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Enlargement of the human spleen in graft-versus-host disease.

The spleens of 49 patients who had undergone allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for leukemia were compared at autopsy to determine the pathological changes associated with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The only significant finding was an increase in weight of about 1.7 times that of spleens from patients without GVHD. This was not explained by differences in the patients' sex, length of survival after transplantation, presence of infection, or liver pathology. On histological examination, there was no detectable increase in congestion, siderosis, or numbers of lymphocytes, macrophages, antigen-presenting cells, blast cells, pyknotic cells, plasma cells, or hemopoietic cells to explain the increase in spleen weight. On the contrary, there was actually a reduction in CD8+ T lymphocytes. No proliferative phase of GVHD could be identified, possibly due to a lack of specimens examined less than 8 days after transplantation and to prophylactic measures undertaken to minimize GVHD. The pathogenesis of splenomegaly in human GVHD is unclear.

Adolescent↗

Liver dysfunction in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation recipients.

Liver dysfunction is common in allogeneic bone marrow graft recipients, but no systematic studies of pre- and posttransplantation liver biopsies have been performed to identify and compare hepatic lesions. This study involved 25 consecutive patients who had undergone serial viral screening tests, liver tests, and pre- and posttransplantation liver biopsy. The aims were to ascertain the origin of liver disorders prior to bone marrow transplantation, to determine the mechanism and severity of liver dysfunction occurring early after transplantation, and to identify a possible relationship between pre-existing liver lesions and the frequency and nature of early liver dysfunction after transplantation. Pretransplantation biochemical liver tests were abnormal in 72% of patients, despite the absence of clinical liver disease. Eleven patients had chronic viral hepatitis B or C. Mild or moderate histological lesions were present in all the patients, with bile duct abnormalities in 48%, central vein abnormalities in 24%, sinusoidal fibrosis in 52%, portal fibrosis in 88%, portal necrosis in 52%, and parenchymal siderosis in 76%. After transplantation, fatal veno-occlusive disease occurred in two patients and biochemical abnormalities occurred in 24. Coded review of needle biopsy specimens failed to provide a single diagnosis. Histological lesions differed between pre- and posttransplantation biopsy specimens only by increased iron overload (96%, P<0.01). We conclude that pretransplant liver lesions contribute to hepatic dysfunction early after bone marrow transplantation, being very similar in nature and degree to lesions observed posttransplantation.

Adolescent↗

Reproductive health in patients with beta-thalassemia.

Homozygous transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia patients manifest cardiac, hepatic, endocrine, and metabolic disorders attributable to chronic anoxia and iron overload. Short stature, delayed sexual maturation, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, hypoparathyroidism, and metabolic bone disease can and should be diagnosed as early as possible so that the intervention can be fruitful. Primary or secondary amenorrhea is due primarily to pituitary gonadotrope hemosiderosis, as attested by pathology data and the demonstration in vivo of nonstimulable follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone release and secretion after the exogenous administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone or its agonistic analogs. Ovulation can be achieved with the use of exogenous gonadotropins provided that the ovary has no siderosis (as seen in neglected patients) or damage induced by drugs used for bone marrow transplantation. Once pregnancy is achieved, it should be considered high risk and be dealt with or cared for by an expert team to ensure a successful outcome.

Adolescent↗

Hepatocellular carcinoma arising in the absence of cirrhosis in genetic haemochromatosis: three case reports and review of literature.

Genetic haemochromatosis constitutes a high risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. It is widely accepted that venesection prevents the evolution of cirrhosis in haemochromatosis and indirectly protects against the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Clinical, pathological and radiological data are presented on three patients who did not conform to the 'siderosis-cirrhosis-carcinoma' sequence and in whom prompt and adequate iron depletion did not prevent the development of cancer. This is the first report of hepatocellular carcinoma intervening in non-cirrhotic liver in two siblings with genetic haemochromatosis. The current literature on the subject is reviewed. The direct oncogenic role of iron remains to be elucidated. Hepatocellular carcinoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients with non-cirrhotic genetic haemochromatosis who present with clinical deterioration during the course of an otherwise uneventful venesection programme.

Adult↗

Quantification of liver iron overload by T2 quantitative magnetic resonance imaging in thalassemia: impact of chronic hepatitis C on measurements.

PURPOSE: Measurement of liver T2 values seems to be an accurate and sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method for the quantification of liver hemosiderosis in multiple transfused patients with thalassemia. Because many of these patients have coexistent chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, the effect of inflammatory changes on liver T2 values was assessed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Liver MRI studies of 35 HCV+ and 17 HCV- patients with beta-thalassemia, 9 HCV+ patients without thalassemia, and 10 healthy controls of the same age range (13 to 32 years) were reviewed. Iron status was assessed by serum ferritin in all patients, and determination of liver iron concentration (LIC) was available in 16 HCV+ patients with thalassemia. Histologic activity index (HAI) and grades of siderosis were evaluated in all HCV+ patients with thalassemia. RESULTS: Patients with thalassemia had significantly lower T2 values (P < 0.0001) than subjects without thalassemia, whereas no difference existed between HCV+ patients without thalassemia and healthy controls. In HCV+ patients, LIC correlated more nearly with T2 values (r = 0.93) than with serum ferritin (r = 0.73). T2 values were not influenced by HAI score or fibrosis. CONCLUSION: Liver T2 values were found to be more accurate than serum ferritin in predicting liver iron overload and were not influenced by the presence of chronic hepatitis C. Therefore, MRI could serve as a noninvasive alternative to liver biopsy for the quantification of hemosiderosis in HCV+ patients with thalassemia.

Adolescent↗

Late complications in childhood central nervous system tumour survivors.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: As the treatment of childhood brain tumours has improved, long-term survival has become more common. Cognitive, physical and psychological complications of the tumour and its treatment have been recognized more frequently in long-term survivors. This review highlights new studies on the cognitive and endocrine complications in survivors. Less-common late effects of treatment are also discussed. RECENT FINDINGS: Cognitive abnormalities and endocrine dysfunction are the most common complications in long-term survivors. Radiotherapy is the main cause of cognitive dysfunction, but intrathecal methotrexate and surgery are contributory factors. New studies have provided information on the frequency of endocrine complications and risk factors for the development of endocrine disorders. Endocrine complications are uncommon when the tumour has been treated with surgery alone. The risk of developing endocrine dysfunction is increased by radiotherapy, and some studies suggest that chemotherapy has an additional deleterious effect. Primary hypothyroidism may be caused by scattered irradiation from spinal and cranial radiotherapy. Direct involvement of the hypothalamus by the tumour, and hypothalamic damage secondary to surgery or radiotherapy, may cause obesity. Hypothalamic tumours also may be associated with hypersomnolence and other features consistent with narcolepsy. The pathogenesis of hypersomnolence in these patients has not been resolved. Long-term childhood brain-tumour survivors are 40 times more likely to develop a stroke than sibling controls. Superficial siderosis of the central nervous system can develop many years after curative treatment of a cerebellar tumour, but effective treatment for this disorder is not yet available. SUMMARY: An attempt to understand the factors that contribute to the long-term morbidity of childhood brain tumours can lead to changes in treatment that improve the quality of life in survivors. Prevention, early recognition and treatment of these complications are attainable goals.

Causality↗

Immunohistochemical detection of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-modified-protein adducts in human alcoholic liver diseases.

4-Hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) is one of the major components of lipid peroxidation product and has been shown to react with proteins to form HNE-protein adducts. HNE-protein adducts are relatively stable and can be used as a marker of radical-mediated cellular damage. We report herein the immunohistochemical analysis of HNE-protein adducts in human alcoholic liver diseases using a specific monoclonal antibody HNEJ-2. Cytoplasm of hepatocytes and bile duct epithelia was positively stained for HNE-protein adducts, and the nucleus was negligibly stained. The immunohistochemical intensity of hepatocytes was classified into three groups: strong, moderate, and faint staining. Strong staining was found in 43% of alcoholic liver diseases and in 4% of viral liver diseases. Hepatocytes of alcoholic liver diseases contained a higher amount of HNE-protein adducts than those of viral liver diseases, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.005; chi2 test). Semiquantitative analysis of the histological intensities of HNE-protein adducts and iron indicated a significant positive correlation (p = 0.084; Spearman's rank correlation). The localization of HNE-protein adducts and iron in hepatocytes appeared to be identical. These data suggested the correlation between HNE-protein adducts and iron. Our results indicate that HNE-protein adducts, a marker of oxidative stress-induced damage, are increased in human alcoholic liver damage, and that hepatic siderosis may act on the production of free radicals.

Aldehydes↗

Hydroxychloroquine versus phlebotomy in the treatment of porphyria cutanea tarda.

Hydroxychloroquine and phlebotomy were compared in the treatment of porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT). Thirty patients received hydroxychloroquine (200 mg twice weekly) for 1 year and thirty-one underwent twice-monthly phlebotomies of 400 ml whole blood each, also for 1 year. Clinical signs of disease improved equally in both groups. At the end of the year, urinary porphyrin excretion had significantly improved in twenty-two out of thirty hydroxychloroquine-treated subjects, but in only eight out of the thirty-one patients who received phlebotomy. Liver histology showed significant regression of steatosis and siderosis in both groups compared with the pretrial biopsy, but the activity of liver disease, as judged by the extent of necrosis, inflammation and fibrosis, worsened in twelve hydroxychloroquine and in seven phlebotomy-treated patients. It is concluded that hydroxychloroquine is more effective than phlebotomy in decreasing porphyrin production. However, further work is needed to assess whether long-term hydroxychloroquine treatment favours the progression of the chronic liver disease associated with PCT.

Adult↗

Incompletely processed N-glycans of serum glycoproteins in congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia type II (HEMPAS).

Congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia type II, or HEMPAS (hereditary erythroblastic multinuclearity with positive acidified serum lysis test) is a genetic disease caused by membrane disorganization of erythroid cells. The primary defect of this disease lies in the gene encoding enzyme(s) which is responsible for the biosynthesis of Asn-linked oligosaccharides chains of glycoproteins (Fukuda et al, 1990). In order to know whether this gene defect affects the glycosylation in the cells other than the erythroid cells, the carbohydrate structures of the transferrin isolated from the sera of HEMPAS patients were analysed. Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry analysis showed the presence of high mannose type and hybrid type oligosaccharides in the HEMPAS transferrin which is in contrast to the complex-type oligosaccharides found in the normal transferrin. The results strongly suggest that biosynthesis of Asn-linked oligosaccharide chains in HEMPAS hepatocytes is disturbed. As a result, the serum glycoproteins with incompletely processed carbohydrates are circulating in the plasma in HEMPAS patients, but they must have been absorbed by the cells in the liver and the reticuloendothelial cells. Upon intravenous infusion into rats, as much as 30% of the HEMPAS transferrin was cleared from the plasma circulation. The majority of the HEMPAS transferrins was taken up by the liver, and transferrin was distributed both in the hepatocytes and the Kupffer cells. The presence of enormous amounts of aberrantly glycosylated serum glycoproteins may lead to the liver cirrhosis and secondary tissue siderosis seen in HEMPAS patients.

Adult↗

Liver iron stores in patients with secondary haemosiderosis under iron chelation therapy with deferoxamine or deferiprone.

Total body iron stores including liver and spleen iron were assessed by non-invasive SQUID biomagnetometry. The liver iron concentration was measured in groups of patients with beta-thalassaemia major or other posttransfusional siderosis under treatment with the oral iron chelator deferiprone (n = 19) and/or with parenteral deferoxamine (n = 33). An interquartile range for liver iron concentrations of 1680-4470 micrograms/g liver was found in these patients. In both groups a poor correlation between liver iron and serum ferritin values was observed. Repeated measurements of liver and spleen iron concentrations as well as determination of liver and spleen volume by sonography were performed in six patients under continuous deferiprone treatment for 3-15 months. In this group detailed information was obtained on the whole body iron store (5-36g) and the iron excretion rates (14-34 mg/d) for each patient. As indicated by decreasing liver iron concentrations, five out of six subjects showed a negative iron balance (2-13 mg/d). Conventional measurements of both serum ferritin and urine iron excretion gave fluctuating results, thus being only of limited use in the control of iron depletion therapy. The non-invasive biomagnetic liver iron quantification is a precise and clinically verified technique which offers more direct information on the long-term efficacy of an iron depletion therapy than the hitherto used methods. This technique may be of use in the clinical evaluation of new oral iron chelators.

Adult↗

Antibodies to hepatitis C virus in essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia.

Although essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia (EMC) is recognized to be frequently associated with chronic liver disease, aetiology and pathogenesis of liver damage remain unsolved questions. The purpose of this study was to assess the possible causative role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the liver impairment occurring in patients with EMC. Twenty-six consecutive EMC patients were evaluated. All patients underwent percutaneous liver biopsy. Anti-HCV antibodies were assayed by ELISA and supported by a recombinant immunoblotting assay (4-RIBA). The prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in patients with and without chronic active liver disease (CALD) was compared. Anti-HCV antibodies were detected in 13 patients (50%) by ELISA and confirmed in 11 of them (42.3%) by 4-RIBA, the remaining two patients being indeterminate in the supportive assay. CALD correlated significantly with anti-HCV antibodies: indeed, 7/11 (63.6%) anti-HCV+ patients showed histological and clinical pictures of CALD, compared with 1/15 (6.6%) anti-HCV- patients (P less than 0.01). With the exception of the patient who was found to be HBsAg+, no liver tissue expressed hepatitis B virus-related antigens in the hepatocytes. Additional histological findings included discrete lymphoid aggregates in portal tracts, siderosis, fatty changes, hyperplasia of Kupffer cells. It can be concluded that chronic liver damage in EMC is frequently associated with anti-HCV antibodies. Although the cause of EMC remains unknown, this study has obvious implications for clarifying the etiology of associated CALD and further supports the therapeutic use of interferons in this disease.

Adult↗

Acute ethanol ingestion and haem biosynthesis in healthy subjects.

The effects of acute ethanol ingestion on the activities of the enzymes of haem biosynthesis in peripheral blood cells have been monitored in eight healthy subjects. The mitochondrial enzymes delta-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) synthase, coproporphyrinogen oxidase and ferrochelatase were measured in leucocytes and the cytosolic enzymes ALA dehydratase, porphobilinogen (PBG) deaminase and uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase in erythrocytes. Ingestion of 1 . 316 mol ethanol resulted in increased activity of the rate-controlling enzymes ALA synthase and PBG deaminase and decreased activity of the other four enzymes. There was also increased urinary excretion of coproporphyrin. These observations may be relevant to the biochemical mechanisms involved in the ethanol-related conditions, sideroblastic anaemia, cutaneous hepatic porphyria and hepatic siderosis.

5-Aminolevulinate Synthetase↗

The pathology of the liver in porphyria cutanea tarda.

We report the findings in 53 biopsies from 45 patients with porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT). Red autofluorescence and birefringent acicular cytoplasmic inclusions were constant findings in all untreated cases. Autofluorescence occurs in other hepatic porphyrias, but acicular inclusions appear to be specific for PCT; we have seen them in subclinical porphyria and before development of cutaneous symptoms. They are probably uroporphyrins and they trend to disappear during rinsing by water during most staining procedures. We recommend unstained paraffin sections for their demonstration. Liver damage in PCT has features distinct from other liver diseases, including alcoholic liver disease. These include constant but mild periportal siderosis, focal lipofuscin deposition, focal lobular hepatocyte necrosis associated with groups of pigment-laden macrophages, focal steatosis, marked hepatocyte hyperplasia and the presence of periductal lymphocyte aggregates. The latter have not been previously described in PCT and were present in 43% of our cases. There is a direct relationship between increasing age and progressive distortion of liver architecture, with fibrosis present at a mean age of 48 years, cirrhosis at 57 and hepatocellular carcinoma at 66. The characteristic liver histology and the natural history of PCT are against this being the result of any non-specific liver damage and favour instead a specific liver disease whose pathogenesis may be mainly the result of the metabolic defect of PCT.

Adult↗

Hepatitis C virus infection in renal transplant patients: a comparative study with immunocompetent patients.

The behavior of hepatitis C in states of immunodeficiency is poorly understood and it is still unclear whether the characteristics of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in renal transplant patients differ from those observed in immunocompetent subjects. The aim of this study was to compare the biochemical and histologic characteristics of chronic HCV infection between renal transplant and immunocompetent patients. Forty-one HCV-RNA-positive renal transplant patients and 41 immunocompetent controls matched for gender, age at infection and time of infection were included in the study. The groups were compared regarding laboratory and histologic variables. Renal transplant patients showed lower alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (p = 0.005) and higher levels of gamma-glutamyltransferase (p = 0.003), alkaline phosphatase (p < 0.001), and direct bilirubin (p < 0.001) when compared with controls. Histologic analysis revealed less intense portal (p < 0.001) and periportal (p = 0.046) inflammatory infiltrate in renal transplant patients but a larger proportion of cases with confluent necrosis (p = 0.043). No difference in the presence of septal fibrosis, hepatic steatosis, bile duct injury and siderosis was observed. However, there was a difference in the presence of lymphoid aggregates, which were less frequent in the renal transplant group (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the characteristics of hepatitis C in renal transplant patients differ from that observed in immunocompetent patients. In renal transplant patients, HCV infection is biochemically characterized by lower ALT levels and higher frequency of cholestasis. Regarding histology, despite lower frequency of lymphoid aggregates and less intense portal/periportal inflammatory infiltrate, a greater lobular damage was observed. The impact of these differences on the progression of fibrosis remains to be established.

Adult↗

Chronic viral hepatitis in thalassemic liver disease. A long-term study in patients with acute hepatitis with nontransfusion-dependent thalassemia minor.

To evaluate the effective role of hepatitis viruses in thalassemic (Th) liver disease, we carried out a long-term study in 42 subjects with nontransfusion-dependent Th minor hospitalized for an episode of acute viral hepatitis. 10 patients had serologic evidence of hepatitis A, 23 of hepatitis B and 9 of hepatitis non-A, non-B. In the follow-up chronic hepatitis was detected histologically in 5/23 patients with hepatitis B and 5/9 with hepatitis non-A, non-B. All hepatitis A patients recovered completely. The prevalence in 7 out of 10 patients with chronic hepatitis of piecemeal necrosis and of inflammatory changes over hepatic siderosis and fibrosis evidenced a determinant role of chronic viral infection in the development of liver damage in these patients. Thus, heterozygous nontransfusion-dependent Th patients seem to have a high risk of developing a chronic inflammatory liver disease especially after an episode of non-A, non-B hepatitis. Therefore, in our geographical area, chronic hepatitis of viral origin should be taken into account, among other pathogenetic factors, in many cases of cryptogenic thalassemic liver disease.

Acute Disease↗

Neonatal haemochromatosis associated with Down syndrome.

METHODOLOGY: The clinical course of a child with neonatal haemochromatosis associated with Down syndrome is described, using case notes and post-mortem examination. RESULTS: The patient died of liver failure on day 36. Post-mortem examination showed siderosis of liver, pancreas, heart, kidney and thyroid. CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal haemochromatosis is a rare paediatric disease, the aetiology of which is unknown. Evidence suggests a disorder of fetoplacental iron handling with implications for recurrence in future pregnancies.

Down Syndrome↗

Retained intraocular foreign body.

The presence of an intraocular foreign body following eye trauma may not be readily apparent. Serous complications may include, inter alia, endophthalmitis, cataract, retinal detachment and siderosis bulbi. We report an iron intraocular injury due to hammering 'metal on metal', which was diagnosed using ultrasonic biomicroscopy and successfully removed. Two months post-operatively, unaided vision was 6/6.

Accidents, Occupational↗

Non-specific iron in patients with beta-thalassaemia trait and chronic active hepatitis.

A non-specific iron fraction, not bound to transferrin, has been looked for in the sera of 42 never-transfused patients with beta-thalassaemia trait, 17 of whom had chronic active hepatitis, negative for HBV infection or alcohol abuse. Non-specific iron was found only in the sera of those patients with beta-thalassaemia trait plus chronic active hepatitis who had complete transferrin saturation, high serum ferritin levels and urinary iron excretion and a high degree of hepatic siderosis. In view of the known toxicity of non-transferrin iron, we suggest that this non-transferrin iron fraction may be responsible for the liver damage in these patients. Furthermore, the positive correlation between the presence and the amount of non-transferrin iron and the levels of serum ferritin suggests that this fraction is a sensitive indicator of iron-induced toxicity when severe iron overload slowly develops in patients with beta-thalassaemia trait even in the absence of any iron administration.

Adult↗