Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule -1 in sera of patients with chronic hepatitis C

Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 [sICAM-1] is a marker of inflammation and tissue damage. To determine the serum level of sIC AM-1 in patients with chronic HCV and to correlate the results with the histopathological changes. The study included thirty subjects divided into two groups: group I [GI] comprising 20 patients [mean age 39.7 +/- 8.5 years] with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and group II [Gil] of 10 healthy age and sex-matched control subjects [mean age 37.8 +/- 10.52 years]. Serum concentrations of sICAM were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] kit as per manufacturer's instructions [R and D Systems, Europe, Abingdon, UK]. Diagnosis of HCV was done by detection of HCV-antibodies by 3[rd] generation ELISA, detection of HCV-RNA using a quantitative automated nested reverse transcriptase PCR assay [COBAS AMPLICOR HCV MONITOR Test, v 2.0., Roche Molecular Systems, Switzerland] and histopathological examination of Liver biopsy. Histological grading and staging were assessed with reference to modified histological activity index [HA1] scoring system. The level of sICAM in GI [mean 1046.5 +/- 1059.5 ng/ml] was significantly higher than Gil [mean 233.8 +/- 115.65 ng/ml] [t = 2.4; P = 0.02]. The levels of sICAM correlated positively in GI with serum bilirubin [r=0.65, P=0.003], ALT [r=0.63, P=O.OI], AST [r=0.64, P=0.02], grade and stage of hepatitis [r=0.75, 0.68; P=O.OOI, 0.005 respectively]. There was a significant negative correlation between sICAM and both serum albumin [r=-0.71; P=0.001] and prothrombin activity [r=-63; P=0.01]. However, sICAM was not correlated with the levels of HCV-RNA [r=0.38; P=0.1]. The level of HCV-RNA was not correlated to any of the liver function tests as well as grade and stage of hepatitis. The severity of liver disease was independent of serum level of HCV-RNA; the measurement of sICAM-1 serum levels in chronic hepatitis C patients can be considered as a useful non-invasive marker for monitoring liver disease activity

Carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA]: a correlation between tissue expression and biologic behaviour in colorectal tumours

The role of carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA] as a prognosticator of precancerous colonic lesions was evaluated. CEA expression remained unaltered within colonic polyps with variable degrees of dysplasia. By contrast, CEA staining patterns correlated well with tumor differentiation. The better differentiated tumors showed apical and membranous staining, whereas less differentiated tumors showed either cytoplasmic staining or none, depending on the degree of de- differentiation. CEA expression in endoscopic biopsy material correlated well with its equivalent in permanent surgical specimens as histologic grading and staging

Enzyme activity changes in the issues of rats with experimental acute uraemia, 1 - the kidney

Acute uraemia was induced in Swiss albino rats by bilateral ureteral ligation. The histopathological and histochemical enzymatic changes of uraemic kidneys were studied 48 hours after induction of uraemia. Alkaline phosphatase [Alk. P.] and succinic dehydrogenase [S.D.] enzymes showed diminished activity in the proximal and distal convoluted tubules whereas acid phosphatase [Ac. P.] and alpha-esterases enzymes' activity did not change from normal. These enzyme changes reflect cellular damage in general and disturbance of TCA cycle with consequent disturbance in cellular respiratory functions. This led to the recorded cloudy swelling in the proximal convoluted tubules