[Isoprinosine therapy in chronic hepatitis C (multicenter placebo-controlled double-blind prospective study)]. / Krónikus C hepatitis isoprinosin kezelése (Multicentrikus, prospektív, placebo-kontrollos kettös-vak vizsgálat).

A placebo controlled clinical trial. Thirty two patients with chronic C hepatitis have been enrolled in a double blinded study to assess the therapeutic effect on an orally given antiviral-immunomodulatory drug, Isoprinosine. Seventeen patients were given Isoprinosine (3 g/day) and fifteen were on placebo. The treatment has been lasted for four months, when patients examined monthly. Clinical signs, liver function tests and side effects were evaluated. At the end of the trial, side effects and elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT/GPT) levels occurred with higher frequency in Isoprinosine-treated patients. The results show that this antiviral drug has no beneficial effect in chronic C hepatitis.

[Hepatitis virus (HBV, HCV, HDV) markers in chronic liver diseases. Comparative studies in two East-Central European countries]. / Hepatitis vírus (HBV, HCV, HDV) markerek idült májbetegségekben. Osszehasonlító vizsgálatok két közép-kelet-európai országban.

The prevalence of hepatitis virus markers in patients with chronic liver diseases from two countries has been studied: 68 patients (38 alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis, 30 chronic HBsAg-positive hepatitis) from Hungary as well as 109 patients (55 alcoholic liver disease, 45 chronic hepatitis or cryptogenic cirrhosis and 9 hepatoma) from Romania were examined for HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBc, anti-HCV and anti-HDV, using the corresponding Abbott Elisa test systems. In alcoholic liver disease HBsAg occurred in 6/38 patients from Hungary and in 22/55 patients respectively, that is HBV markers occurred with significantly higher frequency in alcoholic patients from Romania (p less than 0.05). In the Hungarian group a total of 36 patients were HBsAg positive and out of them 5 had anti-HDV (13.9%), while out of 21 Romania HBsAg carriers 10 patients had anti-HDV (47.6%). Among 9 hepatoma patients 4 had HBsAg, 6 anti-HBs and 7 anti-HBc and 4 had anti-HCV and 3 had anti-HDV. One patient with hepatoma had both HBsAg and anti-HCV plus anti-HDV as well. Results suggest that the infection with hepatitis viruses in alcoholic liver diseases is more common in Romania than in Hungary, and the prevalence of delta virus infection in HBV carriers is also significantly higher in Romania than in Hungary.

IgG response of dysenteric patients to antigens coded by the virulence plasmid of enteroinvasive pathogens.

IgG antibody response to antigens coded by the virulence plasmid of enteroinvasive pathogens was studied in dysenteric patients by ELISA. A plasmidless Escherichia coli K-12 strain and its transconjugant harbouring the 140 megadalton plasmid of a virulent E. coli 0124 strain were used as antigens. Sera of 12 dysenteric patients taken on the first, third an twelfth week after Shigella sonnei infection were examined. For comparison sera of 23 nondysenteric persons were also applied. Titres of the first week samples did not differ significantly from those of the controls. Patients' sera taken on the third week showed a fivefold rise in titres as compared to the first week ones. Antibody activity remained on a comparable high level till the twelfth week. The data prove that there is a considerable IgG response to plasmid coded antigens common in shigellae and enteroinvasive E. coli.