Search results for "digestive"

Detection of Hepatitis B Virus DNA in the Liver of Children with Chronic Hepatitis B by In Situ Hybridization and Its Relation to Other Viral Markers

1992

The aim of the study was to detect hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA by in situ hybridization (ISH) with a 35S-labeled radioactive probe in frozen liver biopsy tissue sections of 63 hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive children. The results were compared to other markers of viral replication. HBV DNA was detected in 48 children. Of the 15 negative cases, four had hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg), 10 anti-HBe, and one neither HBeAg nor anti-HBe. Free HBV DNA in serum and liver was positive in one patient. Forty of the positive children were HBeAg- and six anti-HBe-positive; two were negative for both. Of 45 36 had HBV DNA in serum. In 38 of 47 HBV DNA and in 31 of 42 HBcAg could …

2014

Background While the immune pathogenesis caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been studied extensively, little is known about direct pathogenic effects of HBV surface proteins. Here, we have investigated pathological cellular effects of HBV surface protein expression in the liver of transgenic mice with different genetic background.

TGF-β Suppresses Tumor Progression in Colon Cancer by Inhibition of IL-6 trans-Signaling

2004

Alterations of TGF-beta signaling have been described in colorectal cancer, although the molecular consequences are largely unknown. By using transgenic mice overexpressing TGF-beta or a dominant-negative TGF-betaRII, we demonstrate that TGF-beta signaling in tumor infiltrating T lymphocytes controls the growth of dysplastic epithelial cells in experimental colorectal cancer, as determined by histology and a novel system for high-resolution chromoendoscopy. At the molecular level, TGF-beta signaling in T cells regulated STAT-3 activation in tumor cells via IL-6. IL-6 signaling required tumor cell-derived soluble IL-6R rather than membrane bound IL-6R and suppression of such TGF-beta-depende…

Sex difference in the interaction of alcohol intake, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus on the risk of cirrhosis

2017

Background The joint effect of the interaction of alcohol intake, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) on the risk of cirrhosis is still unexplored because a large sample size is required for this investigation. Objective Evaluation of interaction of HBV, HCV and alcohol abuse on the risk of cirrhosis. Design We analysed 12,262 consecutive patients with chronic liver disease of various aetiologies referring to 95 Italian liver units in 2001 or 2014. To evaluate the interaction between alcohol abuse, HBV infection, and HCV infection, patients unexposed to either factors were used as reference category. Adjustment for BMI and age was done by multiple logistic regression analysi…

Impact of Safety-Related Dose Reductions or Discontinuations on Sustained Virologic Response in HCV-Infected Patients: Results from the GUARD-C Cohor…

2015

Background: Despite the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, peginterferon alfa/ribavirin remains relevant in many resource-constrained settings. The non-randomized GUARD-C cohort investigated baseline predictors of safety-related dose reductions or discontinuations (sr-RD) and their impact on sustained virologic response (SVR) in patients receiving peginterferon alfa/ribavirin in routine practice. Methods: A total of 3181 HCV-mono-infected treatment-naive patients were assigned to 24 or 48 weeks of peginterferon alfa/ribavirin by their physician. Patients were categorized by time-to-first sr-RD (Week 4/12). Detailed analyses of the i…

Improvement of ALT decay kinetics by all-oral HCV treatment: Role of NS5A inhibitors and differences with IFN-based regimens

2017

Background Intracellular HCV-RNA reduction is a proposed mechanism of action of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), alternative to hepatocytes elimination by pegylated-interferon plus ribavirin (PR). We modeled ALT and HCV-RNA kinetics in cirrhotic patients treated with currently-used all-DAA combinations to evaluate their mode of action and cytotoxicity compared with telaprevir (TVR)+PR. Study design Mathematical modeling of ALT and HCV-RNA kinetics was performed in 111 HCV-1 cirrhotic patients, 81 treated with all-DAA regimens and 30 with TVR+PR. Kinetic-models and Cox-analysis were used to assess determinants of ALT-decay and normalization. Results HCV-RNA kinetics was biphasic, reflecting …

Clinical benefit of vedolizumab on articular manifestations in patients with active spondyloarthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

2017

Vedolizumab (VDZ) is a new biological agent which was recently approved for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)1 following the good clinical responses reported by clinical trials for both Crohn's disease2 and ulcerative colitis.3 However, the effects of VDZ on extraintestinal manifestations were not reported in these trials, and the ‘real life’ experience is still limited. On these premises, we read with interest the recent work by Varkas et al 4 reporting a series of five patients with IBD who were treated with VDZ and promptly developed new onset or exacerbation of spondyloarthritis (SpA), irrespective of the response to treatment on intestinal symptoms. Although the hypothe…

Copy Number Variation and Missense Mutations of the Agouti Signaling Protein (<i>ASIP)</i> Gene in Goat Breeds with Different Coat Colors

2009

In goats, classical genetic studies reported a large number of alleles at the <i>Agouti</i> locus with effects on coat color and pattern distribution. From these early studies, the dominant <i>A</i><sup>Wt</sup> (white/tan) allele was suggested to cause the white color of the Saanen breed. Here, we sequenced the coding region of the goat <i>ASIP</i> gene in 6 goat breeds (Girgentana, Maltese, Derivata di Siria, Murciano-Granadina, Camosciata delle Alpi, and Saanen), with different coat colors and patterns. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, 3 of which caused missense mutations in conserved positions of the cysteine-ri…

Analysis of the melanocortin receptor 1 (MC1R) gene in Sicilian goat breeds

2010

AbstractMammalian coat colour is mainly determined by the distribution of two different types of melanins: pheomelanin (red/yellow pigments) and eumelanin (black pigments). Their synthesis is regulated by the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R/Extension locus) that binds the α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) and the agouti signalling protein (ASIP, coded by the Agouti locus). In mammals, several studies have reported that loss-of-function mutations in MC1R lead to red/yellow pigmentation, while gain-of-function mutations lead to black/dark colours. Mutations at the Agouti locus exert, in general, epistatic interactions on the Extension locus. In goats, classical genetic studies have indic…

Genetics of hepatocellular carcinoma.

2007

The completely assembled human genome has made it possible for modern medicine to step into an era rich in genetic information and high-throughput genomic analysis. These novel and readily available genetic resources and analytical tools may be the key to unravel the molecular basis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Moreover, since an efficient treatment for this disease is lacking, further understanding of the genetic background of HCC will be crucial in order to develop new therapies aimed at selected targets. We report on the current status and recent developments in HCC genetics. Special emphasis is given to the genetics and regulation of major signalling pathways involved in HCC such …