A computer-assisted study of macrophage behavior in HBV and nAnB related infectious chronic active hepatitis

Activated intralobular macrophages were quantified as their lysozyme contents in liver biopsies from patients with chronic HBV and nAnB active hepatitis, and subjects with no evident liver histological damage. There were more macrophages (0.62 +/- 0.06/2,500 mu 2) with a larger area (20.36 +/- 0.87 mu 2) in HBV-related chronic active hepatitis than in controls (0.21 +/- 0.04/2,500 mu 2 and 16.01 +/- 1.48 mu 2), whereas in nAnB chronic active hepatitis their numbers were similar to that in the controls (0.22 +/- 0.03/2,500 mu 2) and their area was smaller (11.68 +/- 0.79 mu 2).