Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
5
pubmed:dateCreated
2006-4-26
pubmed:abstractText
Some chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients exhibit persistently normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (PNAL). Patients with PNAL experience significantly milder disease. In order to understand the differences between CHC patients with elevated ALT levels compared with those with PNAL better, we compared epidemiological, immunological and histological findings, in particular, the value of proliferating hepatocyte activity (PCNA) between the two groups of patients. We studied 40 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) carriers with increased ALT who underwent liver biopsy for histological diagnosis and determination of clinical prognosis, and 24 PNAL patients under follow-up for 10 years. Immunological response to different HCV genomic epitopes was tested in both the control group and in PNAL subjects. PCNA values from liver specimens of all patients as well as liver biopsies of PNAL patients at time points 0 and 5 years were calculated according to Hall et al.Age, sex and body mass index (BMI) were not significantly different between the two groups. The median liver histology stage was significantly higher in HCV carriers vs the PNAL group (2.5, range = 2-6 vs 1.5, range = 1-2; P < 0.01). Among PNAL patients, histological stage was not statistically different at the three time points considered. Interferon (IFN)-gamma production was comparable in the two groups. PCNA was significantly higher in the group with elevated ALT levels vs the PNAL group (8%, range = 4-15%vs 5% range = 3-8%; P < 0.05) and no statistically significant differences were found in PNAL patients at time points 0, 5 and 10 years. This study confirms that progression to cirrhosis is slow or absent in PNAL patients after 10 years of follow-up. Accordingly, the hepatic proliferative activity index is low and seems to be stable over time.
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
May
pubmed:issn
1352-0504
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
13
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
290-6
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Adult, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Aged, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Alanine Transaminase, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Biopsy, Needle, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Carrier State, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Cohort Studies, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Disease Progression, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Female, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Genotype, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Hepacivirus, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Hepatitis C, Chronic, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Immunohistochemistry, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Interferon-gamma, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Liver, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Male, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Middle Aged, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-RNA, Viral, pubmed-meshheading:16637858-Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
pubmed:year
2006
pubmed:articleTitle
Hepatitis C virus carriers with persistently normal ALT levels: biological peculiarities and update of the natural history of liver disease at 10 years.
pubmed:affiliation
Internal Medicine and Hepatology Unit, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy. marcello.persico@unina2.it
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article