Search results for " liver disease"

Article Commentary: Clinical Medicine: Endocrinology and Diabetes: Insulin Resistance–-a Link between Inflammation and Hepatocarcinogenesis?

2009

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing world wide. The risk factors for the development of HCC include liver cirrhosis, chronic alcohol intake, and chronic viral hepatitis. These conditions are associated with inflammation, liver cell injury, and oxidative stress. The signaling pathways that contribute to liver cell injury have been shown to also promote insulin resistance in hepatocytes. On the other hand, obesity and diabetes have been suggested as risk factors for the development of chronic liver disease and HCC. The molecular mediators (e.g. stress kinases) and signaling pathways that contribute to cellular injury, proliferation and insulin resistance are also ac…

Validity and reliability of the Italian version of the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ-I) for the assessment of health-related quality of l…

2005

Background.: The Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire is a specific health-related quality of life assessment designed for patients with liver diseases. Aim.: The aim of this paper is to report on the validity, reliability and sensitivity to change of the Italian version (Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire-I) in subjects with HCV infection. Subjects.: The Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire-I was administered to 350 subjects with HCV infection together with the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment, abbreviated version, a generic quality of life assessment. Methods.: The instrument was translated from English, backtranslated and reviewed in focus groups in the framework of a …

Coffee Restores Expression of lncRNAs Involved in Steatosis and Fibrosis in a Mouse Model of NAFLD

2021

Background and aim: Coffee intake exerts protective effects against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), although without fully cleared mechanisms. In this study we aimed to assess whether coffee consumption may influence the expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the liver. Methods: C57BL/6J mice were fed a 12-week standard diet (SD), high-fat diet (HFD) or HFD plus decaffeinated coffee solution (HFD + coffee). Expression of specific lncRNAs involved in NAFLD was analyzed by real-time PCR. For the most differentially expressed lncRNAs, the analysis was also extended to their mRNA targets. Results: Decaffeinated coffee intake reduced body weight gain, prevented NAFLD, lowered…

2019

Background: Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Exercise-based prevention interventions for improving cardiorespiratory fitness are a recommended complementary treatment for NAFLD. Achievement of minimally effective physical activity to improve cardiorespiratory fitness among patients typically involves high personal and financial expenses in face-to-face settings. We designed an eHealth approach for patients with NAFLD to improve the cardiorespiratory fitness and report the first results of the HELP (Hepatic Inflammation and Physical Performance in Patients With NASH [nonalcoholic steatohepatitis]) study. Objective: We aimed to assess th…

Role of the gastroenterologist in the management of the obese patient.

2017

Obesity is a highly prevalent disease worldwide, and one in which gastroenterologists can play an important role. Some digestive diseases are more common in obese patients, and preoperative evaluation may be required in some cases. Additionally, bariatric surgery can lead to digestive complications in the short and long term that require intervention, and endoscopic treatment can be an important factor in weight loss. The aim of this review is to highlight the role of the gastroenterologist in the management of obese patients who are either scheduled for or have undergone surgical or endoscopic treatment for obesity.

Amphiregulin activates human hepatic stellate cells and is upregulated in non alcoholic steatohepatitis

2015

AbstractAmphiregulin (AR) involvement in liver fibrogenesis and hepatic stellate cells (HSC) regulation is under study. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its more severe form non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) may progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer (HCC). Our aim was to investigate ex vivo the effect of AR on human primary HSC (hHSC) and verify in vivo the relevance of AR in NAFLD fibrogenesis. hHSC isolated from healthy liver segments were analyzed for expression of AR and its activator, TNF-α converting enzyme (TACE). AR induction of hHSC proliferation and matrix production was estimated in the presence of antagonists. AR involvement in fibrogenesis was also ass…

Italian association for the study of the liver position statement on SARS-CoV2 vaccination.

2021

The vaccination campaign against Sars-CoV-2 commenced in Italy at the end of December 2020. The first ones to receive the immunization against the virus were the health workers and the residents of nursing homes, following which the vaccine would be available for the entire population, beginning with the most vulnerable individuals. SARS-CoV2 vaccines have been demonstrated to be safe for the general population, although no data for patients with liver diseases or those having undergone liver transplantation are available so far. The present position statement AISF is an attempt to suggest, based on the published data on the impact of Sars-Cov-2 infection in patients with chronic liver dise…

Ramucirumab in patients with previously treated advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: Impact of liver disease aetiology.

2021

BACKGROUND & AIMS Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common complication of chronic liver disease with diverse underlying aetiologies. REACH/REACH-2 were global phase III studies investigating ramucirumab in advanced HCC (aHCC) following sorafenib treatment. We performed an exploratory analysis of outcomes by liver disease aetiology and baseline serum viral load. METHODS Meta-analysis was conducted in patients with aHCC and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) ≥400 ng/mL (N = 542) from REACH/REACH-2 trials. Individual patient-level data were pooled with results reported by aetiology subgroup (hepatitis B [HBV] or C [HCV] and Other). Pre-treatment serum HBV DNA and HCV RNA were quantified using Roche CO…

Primary Biliary Cholangitis: advances in management and treatment of the disease

2017

Primary Biliary Cholangitis, previously known as Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, is a rare disease, which mainly affects women in their fifth to seventh decades of life. It is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by a progressive damage of interlobular bile ducts leading to ductopenia, chronic cholestasis and bile acids retention. Even if the disease usually presents a long asymptomatic phase and a slow progression, in many patients it may progress faster toward cirrhosis and its complications. The 10Â year mortality is greater than in diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus/Hepatitis C Virus coinfection and breast cancer. Ursodeoxycholic acid is the only treatment available today, b…

Autoimmune hepatitis and overlap syndromes

2002

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is an immune-mediated, autodestructive liver disease with hepatocytes as target cells, mostly affecting young women. Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is also regarded as an autoimmune liver disease with bile duct epithelia as the target cells, resulting in a continuous loss of bile ducts. Both diseases may occur simultaneously in their full manifestations in about 10% to 20% of cases, thus constituting an overlap syndrome with PBC directing the course of the disease. AIH may also occur simultaneously with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), with a frequency of between 2% and 8% of patients with PSC. In most cases, AIH precedes manifestation of PSC. In children, t…