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G A Hofkin

Publications and source records attributed to G A Hofkin.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Case report: recurrence of chronic ulcerative colitis induced by intercurrent cytomegalic virus infection.

An association between cytomegalovirus (CMV) and idiopathic ulcerative colitis has been known for more than 30 years. The CMV-associated colitis usually occurs in those who are either immunosuppressed or taking long-term corticosteroid drugs. We describe a patient who had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, who then developed a recurrence six months after glucocorticoid therapy was started. Despite tapering or increasing the glucocorticoid therapy, the symptoms did not improve. Investigations demonstrated the presence of CMV in tissue samples, increase in antibody titers to the CMV virus, and resolution of the colitis upon use of specific anti-CMV therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Whipple's disease: morphologic and immunofluorescence characterization of bacterial antigens.

The bacterial etiology of Whipple's disease is generally accepted. However, the exact identity of the "Whipple bug" has remained elusive. Indeed, the isolation of several types of bacteria from different patients with Whipple's disease has caused some to speculate that Whipple's disease may have polymicrobial etiology. Our light and electron microscopic studies document the presence of bacilliform organisms lying free in the lamina propria of the duodenal mucosa. Intact and partially degraded bacterial organisms were seen in the phagosomes of macrophages. Indirect immunofluorescence studies demonstrated the presence of multiple bacterial antigens in the lamina propria as well as the macrophage granules. This profile of antigens is similar to the profile demonstrated in four other patients in two previous studies. The occurrence of similar profiles of bacterial antigens in the tissues of different patients with Whipple's disease suggests a single microorganism in the etiology of Whipple's disease. Because of the overlapping features of muciphages and Whipple's cells in the rectal biopsy material, the superiority and reliability of proximal small intestinal biopsy in preference to rectal biopsy are re-emphasized.

Adult↗