Resolution of Ménétrier’s Disease after<i> Helicobacter pylori</i> Eradicating Therapy

Some cases of Ménétrier’s disease associated with <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> (HP) have recently been reported in the literature. We report here the case of a 51-year-old man with a diagnosis of Ménétrier’s disease who had previously been unsuccessfully treated with H<sub>2</sub> antagonists. A subsequent demonstration of HP infection led us to treat the patient with an eradicating therapy which prompted complete regression of clinical symptoms, resolution of the gastric endoscopic picture, and absence of HP on gastric histology. This result, in accordance with others in the literature, indicates an eventual association of HP infection with Ménétrier’s disease and tha…

Exploring lipid-related treatment options for the treatment of NASH

PIVKAII Utility in Diagnosis and Post-therapeutic Monitoring of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Protein induced by vitamin K absence (PIVKA-II), also known as des-gamma-carboxyprothrombin, has been described in relation to HCC being released in association with vitamin K deficiency in the presence of HCC. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the traditional biomarker for HCC detection and follow up but it doesn’t have high sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, there is great interest in identifying new more powerful biomarkers. Materials and methods: One hundred and fourteen subjects were divided into four groups: Group 1 included 58 patients (38M, 20 F) with HCC, mean age 73.5; Group 2 included 38 patients (28M, 10F) with liver cirrhosis (LC), mean age 63.7; Group 3 include…

Clinical evaluation of pancreatitis-associated protein as a serum marker of hepatocellular carcinoma: Comparison with α-fetoprotein

This study evaluated the significance of serum pancreatitis-associated protein (PAP) assay, as a marker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in comparison and combined with α-fetoprotein (AFP) assay. Sixty-five patients with HCC, 59 with liver cirrhosis (LC) and 68 asymptomatic controls (C) were studied. PAP and AFP values significantly increased from C to LC and HCC group (p < 0.0001). The area under receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the two markers was not statistically different. At 100% specificity, ROC analysis gave a cut-off level for AFP of 166 IU/l with 40% sensitivity, and a cut-off level of 240 µg/l for PAP with 23% sensitivity. Diagnostic accuracy of combined AFP…

215 CYCLOOXYGENASE-2, TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-a, VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR-A AND IL-6 GENES SNPS AND IL-6 SERUM LEVELS IN LIVER CIRRHOSIS AND HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

Cloning and Expression of the mRNA of Human Galectin-4, an S-type Lectin Down-Regulated in Colorectal Cancer

We are interested in the characterization of genes whose expressions in the colon are modified during colorectal carcinogenesis. Our approach was to establish the phenotype of a colon tumor by partial sequencing of a large number of transcripts, then to select mRNAs of potential interest by differential screening with complex probes from normal or cancerous colon. In this paper, we report the cloning and sequencing of a mRNA strongly underexpressed in colorectal cancer. It corresponded to a protein comprising 323 amino acids, that appeared to be human galectin-4 on the basis of 76% and 79% amino acid identity to the rat and pig counterparts, respectively. Tissue distribution analysis showed…

VEGFR-2, HSP90 and GRP78/BiP expression and HCC recurrence after Liver Transplantation

Introduction Liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a satisfactory therapeutic choice in patients with “early HCC” selected according to Milan criteria. However, the risk of HCC recurrence after LT is about 7-20% at five years and molecular markers which can predict recurrence are still lacking. We investigated in HCC samples and LC surrounding tissues the significance of VEGFR-2, HSP90, and GRP78/BiP expression in patients with HCC who underwent LT in a western transplantation center and their possible role as molecular markers of recurrence. Methods 42 patients (35 M, 7 F) with early HCC who underwent LT between 2012 and 2013 were enrolled. The tumor recurrence r…

Circulating E-selectin levels in chronic hepatitis C patients with normal or elevated transaminase before and after alpha-interferon treatment

E-selectin, an adhesion molecule of the selectin family, is involved in leukocyte adhesion to the endothelium and in the cellular immunological reactions. Expression of this molecule, in fact, is physiologically absent, but it becomes evident on sinusoidal lining cells during inflammatory liver disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior of E-selectin in chronic hepatitis C (CH-C) patients with persistently normal transaminase in comparison to patients with CH-C and elevated transaminase, and its changes during alpha-interferon therapy. Immunohistochemical localization of E-selectin was also performed on liver tissue specimens of both groups. Fifty-eight subjects were divide…

Roles of TP53 in determining therapeutic sensitivity, growth, cellular senescence, invasion and metastasis.

TP53 is a critical tumor suppressor gene that regulates cell cycle progression, apoptosis, cellular senescence and many other properties critical for control of normal cellular growth and death. Due to the pleiotropic effects that TP53 has on gene expression and cellular physiology, mutations at this tumor suppressor gene result in diverse physiological effects. T53 mutations are frequently detected in numerous cancers. The expression of TP53 can be induced by various agents used to treat cancer patients such as chemotherapeutic drugs and ionizing radiation. Radiation will induce Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and other kinases that results in the phosphorylation and activation of TP53…

pap, reg I? andreg I? mRNAs are concomitantly up-regulated during human colorectal carcinogenesis

We have established the phenotype of a colorectal tumor by partial sequencing of 2166 transcripts that were eventually arrayed on high-density filters. These filters were used for differential screening with mRNAs of colorectal cancer and normal adjacent mucosa to characterize genes whose expression is altered in colorectal carcinoma. Three genes encoding related proteins, PAP, reg Iα and reg Iβ, were over-expressed in cancer. Northern-blot analysis confirmed that their expression was very low in normal colonic epithelial cells, but elevated in 75% of tumors. Western blotting with specific antibodies to pap and reg Iα revealed in tumors a single band of the expected size (15–16 kDa), demons…