Search results for "hepatology"

Resminostat plus sorafenib as second-line therapy of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma - The SHELTER study

2016

Background & Aims No established therapies for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and progression on first-line sorafenib treatment currently exist. This phase I/II trial investigated safety, pharmacokinetics and potential biomarkers of the histone deacetylase inhibitor resminostat and a combination therapy with resminostat and sorafenib. Methods Patients with HCC and radiologically confirmed progression on sorafenib were treated in an exploratory, multi-center, open-label, uncontrolled, non-randomized, parallel group phase I/II study. In the combination group (n=38) four dose levels ranged from daily 200 to 600mg resminostat plus 400 to 800mg sorafenib. The monotherapy group (n=1…

Innovative Therapeutic Strategies Targeting Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells

2017

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death. Although many advances in the treatment of this disease have been made, a large number of patients develop metastasis and resistance to current therapies. The current evidence indicates that cancer stem cells (CSCs) and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) have crucial roles in colorectal carcinogenesis and metastasis. It is also very important to understand the mechanisms that allow the survival of CSCs, such as metabolic reprogramming, which permits them to obtain specific properties or the activation of alternative signaling pathways in response to first-line therapies. In this review, we discuss the failure…

Systematic review and meta-analysis on targeted therapy in advanced pancreatic cancer

2015

Abstract Aim A systematic review and meta-analysis from literature has been performed to assess the impact of targeted therapy in advanced pancreatic cancer. Methods By searching different literature databases and major cancer meetings proceedings, data from all randomized clinical trials designed to investigate molecular targeted agents in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer were collected. The time-frame between January 2007 and March 2015 was selected. Data on predefined end-points, including overall survival, progression-free survival in terms of Hazard Ratio and response-rate were extracted and analyzed by a random effects model. Pooled data analysis was performed according to …

Optimized Mouse Models for Liver Fibrosis

2017

Fibrosis is the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix components due to chronic injury, with collagens as predominant structural components. Liver fibrosis can progress to cirrhosis, which is characterized by a severe distortion of the delicate hepatic vascular architecture, the shunting of the blood supply away from hepatocytes and the resultant functional liver failure. Cirrhosis is associated with a highly increased morbidity and mortality and represents the major hard endpoint in clinical studies of chronic liver diseases. Moreover, cirrhosis is a strong cofactor of primary liver cancer. In vivo models are indispensable tools to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of li…

A "systems medicine" approach to the study of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

2016

a b s t r a c t The prevalence of fatty liver (steatosis) in the general population is rapidly increasing worldwide. The progress of knowledge in the physiopathology of fatty liver is based on the systems biology approach to studying the complex interactions among different physiological systems. Similarly, translational and clinical research should address the complex interplay between these systems impacting on fatty liver. The clinical needs drive the applications of systems medicine to re-define clinical phenotypes, assessing the multiple nature of disease susceptibility and progression (e.g. the definition of risk, prognosis, diag- nosis criteria, and new endpoints of clinical trials).…

Guidelines are silver, but a multidisciplinary team discussion may be golden?

2018

Phenotypic spectrum and diagnostic pitfalls of ABCB4 deficiency depending on age of onset.

2017

Genetic variants in the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette subfamily B member 4 (ABCB4) gene, which encodes hepatocanalicular phosphatidylcholine floppase, can lead to different phenotypes, such as progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC) type 3, low phospholipid-associated cholelithiasis, and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. The aim of this multicenter project was to collect information on onset and progression of this entity in different age groups and to assess the relevance of this disease for the differential diagnosis of chronic liver disease. Clinical and laboratory data of 38 patients (17 males, 21 females, from 29 families) with homozygous or (compound) heter…

Nutritional Wheat Amylase-Trypsin Inhibitors Promote Intestinal Inflammation via Activation of Myeloid Cells.

2016

Background & Aims Wheat amylase-trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) are nutritional activators of innate immunity, via activation of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) on myeloid cells. We aimed to characterize the biologic activity of ATIs in various foods and their effect on intestinal inflammation. Methods We selected 38 different gluten-containing and gluten-free products, either unprocessed (such as wheat, rye, barley, quinoa, amaranth, soya, lentils, and rice) or processed (such as pizza, pasta, bread, and biscuits). ATIs were extracted and their biological activities determined in TLR4-responsive mouse and human cell lines. Effects of oral ATIs on intestinal inflammation were determined in health…

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…

Nutritional Intake and the Risk for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

2019

The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rising worldwide, and it is estimated that approximately one billion individuals may be afflicted with NAFLD globally [...]