Search results for "Liver Diseases"
showing 10 items of 223 documents
Expression quantitative trait loci for PAX8 contributes to the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma
2017
Paired-box family member PAX8 encodes a transcription factor that has a role in cell differentiation and cell growth and may participate in the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). By bioinformatics analysis, we identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within a newly identified long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) AC016683.6 as expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) for PAX8. Hence, we hypothesized that PAX8eQTLs in lncRNA AC016683.6 may influence the HCC prognosis. We then performed a case-only study to assess the association between the two SNPs as well as the prognosis of HCC in 331 HBV-positive HCC patients without surgical treatment. Cox proportional hazard models …
Incidence and risk factors for liver enzyme elevation among naive HIV-1-infected patients receiving ART in the ICONA cohort
2019
AbstractObjectivesTo evaluate the incidence and risk factors for liver enzyme elevations (LEE) in patients initiating first-line ART in the ICONA prospective observational cohort, between June 2009 and December 2017.Patients and methodsIn total, 6575 ART-naive patients were selected, initiating two NRTIs with the third drug being a boosted PI (n=2436; 37.0%), an NNRTI (n=2384; 36.3%) or an integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) (n=1755; 26.7%). HBV surface antigen and HCV RNA were detected in 3.9% and 5.8% of the study population. Inverse probability weighted Cox regression analysis was used to calculate the HRs, according to first-line regimen, for LEE, defined as ALT or AST increases…
Niemann-Pick type C2 protein supplementation in experimental non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
2017
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hepatic cholesterol deposition drives inflammation and fibrosis in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The Niemann-Pick type C2 (NPC2) protein plays an important role in regulating intracellular cholesterol trafficking and homeostasis. We hypothesized that intravenous NPC2 supplementation reduces cholesterol accumulation, hepatic inflammation and fibrogenesis in a nutritional NASH rat model.METHODS: Rats were fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet for four weeks resulting in moderately severe NASH. Animals were treated with intravenous NPC2 or placebo twice weekly for either the last two weeks or the entire four weeks. End-points were liver/body- and spleen/body…
Impact of COVID-19 on global HCV elimination efforts.
2021
Background & Aims COVID-19 has placed significant strain on national healthcare systems at a critical moment in the context of hepatitis elimination. Mathematical models can be used to evaluate the possible impact of programmatic delays on hepatitis disease burden. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the incremental change in hepatitis C liver-related deaths and liver cancer, following a 3-month, 6-month, or 1-year hiatus in hepatitis elimination program progress. Methods Previously developed models were adapted for 110 countries to include a status quo or “no delay” scenario and a “1-year delay” scenario assuming significant disruption in interventions (screening, diagnosis and …
GSK-3 in liver diseases: Friend or foe?
2020
Liver diseases, including hepatitis due to hepatitis B or C virus infection, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma pose major challenges for overall health due to limited curative treatment options. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of these diseases. A better understanding of the signaling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of liver diseases can help to improve the efficacy of emerging therapies, mainly based on pharmacological approaches, which influence one or more specific molecules involved in key signal transduction pathways. These emerging therapies are very promising for the prevention and treatment of …
Insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism drive steatosis and fibrosis risk in young females with PCOS
2017
Background and aims Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) recognize obesity and insulin resistance (IR) as common pathogenic background. We assessed 1) whether PCOS is a risk factor for steatosis, and 2) the impact, in PCOS patients, of IR and hyperandrogenism on steatosis and fibrosis. Methods We considered 202 consecutive Italian PCOS nondiabetic patients and 101 age-matched controls. PCOS was diagnosed applying the Rotterdam diagnostic criteria. Steatosis was diagnosed if hepatic steatosis index (HSI) >36, while fibrosis by using the FIB-4 score. As surrogate estimate of insulin sensitivity we considered the insulin sensitivity index (ISI). Free an…
Immunomodulatory Therapy of Inflammatory Liver Disease Using Selectin-Binding Glycopolymers
2017
Immunotherapies have the potential to significantly advance treatment of inflammatory disease and cancer, which are in large part driven by immune cells. Selectins control the first step in immune cell adhesion and extravasation, thereby guiding leukocyte trafficking to tissue lesions. We analyzed four different highly specific selectin-binding glycopolymers, based on linear poly(2-hydroxypropyl)-methacrylamide (PHPMA) polymers. These glycopolymers contain either the tetrasaccharide sialyl-LewisX (SLeX) or the individual carbohydrates fucose, galactose, and sialic acids mimicking the complex SLeX binding motive. The glycopolymers strongly bind to primary human macrophages, without activatin…
Management of liver disease in Italy after one year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a web-based survey
2021
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)pandemic has severely limited the clinical activity of most hospitals around the world. A previous survey of the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver (AISF) has demonstrated a negative impact of the first pandemic wave on all inpatient and outpatient hepatologyactivities. Like other countries, Italy has subsequently experienced a second and third wave, which occurred in November 2020 and in March 2021 respectively. During the second and third wave many hospitals had already developed emergency management plans and improved knowledge on the management of mild-moderate COVID19 disease was available. However, it is unknown w…
Pattern of macrovascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma
2021
Background and aims: In patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), macrovascular invasion (MaVI) limits treatment options and decreases survival. Detailed data on the relationship between MaVI extension and patients' characteristics, and its impact on patients' outcome are limited. We evaluated the prevalence and extension of MaVI in a large cohort of consecutive HCC patients, analysing its association with liver disease and tumour characteristics, as well as with treatments performed and patients' survival. Methods: We analysed data of 4774 patients diagnosed with HCC recorded in the Italian Liver Cancer (ITA.LI.CA) database (2008-2018). Recursive partition analysis (RPA) was performed …
Disposition of azapropazone in chronic renal and hepatic failure.
1981
The disposition of azapropazone 600 mg i.v. was investigated in 6 healthy subjects, 13 patients with cirrhosis and 8 patients with renal failure. In healthy subjects the elimination half-life was 12.2±2.1 h (mean ± SD), the volume of distribution 10.6±3.31 and the total clearance was 597±135 ml·h−1. Renal clearance accounted for about 62% of the total clearance. The free fraction of azapropazone in the plasma was 0.0045±0.0006. The patients with cirrhosis were divided into Group I with modest and Group II with severe impairment of liver function. In Group I the total clearance of azapropazone was not significantly different from that in healthy subjects. There was a 2.5-fold increase in its…