The cytoplasmic bodies in hepatocytes thought to indicate possession of the Z allele for alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency were found in necropsy in 10 of 64 adults with cirrhosis, four of nine with hepatic fibrosis, and four of 15 with hepatocellular carcinoma. They were also found in six of 76 adults with severe panacinar emphysema, and in four of a control series of 110 adults with neither emph...

Studies undertaken in Spain indicate that 9% of the general population aged between 40 and 70 years is affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although tobacco smoke is the causative factor in more than 90% of cases, it is estimated that only 10% to 20% of smokers develop COPD. This may be explained by the existence of genetic or environmental factors that modulate the toxic e...

A case of a 19-year-old with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is presented. This case illustrates genetic (severe alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency) and host factors (such as developmental diaphragmatic hernia and the innate response to injury), and environmental (high oxidative stress and lung injury) interactions that lead to severe chronic obstructive lung disease. The development o...

Several reports exist which link low levels of serum alpha-1 antitrypsin with pulmonary emphysema. 3 ’9 ’13 Deficiency of this protein may be detected by serum electrophoresis or specifically quantitated by radial immunodiffusion. Recent investigations have led to the development of a number of automated and manual procedures for the quantitation of immunochemical reactions in aqueous media thr...

The Leonardo da Vinci project "Introducing standards of the best medical practice for patients with inherited alpha-1-antitrypsin Deficiency in Central Eastern Europe" belongs to a sub-programme of the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme. It started in November 2011 and is conducted in cooperation with eight European partners. The project's main goal is to support development of a...

Porphyria cutanea tarda Gaucher's disease von Hippel-Lindau disease Huntington's chorea Polyposis coli Haemochromatosis 21-Hydroxylase deficiency Osteogenesis imperfecta (some forms) Cystic fibrosis Galactosaemia Multiple endocrine neoplasia Ila Sickle cell anaemia and a thalassaemia Acute intermittent porphyria Phenylketonuria (classic) Wilson's disease Retinoblastoma a,-Antitrypsin deficiency...

In recent years, we have witnessed several important paradigm shifts in understanding the molecular basis of liver disease in alpha-1-antitrypsin (AT) deficiency. These shifts have become possible as a result of a number of advances in research on the cell biology of aggregation-prone mutant proteins and in research on the pathobiological mechanisms of liver disease in general. Late-breaking re...