Nine cases with serious chronic active hepatitis and 19 cases with severe viral hepatitis were treated with glucocorticoids in the past four years, the former were all recovered while 12 cases of the later achieved marked clinical improvement. Since no specific treatment for severe viral hepatitis was available, the effective rate of 63.2% of glucocorticoids on the disease was considered satisfactory.According to the clinical data, we think that the mechanism of treatment of glucocorticoids on viral hepatitis can not be definitely attributed to their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities but it would more likely be due to their potential effect on regulating the physiological functions of the liver cells.

In order 10 correctly evaluate acid-base disturbances (ABD) in patients with severe viral hepatitis, 274 measurements of blood gases and electrolytes are analysed by the combination of ABD-PCF, AG, potential bicarbonate and chlorine (Cl~). According to the results of ABD-PCF, 142 times (51.8%) were diagnosed as simple ABD and 132 times (48.2%) as double ABD. When AG, potential bicarbonate and Cl- were used to analyse further, simple ABD was diagnosed 78 times only, double ABD 100 times, triple ABD 94 times, and quartet ABD 2 times only. Increased 64 times (48.5%) of mixed ABD were diagnosed by the combined method. This results suggests that the latter was important for correct evaluation of mixed ABD, especially for triple and quartet ABD. The incidences of complications and mortality were significantly higher in patients with mixed ABD than those with simple ABD.

In order to evaluate the acid-hase disorders(ABD)in patients with severe viral hepatitis correctly,274 parameters of blood gas and electrolyte were analyzed.According to the combined analysis on the pre-estimated compensatory formula(PCF).anion gap(AG).and potential bicarbonate and chlorine,there were only 78 times of single ABD(28.5%),101 times of double ABD(36.7%),and 95 times of triple ABD(34.6%),which indicates that multiple ABD was quite common in patients with severe viral hepatitis.Among various forms of ABD.respiratory al-kalosis(222 times and 81.0%)was the commonest.then metabolic alkalosis(188 times and 68.6%).metabolic acidosis(136 times and 49.3%),and respiratory acidosis(20 times and 7.3%)occupied the 2nd.3rd.and 4th position on the list.The ratio between alkalemia and acidemia was 2.43 '?1.The incidences of complications and mortality were significantly higher in patients with mixed ABD than in those with simple ABD.

Four synthetic peptides,CP10,CP9,CP33c and CP100,with the sequences corresponding to the capsid protein and nonstructural protein of hepatitis C virus(HCV)respectively,were employed to establish ELISA to detect anti-HCV.Serum HCV RNA was identified with reverse transcriptive polymerase chain reaction(RT - PCR)for comparison.Out of 320 sera collected from patients with viral hepatitis,patients with other diseases and blood donors,49 were positive for antibodies against a single or several peptides.Among the positive rates of antibodies against a single peptide,anti-CP10 rate(9.69%)was the highest and anti-CP33c(3.44%)the lowest.The positive rate for anti-HCV antibodies was significantly higher when 4 peptides were combinedly used than when only one peptide(P

The existence of HBV-DNA in the mononuclear cells of peripheral blood and in the serum of 61 patients with HBV infection was determined with southern blot and dot blot hybridization,and that in the liver tissue of 31 patients out of the 61 with southern blot and in situ hybridization.The positive rate of HBV-DNA in the serum,mononuclear cells and hepatocytrs was 26.2% (16/61),24.6% (15/61) and 44.8% (13/31) respectively.There was no concordance of the existence of HBV-DNA in the serum,peripheral mono-nuclear cells and hepatocytes in an individual.For example,HBV-DNA was absent in the serum but present in mononuclear cells and hepatocytes in 11 cases.In fact,peripheral mononuclsar cells can serve as the reservoir for HBV to replicate.It cannot be denied that HBV can replicate in an individual even though HBV-DNA is negative in the serum.

Antibodies against LSP in the sera of 168 patients with various types of viral hepatitis were determined with SPA-RIA. The sera of another group of 178 patients (109 of them were from the first group) with viral hepatitis were studied with ELISA for the same antibodies, which were further divided into three categories, that is, IgG, IgM and IgA classes. The results of 109 patients examined with both of the two methods, indicated that anti-LSP antibodies measured by SPA-RIA might mainly represent anti-LSP IgG class. It was found that circu-lating anti-LSP antibodies could easily be detected in most patients with either acute or chronic hepatitis. After analyzing the-results, the authors suggest that the humoral immune response against LSP might not be the sole initiating factor in the pathogenesis of viral hepatitis, they are more likely the result of the antigen variation of the injured liver cells.

The activity of plasma prolidase(PLD)was determined in patients with various chronic liver diseases.It was found that the activity of plasma PLD was increased significantly in 45 patients with cirrhosis and 31 patients with chronic active hepatitis.The plasma level of PLD was not correlated with the serum level of ALP.Plasma PLD was negatively correlated with serum albumin and positively correlated with serum gammablobulin.These findings suggest that the determination of the activity of plasma prolidase may be helpful in the diagnosis of chronic liver diseases.

A specific and sensitive radioimmunoprecipitation method was used to detect antibody against liver-specific membrane lipoprotein (LSP) in the sera of 182 patients with viral hepatitis, HBsAg chronic carriers and liver cirrhosis and 40 patients with other diseases as control. The results showed that the highest frequency of anti-LSP was noticed in the patients with severe hepatitis (15 out of 16 cases, 93.8%), and in the patients with chronic active hepatitis, acute viral hepatitis, chronic persistent hepatitis, cirrhosis and other diseases and in the HBsAg chronic carriers the incidences were 83.6%(41/49 cases), 66.2% (43/65), 63.6%(14/22), 55.0%(11/20), 5%(2/40) and 10%(1/10) respectively. The frequencies of anti-LSP in the patients with various types of viral hepatitis were significantly higher than those in the HBsAg chronic carriers and in the patients with other diseases (P

Objective To express nonstructural protein 2 transactivated protein (NS2TP) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the prokaryotic expression system and prepare polyclonal antibody,and to study the expressions in different liver tissues.Methods NS2TP gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique and cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pET-32a(+),which was transformed into E.coli BL21.The protein was induced by isopropyl thiogalactose (IPTG) and analyzed with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and confirmed by Western blotting assay.The recombinant protein were expressed and purified in a large amount.The rabbit was immunized with the purified protein to prepare polyelonal antibody.The liver tissues of patients with chronic HCV infection and healthy controls were detected by immunohistochemistry method.Results The recombinant NS2TP protein (relative molecular mass:33×103 ) and polyclonal antibody with high titer and specificity were successfully prepared.NS2TP expressions in the liver of patients with chronic HCV infection were higher than those of healthy controls,and were mainly distributed in the nucleus of hepatocytes.Conclusions The NS2TP expression level and intracellular location in liver tissue of patients with chronic HCV infection are understanded,which could bring new clues for further study of the biological function of NS2TP and the pathogenesis of HCV infection.

Objective To prepare polyclonal antibody of transactivated protein 5 of hepatitis C virus nonstructural 5A (NA5ATP5) and to explore its expression in the liver tissues. Methods In Escherichia coil BL21, the prokaryotic expression vector pET32a(+)-NS5ATP5 was induced by isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG), and it was analyzed with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyaerylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting. And the purified protein was used to immunize the rabbit to prepare polyelonai antibody, with which we studied the function of NSSATP5 by determining the different liver tissues with the streptavidin-perosidase (SP) immunohistochemistry method. Results Recombinant NS5ATP5 (molecular weight: 65 kD) and polyclonal antibody were successfully prepared. NS5ATP5 expression in the liver of patients with chronic HCV infection was much higher than that of a normal person, and it was detected mainly in the cytoplasm. Conclusion The findings of the expression difference between HCV patients and normal people led to a novel diagnostic marker to detect HCV infection.