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Pseudocleonus(Phryganocleonus) kratkyisp. n. is described from Afghanistan. Some remarks on the taxonomy of the subgenus Phryganocleonusare given, with a key to the species. Lectotypes of Pseudocleonus guldarensisArnol’di, Ps. iskanderiArnol’di, and Ps. tadzhikaArnol’di are designated. Hypotheses on the historical biogeographical events that may have caused species differentiation are proposed.

The link between alcohol consumption and liver disease is not direct and several factors including autoimmunity to hepatocyte components have been implicated. We have previously identified alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) as an autoantigen in autoimmune liver disease and in a proportion of patients with alcoholic liver disease. The aim of the present study is to investigate the association between the presence of anti-ADH antibodies, alcohol consumption and severity of liver damage in alcoholic patients. The presence of antibodies to human ADH β2 and horse ADH was investigated in 108 patients with documented history of alcohol consumption and alcohol related liver disease, 86 being active alcohol abusers and 22 on sustained alcohol withdrawal, 39 with non-alcohol related disease and 22 normal subjects.Antibodies to either ADH form were more frequently detected in active alcohol abusers (55/86, 64%) than in patients on sustained alcohol withdrawal longer than 6 months (1/8, 13%, p<0.005), HBV infection (2/8, 25%, P=0.03), non-alcohol related disease (9/29, 23%, p<0.0001) and in normal controls (3/22, 14%, p<0.0001); were more frequent in patients with cirrhosis than in those with steatosis (26/34, 76% vs 34/64, 53%, P=0.02); and were associated with elevated levels of ALT (anti-ADH β2, p<0.05), immunoglobulin A (p<0.05) and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (P=0.01). Anti-ADH antibody positive serum samples were able to inhibit the enzymatic activity of ADH. These findings suggest that anti-ADH antibodies may be triggered by alcohol consumption and act as a disease activity marker in alcoholic liver disease.

Recent clinical studies have suggested that the combination of subcutaneous recombinant human interleukin 2 (rIL-2) and interferon alpha (rIFN-alpha) is especially promising in advanced renal cell carcinoma. We assessed the safety, activity and toxicity of home therapy with these two agents in 50 patients. Each treatment cycle consisted of a 2 day pulse phase, with 9 x 10(6) IU m-2 of rIL-2 being given subcutaneously every 12 h, followed by a 6 week maintenance phase during which rIL-2 1.8 x 10(6) IU m-2 was administered subcutaneously every 12 h on days 1-5 and rIFN-alpha 2b 5 x 10(6) IU m-2 once a day on days 1, 3 and 5. Objective responses (CR+PR) occurred in 9/50 (18%) patients, six of whom (12%) achieved a complete response. Disease stabilisation was observed in 17 cases (34%) and 18 patients progressed during therapy. In the other six cases, treatment was interrupted early for toxicity or patient refusal. One patient died of myocardial infarction during the second cycle. The overall median survival was 12 months. Home therapy with subcutaneous rIL-2 + rIFN-alpha 2b proved to be active, feasible and moderately toxic, but serious adverse events can sometimes occur.