High efficacy of direct-acting anti-viral agents in hepatitis C virus-infected cirrhotic patients with successfully treated hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: The efficacy of direct-acting anti-viral (DAA) therapy in patients with a history of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unknown. Aim: We prospectively evaluated whether previously treated HCC affects DAA efficacy in a large real-life cohort of cirrhotic patients. Methods: From January to December 2015 all consecutive HCV mono-infected patients with cirrhosis and/or history of HCC attending 10 Italian tertiary liver centres were enrolled. Baseline characteristics and response to therapy were recorded. 1927 patients were enrolled (mean age: 62.1 10.9 years; 1.205 males). Genotype 1 was the most frequent (67.9%) followed by genotypes 3 (12.4%), 2 (11.2%) and 4 (8.6%). 88.4% and 10.9…

Anti-tumour necrosis factor-α antibodies and B cell homeostasis in human inflammatory bowel diseases

Background The expression of CD70 on T cells is greatly enhanced by antigen-presenting cell (APC)-associated signals, such as tumour necrosis factor(TNF)-α, which is constitutionally high in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Experimentally, the chronic activation of CD27 as a result of the constitutive expression of CD70 leads to the demise of B cells in bone marrow (BM) and the secondary lymphoid organs. The aim of this study was to assess the number and phenotype of circulating B cell in untreated IBD patients and their counterparts treated with biological anti-TNF drugs. Methods The study involved 13 untreated IBD patients, 36 IBD patients treated with biological drugs, and…

B lymphocyte intestinal homing in inflammatory bowel disease.

Abstract Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is thought to be due to an abnormal interaction between the host immune system and commensal microflora. Within the intestinal immune system, B cells produce physiologically natural antibodies but pathologically atypical anti-neutrophil antibodies (xANCAs) are frequently observed in patients with IBD. The objective is to investigate the localisation of immunoglobulin-producing cells (IPCs) in samples of inflamed intestinal tissue taken from patients with IBD, and their possible relationship with clinical features. Methods The IPCs in small intestinal, colonic and rectal biopsy specimens of patients with IBD were analysed by means of immun…

Unusual B cell morphology in inflammatory bowel disease.

B lymphocytes express various different types of surface immunoglobulins that are largely unrelated to other hematological lines, although some reports have described a relationship between malignant B cells and other cells such as macrophages. Multiple genes of hematopoietic lineage, including transcription factors, are co-expressed in hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors, a phenomenon referred to as "lineage priming". Changes in the expression levels and timing of transcription factors can induce the lineage conversion of committed cells, which indicates that the regulation of transcription factors might be particularly critical for maintaining hierarchical hematopoietic development. …

Significance of serum Il-9 levels in inflammatory bowel disease

IL-9, which may be an inflammatory or regulatory cytokine, can be experimentally produced in a Th17 or modified Th2 context in the presence of T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation. The primary aim of this study was to measure serum IL-9 levels in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and evaluate their relationships with the patients’ clinical characteristics. The secondary aim was to determine the levels of interferon-γ (IFN (interferon)-γ), Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13), and IL-6 in order to clarify the context of detectable peripheral cytokines in which IL-9 is produced. Venous blood samples of 43 IBD patients (20 with Crohn’s disease [CD] and 23 with ulcerative colitis [U…

Lack of association between serological markers of past HBV exposure and HCC development in patients with HCV-induced cirrhosis

Predictors of hepatocellular carcinoma in HCV cirrhotic patients treated with direct acting antivirals

Background: Despite the dramatic improvement in viral eradication rates that has been reached with direct antiviral agents (DAAs),the real benefit of viral eradication after DAAs on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development is still controversial. Aim: To prospectively assess the risk of HCC occurrence and early recurrence in a large cohort of DAAtreated HCV-cirrhotic patients and to identify potential predictors of HCC development. Methods: We analyzed data prospectively collected from 1927 consecutive HCV-infected cirrhotic patients treated with DAA from January to December 2015 in 10 tertiary liver centers in Italy and followed-up for one year after therapy. 161 patients had a previous …

Efficacy and safety of Boceprevir-based therapy in HCVG1 treatment-experienced patients with advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis: Italian NPP survey

S. Bruno1, S. Bollani1, A.L. Zignego2, V. Calvaruso3, C. Magni4, S. Landonio4, M. Rizzetto5, A. Ciancio5, A. Mangia6, V. Piazzolla6, M. Caremani7, S. Piovesan8, L. Cavalletto9, S. Babudieri9, A. Moretti 10, C. Colletta11, M. Massari12, S. Fangazio13, F. Mazzotta14, L. Muratori15, A.E. Colombo16, M. Zuin17, A. Traverso18, T. Santantonio19, F. Farina20, E. Marchionne21, G. Serviddio22, M. Russello23, A. Licata24, A. Craxi3, V. Di Marco3 1 Internal Medicine, AO Fatebenefratelli e Oftalmico, Milano, Italy 2 Internal Medicine, Universita di Firenze, Italy 3 Gastroenterology, Universita di Palermo, Italy 4 Infectiuos Diseases, Ospedale Sacco, Milano, Italy 5 Gastroenterology, Universita di Torino…

Morphological distribution of μ chains and cd15 receptors in colorectal polyp and adenocarcinoma specimens

BACKGROUND: We have recently investigated the localisation of immunoglobulin-producing cells (IPCs) in inflamed intestinal tissue samples from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and identified two main patterns of B lymphocyte infiltration: one characterised by the moderate strong stromal localisation of small B1 cell-like IgM+/CD79+/CD20-/CD21-/CD23-/CD5 ± IPCs, and the other by the peri-glandular localisation of IPCs with irregular nuclei that had surface markers specific for a B cell subset (IgM and CD79), but quantitative differences in their λ and κ chains. The same patients were also tested for CD15+ receptors, which were localised on inflammatory cell surfaces or in the …