Acute kidney injury in AIDS: frequency, RIFLE classification and outcome

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the characteristics of acute kidney injury (AKI) in AIDS patients and the value of RIFLE classification for predicting outcome. The study was conducted on AIDS patients admitted to an infectious diseases hospital inBrazil. The patients with AKI were classified according to the RIFLE classification: R (risk), I (injury), F (failure), L (loss), and E (end-stage renal disease). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the factors associated with AKI. A total of 532 patients with a mean age of 35 ± 8.5 years were included in this study. AKI was observed in 37 percent of the cases. Patients were classified as "R" (18 percent), "I" (7.7 percent) and "F" (11 percent). Independent risk factors for AKI were thrombocytopenia (OR = 2.9, 95 percentCI = 1.5-5.6, P < 0.001) and elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (OR = 3.5, 95 percentCI = 1.8-6.6, P < 0.001). General mortality was 25.7 percent and was higher among patients with AKI (40.2 vs17 percent, P < 0.001). AKI was associated with death and mortality increased according to RIFLE classification - "R" (OR 2.4), "I" (OR 3.0) and "F" (OR 5.1), P < 0.001. AKI is a frequent complication in AIDS patients, which is associated with increased mortality. RIFLE classification is an important indicator of poor outcome for AIDS patients.

Interferon-alpha receptor 1 mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is associated with response to interferon-alpha therapy of patients with chronic hepatitis C

Interferon (IFN)-alpha receptor mRNA expression in liver of patients with chronic hepatitis C has been shown to be a response to IFN-alpha therapy. The objective of the present study was to determine whether the expression of mRNA for subunit 1 of the IFN-alpha receptor (IFNAR1) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) is associated with the response to IFN-alpha in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Thirty patients with positive anti-HCV and HCV-RNA, and abnormal levels of alanine aminotransferase in serum were selected and treated with IFN-alpha2b for one year. Those with HBV or HIV infection, or using alcohol were not included. Thirteen discontinued the treatment and were not evaluated. The IFN-alpha response was monitored on the basis of alanine aminotransferase level and positivity for HCV-RNA in serum. IFNAR1-mRNA expression in PBMC was measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction before and during the first three months of therapy. The results are reported as IFNAR1-mRNA/á-actin-mRNA ratio (mean ñ SD). Before treatment, responder patients had significantly higher IFNAR1-mRNA expression in PBMC (0.67 ñ 0.15; N = 5; P < 0.05) compared to non-responders (0.35 ñ 0.17; N = 12) and controls (0.30 ñ 0.16; N = 9). Moreover, IFNAR1-mRNA levels were significantly reduced after 3 months of treatment in responders, whereas there were no differences in IFNAR1 expression in non-responders during IFN-alpha therapy. Basal IFNAR1-mRNA expression was not correlated with the serum level of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases or the presence of cirrhosis. The present results suggest that IFNAR1-mRNA expression in PBMC is associated with IFN-alpha response to hepatitis C and may be useful for monitoring therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

In vitro-induced antibody production in chronic hepatitis C virus infection

The objectives of the present study were to assess the in vitro-induced anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody production (IVIAP) in relation to the clinical, biochemical, virologic and histologic variables of patients with HCV infection. The study included 57 patients (60 percent males) with HCV infection (anti-HCV and HCV-RNA positive). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was elevated in 89 percent of the patients. Mean viral load was 542,241 copies/ml and histology of the liver showed chronic hepatitis in 27/52 (52 percent) and cirrhosis in 11/52 (21 percent) patients. IVIAP levels were determined by immunoenzymatic assay at median absorbance of 0.781 at 450 nm. IVIAP was negative in 14 percent of the patients. When groups with IVIAP levels above and below the median were compared, high IVIAP levels were associated with the male sex, elevated ALT levels and more advanced disease stage. After logistic regression analysis, advanced histologic damage to the liver remained as the only independent variable associated with elevated IVIAP levels. Using a receiver operator characteristic curve, the best cut-off level for IVIAP was established (= 1.540), with 71 percent sensitivity and 94 percent specificity for the detection of more advanced disease stages (grades 3 and 4). These findings are consistent with the participation of immunological mechanisms in the genesis of the hepatic lesions induced by HCV and indicate that the IVIAP test may be useful as a noninvasive marker of liver damage either alone or in combination with other markers

Evaluation of an enzyme immunoassay for hepatitis C virus antibody detection using a recombinant protein derived from the core region of hepatitis C virus genome

This study was undertaken to evaluate an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for hepatitis C virus antibody detection (anti-HCV), using just one antigen. Anti-HCV EIA was designed to detect anti-HCV IgG using on the solid-phase a recombinant C22 antigen localized at the N-terminal end of the core region of HCV genome, produced by BioMérieux. The serum samples diluted in phosphate buffer saline were added to wells coated with the C22, and incubated. After washings, the wells were loaded with conjugated anti-IgG, and read in a microtiter plate reader (492 nm). Serum samples of 145 patients were divided in two groups: a control group of 39 patients with non-C hepatitis (10 acute hepatitis A, 10 acute hepatitis B, 9 chronic hepatitis B, and 10 autoimmune hepatitis) and a study group consisting of 106 patients with chronic HCV hepatitis. In the study group all patients had anti-HCV detected by a commercially available EIA (Abbott(r)), specific for HCV structural and nonstructural polypeptides, alanine aminotransferase elevation or positive serum HCV-RNA detected by nested-PCR. They also had a liver biopsy compatible with chronic hepatitis. The test was positive in 101 of the 106 (95 percent) sera from patients in the study group and negative in 38 of the 39 (97 percent) sera from those in the control group, showing an accuracy of 96 percent. According to these results, our EIA could be used to detect anti-HCV in the serum of patients infected with hepatitis C virus.

Significance of the presence of antibodies against hepatitis C virus in asymptomatic blood donors

In order to determine the significance of anti-hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) antibodies in blood donors, 46 consecutive asymptomatic individuals were recruited at the blood bank of Hospital Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. They were submitted to an interview to collect epidemiological data and to clinical examination and blood samples were obtained for biochemical, serological and virological analysis. All patients were followed for a minimum period of six months and those with abnormal mean alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were submited to a liver biopsy after giving informed consent. Hepatitis C virus RNA (HCVRNA) was detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 22/46 (47.8 per cent) patients and this finding was associated with parenteral risk factors (P = 0.03) and ethanol abuse (P - 0.03). HCVRNA positivity was also associated with abnormal levels of ALT (P<0.001) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GT) (P=0.01). Abnormal ALT levels were a good marker of viremia, with 86.4 per cent sensitivity and 79.2 per cent specificity. Twenty-three patients with elevated mean ALT levels were submitted to a liver biopsy and histopathological changes were observed in 17 of them (73.9 per cent). HCVRNA positivity was associated with severe forms of hepatic disease (chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis). These results indicate the need for a judicious evaluation of all anti-HCV-positive blood donors, including clinical examination, biochemical tests and liver histology when ALT is persistently elevated.

Hepatite pelo vírus A em adulto: ocorrência de formas prolongadas e polifásicas da doença / Hepatitis A in adults: occurrence of prolonged and polyphasic forms of the disease

Os autores estudaram a ocorrência de formas prolongadas e/ou polifásicas da infecçao, em 84 pacientes adultos com diagnóstico de hepatite aguda pelo vírus A. Foram prolongada de doença (duraçao superior a quatro meses) foi observada em 8/84 (9,5 por cento) dos pacientes. Padrao polifásico foi observado em 12/84 (14,3 por cento) dos casos. Observou-se ainda que indivíduos com mais de 18 anos tiveram tendência a demorar mais tempo para normalizar as transaminases, quando comparados com pacientes entre 12 e 18 anos, o mesmo ocorrendo com homens, quando comparados às mulheres. Entretanto, em todos os casos observou-se normalizaçao do quadro, em períodos que chegaram a ser tao longos quanto nove a dez meses de evoluçao.

Surto de hepatite aguda pelo vírus A: avaliaçäo epidemiológica, clínica e laboratorial / Outbreak of acute hepatitis by virus A: epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory evaluation

Os autores analisam as características epidemiológicas, clínicas e sorológicas de um surto de hepatite aguda ocorrido na cidade de Valparaiso, SP. O agente etiológico foi identificado como sendo o vírus A da hepatite e a doença incidiu sobretudo em crianças, com cerca de 80% dos casos abaixo de 10 anos de idade. Foram analisadas amostras de soro de 37 comunicante dos casos índices, sendo constatada evidência de infecçäo aguda pelo vírus A em 9/37 (24,3%) dos comunicantes, que se apresentavam totalmente assintomáticos, evidenciando a alta incidência de formas anictéricas e assintomáticas da doença

Infecçäo pelo vírus B da hepatite: um risco para o profissional da área de patologia clínica / Hepatitis B virus infection: a risk clinical pathology workers

Os autores estudaram 252 indivíduos que trabalham em laboratório de análises clínicas, com o objetivo de verificar a prevalência da infecçäo pelo vírus da hepatite B (VHB) entre os mesmos, comparando-os com um grupo controle de 261 indivíduos. Observou-se que 22,6 por cento dos funcionários do laboratório mostravam evidência de contato prévio com o VHB e 4,0 por cento apresentavam HBsAg positivo, caracterizando o estado de portadores crônicos do vírus. Estas cifras diferiram significativamente (p<0,05) daquelas observadas no grupo controle, caracterizando o grupo estudado como de risco para a infecçäo pelo VHB. Aos indivíduos suscetíveis (77, 4 por cento), foi oferecida a vacina contra o VHB, em esquema de três doses, cujo índice de aceitaçäo foi de 87,2 por cento