bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Lack of immunity to hepatitis B virus among the expatriates residing in southern Taiwan
Authors: Chen Mei , Sun Cindy , Chen Wei‐Jen 
Published: March 2007

AbstractTaiwan is an endemic area for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. There are more than 3‐million carriers on this island. Chronic HBV infections may result in liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which are common in Taiwan. However little information is available concerning the immunity and the susceptibility to HBV among the expatriate‐population (non‐permanent residents from foreign countries) in Taiwan. Thus controversies exist on the indications for HBV vaccination among the foreign visitors and expatriates. This study evaluated the serological status of those who attended the Kaohsiung Adventist Clinic between May 1986 and August 1989. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody (anti‐HBs) were determined by ELISA. A total of 152 expatriates (85M, 67F, aged 5 to 64 years, duration of residence in Taiwan: 2 weeks to 11 years) without previous HBV vaccination, were tested. HBsAg and anti‐HBs were not detected in 125 (82%). Anti‐HBs was found in 22 (15%). There was no correlation between the duration of residence and anti‐HBs positivity. However, there was an increased prevalence of anti‐HBs with increasing age after 30. For those expatriates who were anti‐HBs positive, 64% had a history of sexual contact with a partner from an endemic area of HBV. HBsAg was detected in 5 (3%). Three were symptomatic with abnormal liver function tests. Four had a history of sexual exposure. Their children were not antigenemic.It is concluded that most (>82%) of the expatriates residing in southern Taiwan have no immunity to HBV and sexual contact is a major route (70%) of transmission. Vaccination is therefore strongly recommended for those expatriates who may have intimate relationships with local residents.
Hepatitis C virus antibody in hepatocellular carcinoma in Taiwan
Authors: Jeng Jen‐Eing , Tsai Jung‐Fa 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe prevalence of antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti‐HCV) was investigated in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and correlated with the clinical features. Anti‐HCV was detected in 129 histology or aspiration cytology proven HCC patients and 54 healthy controls. Anti‐HCV was examined by the HCV EIA (Abbott Laboratories). All healthy controls were anti‐HCV‐negative. Nineteen of 81 (23.5%) hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)‐positive HCC patients were positive for anti‐HCV. Anti‐HCV was found among 60.4% (29/48) of HCC patients without detectable HBsAg. Forty‐eight of 129 (37.2%) HCC patients were positive for anti‐HCV. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of anti‐HCV between patients with HBsAg (23.5%) and those without HBsAg (60.4%, P = 0.0001). However, irrespective of the status of HBsAg, there was no statistical difference in sex, age, routine liver function tests, alpha‐fetoprotein concentration, or associated cirrhosis between patients with anti‐HCV and those without. The results imply that hepatitis C virus may play a role in the pathogenesis of HCC.
Seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in children in Taipei, 1989: Five years after a mass hepatitis B vaccination program
Authors: Tsen Yee‐Jeng , Chang Mei‐Hwei , Hsu Hong‐Yuan , Lee Chin‐Yun , Sung Juei‐Low , Chen Ding‐Shinn 
Published: March 2007

AbstractA nationwide hepatitis B vaccination program was launched in Taiwan in 1984. To study the impact of this ongoing program on hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, a follow‐up seroepidemiologic study was carried out in 1989 in a Taipei district where pre‐vaccination seroepidemiology had been studied. HBV markers were studied in 1134 apparently healthy children (619 boys and 515 girls) under 13 years of age between March and July 1989.The prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in children under 5 years of age decreased from 9.3% in 1984 to approximately 2% in 1989. A significant decrrease in HBsAg prevalence and hepatitis B core antibody in 5‐ to 8‐year‐old children who were not immunized against HBV showed that horizontal infection among the older children had also decreased. Thus, this program not only protected vaccinated subjects; the reduction in numbers of highly infectious young HBV carriers also contributed to a lower prevalence of hepatitis B infection and carrier rates in some older children. This study demonstrates that hepatitis B vaccination is effective in protecting the majority of children in hyperendemic areas from HBV infection and from becoming chronic carriers.
Characterisation of a series of human immunodeficiency virus isolates derived sequentially from a single patient
Authors: Farrar Graham H. , Roff Marilynn A. , Amin Tehmina , Ball Jonathan , Parrett Alison M. , Battacharyya Uma , Booth James , Wansbrough‐Jones Mark H. , Greenaway Peter J. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractFive HIV‐1 isolates were obtained sequentially from a single seropositive individual during the later stages of AIDS. Four of these isolates were adapted to grow in a continuous human T‐lymphocytic cell line. Comparative biological and biochemical studies of the virus isolates were made using persistently infected cultures or virus derived from these systems respectively. The data obtained clearly shows that viruses with different biological properties can be isolated from the same individual at different times during the course of clinical AIDS.
Chronic fatigue syndrome: Lack Of association with hepatitis C virus infection
Authors: Dale Janet K. , Di Bisceglie Adrian M. , Hoofnagle J. H. , Straus Stephen E. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractChronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating heterogeneous disorder lacking consistent, objective physical or laboratory abnormalities. Among the hypothetical etiologies for CFS are chronic viral infections. The present controlled seroprevalence study found that, among typical CFS patients, evidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is uncommon. Only one of 36 patients and none of 14 controls were anti‐HCV positive. The positive patient had persistent aminotransferase elevations and prior posttransfusion hepatitis. Thus HCV infection is not a common feature of CFS and should not be routinely sought.
Autoantibodies during α‐interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Fattovich G. , Betterle C. , Brollo L. , Pedini B. , Giustina G. , Realdi G. , Alberti A. , Ruol A. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe development of autoantibodies and autoimmune reactions has been reported during and after interferon (IFN) therapy. Thirteen different antibodies from the sera of 32 patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with α‐interferon (α‐IFN) were tested. Seventeen HBeAg‐positive patients received 4.5 megaunits (MU) of recombinant IFN thrice weekly for 4 months, and 15 anti‐HBe and HBV‐DNA positive patients were treated with 5 MU/m2 of lymphoblastoid IFN thrice weekly for 6 months. Five patients (15%) had antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and one patient (3%) had smooth muscle antibodies before treatment. ANA appeared during IFN treatment in five (18%) of 28 previously negative patients. With discontinuation of treatment, the titer of ANA fell to undetectable levels in all patients. In contrast, none of the patients developed antibodies to endocrine organs, such as thyroid microsomal, thyroglobulin, parietal cells, pancreatic islet cell, and adrenal cortex antibodies or autoantibodies specifically associated with autoimmune liver disease such as liver kidney microsomal antibodies and antimitochondrial antibodies. There was no correlation between autoantibody positivity before therapy or autoantibody occurrence during treatment and response to IFN therapy. None of the patients developed clinical signs of autoimmune disease. These results indicate that these regimens of recombinant and lymphoblastoid IFN therapy of chronic hepatitis B are associated with a low risk of clinically significant autoimmunity.
Activation of cellular oncogenes by clinical isolates and laboratory strains of human cytomegalovirus
Authors: Boldogh I. , Abubakar S. , Fons M. P. , Deng C. Z. , Albrecht T. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe effect on cellular (c) oncogene RNA levels was investigate after infection of permissive cells with cell culture adapted strains (AD‐169, C‐87, Davis) and unadapted clinical isolates (82–1, 84–2, 85–1) of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). The results indicate that both adapted and unadapted strains of HCMV induce substantial increases in c‐oncogene RNA levels for fos, jun, and myc measured by Northern blot hybridization. Elimination of immediate early (IE) protein synthesis between 0 and 3 hrs or reduction of virus infectivity (99.99%) by UV‐irradiation did not reduce the increase in c‐oncogene RNA levels. Inhibition of viral and cellular protein synthesis by cycloheximide resulted in a high abundance (superinduction) of specific RNAs which hybridized to c‐oncogene probes after infection with either adapted or unadapted strains of HCMV. These data suggest that IE viral gene expression is not essential for activation of c‐oncogenes. Inhibition of DNA‐dependent RNA synthesis by blocking RNA elongation with actinomycin‐D or by inhibiting the activity of RNA polymerase II with alpha‐amanitin significantly reduced the increase in c‐oncogene RNA levels, suggesting that activation of cellular genes by HCMV is controlled at the level of transcription. Activation of c‐oncogenes by HCMV may be particularly important because their protein products appear to be involved in initiation and regulation of viral and cellular gene expression.
Primary and recurrent cytomegalovirus infections have different effects on human herpesvirus‐6 antibodies in immunosuppressed organ graft recipients: Absence of virus cross‐reactivity and evidence for virus interaction
Authors: Ward K. N. , Sheldon M. J. , Gray J. J. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe relationship between serum antibodies to human herpesvirus‐6 (HHV‐6) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection was studied in immunosuppressed adult organ graft recipients all of whom had IgG to both HHV‐6 and Epstein‐Barr virus capsid antigen (EBVCA) before operation and who had received an organ or organs from HHV‐6 seropositive donors. In primary CMV infection the titre of IgG to HHV‐6 rose substantially (between 32‐ and 512‐fold) in eight out of eight patients whereas JgG to EBVCA only rose 32‐fold in two patients. Moreover, the HHV‐6 responses coincided closely with the CMV seroconversion. Serum absorption studies gave no evidence for anti body cross‐reaction between CMV and HHV‐6 because the CMV antibody titre could be reduced specifically without affecting HHV‐6 antibody titres and vice versa. In recurrent CMV infection, HHV‐6 antibody levels rose (32‐fold) in three out of eight patients but these changes did not coincide with the CMV antibody response. Similarly, in the complete absence of CMV infection, five out of eight patients showed antibody rises to HHV‐6 (between four‐ and 16‐fold). IgG titres to EBVCA were stable in both these groups of patients. It is concluded that there is serological evidence (rising titre ≥ four‐fold) for genuine HHV‐6 reactivation or, alternatively, for reinfection in 16 out of the 24 patients. This phenomenon was most frequent in primary CMV infection where the largest HHV‐6 antibody responses were seen probably because of an, as yet, undetermined interaction between the two viruses.
Is vestibular papillomatosis associated with human papillomavirus?
Authors: Costa Silvano , Rotola Antonella , Terzano Patrizia , Secchiero Paola , Luca Dario Di , Poggi Maria G. , Masotti Patrizia , Martinell Giuseppe , Cassai Enzo 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe origin and clinical significance of vestibular papillae were evaluated by comparing histological features with the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6/11 and 16/18, as revealed by Southern blot DNA hybridization. Twenty women with vestibular papillomatosis underwent clinical evaluation and follow‐up. When available, male partners were also examined. Histological changes suggestive of HPV infection were present in all the 20 specimens. Sixteen cases (80%) contained DNA sequences homologous to the viral probes. In particular, 12 cases (60%) reacted with the HPV 16/18 probe. Follow‐up for more than 18 months revealed no variation in the distribution and appearance of vestibular papillae. No male partner showed signs of HPV lesions. The study shows that HPV 16 is frequently associated with vestibular papillae but does not support a productive infection. Therefore the most appropriate management of these patients should be evaluated clinically in each individual case.
Murine acinar pancreatitis preceding necrotizing myocarditis after coxsackievirus B3 inoculation
Authors: Gómez Ricardo M. , Lascano Eduardo F. , Berrìa Marìa I. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractBalb/C weanling mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with a myocarditic variant of coxsackie virus B3, with the aim of characterizing more fully the cell damage induced in the heart as well as in other organs. During the first week postin‐fection (pi), all animals developed acinar pancreatitis, followed by focal myocarditis. In accordance with the increasing infectivity titers, such progressive histopathological changes correlated with local viral replication. From day 4 pi, acinar degeneration accompanied by diffuse inflammatory exudate was observed in the pancreas, followed by fatty tissue replacement by day 8. In the heart, focal necrosis rather than inflammatory reaction first appeared at 4 days pi and became widespread by 6–8 days pi. Necrotic foci usually presented calcium deposits, with absence of myofibrils in the affected fibers. The fact that both periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and Best carmine staining remained positive even after diastase treatment ruled out basophilic necrosis. In summary, the pancreas appeared to be the site of primary viral replication leading to viremia.
Rhinovirus induces natural killer‐like cytotoxic cells and interferon alpha in mononuclear leukocytes
Authors: Levandowski Roland A. , Horohov David W. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractNatural killer‐like cellular cytotoxicity was augmented by incubation of human rhinovirus serotype 2 with peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes collected from healthy donors. The production of alpha interferon but not gamma interferon was identified in the same cell cultures. A specific interaction of conformationally intact rhinovirus with peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes was required for induction of the response, since the response was extinguished at reduced quantities of infectious rhinovirus, and acid inactivated rhinovirus did not augment cellular cytotoxicity. Productive replication of rhinovirus was not observed in cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes. The replicative failure was not related merely to interferon production, since the rate of disappearance of rhinovirus was similar to that observed in cell free medium. The findings suggest that natural killer cells should be considered as a potential component of the local nasopharyngeal pathophysiology of rhinovirus infection.
Cytomegalovirus IgG and IgA serum antibodies in a study of HIV infection and HIV related diseases in homosexual Men
Authors: Levy Esther , Margalith Miriam , Sarov Batia , Sarov Israel , Rinaldo Charles R. , Detels Roger , Phair John , Kaslow Richard , Ginzburg Harold , Saah Alfred J. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe significance of serum IgG and IgA antibodies to cytomegalovirus (CMV) at various stages of human immune deficiency virus (HIV) infection was studied in 175 homosexual men. Sera were obtained from 123 HIV seropositives [41 asymptomatic, 29 with lymphadenopathy associated syndrome (LAS), 22 with AIDS related complex (ARC), and 31 AIDS patients], 17 HIV seroconverters, and 35 HIV asymptomatic seronegatives. The sera were tested blindly for CMV IgA and IgG antibodies using the immunoperoxidase assay (IPA) and CMV infected human embryo cells. Crossectional analysis of CMV IgG antibodies at a titer of ⩾20 showed 87% and 100% prevalence in the HIV seronegative groups and in the HIV seropositive groups, respectively (P < 0.05). CMV IgG antibodies at a titer of ⩾80 were present in significantly higher proportions among the HIV seropositive subjects of the various groups as compared with the HIV seroneg‐ ative homosexual men. However, in the HIV seronegatives who later seroconverted to HIV, a significantly higher prevalence of CMV antibodies (35%) was detected before HIV seroconversion, as compared with the persistently HIV seronegative subjects (14.3%) (P < 0.05). The HIV seronegatives pre‐HIV seroconversion also exhibited a significantly higher geometric mean titer (GMT) of CMV IgG antibodies (62.17 ± 0.64) as compared with the persistently HIV seronegatives (34.0 ± 0.6) (P = 0.03). Significantly higher GMTs of CMV IgG antibodies were detected in all the HIV seropositive groups as compared with the persistently HIV seronegativegroup.CMV IgG antibodies were not detected in the HIV seronegative subjects. CMV IgA antibodies were found in 5.9% of the HIV seroconverters, i n 19.5% of the HIV seropositive asymptomatic subjects, 34.5% of LAS, 22.7% of ARC, and 6.5% of AIDS patients. These data support the concept that CMV might be associated with susceptibility of homosexual men to HIV infection and disease progression.
Generation of a 1.5‐kb cDNA fragment of the hepatitis C virus genome by overlap extension
Authors: Tong Shuping , Li Jisu , Vitvitski Ludmila , And Daniel Lepot, , Trépo Christian 
Published: March 2007

AbstractHepatitis C virus (HCV) is a recently identified RNA virus responsible for most of non‐A, non‐B hepatitis. Genetic analysis of HCV sequences and their encoded proteins has been hampered by the difficulty in obtaining cDNA fragments of sufficient lengths: construction of cDNA library requires technical expertise while amplification by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) usually yields fragments of less than 400 base pairs. In this report we have generated a 1.5‐kb HCV cDNA fragment by overlap extension of smaller PCR fragments and by ligation through restriction sites. Sequencing of the cloned fragment confirmed the absence of significant sequence alteration produced by this procedure. Overlap extension may represent an easy method for generating relatively large HCV cDNA clones for the expression of HCV‐encoded proteins.
Changing seroepidemiological patterns of cytomegalovirus infection in children in Taiwan from 1984 to 1989
Authors: Lee Ping‐Ing , Chang Mei‐Hwei , Lee Chin‐Yun , Kao Chuan‐Lian 
Published: March 2007

AbstractThe prevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibody was studied in 966 children in 1984 and 927 children in 1989. The overall prevalence rate of CMV antibody was 59% for children in 1984 and 46% for children in 1989 (P < 0.05). In both study years, the prevalence rate of CMV antibody was about 70% in infants under 6 months of age, declined to a trough between the ages of 6 and 12 months, and then increased to 40‐50% between 1 and 4 years of age. The rate of CMV antibody for children above 4 years in 1984 increased steadily with age and reached 82% by 12 years. In contrast, the prevalence rate in 1989 remained at the level of 40‐5070 from age 4 to 10 years. It was followed by a sharp increase after 10 years of age and reached 84% at 12 years old. The seropositive rate in each of the 5‐, 6‐, 8‐, 9‐, and 10‐year‐old groups was higher in 1984 than that in 1989. These observations indicated that the prevalence rate of CMV antibody is decreasing in children. This change may be related to various socioeconomic factors, especially the less crowded family conditions in recent years.
Sequence analysis of an HIV‐1 isolate which displays unusually high‐level AZT resistance in vitro
Authors: Muckenthaler M. , Gunkel N. , Levantis P. , Broadhurst K. , Goh B. , Colvin B. , Forster G. , Jackson G. G. , Oxford J. S. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractMultiple mutations in the reverse transcriptase (RT) gene were observed in a drug‐resistant isolate of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIVI) from an individual having prolonged (<2 years) zidovudine (AZT) therapy. The virus replicated in PBMC′s in the presence of very high concentrations of AZT (1 25 μM). Drug‐sensitive strains were curtailed by 0.01 μM AZT.Eleven defined mutations were observed as compared with published sequences of RT for eight strains of HIVI. Eight of these mutations were found in the domain involved in nucleotide recognition and enzyme function. Only one of the mutations, giving a Thr—Tyr change at amino acid 215, matched those previously ascribed (67,70, 215, and 219) to the generation of high‐level resistance to AZT. Therefore additional amino acid changes may have significance in the emergence of super‐resistant viruses.
Sequence variation of functional HTLV‐II tax alleles among isolates from an endemic population: Lack of evidence for oncogenic determinant in tax
Authors: Hjelle Brian , Chaney Rebecca 
Published: March 2007

AbstractHuman T‐cell leukemia‐lymphoma virus type II (HTLV‐II) has been isolated from patients with hairy cell leukemia (HCL). We previously described a population with longstanding endemic HTLV‐II infection, and showed that there is no increased risk for HCL in the affected groups. We thus have direct evidence that the endemic form(s) of HTLV‐II cause HCL infrequently, if at all. By comparison, there is reason to suspect that the viruses isolated from patients with HCL had an etiologic role in the disease in those patients. One way to reconcile these conflicting observations is to consider that isolates of HTLV‐II might differ in oncogenic potential. To deter mine whether the structure of the putative oncogenic determinant of HTLV‐11, tax2 might differ in the new isolates compared to the tax of the prototype HCL isolate, MO, four new functional tax cDNAs were cloned from new isolates. Sequence analysis showed only minor (0.9‐2.0%) amino acid variation compared to the published sequence of MO tax2 Some codons were consistently different from published sequences of the MO virus, but in most cases, such variations were also found in each of two tax2 clones we isolated from the MO T‐cell line. These variations rendered the new clones more similar to the tax1 of the pathogenic virus HTLV‐I. Thus we find no evidence that pathologic determinants of HTLV‐II can be assigned to the tax gene.
Prevalence of antibodies to recombinant virion infectivity factor in the sera of prospectively studied patients with HIV‐1 infection
Authors: Schwander S. , Braun R. W. , Kühn J. E. , Hufert F. T. , Kern P. , Dietrich M. , Wieland U. 
Published: March 2007

AbstractTwo hundred twenty‐four sera were collected from 34 HIV‐1 infected patients during an observation period of up to 4.5 years (109 patient years of observation). The sera were tested for the presence of antibodies against the HIV‐1 virion infectivity factor (vif) protein. Thirty sera from 6 HIV‐1 seronegative individuals served as negative controls. The sera were immunoblotted against a recombinant, prokaryotically expressed vif protein. The prevalence of anti‐vif antibodies increased significantly with progression of the disease from 18% to 81% (P < 0.0001) which suggests a possible role of vif in HIV‐1 replication and pathogenicity.