Recombinant interferon alfa-2a in cryptogenic chronic active liver disease

HEPAFITLS S CCHE ANTIGEN (HBcAg) EXPRESSION IN SILIARY CELLS IN CHRONICHEPATITISB. .t. Dslladstsima. N. Tass~~o~lot*.I. Vatiadis**.V. Kwiakou, T Smirnolf. Dspt of Pathology. Laiko General HOSpital. A~hentUntvorsiry,~DsptofMsdicin~,Wa~~mAniuGanaral Hospital. *Wept of Prop. Medicine. Athens Univer&y, GrWX*. lmmunohistochemicalsxpretsion ot HScAg in hiliary cells was investigated in liver tissue specimens From 47 chronic hepatitis B cases with d&actable HBcAg In liver rills.. Histologicallesions ware classified as minimal changm (7). chronicpersistent hspatkis(CPH.3). chronicactive hepatitis (CAH. IO). CAH + cirrhosis (AC. IO). acute delta superinfection( 5) and reactivationof chronic hepatitis B praranting as acute hepatitis (ft. 10). HBcAgpositive bilisrycells wtlre identifiedin (1SX)ofthe In patlicutar. HSfAg was detected cases studied. intranuclsarlyin a small number of Wypiul’dudules (R:3. CAH:l.AC::). end in one Psripherrt~piut’dustut~ (D:l). Ahlpical ductules were located either in areas of peripoital fibrosis or in cirrhoticsepta. HBcAgpositivelivercell plates undergoing ductular transformation (Keratin (+) hspatic cells) were also observed in tna same areas in the majortty of the cases. In conclusion. these findings show: a) advanced chronic hepatitis B with replicating virus is accompaniedby HfJcAg expression in biliarycells in one founh of the cases, b) the presence of HScAg in peripheral mainly Wypical’ductulss dws not saem to be related to ?I orimarv infection of biliarv cetls. UDStprObabtyitexprsssesihspar~istanceofthevirui in biliary cells deriving from biliafy metaplasia of infected hepatocytes in zone 1.

RECOMBINANT INTERFERON ALFA-2a

IN CRYPTOCENIC

CHRC

NIC ACTIVE LIVER DISEASE. C. Diodati, p. Bonetti, S. Scaccabarozzi*. A. Iaxg O, G. Realdi, A. Alberti. A. Ruol. 1st. Medicina CTinica. Universite di Padova (Italy). aProdotti Ho the S.p.A., Milano (Italy) and O1s.t. Virologia. UII~ versitk di Milano (Italy). A Fandomized. controlled. trial was undertaken to evaluate the rsponse to recombinant Interferon (IFN) alfa-Za in patients with chronic active hepatitis OF unknown etiology.

Thirty

patients

were

treated

with

thrice weekly IFN in a do+e of 6 megaunits (NU) for one month. 3 NU for three monLhs and 1 MU Ior further eight months. A control group of thirLy patie= ts received no treatment fat 12 months. Overall. 21 (702) out of 30 treated patients had a complete response, with normalization of serum aminotransferase levels, and further 3 (101) had a partial response (a decrease to less than 502 of baseline levels). %;o significant changes were ohserved in the control patients (p
s04