title: Features of autoimmunity in cryptogenic chronic hepatitis.
abstract: The presence of autoantibodies in 125 patients with cryptogenic chronic hepatitis (CH) was assessed by indirect immunofluorescence (IFL) on standard tissue sections and on Hep-2 cells. Smooth muscle antibodies (SMA) were found in a high percentage of patients without any difference between the anti-HBc positive and the anti-HBc negative subsets, but the antiactin pattern, suggestive of autoimmunity, was detected only in a small number of cases. Low-titer antinuclear antibodies (ANA) were found in CH but also in healthy controls on Hep-2 cells. No significant differences were found in the prevalence of SMA and ANA positivity in various histologic subgroups of CH. Amongst 37 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) the use of Hep-2 cells allowed better evaluation of ANA patterns and identified the multiple nuclear dots (MND) pattern, unrecognisable on tissue sections, in 9 cases.
authors.affiliation: Clínica Médica R, Istituto di Medicina Generale e Pneumologia, Ospedale V. Cervello, Università di Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Provenzano
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Craxì
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens