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J Vahrman

Publications and source records attributed to J Vahrman.

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Acupuncture Therapy↗

Immune responses to the hepatitis B surface antigen and liver-specific lipoprotein in acute type B hepatitis.

A serial prospective study of cellular immunity to HBsAg and liver-specific membrane lipoprotein was undertaken in 21 adults with acute hepatitis type B. Cellular immunity to HBsAg as determined by leucocyte migration inhibition with partially purified HBsAg as antigen was detected in all the patients during the recovery phase of the illness and was already detectable at the time of admission in 13 (62%) of the cases. In five of the remaining eight the titre of HBsAg in the serum at this time was high and in the whole series there was an inverse correlation between the degree of migration inhibition on admission and the peak HBsAg titre suggesting that antigen or possibly antigen/antibody complexes might be interfering with the demonstration of cellular immunity in vitro. Using a combination of minimum migration index recorded during the recovery period peak HBsAg titre, it was possible to compute the peak aspartate aminotransferase level with reasonable accuracy, a finding consistent with the hypothesis that the severity of the illness is related to both the number of infected hepatocytes and the vigour of the immune response to HBsAg. Evidence of an immune response to the liver-specific hepatocyte membrane lipoprotein was present in 50% of the patients tested at the time of admission, but was transient, having disappeared in every case by four weeks. The minimum migration index recorded with HBsAg as antigen was significantly lower in those with detectable sensitisation to the lipoprotein and it is possible that this autoimmune reaction is also generated by the interaction of T cells with viral antigenic determinants on the liver cell surface.

Acute Disease↗

Salmonella heidelberg infection in Caroli's syndrome.

A PATIENT IS DESCRIBED IN WHOM DIARRHEA AND FEVER DUE TO Salmonella heidelberg was followed by a series of episodes of cholangitis due to the same organism. Cholecystectomy and prolonged courses of antibiotics failed to eradicate the infection, and the presence of multiple intrahepatic biliary cysts (Caroli's syndrome) was eventually discovered by endoscopic retrograde cholangiography.

Adult↗

Gonorrhoea with skin and joint manifestations.

Three cases of gonorrhoea with pyrexia and lesions of the skin and joints (benign gonococcaemia) seen in one hospital group in 1969 within four months of one another are described. All three patients improved rapidly with penicillin therapy. This syndrome is commoner than is usually thought. It must therefore be borne in mind when a diagnosis is in doubt in a patient with unusual skin lesions and joint involvement. Thorough bacteriological investigation is necessary before starting treatment. The relevant literature is reviewed.

Adult↗

Studies of Australia-SH antigen in sporadic viral hepatitis in London.

Sera from 87 patients with acute sporadic viral hepatitis were tested for the presence of the Australia-SH antigen. Forty-three were positive by the complement-fixation test, but only 24 of these reacted in the gel-diffusion test. The antigen was equally distributed in infectious and serum hepatitis. The relationship of naturally occurring antigen-positive hepatitis to the Willow-brook MS-2 type is discussed.

Complement Fixation Tests↗

Australia-SH antigen in hepatitis patients in London.

Australia-SH antigen was found in 11 out of 27 sera (40%) obtained from patients with acute viral hepatitis soon after their admission to hospital. Six out of 11 positive sera were collected within the first 12 days of illness; die remaining five were collected between the 13th and 30th days. The antigen was detected by immunodiffusion in agarose gel, five different indicator sera containing Australia-SH antibodies being used. The specificity of these sera was found to be very similar.All of the patients' sera were examined independently by two separate laboratories. The results obtained by the laboratories were in close agreement, though the techniques varied in detail.

Acute Disease↗