Liver Disease

Our aim was to investigate the existence of an association between B cell responsiveness to hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein and progression of liver disease. In fact, the persistence of HCV infection is permitted by avoidance of viral clearance, despite chronic inflammation in the liver; this process ends with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in many patients. On the basis of computerized prediction of antigenicity of the genomic sequence of HCV core protein, three 15-mer peptides (named Q15V, R15P, and G15V) were synthesized to be used as antigens in an enzyme immunoassay. Sera from 97 patients (65 males and 32 females) were tested: 43 patients had mild chronic liver disease (steatofibrosis, chronic persistent, or chronic active hepatitis) and 54 had cirrhosis, which was complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 19. Seventy-six patients were positive to anti-HCV testing by second generation ELISA and 21 were negative. Rates of positivity for synthetic peptide...

The Patient Treatment File of the Department of Veterans Affairs comprises the computerized records of all inpatients treated in all Veterans Affairs hospitals distributed throughout the United States. This database was used to study the association between liver disease and clinically manifest cholelithiasis. The computerized medical records of 38,459 patients with various forms of liver disease and 69,336 controls without the diagnosis were extracted from the annual files between 1990 and 1993. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, the occurrence of cholelithiasis served as the outcome variable, whereas different forms of liver disease and demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, and ethnicity, served as predictor variables. Among the control population, cholelithiasis was reported in 5.2% (3,571 of 69,336) of subjects. Cholelithiasis occurred in 7.5% (2,898 of 38,459) of patients with all liver disease, 9.5% (1,642 of 17,287) of patients with alcoholic liver cirrho...

... d-α-Tocopheryl Polyethylene Glycol-1000 Succinate Enhances the Absorption of Vitamin D in Chronic Cholestatic Liver Disease of Infancy and Childhood. Eric A Argao 1 , James E Heubi 1 , Bruce W Hollis 2 and Reginald C Tsang 3. ... Top of page Abstract. ...

Liver disease is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and elsewhere. Arising from infectious, hereditary, or toxin-induced sources, the detection of liver disease often requires a high index of suspicion. Clinical presentations are highly variable and are often accompanied by neuropsychiatric symptoms. This fact, along with an increased incidence of liver disease among patients with primary psychiatric disorders and the presence of varied drug use, complicates the tasks of providing care to patients with liver disease. To assist the consultation-liaison psychiatrist, the authors present the first of a two-part series focused on psychiatric issues in liver disease.

Ethnopharmacological relevanceThe beverages of Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces are widely used in Mexico as diuretic, for treating gastrointestinal disorders, liver diseases, fever, hypercholesterolemia and hypertension. Different works have demonstrated that Hibiscus sabdariffa extracts reduce blood pressure in humans, and recently, we demonstrated that this effect is due to angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor activity.

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the nursing diagnoses in the immediate postoperative period of patients submitted to liver transplantation. Methods: Retrospective study carried out by examination of the digitalized medical charts of patients submitted to liver transplantation from July 1st to December 31st, 2002. Results: Twenty-three patients had undergone liver transplantation in the period determined for

jects but not in patients with liver disease. We examined the ability of BIA to detect changes in total body water (TBW) due to removal of ascites. In 12 cirrhotic patients, BIA of the whole body and of body segments was performed before and after treatment of ascites with paracentesis (n = 12) and diuretics (n = 2). TBW changes

ABSTRACT
Alpha lipoic acid (ALA, thioctic acid),
among other actions, is an essential
coenzyme in the conversion of pyruvate
to acetyl co-enzyme A. Therefore,
it is necessary for the production of
energy for aerobic organisms.
Scientists have found that it can be
used medically to help regenerate
liver tissue, reverse the complications
of diabetes mellitus, slow or
stop the growth of cancer cells, and
chelate heavy metals, among other
actions. In this article, the authors
describe the cellular mitochondrial
damage from excessively high doses of this beneficial agent

Patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) frequently have diverse abnormalities of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism that cause progressive deterioration of their clinical condition and lead to malnutrition. Malnutrition is almost universally present in patients with ESLD undergoing liver transplantation and has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. It is essential to identify and correct nutritional deficiencies in this population and provide an adequate nutritional support during all phases of liver transplantation. In conclusion, this article reviews the etiologic factors, prevalence, assessment and management guidelines of nutritional disorders seen in patients with ESLD undergoing liver transplantation.

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the nursing diagnoses in the immediate postoperative period of patients submitted to liver transplantation. Methods: Retrospective study carried out by examination of the digitalized medical charts of patients submitted to liver transplantation from July 1st to December 31st, 2002. Results: Twenty-three patients had undergone liver transplantation in the period determined for

The present study investigated the influence of positive affect on clinical reasoning among practicing physicians using a simulated patient protocol. Forty-four internists were randomized to one of three groups; a control group, an affect-induction group, in which they received a small package of candy, or a group that was asked to read humanistic statements regarding the practice of medicine. Physicians “thought aloud” while they solved a case of a patient with liver disease. Two raters reviewed the transcripts to determine how soon the liver disease domain was considered, or at what point it was established, and the degree of anchoring displayed (distortion or inflexibility in thinking). The Affect group initially considered the diagnosis of liver disease significantly earlier in the protocol (20 vs 39%, or 19% earlier; 95% confidence interval; 6 to 32%,p= .008) and showed significantly less anchoring than did controls (means of 1.5 vs 3.9, or a difference of 2.4 in a scale of 1 to 10; 95% confidence interval; 0.3 to 4.5,p= .031). The Affect and Control groups established the diagnosis at similar points in the protocol. Ancillary analyses examined questions relevant to the amounts of heuristic processing, premature closure, jumping to a diagnosis without sufficient evidence, or other evidence of superficial or flawed processing. No other differences were found. Physicians in whom positive affect had been induced integrated information earlier (considered liver) and demonstrated less anchoring, but did not show evidence of premature closure or other superficial processing.