title: [Relationship of plasma endotoxin level with TCM deficiency/excess syndrome and grading/staging of pathologic change of liver in patients with chronic hepatitis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the relationship of plasma endotoxin level with TCM deficiency/excess Syndrome and the grading/staging of pathologic change of liver in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma level of endotoxin (ET) was determined using chromogenic limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay in 75 patients with chronic hepatitis B (30 of excess dominance, 45 of deficiency dominance) and also in 15 healthy subjects for control. Moreover, pathological examination on liver biopsy of 20 patients was conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) ET level increased in all CHB patients, and the increment was higher in patients of excess dominance than that in patients of deficiency dominance, showing significant difference (P < 0.01). (2) Correlation between ET level and liver pathological grading/staging was shown in CHB patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma level of ET could be taken as one of the criteria of TCM microcosmic diagnosis in differentiating deficiency/excess syndrome. (2) Endotoxemia plays an important role in pathologic process of liver injury.
authors.affiliation: General Hospital of Nanjing Military Region, Fuzhou (350025). chenyun@medmail.com.cn
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Yu-hai
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D016711:Yang Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology; D016710:Yin Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004731:Endotoxins