Sunday, August 29, 2010
Tea cleanses the liver
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Hepatitis F
|
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Amebic liver
Amebic liver abscess is caused by Entamoeba histolytica, the same organism that causes amebiasis, an intestinal infection also called amebic dysentery. The organism is carried by the blood from the intestines to the liver.
The disease spreads through ingestion of amebic cysts in food or water contaminated with feces (sometimes due to use of human waste as fertilizer), and through person-to-person contact.
The infection occurs worldwide, but is most common in tropical areas where crowded living conditions and poor sanitation exist. Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and India have significant health problems associated with this disease.
Risk factors for amebic liver abscess include:
-Alcoholism
-Cancer
-Homosexual activity, particularly in men
-Old age
-Pregnancy
-Recent travel to a tropical region
-Steroid use. An antibiotic medicine called metronidazole (Flagyl) is the usual treatment for liver abscess. A medication such as iodoquinol must also be taken to get rid of all the amebas in the intestine, to prevent the disease from coming back. This can usually be delayed until after the abscess has been treated.In rare cases, the abscess may need to be drained to help relieve some of the abdominal pain.Without treatment, the abscess may rupture and spread into other organs, leading to death. Persons who receive treatment have a very high chance of a complete cure or having only minor complications.
amebic liver abscess,Steroid use. he abscess may rupture and spread ,
An antibiotic medicine called metronidazole,Risk factors for amebic liver abscess
Monday, August 9, 2010
Hepatitis E
This virus , which causes enteric non-A, non-B hepatitis, seems to be related to the Caliciviruses but its classification is undecided since the genome organization is not the same as that of the Caliciviridae. In sequence, HEV is more similar to rubella which is a Togavirus than to any Calicivirus. HEV is a small (approximately 34nm), round, icosahedral, positive strand RNA virus that does not have an envelope. It has a rather smooth surface but not as smooth a HAV. The genome has a poly A tract and is capped at the 5’ end. There are three open reading frames that overlap; each is in a different coding frame. Based on sequence motifs, open reading frame 1 (ORF1) appears to have several enzymic activities. These may be involved in RNA capping, proteolysis and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity. ORF2 is the structural protein and may be glycosylated. It appears to have a signal sequence suggesting that its encoded protein may enter the endoplasmic reticulum. The third ORF codes for a phosphoprotein of unknown function that interacts with the host cell’s cytoskeleton. Not much is known about HEV replication but it is likely that the positive strand RNA is copied to a negative strand intermediate by a viral polymerase.Hepatitis D
Hepatitis D is a highly defective virus since it cannot produce infective virions without the help of a co-infecting helper virus. This helper virus is hepatitis B virus that supplies the HBsAg surface protein. In budding out of the cell, HDV acquires a membrane containing HBsAg. HDV is similar to a plant viroid in that it has a small circular RNA genome (1,700 bases) but unlike the plant viroids, the RNA encodes a protein called the delta antigen. This complexes with the RNA. The RNA is single stranded negative sense and is a covalently closed circle. Because of a large amount of base pairing, the RNA takes on a rod-like structure . 
Delta antigen, translated from the mRNA has two forms that differ in size by 19 amino acids (195 compared to 214 residues). The formation of the large delta antigen happens by a rather strange mechanism in which a host cell enzyme called double stranded RNA-activated adenosine deaminase converts a UAG (stop) codon into a UGG that allows translation to proceed to the next stop codon. The small delta antigen is involved in the replication of the genome but the larger form suppresses replication. This leads to the promotion of viral particle assembly.
hepatitis D,virus is hepatitis B virus that supplies the HBsAg ,Delta antigen, translated from the mRNA,viral particle assembly,The HBsAg of HDV binds to the same surface receptor as HBV and the virus fuses with the cell,hepatitis D membrane
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Hepatitis C-What are the symptoms of hepatitis C infection?
About 75% of people have no symptoms when they first acquire HCV infection. The remaining 25% may complain of fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle aches or fever. Yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice) is rare at this early stage of infection.
Over time, the liver in people with chronic infection may begin to experience the effects of the persistent inflammation caused by the immune reaction to the virus. Blood tests may show elevated levels of liver enzymes, a sign of liver damage, which is often the first suggestion that the infection may be present. Patients may become easily fatigued or complain of nonspecific symptoms.
As cirrhosis develops, symptoms increase and may include :
1.weakness,
3.weight loss,
4.breast enlargement in men,
5.a rash on the palms,
6.difficulty with the clotting of blood, and
7.spider-like blood vessels on the skin.
In patients with advanced cirrhosis, the liver begins to fail. This is a life-threatening problem. Confusion and even coma(encephalopathy) may result from the inability of the liver to process certain toxic substances.
Increased pressure in the blood vessels of the liver (portal hypertension) may cause fluid to build up in the abdominal cavity (ascites) and result in engorged veins in theswallowing tube (esophageal varices) that tear easily and can bleed suddenly and massively. Portal hypertension also can cause kidney failure or an enlarged spleenresulting in a decrease of blood cells and the development of anemia, increased risk of infection and bleeding.
In advanced cirrhosis, liver failure causes decreased production of clotting factors. Patients with advanced cirrhosis often develop jaundice because the damaged liver is unable to eliminate a yellow compound, called bilirubin that is formed from thehemoglobin of old red blood cells.
the liver (portal hypertension) ,Hepatitis C-What are the symptoms of hepatitis C infection?,Portal hypertension also can cause kidney failure or an enlarged spleenresulting in a decrease of blood cells and the development of anemia, increased risk of infection and bleeding,yellow compound,hepatitis C,the liver virus