of this drug, rejection is not uncommon and it is associated with significant side-effects. Novel drugs and regimens have been developed to combat allograft rejection. Although FK506 has a similar mode of action and toxicity profile to cyclosporin, results, particularly in the rescue situation, have been encouraging. Sodium brequinar and rapamycin inhibit lymphocyte proliferation and may be most effective when used in combination with cyclosporin. Mycophenolate mofetil has been used in the treatment of psoriasis for many years; it is safe and will perhaps be useful in second-line therapy in patients unable to tolerate cyclosporin. The specific drugs highlighted in this chapter, although successful to differing degrees in preventing immunological rejection of allografts, have wide-ranging toxic effects on other organs in the body. Future use of these drugs is likely to utilize lower doses, supplemented by specific monoclonal antibody therapy, which can target diverse arms of the immune response. Large clinical trials using monoclonal antibodies against the T-cell receptor, the IL-2 receptor, CD4 T cells and specific adhesion molecules such as ICAM-1 are eagerly awaited. The number of new drugs and their mechanism of action, together with the widening spectrum of monoclonal antibodies available, will ensure that the next decade will be an exciting and hopefully profitable period in transplantation medicine. It is hoped that the introduction and assessment of these new agents will be rather more systematic and objective than that of their antecedents.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is regarded as an aggressive tumour with a poor short-term prognosis. Recent research has suggested that additional aetiological factors may be involved in hepatocarcinogenesis. The development of orthotopic liver transplantation has offered renewed hope for disease-free survival.

Aflatoxin B1↗