PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

F Noventa

Publications and source records attributed to F Noventa.

65 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Prospective study of posttransfusion hepatitis in cardiac surgery patients receiving only blood or also blood products.

The incidence, etiology and risk factors of posttransfusion (PT) hepatitis were evaluated in a prospective study of 297 consecutive open-heart surgery patients. PT hepatitis occurred in 63 (21.2%) patients with a significantly higher hepatitis attack rate in 51 recipients of commercial clotting factor concentrates (56.8%) compared to 246 recipients of blood units from single volunteer donors (13.8% p less than 0.001). Among the concentrates, Prothrombin-complex showed the highest relative hepatitis risk (24) while in patients receiving only blood, the incidence PT hepatitis was correlated with the blood volume transfused. Of the 63 patients with PT hepatitis, 2 (3%) had hepatitis B, 8 (13%) showed evidence of cytomegalovirus infection and 53 (84%) had non-A, non-B hepatitis. These results show that in Italy, as elsewhere, non-A, non-B PT hepatitis is frequent, particularly when commercial blood products are used.

Blood Coagulation Factors↗
PubMed1983

Detection of immunoglobulins G and A on the cell membrane of hepatocytes from patients with alcoholic liver disease.

The presence of immunoglobulins (Ig) G, A, and M and of complement fractions (C3-C4) on the liver cell surface was investigated by direct immunofluorescence in 40 patients with alcoholic liver disease. IgG was detected on the liver cell membrane with a linear staining pattern in 29 patients. The percentage of IgG-positive hepatocytes correlated with transaminase activities, independently of the histological findings. IgA was demonstrable with a coarse granular staining pattern in 11 of the 14 cases with established cirrhosis. The finding of IgG bound to the hepatocyte surface in patients with alcohol-induced liver damage suggests that alcohol could be responsible for antigenic modifications of hepatocyte membrane with consequent triggering of a humoral immune response.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Cellular immunity to the hepatitis B virion in acute hepatitis type B.

Ten patients were studied serially during acute hepatitis type B for lymphocyte sensitization to the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and to the complete hepatitis B virion (Dane particle). Using the lymphocyte transformation test, sensitization to purified HBsAg was not observed during the first 10 days of illness but became detectable later, being particularly evident during convalescence, while sensitization to antigens of the complete virion, other than HBsAg, was demonstrable as soon as at the onset of symptoms, often at the time of maximum liver cell damage. These results indicate that in the course of acute hepatitis type B, lymphocyte sensitization to other antigens of the complete virion precedes that to HBsAg and may be of greater pathogenetic importance.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1979

Relationship between membrane-bound immunoglobulin and viral antigens in liver cells from patients with hepatitis B virus infection.

In an attempt to define further the significance of immunoglobulin G (IgG) fixed in vivo to the hepatocyte membrane in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, we have studied the relationship between presence of membrane-bound IgG and that of intracellular hepatitis B surface (HBsAg) and core (HBcAg) antigens in hepatocytes from 25 HBsAg chronic carriers. For this purpose, we have used a double immunofluorescence technique that is able to detect IgG and viral antigens within the same liver cell. In 15 patients with HBsAg-positive chronic active hepatitis, we found a statistically significant association between detection of membrane-bound IgG and that of intranuclear HBcAg within the same liver cells. On the contrary HGsAg containing hepatocytes generally did not show IgG fixed on their surface. IgG was not detected on the liver cell surface in 10 other HBsAg carriers without active disease and with large amounts of HBsAg containing hepatocytes. These results suggest that in HBsAg-positive chronic active hepatitis membrane-bound IgG is directed against viral antigens or virus-induced neoantigens that appear on the surface of infected cells at the time of active virus replication. Modulation of virus expression by this IgG could play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Carrier State↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical, virologic and histologic outcome following seroconversion from HBeAg to anti-HBe in chronic hepatitis type B.

Seventy consecutive HBsAg- and HBeAg-positive patients with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis were followed prospectively with serial determinations of SGPT levels and hepatitis B virus serum markers including HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBe and hepatitis B virus DNA. During a period of 1 to 11 years (mean +/- S.D.: 5.0 +/- 2.3 years), 28 patients remained persistently HBeAg positive, most with continuing biochemical and histologic activity, while 41 cases seroconverted to anti-HBe. One patient became HBeAg and anti-HBe negative. After seroconversion, 87.8% of the cases showed sustained normalization of SGPT, and clearance of hepatitis B virus DNA from serum and histologic improvement was documented in 79% of the cases who had a control liver biopsy, while 15.8% developed cirrhosis. In two patients (4.9%), the disease remained active despite seroconversion, and both cases had evidence of continuing hepatitis B virus replication. Finally, reactivation of liver damage and of hepatitis B virus replication was observed in three additional patients (7.3%) who had transiently normalized SGPT after seroconversion. All 70 patients were analyzed for hepatitis delta virus markers, and only two persistently HBeAg-positive cases were found positive for antibody to hepatitis delta virus in serum, one also having hepatitis delta antigen in the liver. These findings indicate that, in chronic hepatitis type B, termination of virus replication is associated in most patients with biochemical and histologic regression of inflammatory activity. After anti-HBe seroconversion has occurred, virus replication and liver disease may persist or reactivate in a small proportion of patients thus giving origin to the well-recognized group of anti-HBe positive, hepatitis B virus DNA-positive chronic hepatitis type B.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiology of hepatitis A in northern Italy: a seven-year survey.

During a seven-year survey of acute symptomatic viral hepatitis in Padua (Northern Italy), the epidemiological features of hepatitis A were evaluated in 207 consecutive patients (120 males, mean age 22.7 +/- 11.4 years). The annual attack rate of the disease decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) between 1978 and 1979 (0.11/1000 inhabitants) and 1981 and 1984 (0.04-0.03/1000 inhabitants), mainly due to its declining prevalence in the pediatric age. In parallel with the shifting of hepatitis A towards adulthood, single sources of infection, mainly associated with adult life-style such as foreign travel and raw shellfish ingestion, have become more and more prominent. The spread of drug abuse has not influenced the epidemiology of hepatitis A in our area.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The changing epidemiology of acute type B hepatitis: results of an 11-year prospective study in Padua (northern Italy).

The epidemiological pattern of acute type B hepatitis has been investigated in 1,107 consecutive patients during an 11-year prospective study conducted in Padua (Northern Italy) between 1978 and 1988. Remarkable changes were observed: 1) the attack rate of the disease increased significantly (p less than 0.05) between 1978 (18/10(5) inhabitants) and 1982 (29/10(5) inhabitants), particularly in male subjects and in the 15-19-year age group. The proportion of drug addicts also increased from 8.8 to 42% (p less than 0.05). These changes coincide in time with the spread of parenteral drug abuse in our area; 2) the attack rate dropped significantly (p less than 0.05) between 1983 and 1988 reaching the lowest levels ever observed before (4.7/10(5) inhabitants). The proportion of drug addicts decreased significantly (p less than 0.05), although the number of subjects starting narcotic abuse did not decline in recent years. Two major events could explain this pattern: a partial exhaustion of the susceptible population after spread of infection among drug abusers and, later on, the changing risk behaviours observed in our drug abusers after the AIDS prevention campaign. Other factors, including vaccination of some high risk groups, could have contributed to these changes.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Acute non-A, non-B hepatitis in Italy: a 16-year prospective epidemiological study. The possible role of hepatitis C virus.

During a survey of acute symptomatic viral hepatitis conducted in Padua over the last 16 years, 404 (20%) cases of non-A, non-B hepatitis were observed, including 55% with overt parenteral exposure (35% drug abusers) and 45% with unknown exposure. Between 1978 and 1982 the attack rate of the disease increased significantly (p < 0.01) in males, (from 3.8 to 17.3/10(5) inhabitants), in adolescents and in youths. The prevalence of drug abusers rose up to 58% in 1982 suggesting the occurrence of an outbreak in this risk group. In subsequent years the attack rate returned to initial levels in males, although drug abuse still remains the single most important route of infection, and declined in females, especially after the disappearance of post-transfusion hepatitis since 1991. Retrospective anti-HCV testing of patients seen up to 1990 and prospective investigation of patients hospitalized later have shown an antibody prevalence of 88% among parenterally transmitted cases, and of 29% in the other patients, without significant differences between the prospective and the retrospective study. These findings suggest that an outbreak of hepatitis C occurred in our area in the early eighties and that drug abuse is still the most important mode of transmission of acute hepatitis C.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Changes in liver membrane antigenicity and intracellular viral antigens expression in hepatitis B virus-infected hepatocytes.

In this paper we studied the presence of HBsAg and immunoglobulin G on the liver cell surface in patients with chronic HBV infection. For this purpose we developed a double immunofluorescence technique which allowed the contemporary detection of membrane antigens and the intracellular expression of HBV antigens (HbsAg and HBcAg) within the same hepatocyte. In 16 selected patients (10 with CAH and 6 with normal liver or NSRH) we found that the presence of membranous HBsAg is associated to the healthy carrier state of the infection and it correlates with the presence of abundant HBsAg in the cytoplasm of liver cells. On the contrary, membrane-bound IgG was found in patients with active virus replication and its presence correlates with nuclear HBcAg. On the basis of these results a modulatory effect of the cytophilic IgG on HBV cellular expression is proposed.

Cell Membrane↗