title: Circulating soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in type C viral hepatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is one of the members of the immunoglobulin supergene family; it expresses in response to inflammatory mediators and activation. Circulating soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) levels in acute and chronic viral hepatitis C virus infection were studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty blood samples from 10 patients with acute hepatitis C, and 36 blood samples from 25 patients with chronic hepatitis C were compared with those from 10 healthy volunteers, using the enzyme immunoassay method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean circulating sICAM-1 activities in healthy volunteers was 339 +/- 93 ng/ml. Maximum values of sICAM-1 activities in acute (1394 +/- 502 ng/ml, P = 0.004) and chronic (662 +/- 477 ng/ml, P = 0.047) hepatitis C were increased. Acute hepatitis had a higher maximum circulating sICAM-1 activity than chronic hepatitis (P = 0.009). Longitudinal circulating sICAM-1 activities roughly correlated with the serum aminotransferase (ALT) activities. In acute viral hepatitis C, three patients developed an increase in circulating sICAM-1 activities before the manifestation of abnormal ALT activity. Circulating sICAM-1 activities showed a positive correlation with serum ALT activities (P < 0.001) and serum total bilirubin levels (P = 0.001) and a negative correlation with serum albumin levels (P = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study suggested that ICAM-1 plays a role in the hepatocellular injury during viral hepatitis C infection.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D001663:Bilirubin