No abstract

Summary:To clarify the role of hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection in liver dysfunction following allogeneic BMT, we examined cryopreserved serum samples from 33 patients who had a history of blood transfusions before BMT and whose serum samples had been stored periodically, before BMT, on day 100, and thereafter for the presence of HGV-RNA and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Nineteen patients (58%) out of 33 were positive for HGV-RNA before BMT and 10 for HCV-RNA. All patients positive for HCV-RNA were also positive for HGV-RNA. Patients were divided into three groups according to their viral status before BMT; namely, the G؉C؉ group (n = 10), the G؉C؊ group (n = 9) and the G؊C؊ group (n = 14). Two patients in the G؊C؊ group became positive for HGV-RNA after BMT. One patient in the G؉C؊ group suffered an acute exacerbation of hepatitis, with GPT levels reaching over 1000 IU/l, 2 and 3 years after BMT, showing quite a different clinical course from those in the G؉C؊ group. Excluding these three patients, GPT levels of the patients in the G؉C؉ group were significantly higher after day 100 and remained higher than those of patients in the G؉C؊ and G؊C؊ groups for at least 4 years. There were no significant differences in post-transplant GPT levels between the G؉C؊ group and the G؊C؊ group at any time point. Of the seven patients followed-up for 5 to 10 years, three patients became HGV-RNA-negative, while four remained positive. In the absence of HCV co-infection, the behavior of GPT values post transplant in patients with HGV infection did not differ from those without HGV infection. With respect to the patient who was G؉C؊ and showed high values of GPT 2 and 3 years post transplant, we suspect that his liver dysfunction might have been caused by some unknown virus or etiology. Keywords: GBV-C; HGV; BMT; liver function Correspondence: A Maruta, Department of Hematology/Chemotherapy, Kanagawa Cancer Center, 1-1-2 Nakao, Asahi-ku, Yokohama 241-0815, Japan Received 6 November 1998; accepted 15 March 1999Two hepatitis-associated viruses, GB virus C (GBV-C) and hepatitis G virus (HGV), were identified in 1995 and in 1996. 1,2 These two viruses were found to show a 95% nucleotide homology, which was thought to indicate that they were isolates of the same virus, members of the Flaviviridae family.

No abstract

We report a paraneoplastic neuropathy with severe motor involvement following sensory-ataxic disturbance. Anti-disialosyl immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody was detected in the course of malignant lymphoma of diffuse large B-cell type, which usually spares the motor system. Onset was subacute, with relapsing and remitting sensory ataxia, muscle weakness, bulbar palsy, respiratory paralysis, and ophthalmoplegia; only neck rotation was retained in the terminal stage. Autopsy showed no lymphoma cells infiltrating the nervous system. Motor neurons survived in the spinal cord, but mean diameter of the ventral spinal nerve roots was reduced considerably. The gracile fasciculus and the sural nerve were more markedly degenerated than proximal portions. Morphometric study showed that most of the proximal motor and sensory axons did not extend distally. This autopsy report provides further definition of a neuropathy associated with malignant lymphoma and IgM antibodies against disialosyl residues.

No abstract