Journal
ACTA TROPICA
Volume 96, Issue 2-3, Pages 148-152Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2005.07.009
Keywords
schistosomiasis; Schistosoma japonicum; hepatic fibrosis; human cartilage glycoprotein 39; YKL-40; hyaluronic acid; China
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The objectives of this study were (i) to evaluate the serum levels of human cartilage glycoprotein 39 (YKL-40) and hyaluronic acid (HA) in people infected with Schistosoma japonicum, and (ii) to determine their clinical value. A total of 563 people were subjected to ultrasonography, and 60 patients were identified with either mild (n = 30) or severe (n = 30) hepatic fibrosis. In addition, 28 healthy subjects were included as controls. Blood sera of these 88 people were examined with regard to the levels of YKL-40 and HA. The former was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and serum HA was determined by a commercially available radioimmunoassay method. On the basis of the ultrasonographic investigations, HA levels in normal, mild, and severe cases of hepatic fibrosis were 83.0 +/- 35.7, 216.1 +/- 77.9 and 212.6 +/- 80.9 mu g/ml, respectively. When the same sera were tested for YKL-40, 49.0 +/- 10.4, 92.3 +/- 18.5 and 172.1 +/- 35.9 mu g/ml, respectively, were recorded in the three groups. Thus, the serum levels of YKL-40 are not only increased in patients infected with S. japonicum but they are also correlated with the stage of hepatic fibrosis. In conclusion, it appears that YKL-40 is more sensitive than HA in measuring the degree of hepatic fibrosis due to schistosomiasis, which warrants further investigation. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.
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