[Liver biopsy in Slovakia]. / Biopsie pecene na Slovensku.

INTRODUCTION: Liver biopsy is the most specific diagnostic modality in hepatology, but information about its application in Slovakia is rather obscure. METHODS: The authors performed a correspondence study with the aim to find out how many biopsy examinations has been done in Slovakia in 2001, for which indications, what kind of techniques have been applied and which small or great complications were encountered. RESULTS: It was established that in the year 2001, 400 biopsies for diffuse liver diseases were performed. There were 296 percutaneous biopsies, 82 laparoscopic biopsies and 22 trans-jugular biopsies forming the survey. Acute viral hepatitis was the most frequent indication, whereas non-alcohol steatohepatitis was a rare indication in spite of the high prevalence. The frequency of great complications was 0.00025%. No death associated with this procedure was reported. CONCLUSION: Liver biopsy has been done in Slovakia in indications, ways and with the frequency of complications, which were comparable with data from literature.

[Percutaneous biopsy of the liver]. / Perkutánna biopsia pecene.

Percutaneous liver biopsy represents the most specific examination of the nature and severity of liver diseases. P. Ehrlich was the first physician in history having done the intervention in 1880. The new history begins with the Menghini's publication on s.c. one-second biopsy in 1957. The present paper deals exclusively with diffuse diseases of the liver including the most frequent ones--virus hepatitis, alcohol and non-alcohol steatohepatitis. The contraindications include mainly coagulation disorders and non-cooperative patients. The percutaneous biopsy is mostly executed after ultrasonographic examination or under the control of various image-forming techniques and by means of various types of needles; the authors analyze advantages and disadvantages of individual techniques. If the contraindications are respected, the percutaneous biopsy is a safe method of examination, which may be done on out-patient basis. A large series of complications exists, but their frequency is generally low. Morbidity is referred in 0.2% of patients, the most frequent complications being pain and hypotension from vaso-vagal reactions, extensive intraperitoneal bleeding and hemobilia. Mortality is extremely low, the mean in large studies being 0.001%.

Significance of anti-interferon-alpha2 and sICAM-1 activities in the sera of viral hepatitis B and C patients treated with human recombinant interferon-alpha2.

In this study the presence of an IFN-binding activity in the sera of patients with chronic viral hepatitis B or C treated with rIFN-alpha2 was screened by a radioimmune assay (RIA) using radiolabeled rIFN-alpha2. Incidence of an anti-IFN activitywas compared with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) serum markers as hepatitis B s antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), antibodies to HBsAg (anti-HBsAg), antibodies to HBeAg (anti-HBeAg), seroconversion, HBV DNA, HCV RNA, and serum soluble intracellular adhesion molecule I (sICAM). Injections (intramuscular) of rIFN-alpha2 caused an anti-rIFN activity formation in 8 (27.6%) of 29 patients with chronic active hepatitis B (CAH-B) and in 8 (30.8%) of 26 patients with chronic active hepatitis C (CAH-C). The presence of the anti-rIFN activity in CAH-B patients correlated frequently with the persistence of HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV-DNA, while its absence was often accompanied by the anti-HBeAg and anti-HBsAg seroconversion, respectively, and HBV-DNA negativity. In two CAH-C patients who became HCV RNA-negative no anti-IFN activity was found. Levels of serum sICAM-1 in CAH-B patients responding to the IFN treatment were higher than those in non-responders or in which the anti-IFN activity was present. The anti-IFN activity may negatively influence the effect of the IFN therapy of CAH-B or CAH-C patients at early stages of the therapy. The appearance of the anti-IFN activity at the end of a long-term IFN therapy does not seem to influence the outcome of the therapy. sICAM-1 may be involved in the process of CAH-B reactivation and IFN-triggered cytotoxicity during the IFN therapy.

[Endoscopic therapy of pancreatic pseudocysts]. / Endoskopická liecba pseudocýst pankreasu.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic pseudocysts are a complication of both acute and chronic pancreatitis. Incidence in patients with acute pancreatitis is 2-50%, in patients with chronic pancreatitis 20-40%. Pseudocysts are a cause of many symptoms, e.g. nausea, vomitus, pain, biliary obstruction, bleeding and perforation. Successful treatment of pseudocysts is not only surgical and percutaneous, but also endoscopic. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to answer the following questions. First, what is the clinical success rate of endoscopic drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts? Second, what are the complications? Finally, how often is endoscopic drainage a definite treatment? METHODS: The records of all patients (11) with chronic pancreatitis and endoscopic drainage of symptomatic pseudocysts hospitalized between December 1993 and April 1999 at our clinic were retrospectively studied. RESULTS: Patients (5) were followed for a mean duration of 30 months. Endoscopic drainage was definitive treatment in 80%, after transgastric drainage in 50%, after transpapillary drainage in 100% and after the use of more than one drainage procedure in 0%. The prognostic factors for longterm success of endoscopic drainage could not be evaluated, because of the small number of treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic treatment of pancreatic pseudocysts (endoscopic cystogastrostomy, cystoduodenostomy and transpapillary drainage) is nowadays highly effective method, technically feasible in most patients, with a relative degree of safety when performed by experienced endoscopist. (Tab. 2, Ref. 16.)

[Hepatorenal syndrome]. / Hepatorenálny syndróm.

BACKGROUND: The association of renal failure with terminal liver insufficiency is referred to as hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). It is characterized by impaired renal function together with abnormalities in arterial circulation and activity of endogenous vasoactive system. In the pathogenesis of HRS, vasodilatation in the splanchnic circulation plays a major role. This leads to underfilling in arterial circulation in this area with subsequent vasoconstriction in renal arteries leading to lower renal circulation and functional renal failure. One of the most difficult tasks in clinical evaluation of patients with cirrhosis is to diagnose renal functions, because the standard methods used in evaluation of glomerular filtration are not reliable. The most important agents in the treatment of patients with cirrhosis, ascites and HRS are identification, prevention of precipitating factors, correction and treatment of prerenal failure and acute tubular necrosis. Up to now, the only effective treatment of HRS is ortothopic liver transplantation, which cannot be applied in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: HRS is a serious complication of liver diseases with a very bad prognosis qouad vitam and qouad sanationem, which is only rarely reversible. After diagnosing HRS, the renal insufficiency is already mostly progressive, and patients have only a minimal chance to improve their renal functions. The only currently proved treatment modality, which is successful in terms of improving renal functions and long-term survival rate is liver transplantation. (Tab. 2, Fig. 1, Ref. 28.)

Pulmonary complications in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Between 1996 and 1998 we investigated the occurrence of lung disorders in 82 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (30 patients with ulcerative colitis and 52 patients with Crohn's disease) and a control group of 60 subjects. The aim of our study was to determine the occurrence of pulmonary complications in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, to investigate whether ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease are connected with a typical lung function disorder, with the inflammatory activity of the disease or if they depend on the presence of other extraintestinal manifestations. METHODOLOGY: We investigated the occurrence of lung disorders in terms of the following parameters: clinical pulmonary symptoms, chest radiography and pulmonary function tests (body plethysmography, pneumotachography, lung transfer capacity for carbon monoxide, and blood gas analysis). RESULTS: Lung function abnormalities were significantly more frequent in patients with inflammatory bowel disease as compared to controls (p<0.001). There was no apparent correlation between these abnormalities and either bowel disease activity or drug administration (sulphasalazine, mesalazine). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the lack of radiological abnormalities, we identified a high incidence of pulmonary function abnormalities (suspicious of interstitial lung disorder) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease; 56.7% of patients with ulcerative colitis and 57.7% of patients with Crohn's disease had reduced lung transfer factor.

Therapy-induced antibodies to interferon-alpha 2a recognise its receptor-binding site.

Fifty-eight patients with chronic hepatitis B (HB) or C (HC) were treated with recombinant human interferon (rIFN)-alpha 2 and their sera were assayed for antibodies to rIFN-alpha 2c. Twelve of these patients produced low titres and two high titres of the antibodies. We localized the region which was recognised by the high-titre therapy-induced antibodies on the IFN molecule by testing the antibodies with a set of murine monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) to IFN-alpha 2 in a competitive radioimmune assay (RIA). Only MoAbs with epitopes located in the amino-terminal portion of IFN-alpha 2 could inhibit the binding of radiolabelled IFN-alpha 2 by patients' sera. Our data indicate that the therapy-induced antibodies were directed to the receptor-binding domain of IFN-alpha 2 formed by amino acids (aa) 30-53. In accordance with this observation, human anti-IFN sera inhibited the binding of rIFN-alpha 2 to human cells.

Links between prolonged exposure to xenobiotics, increased incidence of hepatopathies, immunological disturbances and exacerbation of latent Epstein-Barr virus infections.

Disturbances of several humoral and cellular immune parameters are significantly increased in individuals exposed to chemical pollutants. Moreover, exacerbations of the latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection were more frequently observed in the chemically exposed group than in the control groups. A significant correlation was seen between EBV exacerbations and the increased number of eosinophils, T-lymphocyte rosette formation and the respiratory burst of polymorphonuclear blood cells. Possible links between hepatopathy due to xenobiotics exposition, immunological disturbances and EBV exacerbation are discussed, including a putative role of EBV-induced (autocrine) cytokines.

Effect of sera of cirrhotic patients with or without hepatitis B virus infection on protein synthesis in hepatoma cells.

The in vitro effects of sera of 11 patients with liver cirrhosis on protein synthesis in PLC/PRF/5 cells were studied. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was documented in 7 patients. Increased random production of several cell proteins of M(r) of approximately 25, 65, 90 and 130 K was shown by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). There was no correlation between HBV-positive and HBV-negative cirrhosis and the induced proteins. One of them was identified as alpha-1 foetoprotein by immunoblot analysis. C-reactive protein (CRP) was determined only in one case; production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) was not detected.