Congestive gastropathy in portal hypertension: Variations in prevalence

S. W. Hosking – 1 August 1989 – Mosaic pattern of gastric mucosa has been reported to be a sensitive and specific criterion for the diagnosis of portal hypertension and an important marker of nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding. So that the validity of this endoscopic sign could be assessed, 136 patients with portal hypertension, 25 chronic alcoholics without portal hypertension, and 366 controls were carefully endoscoped. Mosaic pattern was significantly (p < 0.01) more common in portal hypertension patients (7.4%) than in controls (1.4%). It was not seen in chronic alcoholics.

Acute viral hepatitis in chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus: Different patterns in different places

Anna Lok – 1 August 1989 – The aetiology of sporadic acute hepatitis in Taiwan was studied in a consecutive series of 273 patients, 209 males and 64 females, aged from < 1 to 73 years. Only eight patients (2.9%) had acute hepatitis A, 36 (13.2%) acute hepatitis B and 57 (20.9%) had acute non‐A, non‐B hepatitis (NANB). The remaining 172 patients (63.0%) were HBsAg positive but antiHBc IgM negative and were classified as acute hepatitis in chronic HBsAg carriers.

HBcAg expressed on the surface of circulating dane particles in patients with hepatitis B virus infection without evidence of anti‐HBc formation

Bernd Möller, Uwe Hopf, Roman Stemerowicz, Günther Henze, Hans Gelderblom – 1 August 1989 – Circulating immune complexes composed of HBcAg and anti‐HBc have been demonstrated recently in patients with hepatitis B virus replication. After dissociation of immune complexes by chaotropic ions, HBcAg was quantified radioimmunologically. In the present study, we describe 10 patients with hepatitis B virus replication, absent or delayed anti‐HBc formation and exposed HBcAg in serum. Four of the 10 patients had acute hepatitis, and six patients had chronic persistent hepatitis.

Treatment of chronic type B hepatitis with recombinant α‐interferon induces autoantibodies not specific for autoimmune chronic hepatitis

Werner‐J. Mayet, Georg Hess, Guido Gerken, Siegbert Rossol, Rita Voth, Michael Manns, Karl‐Hermann Meyer ZumBüschenfelde – 1 July 1989 – Recombinant human α‐interferon is now under intensive investigation as therapy for chronic Type B hepatitis. Recent reports have suggested that prolonged α‐interferon therapy may induce autoimmune reactions. We have evaluated the problem of autoimmunity related to α‐interferon therapy by testing for 15 different antibodies in the sera of 31 patients treated with α‐interferon.

Prognosis in primary biliary cirrhosis: Model for decision making

E. Rolland Dickson, Patricia M. Grambsch, Thomas R. Fleming, Lloyd D. Fisher, Alice Langworthy – 1 July 1989 – The ideal mathematical model for predicting survival for individual patients with primary biliary cirrhosis should be based on a small number of inexpensive, noninvasive measurements that are universally available. Such a model would be useful in medical management by aiding in the selection of patients for and timing of orthotopic liver transplantation. This paper describes the development, testing and use of a mathematical model for predicting survival.

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