Clinics and research in hepatology and gastroenterology
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Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol · Mar 2017
Hepatocellular carcinoma suppressor 1 promoter hypermethylation in serum. A diagnostic and prognostic study in hepatitis B.
Liver cancer ranks as the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in man worldwide, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent malignant neoplasm of the liver. The sensitivity of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) as an HCC diagnostic marker for HCC diagnosis is 39-65%, and one-third patients with HCC are missed using AFP. New biomarkers are needed to diagnose HCC at an earlier stage and to individualize treatment strategies. Hepatocellular carcinoma suppressor 1 (HCCS1) is a newly identified liver tumor suppressor gene. ⋯ HCCS1 has potential as a biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of patients with HCC.
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Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol · Dec 2015
Survival in relation to hospital type after resection or sorafenib treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma in The Netherlands.
Despite an increase in recent years, hepatocellular carcinoma remains uncommon in the Netherlands. The aim of the current study is to explore potential effects of hospital type and volume on outcomes after resection or sorafenib in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. ⋯ In low incidence countries, outcome after resection or sorafenib for hepatocellular carcinoma may differ between various hospital types.
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Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol · Oct 2015
Meta AnalysisEfficacy and safety of acetylcysteine in "non-acetaminophen" acute liver failure: A meta-analysis of prospective clinical trials.
Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare but highly mortal condition without liver transplantation (LT). N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a glutathione precursor that detoxifies the reactive metabolite of acetaminophen and replenishes hepatic glutathione stores, is a highly effective drug for the prevention of ALF caused by acetaminophen. However, therapeutic use of NAC in non-acetaminophen-induced ALF (NAI-ALF) including alcohol intoxication, hepatitis virus infection, or drug and toxin-related hepatotoxicity is still inconclusive. The aim of this article is using meta-analysis method to analyze recent prospective clinical trials for the safety and efficacy of NAC in patients with ALF not caused by acetaminophen poisoning. ⋯ NAC is safe for NAI-ALF. It can prolong patients' survival with native liver without transplantation and survival after transplantation, but it cannot improve the overall survival.
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Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol · Oct 2015
Comparative StudyPortable hemoglobinometer is a reliable technology for the follow-up of venesections tolerance in hemochromatosis.
The treatment of HFE-related hemochromatosis, one of the most common genetic diseases, is based on phlebotomies whose tolerance is evaluated by regular monitoring of hemoglobin. Using a portable hemoglobinometer (PH) could provide an easy and fast determination of hemoglobin. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare, in hemochromatosis patients treated by bloodletting, the hemoglobin concentrations as assayed, on capillary blood, by a PH device and, on venous blood, by a cell counter (CC) device. ⋯ PH is a reliable, quick and easy technology, which can be proposed to follow-up the tolerance of venesections in hemochromatosis patients.
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Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol · Oct 2015
Comparative StudyPromoter hypermethylation of TERT is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in the Han Chinese population.
Upstream of the transcription start site (UTSS), hypermethylation of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene has been shown to be associated with tumour progression and a poor prognosis in paediatric brain tumours (Castelo-Branco 2013). It has been inferred that the UTSS region of TERT is a potentially accessible biomarker for various cancers. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of TERT in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to investigate whether the UTSS region of the TERT promoter shows the same methylation pattern in HCC. ⋯ As hypermethylation was positively correlated with high expression of TERT in HCC, TERT is likely to be involved in the aetiology of HCC. Our findings indicate that future studies on TERT might be fruitful.