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Biomedical subjects

J Bernuau

Publications and source records attributed to J Bernuau.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Decrease in serum ALT and increase in serum HCV RNA during pregnancy in women with chronic hepatitis C.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The natural history of chronic hepatitis C infection during pregnancy has not been clearly established, and thus our aim was to assess serum alanine aminotransferase levels and serum HCV RNA levels during pregnancy. METHODS: Twenty-six pregnant women with chronic hepatitis C were studied. Serum alanine aminotransferase was assessed within the 3 months before, monthly during and within the 3 months after pregnancy. In 12 women, serum HCV RNA levels were quantified by the branched DNA assay. Twenty-six age-matched non-pregnant women with chronic hepatitis C were followed up for 1 year, and used as a comparison group. RESULTS: During pregnancy, serum alanine aminotransferase levels decreased in the second and third trimesters. The third trimester levels were significantly lower than serum alanine aminotransferase levels before pregnancy (p=0.0001). Seventy-seven percent of the pregnant women with increased pre-pregnancy levels had normalization of serum alanine aminotransferase levels. In the second or third trimesters, serum HCV RNA levels increased. The third trimester serum HCV RNA levels were significantly higher than levels before pregnancy (p=0.01). No significant change in serum alanine aminotransferase or HCV RNA levels was observed in the control group. CONCLUSION: In pregnant women with chronic hepatitis C, serum alanine aminotransferase levels decrease, and serum HCV RNA levels increase during the second and third trimesters.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Elevated circulating cardiac troponin I in patients with cirrhosis.

It has been shown that certain patients with cirrhosis have asymptomatic cardiac abnormalities that have not yet been explained. Thus, cardiac troponin I, a specific marker of myocardial injury, has been measured in patients with cirrhosis without previous cardiac disease. Thirty-two consecutive patients (age 49 +/- 11) with cirrhosis and normal ECG were selected, 22 of which were alcoholic. Hemodynamic investigations were performed. Left ventricular function and mass were evaluated by echocardiography. Serum creatine kinase MB mass, myoglobin, and cardiac troponin I concentrations were measured. Cardiac troponin I concentrations were elevated in 10 patients (32%) (range 0.06-0.25 microg/L) whereas creatine kinase MB mass and myoglobin were normal in all patients. Abnormal troponin I values were not related to the severity of cirrhosis, to the degree of portal hypertension, or to other hemodynamic values. In contrast, elevated serum cardiac troponin I concentrations were related to a decreased stroke-volume index (P <. 05) and a decreased left ventricular mass (P <.05). These results show a high prevalence of slightly elevated serum cardiac troponin I in patients with cirrhosis, especially in those with alcoholic cirrhosis. Elevated troponin I is associated with subclinical left ventricular myocardial damage. These findings may be linked to a lack of left ventricular adaptation in certain patients with cirrhosis and alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Studies of portal hemodynamics and hepatic oxygen consumption during acute liver allograft rejection.

Hemodynamics and oxygen variables, plasma cytokines, and histological features of a liver tissue sample obtained by transvenous biopsy were evaluated during 65 episodes of acute rejection. The hepatic venous pressure gradient was significantly higher in patients with acute rejection than in those without (5.1+/-0.3 vs. 3.1+/-0.2 mmHg, P<0.01). The increase in pressure gradient was related to the severity of rejection lesions. Hepatic blood flow was significantly lower in patients with than in those without acute graft rejection (1.28+/-0.11 vs. 1.75+/-0.13 L/min, P<0.05). Plasma interleukin-6 levels were significantly increased in patients with acute rejection and positively correlated with pressure gradient values. In patients with acute rejection, a significant decrease in hepatic venous oxygen content (-16%) was associated with a significant increase in hepatic oxygen consumption (+24%), whereas hepatic oxygen transport did not change significantly. In treated patients with a favorable response, the pressure gradient decreased significantly by 46%, but it remained elevated in patients who later developed chronic graft rejection. In conclusion, this study confirms that acute graft rejection may induce an increase in portal pressure, which is related to the severity of rejection lesions. It also shows that acute rejection decreases hepatic blood flow and increases hepatic oxygen consumption. In addition, it suggests that the hepatic venous pressure gradient might be useful to determine the outcome of rejection.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1997

Apoptosis after ischemia-reperfusion in human liver allografts.

Little is known about the possible contribution of apoptosis to ischemia-reperfusion injury in human liver transplantation. Therefore, we studied postreperfusion surgical biopsy specimens of 16 human liver allografts using the TUNEL assay for in situ demonstration of apoptotic cells. In all patients, a variable proportion of hepatocytes and sinusoidal endothelial cells presented labeled nuclei. The mean +/- standard deviation percentages of positive hepatocytes were 18.7% +/- 12.2% in the whole section, 30.4% +/- 18.7% in the subcapsular region, 14.5% +/- 13.5% in the centrilobular zones, and 10.3% +/- 9.5% in the periportal zones. The percentage of positive hepatocytes were not correlated with the duration of cold ischemia but was higher in grafts harvested from donors with elevated preoperative aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. The percentage of positive hepatocytes was correlated with postoperative serum levels of AST (P = .015) and inversely correlated with postoperative serum levels of factor V (P = .019). Apoptotic biliary epithelial cells were detected in only 3 cases. In conclusion, apoptosis is a frequent event in postreperfusion biopsy specimens of liver allografts and probably contributes to preservation injury of hepatocytes.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1997

Auxiliary liver transplantation in patients with fulminant hepatic failure: hepatobiliary scintigraphic follow-up.

Auxiliary liver transplantation (ALT), retaining in place the liver of the recipient, has been proposed as an alternative to liver replacement in patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF). Hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HS) has proved a unique tool for the separate assessment of graft and native liver function. Forty-eight HS scans were performed, following the injection of technetium-99m trimethyl-bromo-imino-diacetic acid, in six patients who underwent ALT for FHF. Quantitative parameters were derived from the time-activity curves of both the graft and the native liver. The function of the graft remained normal as long as the patients remained under immunosuppressive therapy (IST). The function of the native liver was almost completely absent in the 1st month in five patients, but it improved gradually in four of them. IST was then decreased in four patients and finally withdrawn in three. Spontaneous graft atrophy occurred in two patients and the graft was removed in two. All of the patients in whom IST was reduced had a normal global hepatic function and selective uptake (RU) >30% at that time. In ALT patients with FHF, HS can distinguish non-invasively the functional performance of both the donor and the recipient liver and its evolution with time.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Subfulminant syncytial giant cell hepatitis: recurrence after liver transplantation treated with ribavirin.

We report the case of an adult patient affected by acute syncytial giant cell hepatitis which had a subfulminant course leading to liver transplantation. Syncytial giant cell hepatitis recurred after transplantation and was efficiently treated with ribavirin. In this patient, the recurrence of the disease, the presence of filamentous strands on electron microscopy during both bouts of hepatitis and the efficacy of ribavirin on post-transplantation hepatitis suggest that the disease was caused by an original virus. This observation also suggests that early administration of ribavirin in patients affected by acute syncytia; giant cell hepatitis of unknown origin could avoid liver transplantation.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1997

Complement activation after ischemia-reperfusion in human liver allografts: incidence and pathophysiological relevance.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Little is known about the occurrence and possible consequences of local complement activation in human liver transplantation. The aim of this study was to search for signs of complement activation in human liver allografts and evaluate their relationship to cell injury and leukocyte sequestration. METHODS: In 33 postreperfusion biopsy specimens, 9 preoperative specimens, and 10 intraoperative specimens, the cytolytic membrane attack complex of complement was localized, expression of complement inhibitors was evaluated, and intragraft accumulation of leukocytes and platelets was quantitated. RESULTS: In control samples and preoperative biopsy specimens, the membrane attack complex was detected only in extracellular deposits, associated with its soluble inhibitors clusterin and vitronectin. Comparable observations were performed in 14 postoperative specimens. In the remaining 19 postoperative specimens, membrane attack complex decorated a variable proportion of hepatocytes. The extent of membrane attack complex deposition correlated with the increase in postoperative aspartate aminotransferase levels in serum (P = 0.002) and the decrease in postoperative factor V levels in serum (P = 0.002). It also correlated with the number of leukocytes and platelets accumulating within the graft (P < or = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Local complement activation is frequent during human liver transplantation and probably contributes to cell injury and leukocyte sequestration in the allograft.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Prolonged interferon-alpha therapy of hepatitis B virus-related decompensated cirrhosis.

Interferon alpha therapy of hepatitis B virus-related decompensated cirrhosis with the dose and the duration generally used is frequently associated with severe side-effects and reactivations. Between 1989 and 1996, 15 patients with hepatitis B virus-related decompensated cirrhosis received prolonged (3-48 months) low-dose (3 million units) IFN-alpha therapy. Ten patients (66%) had a sustained loss of serum hepatitis B virus DNA and hepatitis Be antigen (if present initially) associated with a decrease of aminotransferase levels into the normal range. During follow-up of these 10 patients, seven had a marked clinical improvement and are alive and fully active. One has an hepatocellular carcinoma, and two died without reactivation. Among the five other patients, two had a transient loss of serum HBV DNA followed by reactivation and three did not respond to therapy. During follow-up, one of these five patients died and one underwent liver transplantation. Severe complications, possibly related to interferon were uncommon and included bacterial infection in one case and variceal bleeding in two cases. Eleven of the 15 patients treated are alive after 1.5-7 years of follow-up. Hence, in patients with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis, prolonged low-dose IFN-alpha therapy is relatively well tolerated and may induce a sustained inhibition of hepatitis B virus replication with marked clinical improvement.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Effects of micronized natural progesterone on the liver during the third trimester of pregnancy].

In France, prescription of micronized progesterone at high doses of 900 to 1200 mg/day is common practice in the case of preterm delivery, even though this is neither an indication nor a posology given for marketing authorisation. A few cases of gestational pruritus have been reported during such use, associated with cholestasic and/or cytolytic hepatic disorders. We report here the results of a controlled, double-blind study versus a placebo, aimed at assessing the effects on the liver of micronized progesterone administered orally at high doses (900-1200 mg/day), conducted in a population of 201 women presenting moderate menace of preterm delivery during the third trimester of pregnancy. 85 patients received micronized progesterone and 116 the placebo. The increase above normal levels of total biliary acids (TBA) and aminotransferases (ASAT, ALAT), was significantly more frequent in the micronized progesterone than in the placebo group. Among the 26 patients (14%) with a level of TBA superior to 10 mumoles/l during treatment, 18 belonged to the progesterone and 8 to the placebo group (p = 0.004); the 6 patients (3.4%) with increased ASAT were all under micronized progesterone (p < 0.001), as were the 10 patients (5.6%) with increased ALAT (p < 0.001). However, there is no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding the occurrence of clinical manifestations (icterus, pruritus) which could be attributed to gravid cholestasis. We may conclude from this prospective study that, during the third trimester of pregnancy, micronized progesterone is associated with a significant risk of biological cholestasis. This would suggest that in patients genetically predisposed towards gravid cholestasis, micronized progesterone could be a factor favoursing this disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Auxiliary liver transplantation: regeneration of the native liver and outcome in 30 patients with fulminant hepatic failure--a multicenter European study.

Auxiliary liver transplantation (LT) is a special procedure of LT which could be proposed to patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) and has for aim that complete regeneration of the native liver (NL) left in place will allow the graft recipient to resume normal liver function after allograft withdrawal. We report 30 cases of auxiliary LT performed for FHF in 12 European centers. Twenty-five of 30 patients were younger than 50 years. The cause of FHF was hepatitis A virus (HAV) in 4 patients, hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 7, paracetamol overdose in 5, ecstasy in 2, hepatotoxic drugs in 4, autoimmune hepatitis in 2, liver lesions of preeclampsia in 1 and unknown in 5. A postoperative, both clinical and histological follow-up of more than 3 weeks was obtained in 22 patients, enabling us to look for indicators predictive of NL regeneration and outcome. Histological changes observed in the NL included complete regeneration in 68%, incomplete regeneration with obvious fibrous sequelae in 14% and severe liver fibrosis or cirrhosis in 18%, of the 22 patients studied. The percentage and distribution of necrosis observed in tissue samples of the NL at the time of transplantation was not related to the final outcome. Complete NL regeneration was observed in 15 patients, out of whom 14 were younger than 40 years. Patients with complete regeneration were mainly affected by FHF due to HAV, HBV, or paracetamol overdose. After a follow-up of 18/11 (mean/median) months (range, 3 to 67 months), 19 of the 30 patients (63%) survived and 13 of them (68%), i.e., 43% of the 30 patients, had resumed normal NL function, with interrupted immunosuppression, the ultimate goal of emergency auxiliary LT. We conclude that, in patients with FHF, auxiliary LT is a procedure feasible in a number of centers and is associated with a complete regeneration capability of the NL in a majority of survivors, especially in those younger than 40 years. Confirmation of these encouraging preliminary results by large-scale prospective studies is required.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Hepatotoxicity of antitubercular treatments. Rationale for monitoring liver status.

The standard antitubercular regimen currently includes a combination of 3 antitubercular agents: isoniazid, rifampicin (rifampin) and pyrazinamide. Administration of a fourth agent, ethambutol, is recommended when isoniazid resistance is suspected. Two of these 4 agents (isoniazid and pyrazinamide) are major hepatotoxins. The remaining 2 agents (rifampicin and ethambutol) are rarely or not hepatotoxic. However, rifampicin, which is a powerful enzyme inducer, may enhance the hepatotoxicity of isoniazid. In patients receiving a combination of isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrazinamide, 2 patterns of fulminant liver injury can be observed. The first pattern is characterised by an increase in serum transaminase activity that occurs soon (usually within the first 15 days) after initiation of treatment. This pattern is likely to be caused by rifampicin-induced isoniazid hepatotoxicity. The prognosis is good in most cases. The second pattern is characterised by an increase in serum transaminase activity that occurs late (usually more than 1 month) after the initiation of treatment. It has been suggested that this pattern may be related to pyrazinamide hepatotoxicity. The prognosis of this type of hepatitis is generally poor. In order to reduce the risk of severe hepatic adverse effects during antitubercular treatment, several measures are proposed. First, patients with underlying liver test abnormalities should not be given pyrazinamide. Second, isoniazid and pyrazinamide should be administered at the lowest dosage within their respective therapeutic ranges. Third, serum transaminase levels should be determined twice weekly during the first 2 weeks of treatment, every 2 weeks during the rest of the first 2 months, and every month thereafter. When serum transaminase levels increase to greater than 3 times the upper limit of normal, therapy with isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrazinamide should be stopped. After serum transaminase levels have returned to normal, isoniazid can be re-introduced at a low daily dose, without rifampicin. Pyrazinamide may not be re-introduced because of the risk of recurrence and the poor prognosis of pyrazinamide-induced hepatitis. Although it is nephrotoxic, streptomycin is an alternative in patients with liver test abnormalities during antitubercular treatment.

Antitubercular Agents↗