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Biomedical subjects

C Del Vecchio-Blanco

Publications and source records attributed to C Del Vecchio-Blanco.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Liver cirrhosis in Italy. A multicentre study on presenting modalities and the impact on health care resources. National Project on Liver Cirrhosis Group.

A cross-sectional multicentric study was carried out over a six-month period as part of the "Progetto Nazionale Cirrosi Epatica", in order to update information about: a) the prevalence of different aetiologic factors and various nosological varieties of cirrhosis in Italy, as well as its presenting modalities; b) the currently used approach either to the diagnosis or the treatment of complications of cirrhosis; c) the impact of liver cirrhosis on medical care in terms of number of hospitalizations and length of hospital stay, instrumental procedures and management, and d) the size of patient's population referred to the participating centers, in order to help design further studies. From February 1st through July 31st 1987, 1,386 forms relative to 1,101 patients were collected. In 320 patients the diagnosis of cirrhosis was first made during the investigation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Prevalence of HBcAg and delta-Ag in liver tissue of patients with HBsAg positive chronic hepatitis.

One hundred and twenty HBsAg positive patients with chronic liver disease, 94 with CAH and 26 with CPH, were studied in order to characterize chronic HBsAg positive hepatitis virologically. All patients came from a geographical area (Campania, Italy) with a high prevalence of HBV and HDV infection. Each patient was tested for the presence of HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBe and anti-delta in serum (by RIA techniques), and of HDV (by direct immunofluorescence) and HBcAg (by indirect immunofluorescence and PAP-immunoperoxidase) in liver biopsy specimens. Anti-delta serum positivity was remarkably more frequent in patients with CAH (40%) than in those with CPH (19%). Delta-Ag was found in 94.7% of the anti-delta positive patients with CAH, but in none of the five anti-delta positive patients with CPH. In contrast, the frequency of HBcAg tissue positivity was similar in CAH and CPH. Positivity for HBcAg was less frequent in CAH with cirrhosis than in CAH without cirrhosis, while there was no difference in the prevalence of delta-Ag.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

[Serological indices of autoimmunity in an Italian case-load of chronic active HBsAg positive and negative hepatitis].

In South Italy chronic hepatitis is characterized by high frequency of HBsAg positivity, male prevalence and infrequent presence of clinical signs of autoimmunity. To clarify some etiologic aspects of HBsAg negative chronic hepatitis, immunofluorescent tests for ANA, AMA, SMA and for liver membrane antibody (LMA) were performed on the sera of 116 consecutive non alcoholic patients with histological pattern of chronic active hepatitis (42 HBsAg+, 35 antiHBV+ and 39 negatives for all HBV markers). ANA, AMA and SMA positivity did not differentiate the three groups of patients. LMA was detectable in the sera of a relatively few number of cases; no difference was found between HBsAg positive and negative patients (21% and 18% respectively). On the contrary strong association (p less than 0.0005) was found between LMA positivity and activity of the disease, as evaluated on the basis of transaminases and IgG serum levels. These results indicate that autoimmune chronic hepatitis is rare in our geographical area and they suggest that LMA positivity is not a specific test of autoimmune liver diseases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Differences in the etiology of chronic non-alcoholic liver disease in Naples and Copenhagen.

A group of patients with non-alcoholic chronic liver disease from Copenhagen (148) and one from Naples (116) were investigated for the presence of viral and autoimmune serological variables by standardized methods. There were more hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced cases among the Italians (38.8 versus 15.5%), but the sex ratio and biochemical activity were not different from the Danish ones. Autoimmune markers were much more frequent and in higher titers in Danish HBV-negative patients than in Italian ones. Fewer were women, and thus few Italians fit the theory of autoimmune pathology; rather, their chronic liver disease is caused by other hepatitis viruses than B.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Acute viral hepatitis in childhood: etiology and evolution.

A study of 164 consecutive patients (97 males, 67 females; aged 3-11 years) with acute hepatitis was done. Hepatitis A was the most frequent etiologic type. It occurred in 82.7% of the 3-5-year age group, and in 72.2% and 57.2% of the 6-8- and 9-11-year age groups, respectively. Non-A, non-B hepatitis was rather infrequent (4.3%). Hepatitis B occurred in 13.7% of the 3-5-year age group and reached 39.6% in the 9-11-year age group. While all hepatitis A and non-A, non-B cases recovered within a relatively short time, hepatitis B patients recovered more slowly; two cases recovered 1 year after the onset of symptoms. Chronicity was demonstrated in 23.8% of hepatitis B patients 2 years after the onset of the disease. HBsAg clearance was slower in children than in adults. At 4 months, only 59% of patients had serum converted, and a chronic carrier state occurred in 13 of 42 subjects followed for up to 2 years (three healthy carriers and 10 with chronic hepatitis of various types). Our data show that persistence of HBeAg positivity does not always lead to chronicity in children. Of the eight patients HBeAg-positive 1 year after the onset of symptoms, two recovered.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1983

Membranous glomerulopathy and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in children.

Histological examination of renal biopsies in 64 Neapolitan children aged 13 months to 14 years who presented with nephrotic syndrome or persistent hematuria and/or proteinuria revealed membranous glomerulopathy (M.G.) in 14. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was found in the serum of 9/14 children with M.G. and in 1/14 children in an age and sex matched control group. The prevalence of HBsAg positivity in the M.G. children suggests a relationship between HBV infection and the disease. The high prevalence of males in HBsAg positive M.G. children suggests that males have an increased risk of contracting M.G. The absence of chronic liver disease in 8/9 HBsAg positive M.G. patients, and the lack of correlation between the clinical manifestations of kidney disease and the rate of HBV replication indicate that different mechanisms underlie the hepatic and renal pathologies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

[Metabolism of thyroxine in acute viral hepatitis].

Aim of this report was to define the correlation between hepatic acute damage and thyroxine metabolism. We have studied plasma levels of T4, T3, rT3 and TSH in 18 adult male subjects with acute viral hepatitis. No significant variation of T4, T3 and TSH plasma levels was found in different phases of disease. However, plasma rT3 levels were clearly elevated in 72% of patients in the first 7 days (mean 440 pg/ml vs 198 pg/ml of normal controls) and in 17% of cases in the second 10 days of disease (mean 269 pg/ml). Plasma rT3 concentration was always normal in the subsequent phases of disease. Our results indicate a diversion of peripheral thyroxine metabolism in the early stages of acute hepatitis.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1977

[Comparative study of the plasma levels of alpha-1 fetoprotein and carcinoembryonic antigen in chronic liver diseases and malignant neoplasias (author's transl)].

We have measured the plasma levels of alpha-1 fetoprotein (AFP) and carcinembryonic antigen (CEA) by RIA in 98 chronic liver diseases (20 chronic aggressive hepatitis and 75 cirrhosis), in 46 subjects with several varieties of malignant neoplasias and in 30 normal controls. In cirrhosis levels higher than the media +/- 2 DS of controls were found in 25.3% for AFP (Max. value 250 ng/ml) and in 36.0% for CEA (Max. value 150 ng/ml). Only in 6 cases of cirrhosis we found high levels of AFP and CEA contemporaneously. High levels of AFP were found in 10/13 primary liver cancers and only in 1 patient with colonic carcinomata. High levels of CEA were found in 4/13 primary liver cancers (1 AFP positive too), 3/4 metastatic liver cancers, 7/17 colonic primary cancers, 3/6 bronchogenic carcinoma, and 3/6 other malignancies.

Adolescent↗