AIM： To elucidate the impact of hemodynamic parameters on ultrasonography and serum fibrosis markers for the assessment of liver fibrosis in the children with infant hepatitis syndrome （IHS）. METHODS： Forty-one ch...AIM： To elucidate the impact of hemodynamic parameters on ultrasonography and serum fibrosis markers for the assessment of liver fibrosis in the children with infant hepatitis syndrome （IHS）. METHODS： Forty-one children with IHS and 46 healthy infants were examined by ultrasonography, and several hemodynamic indices such as peak systolic velocity （PSV） and resistant index （RI） of proper hepatic artery （PHA） were measured. Serum fibrosis markers including hyaluronic acid （HA）, pre-collagen type-Ⅲ （PC-Ⅲ）, collagen type Ⅳ （C-Ⅳ）, and laminin （LN） were assayed by radioimmunoassays. In children with IHS, liver tissues were obtained either by ultrasound-guided liver biopsy （n = 35） or in the course of operation （n = 6）. The stages of hepatic fibrosis were scored as mild （S1 and S2）, moderate （S3）, or severe （S4） according to liver histological diagnosis. Multiple groups comparative and Spearman correlative analyses were carried out. RESULTS： Histopathologically, 39 children （95.1%） were found to have hepatic fibrosis, 12 of them stage Sl or S2, 12 stage S3, and 15 stage S4. PSV, RI of the PHA, and serum HA showed a consecutive increase from mild to severe hepatic fibrosis and a close positive correlation with hepatic fibrosis in IHS group （r = 0.717, 0.745 and 0.712, respectively, P = 0.001）. The Doppler waveform of HV was also positively correlated with the degree of hepatic fibrosis in IHS group （r = 0.783, P 〈 0.001）.CONCLUSION： Combination of ultrasonic studies on the hepatic hemodynamics with the evaluation of serum HA may provide an indicator for hepatic fibrosis in patients with IHS, This may be a useful noninvasive method for the diagnosis and evaluation of the prognosis of IHS.展开更多
AIM: To evaluate different biochemical markers and their ratios in the assessment of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) stages. METHODS: This study included 112 patients with PBC who underwent a complete clinical investi...AIM: To evaluate different biochemical markers and their ratios in the assessment of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) stages. METHODS: This study included 112 patients with PBC who underwent a complete clinical investigation. We analyzed the correlation (Spearman's test) between ten biochemical markers and their ratios with different stages of PBC. The discriminative values were compared using areas under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: The mean age of patients included in the study was 53.88 ± 10.59 years, including 104 females and 8 males. We found a statistically significant correlation between PBC stage and Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) to platelet ratio (APRI), ALT/platelet count, AST/ALT, ALT/AST and ALT/Cholesterol ratios, with the values of Spearman's rho of 0.338, 0.476, 0.404, 0.356, 0.351 and 0.325, respectively. The best sensitivity and specificity was shown for AST/ALT, with an area under ROC of 0.660. CONCLUSION: Biochemical markers and their ratios do correlate with different sensitivity to and specificity of PBC disease stage. The use of biochemical markers and their ratios in clinical evaluation of PBC patients may reduce, but not eliminate, the need for liver biopsy.展开更多
AIM: Growth factors (GF) that participate in regeneration and apoptosis have an important role in chronic liver diseases. We analyzed serum GF concentration during antiviral treatment and correlated it with morphologi...AIM: Growth factors (GF) that participate in regeneration and apoptosis have an important role in chronic liver diseases. We analyzed serum GF concentration during antiviral treatment and correlated it with morphological liver failure in chronic hepatitis C. METHODS: The levels of GF were determined in sera by ELISA method in 0,16,32 and 48 wk of therapy in 40 patients treated with IFNα2b (9 MU sc/wk) and RBV (1.2 g/d) and in 25 healthy subjects. Blind liver biopsies were done before treatment with histological grading and staging examination. RESULTS: The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were markedly elevated prior the treatment and decreased during the therapy, although they did not reach the normal level. In non-responding (NR) patients, HGF and EGF were higher than that in responders (R), however differences were not significant. Before the treatment thrombopoietin (TPO) level was significantly lower in R than in NR (P<0.03). Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) concentration was lower in chronic hepatitis C than in healthy subjects and decreased during the treatment. A significant positive correlation was observed between inflammatory activity in the liver tissue and the concentration of HGF (in R: r= 0.4, in NR: r= 0.5), TPO (R: r= 0.6), and a significant negative correlation between this activity and EGF (R: r = -0.6) and PDGF (R: r= -0.5). Serum HGF concentration was higher in more advanced fibrosis (R: r = 0.5, P<0.05; NR: r=0.4, P<0,03). CONCLUSION: The decrease in PDGF can be an effective prognostic marker of the treatment and HCV elimination. Decreasing HGF, EGF, and PDGF can influence the inhibition of inflammatory and fibrotic processes in the liver during the antiviral treatment.展开更多
AIM:To investigate whether butyrate or glutamine enemas could diminish inflammation in experimental diversion colitis.METHODS:Wistar specific pathogen-free rats were submitted to a Hartmann's end colostomy and tre...AIM:To investigate whether butyrate or glutamine enemas could diminish inflammation in experimental diversion colitis.METHODS:Wistar specific pathogen-free rats were submitted to a Hartmann's end colostomy and treated with enemas containing glutamine,butyrate,or saline.Enemas were administered twice a week in the excluded segment of the colon from 4 to 12 wk after the surgical procedure.Follow-up colonoscopy was performed every 4 wk for 12 wk.The effect of treatment was evaluated using video-endoscopic and histologic scores and measuring interleukin-1β,tumor necrosis factor-alpha,and transforming growth factor beta production in organ cultures by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.RESULTS:Colonoscopies of the diverted segment showed mucosa with hyperemia,increased number of vessels,bleeding and mucus discharge.Treatment with either glutamine or butyrate induced significant reductions in both colonoscopic(P < 0.02) and histological scores(P < 0.01) and restored the densities of collagen fibers in tissue(P = 0.015;P = 0.001),the number of goblet cells(P = 0.021;P = 0.029),and the rate of apoptosis within the epithelium(P = 0.043;P = 0.011) to normal values.The high levels of cytokines in colon explants from rats with diversion colitis significantly decreased to normal values after treatment with butyrate or glutamine.CONCLUSION:The improvement of experimental diversion colitis following glutamine or butyrate enemas highlights the importance of specific luminal nutrients in the homeostasis of the colonic mucosa and supports their utilization for the treatment of human diversion colitis.展开更多
Interleukin (IL)-8 is a potent neutrophil chemotactic factor and a crucial mediator in neutrophil-dependent inflammation.Various cell types produce IL-8, either in response to external stimuli such as cytokines or bac...Interleukin (IL)-8 is a potent neutrophil chemotactic factor and a crucial mediator in neutrophil-dependent inflammation.Various cell types produce IL-8, either in response to external stimuli such as cytokines or bacterial infection, or aftermalignant transformation. Anti-IL-8 strategies have been considered for anti-inflammatory therapy. In this paper wedemonstrate that the RNA interference technique can be used to efficiently down-regulate IL-8 protein expression inairway epithelial cells. We used a helper-dependent adenoviral vector to express a small hairpin (sh)RNA targetinghuman IL-8 in cultured airway epithelial cells (IB3-1, Cftr-/-; C38, Cftr-corrected) stimulated with TNF-α, IL-1β orheat-inactivated Burkholderia cenocepacia. Stimulated IL-8 expression in IB3-1 and C38 cells was significantly reducedby shRNA expression. The shRNA targeting IL-8 had no effect on the activation of NF-κB, or on the protein levels ofIκB or IL-6, suggesting that this anti-IL-8 strategy was highly specific, and therefore may offer potential for thetreatment of inflammatory diseases.展开更多
基金Supported by the Bureau of Education, Guangxi ZhuangAutonomous Region, China, No. A9909
文摘AIM： To elucidate the impact of hemodynamic parameters on ultrasonography and serum fibrosis markers for the assessment of liver fibrosis in the children with infant hepatitis syndrome （IHS）. METHODS： Forty-one children with IHS and 46 healthy infants were examined by ultrasonography, and several hemodynamic indices such as peak systolic velocity （PSV） and resistant index （RI） of proper hepatic artery （PHA） were measured. Serum fibrosis markers including hyaluronic acid （HA）, pre-collagen type-Ⅲ （PC-Ⅲ）, collagen type Ⅳ （C-Ⅳ）, and laminin （LN） were assayed by radioimmunoassays. In children with IHS, liver tissues were obtained either by ultrasound-guided liver biopsy （n = 35） or in the course of operation （n = 6）. The stages of hepatic fibrosis were scored as mild （S1 and S2）, moderate （S3）, or severe （S4） according to liver histological diagnosis. Multiple groups comparative and Spearman correlative analyses were carried out. RESULTS： Histopathologically, 39 children （95.1%） were found to have hepatic fibrosis, 12 of them stage Sl or S2, 12 stage S3, and 15 stage S4. PSV, RI of the PHA, and serum HA showed a consecutive increase from mild to severe hepatic fibrosis and a close positive correlation with hepatic fibrosis in IHS group （r = 0.717, 0.745 and 0.712, respectively, P = 0.001）. The Doppler waveform of HV was also positively correlated with the degree of hepatic fibrosis in IHS group （r = 0.783, P 〈 0.001）.CONCLUSION： Combination of ultrasonic studies on the hepatic hemodynamics with the evaluation of serum HA may provide an indicator for hepatic fibrosis in patients with IHS, This may be a useful noninvasive method for the diagnosis and evaluation of the prognosis of IHS.
文摘AIM: To evaluate different biochemical markers and their ratios in the assessment of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) stages. METHODS: This study included 112 patients with PBC who underwent a complete clinical investigation. We analyzed the correlation (Spearman's test) between ten biochemical markers and their ratios with different stages of PBC. The discriminative values were compared using areas under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: The mean age of patients included in the study was 53.88 ± 10.59 years, including 104 females and 8 males. We found a statistically significant correlation between PBC stage and Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) to platelet ratio (APRI), ALT/platelet count, AST/ALT, ALT/AST and ALT/Cholesterol ratios, with the values of Spearman's rho of 0.338, 0.476, 0.404, 0.356, 0.351 and 0.325, respectively. The best sensitivity and specificity was shown for AST/ALT, with an area under ROC of 0.660. CONCLUSION: Biochemical markers and their ratios do correlate with different sensitivity to and specificity of PBC disease stage. The use of biochemical markers and their ratios in clinical evaluation of PBC patients may reduce, but not eliminate, the need for liver biopsy.
文摘AIM: Growth factors (GF) that participate in regeneration and apoptosis have an important role in chronic liver diseases. We analyzed serum GF concentration during antiviral treatment and correlated it with morphological liver failure in chronic hepatitis C. METHODS: The levels of GF were determined in sera by ELISA method in 0,16,32 and 48 wk of therapy in 40 patients treated with IFNα2b (9 MU sc/wk) and RBV (1.2 g/d) and in 25 healthy subjects. Blind liver biopsies were done before treatment with histological grading and staging examination. RESULTS: The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were markedly elevated prior the treatment and decreased during the therapy, although they did not reach the normal level. In non-responding (NR) patients, HGF and EGF were higher than that in responders (R), however differences were not significant. Before the treatment thrombopoietin (TPO) level was significantly lower in R than in NR (P<0.03). Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) concentration was lower in chronic hepatitis C than in healthy subjects and decreased during the treatment. A significant positive correlation was observed between inflammatory activity in the liver tissue and the concentration of HGF (in R: r= 0.4, in NR: r= 0.5), TPO (R: r= 0.6), and a significant negative correlation between this activity and EGF (R: r = -0.6) and PDGF (R: r= -0.5). Serum HGF concentration was higher in more advanced fibrosis (R: r = 0.5, P<0.05; NR: r=0.4, P<0,03). CONCLUSION: The decrease in PDGF can be an effective prognostic marker of the treatment and HCV elimination. Decreasing HGF, EGF, and PDGF can influence the inhibition of inflammatory and fibrotic processes in the liver during the antiviral treatment.
基金Supported by Grants from the Brazilian Research CouncilFundao de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
文摘AIM:To investigate whether butyrate or glutamine enemas could diminish inflammation in experimental diversion colitis.METHODS:Wistar specific pathogen-free rats were submitted to a Hartmann's end colostomy and treated with enemas containing glutamine,butyrate,or saline.Enemas were administered twice a week in the excluded segment of the colon from 4 to 12 wk after the surgical procedure.Follow-up colonoscopy was performed every 4 wk for 12 wk.The effect of treatment was evaluated using video-endoscopic and histologic scores and measuring interleukin-1β,tumor necrosis factor-alpha,and transforming growth factor beta production in organ cultures by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.RESULTS:Colonoscopies of the diverted segment showed mucosa with hyperemia,increased number of vessels,bleeding and mucus discharge.Treatment with either glutamine or butyrate induced significant reductions in both colonoscopic(P < 0.02) and histological scores(P < 0.01) and restored the densities of collagen fibers in tissue(P = 0.015;P = 0.001),the number of goblet cells(P = 0.021;P = 0.029),and the rate of apoptosis within the epithelium(P = 0.043;P = 0.011) to normal values.The high levels of cytokines in colon explants from rats with diversion colitis significantly decreased to normal values after treatment with butyrate or glutamine.CONCLUSION:The improvement of experimental diversion colitis following glutamine or butyrate enemas highlights the importance of specific luminal nutrients in the homeostasis of the colonic mucosa and supports their utilization for the treatment of human diversion colitis.
文摘Interleukin (IL)-8 is a potent neutrophil chemotactic factor and a crucial mediator in neutrophil-dependent inflammation.Various cell types produce IL-8, either in response to external stimuli such as cytokines or bacterial infection, or aftermalignant transformation. Anti-IL-8 strategies have been considered for anti-inflammatory therapy. In this paper wedemonstrate that the RNA interference technique can be used to efficiently down-regulate IL-8 protein expression inairway epithelial cells. We used a helper-dependent adenoviral vector to express a small hairpin (sh)RNA targetinghuman IL-8 in cultured airway epithelial cells (IB3-1, Cftr-/-; C38, Cftr-corrected) stimulated with TNF-α, IL-1β orheat-inactivated Burkholderia cenocepacia. Stimulated IL-8 expression in IB3-1 and C38 cells was significantly reducedby shRNA expression. The shRNA targeting IL-8 had no effect on the activation of NF-κB, or on the protein levels ofIκB or IL-6, suggesting that this anti-IL-8 strategy was highly specific, and therefore may offer potential for thetreatment of inflammatory diseases.
