Laboratory Diagnosis of Liver Diseases

An Update on Laboratory Diagnosis of Liver Inherited Diseases

Liver inherited diseases are a group of genetically determined clinical entities that appear with an early chronic liver involvement. They include Wilson's disease (hepatolenticular degeneration), hereditary hemochromatosis, and alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency. In addition, cystic fibrosis, although it is not specifically a liver disease, may cause a severe liver involvement in a significant per...

Laboratory Diagnosis of Protozoan Diseases

This text is the composite work of 27 authors, all of whom are active investigators of diseases of viral and rickettsial etiology. Approximately one third of the book is devoted to a detailed discussion of the nature and properties of these infectious agents. Included in this portion are also considerations of egg and tissue culture technics, as well as methods of virus purification and titrati...

Laboratory diagnosis of foodborne diseases.

Many bacterial species are responsible for sporadic cases and outbreaks of foodborne intoxication and infection. The foodborne diseases are classified on the basis of the pathogenetic mechanisms involved into four categories: performed toxin, enterotoxin formed in the colonized small intestine, mucosal invasion (enterocolitis) and mucosal invasion with bacteremia. Invasive and toxigenic strains...

liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver diseases: are laboratory tests useful to diagnosis?

Liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver diseases: are laboratory tests useful to diagnosis?

The article published in Hepatitis Monthy on noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis with the aspartate transaminasis to platelet ratio index (APRI) in patients with chronic liver disease by Yilmaz et al. (1), is interesting and very useful to permit a diagnosis and staging of fibrosis, although this index does not seem to have a high sensitivity and specificity. In recent years, efforts have ...