{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.02518891687657431, 'fraction_numerical': 0.005877413937867338, 'mean_word_length': 5.659217877094972, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Virological analysis and phenotypic characterization of peripheral blood lymphocytes of hepatitis C virus‐infected patients with and without mixed cryoglobulinaemia

In clinical and pathological terms hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐infected patients can be subdivided into two main groups with and without mixed cryoglobulinaemia (MC). Involvement of blood mononuclear cells by HCV has potentially important implications. To this end, HCV‐RNA levels in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) preparations of 20 chronically HCV‐infected patients with MC were measured and compared with those found in a group of 20 patients without MC matched for age, serum HCV‐RNA, infectious genotype, source and presumable duration of infection. Phenotypic abnormalities of PBL subsets in each group of patients were determined by cell surface marker expression and compared. Results showed a significant enrichment of HCV‐RNA in PBL of MC patients compared with a non‐MC group (P = 0·01). Different distribution of HCV‐RNA was accompanied by evidence of an increased frequency of circulating B cells. These data indicate that MC patients are characterized distinctly by a higher quota of cell‐associated viral load.