OBJECTIVETo verify the mechanism of the hepatitis B viral clearance using clinical data.

METHODSViral level and HBV marker in serum were analyzed in 12 patients with acute hepatitis B.

RESULTSThe clearance of hepatitis B virus occurred before the patients were hospitalized in 66.7% of patients. The viral level and the A value of HBsAg;HBeAg declined gradually during hospitalization.

CONCLUSIONSIn most of patients with acute hepatitis B in the study, the virus was cleared without destruction of infected cells.

Adult ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Hepatitis B ; virology ; Hepatitis B Antibodies ; blood ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo evaluate useful clinical diagnostic parameters for differentiating acute hepatitis B and flare of chronic HBV infection.

METHODSUsing PCR method to detect viral level in the patient's serum, HBV marker was detected by ELISA kit. Liver function was also detected.

RESULTSThe patient can be diagnosed as acute hepatitis B if a patient has one of the following parameters: (1)HBV-DNA negative on admission. (2) When the patient's ALT was lower than 400 IU/L, HBV-DNA was negative or HBsAg became negative or HBeAg/HBeAb seroconverted.

CONCLUSIONThe viral DNA level, HBV marker and ALT can help differentiate acute hepatitis B and flare of chronic HBV infection.

Acute Disease ; Adult ; Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Hepatitis B ; blood ; diagnosis ; immunology ; Hepatitis B Antibodies ; blood ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; blood ; diagnosis ; immunology ; Humans ; Liver Function Tests ; Middle Aged

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; mortality ; therapy ; Humans ; Liver Failure ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Sorption Detoxification ; Survival Rate

AIMTo isolate a complex polysaccharide (AMP-B) from Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz and study its phtsico-chemical properties and hypoglycemic activity.

METHODSThe root of Atractylodes macrocephala K. was extracted with water and precipitated with ethanol, dialyzed against water and freeze-dried to get the crude polysaccharides (AMP). A complex polysaccharide (AMP-B) was isolated and purified on DEAE-cellulose column. The model of diabetes rats was established with alloxan injection through the tail vein. Male rats were divided into 5 groups: the normal group, the control group, and three AMP-B-fed groups. Measuring the blood glucose, water and food consumption, thymus and pancreas index, and studying cut sections of pancreas tissues.

RESULTSAMP-B is a complex-polysaccharide, elemental analysis of AMP-B shown C 32.84%, H 5.68%, and N 1.79%. The neutral polysaccharide content of AMP-B was 50.3%, uronic acid was 40.4%, and protein was 11.5%. Monosaccharide composition of AMP-B was determined by GC, AMP-B composed of Glc, Gal, Man, Ara and Rha in a molar ratio of 3.0:2.5:1.3:3.5:1.0. AMP-B was found to reduce blood glucose level in alloxan-diabetic rats markedly at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg.kg-1 by ig, but no effect in normal rat. AMP-B was found to decrease the consumption of water and food, recover pancreas damage of diabetic rats obviously, inhibited the atrophy of thymus and pancreas of the diabetic rats induced by alloxan.

CONCLUSIONAMP-B showed significant hypoglycemic effect on the experimental hyperglycemias rats induced by alloxan.

Animals ; Asteraceae ; chemistry ; Blood Glucose ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; blood ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Organ Size ; drug effects ; Pancreas ; pathology ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Polysaccharides ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Thymus Gland ; drug effects ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo study the epidemiological and clinical characteristics and risk factors of cirrhosis-related hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

METHODSEighty-nine compensated and decompensated HCV cirrhosis patients were analyzed and followed-up. The main clinical and laboratory variables were analyzed as incidence factors of HCC with univariate analysis and multivariate analysis regression models.

RESULTSThe patients were followed-up for 86 months. Thirty-five of the 89 patients had HCC during the 86 months follow-up. Their five and ten-year cumulative incidences were 16.9% and 40.4% respectively. Of the 35 HCC patients, 4 had a family history of hepatitis C, 12 had a familial history of HCC, and 7 had a history of alcohol ingestion. Five and ten-year cumulative incidences of HCC in patients with hepatic steatosis were 24.6% and 51.0% respectively. Five-year and ten-year cumulative incidences of HCC in patients with non-hepatic steatosis were 8.7% and 26.2% respectively, and the difference in the cumulative incidences between them was significant (P < 0.05). Hepatic steatosis severity was associated with the severity of the cirrhosis. ALT and TBil levels were higher in the HCC group than in the non-HCC group, ALB was lower in the HCC group than in the non-HCC group, and the differences between them were significant (P < 0.05). Child-Pugh score and the severity of the hepatic steatosis during follow-up were independently correlated with HCC.

CONCLUSIONHCC is the most important and frequent outcome of chronic hepatitis C cirrhosis. Child-Pugh score and the severity of the hepatic steatosis are related to the risk factors. History of alcohol ingestion and family history of hepatitis C are also related to liver cancer.

Aged ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; etiology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; complications ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; complications ; Liver Neoplasms ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUNDTo investigate the significance of blood HCV RNA screening in the prevention of post-transfusion hepatitis C.

METHODSTotally 56,400 anti-HCV negative blood samples collected from Jan. 2000 to Dec. 2003 were tested for HCV RNA by RT-PCR, and the patients who received the HCV RNA negative blood were followed up.

RESULTSThe HCV RNA positive rate was 2.5 per thousand (146/56,000) and none of the patients followed up suffered from HCV infection.

CONCLUSIONHCV RNA screening for the anti-HCV negative blood samples is very effective and feasible for prevention of post-transfusion hepatitis C.

Feasibility Studies ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepacivirus ; genetics ; Hepatitis C ; blood ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; methods ; RNA, Viral ; blood ; genetics ; Reproducibility of Results ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transfusion Reaction

OBJECTIVETo determine serum carnitine levels in patients with liver diseases and to investigate their significance.

METHODS25 patients with acute viral hepatitis, 34 with chronic viral hepatitis, 22 with post hepatitis cirrhosis with normal renal function, 9 with post hepatitis cirrhosis but with renal disfunction, and 40 healthy subjects (serving as controls) were enrolled in this study. An enzymatic cycling method was used to determine the serum free carnitine levels.

RESULTSThe serum free carnitine level was (48.3+/-10.2)micromol/L in the healthy control group. It was (35.2+/-13.2)micromol/L in the acute viral hepatitis group, (36.5+/-9.9)micromol/L in the chronic viral hepatitis group, (45.0+/-11.0)micromol/L in the post hepatitis cirrhosis with normal renal function group, and (83.6+/-50.4)micromol/L in the post hepatitis cirrhosis with renal dysfunction group. Serum free carnitine levels in the acute viral hepatitis and chronic viral hepatitis groups were significantly lower than those in the healthy controls. There were no significant differences in serum free carnitine levels of the post hepatitis cirrhosis group and the normal control group.

CONCLUSIONSPatients with liver diseases can have carnitine metabolism errors. One of the secondary carnitine lack causes is liver disease.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carnitine ; blood ; Chronic Disease ; Female ; Hepatitis, Viral, Human ; blood ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged

From April 2017 to April 2018, three male patients aged 46-71 years with large area burns were treated in our hospital. Acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) symptoms of the patients began to appear 15-81 days after injury. AAC was diagnosed 24-81 days after injury. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy was performed 26-82 days after injury. The symptoms subsided in 2 patients, and cholecystectomy was performed in 1 patient with gallbladder perforation 94 days after injury. The patients were cured and discharged 41-118 days after injury. No recurrence of cholecystitis occurred during 8-9 months of follow-up after discharge.

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Hepatitis, Autoimmune ; blood ; complications ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary ; blood ; complications ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of aqueous extract of several kinds of herbs on human platelet aggregation and expression of P-selectin in vitro.

METHODSBlood was collected from volunteers. Effects of the prepared water extracts of herbs on platelet aggregation were monitored on a Packs-4 aggregometer. The fluorescence intensity of water extracts of Caulis Spatholobi, Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae on the expression of P-selectin in human platelets of healthy persons was measured with flow cytometry.

RESULTSOut of several herbs investigated, Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae potently inhibited platelet aggregation after incubation with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for 15 min. Caulis Spatholobi Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae inhibited adenosine-5'-diphosphate (ADP) or platelet activating factor (PAF)-induced platelet aggregation in PRP in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast to Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae, Caulis Spatholobi could not inhibit thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. Despite its inability to inhibit thrombin-induced platelet aggregation in PRP, Caulis Spatholobi had a greater anti-aggregating activity in PRP induced by ADP or PAF. Caulis Spatholobi and Flos Carthami showed significant inhibitory effects on the expression of P-selectin.

CONCLUSIONSCaulis Spatholobi, Flos Carthami and Rhizoma Curcumae have potent anti-platelet properties, and their inhibitory actions are mediated via different mechanisms. Caulis Spatholobi inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation but not by thrombin, indicating that its mechanism of action might be independent of the thromboxane pathway. The effect of Caulis Spatholobi and Flos Carthami were associated with suppressing the expression of P-selectin.

Adult ; Blood Platelets ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Curcuma ; chemistry ; Fabaceae ; chemistry ; Humans ; P-Selectin ; metabolism ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Platelet Aggregation ; drug effects ; Platelet Function Tests ; Water ; chemistry ; Young Adult