230 Clinical features and response to interferon in patients with different HCV genotypes in Italy

231 Leikinferon treatment of acute hepatitis B patients. S.G.Cheshik, T.D.Goban, V.P.Kuznetsov. The D.I.Ivanovsk y Institute of Virology, RAMS and Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology after N.F.Gamaleya, Moscow, Russia. L e i k i n f e r o n (LF) for injections is a complex specimen (Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology after Gamaleya) of natural interferon (IF) and cytokins,contains interleikin-I, t u m o r necrosis factor, inhibitor y factor for macrophages a n d l e u k o c y t e s migration. 61 p a t i e n t s with a c u t e viral h e p a t i t i s B (HBsAQ+) w e r e followed. T h e p a t i e n t s w e r e divided into two groups: t h e Ist g r o u p consisted of 30 patients who were administered LF, the 2 n d g r o u p included 31 p a t i e n t s a d m i n i s t e r e d placebo. T h e s t u d y w a s c o n d u c t e d with double blind method and groups were randomly formed. LF were in3ected intramuscularly a c c o r d i n g to the following s c h e m e : 1st day - l a m p o u l e 3 times a day, 2 n d d a y - i a m p o u l e 2 t i m e s a day, a n d the following 8 d a y s - t h e s a m e d o s e o n c e a day (total dose for a treatment course 1.3xl(>EIF un.). L e i k i n f e r o n t r e a t m e n t r e s u l t e d in m o r e rapid disappearance of intoxication symptoms without formation of p r o t r a c t e d . Within the c o u r s e of L F t r e a t m e n t t h e r e w a s noted a m o r e rapid d e c r e a s e of c y t o l y s i s a c c o r d i n g to A L T level (p<0.05 c o m p a r e d to p l a c e b o groupl. Compared to p l a c e b o g r o u p m o r e rapid decrease of total bilirubin a n d its n o r m a l i z a t i o n in b l o o d s e r u m w a s r e g i s t e r e d (p<0.05 a f t e r finishing the treatment). T h e b e s t e f f e c t of L F w a s d e m o n s t r a t e d in rapid elimination of H B s A g . M e a n d u r a t i o n of H B s A g - e m i a w a s 23.6+3.1 d a y s in contrast to placebo g r o u p w h e r e it l a s t e d 33.5+3.0 d a y s (p<0.05).

232 Expression o f C y t o k i n e a n d T u m o r S u p p r e s s o r G e n e s in C o n d y l o m a Acuminata SK Tyring, I Arany and P Rady, Departments of Microbiology and Dermatology, U n i v e r s i t y of T e x a s M e d i c a l Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-1019, U.S.A. The "low risk" human papillomavirus t y p e s ( H P V 6 o r ii) a n d their relative copy number were determined by PCR amplification using consensus primers from the highly conserved L1 region in 6 different condylomas. E x p r e s s i o n l e v e l s of s o m e c y t o k i n e s ( T G F - b e t a , I F N s , e t c . ) , t u m o r s u p p r e s s o r g e n e s (Rb, p53) a n d cdc2-kinase were measured by reverse transcription following PCR amplification in condyloma acuminata. A characteristic c h a n g e in e x p r e s s i o n o f t h o s e g e n e s w a s f o u n d in c o n d y l o m a s compared to that of the expression level of normal skin. These expression d a t a s u g g e s t t h e e x i s t e n c e of a n i m b a l a n c e d c a s c a d e mechanism in this cytokine/tumor suppressor gene system after "low-risk" HPV infections.

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