Journal of hepatology
-
Journal of hepatology · Jul 2013
Endoplasmic reticulum stress induces fibrogenic activity in hepatic stellate cells through autophagy.
Metabolic stress during liver injury enhances autophagy and provokes stellate cell activation, with secretion of scar matrix. Conditions that augment protein synthesis increase demands on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) folding capacity and trigger the unfolded protein response (UPR) to cope with resulting ER stress. Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a common feature of hepatic fibrogenesis, and crosstalk between oxidant stress and ER stress has been proposed. The aim of our study was to determine the impact of oxidant and ER stress on stellate cell activation. ⋯ These data implicate mechanisms underlying protein folding quality control in regulating the fibrogenic response in hepatic stellate cells.
-
Journal of hepatology · Jul 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe Mediterranean diet improves hepatic steatosis and insulin sensitivity in individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects up to 30% of the population and signifies increased risk of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Therapies are limited. Weight loss is of benefit but is difficult to maintain. We aimed at examining the effect of the Mediterranean diet (MD), a diet high in monounsaturated fatty acids, on steatosis and insulin sensitivity, using gold standard techniques. ⋯ Even without weight loss, MD reduces liver steatosis and improves insulin sensitivity in an insulin-resistant population with NAFLD, compared to current dietary advice. This diet should be further investigated in subjects with NAFLD.
-
Journal of hepatology · Jul 2013
Sphingosine kinase/sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P)/S1P receptor axis is involved in liver fibrosis-associated angiogenesis.
Sphingosine kinase (SphK)/sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P)/S1P receptor (S1PR) axis is involved in multiple biological processes, including liver fibrosis. Angiogenesis is an important pathophysiological process closely associated with liver fibrosis; however, the functional role of SphK/S1P/S1PR in this process remains incompletely defined. ⋯ SphK1/S1P/S1PR1/3 axis plays a crucial role in the angiogenic process required for fibrosis development, which may represent an effective therapeutic strategy for liver fibrosis.
-
Journal of hepatology · Jun 2013
Comparative StudyComparison of the methods for tumor response assessment in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing transarterial chemoembolization.
Recently, new methods, including the concept of viable enhancing tumor such as EASL and mRECIST, have been proposed for substitution of the conventional WHO and RECIST criteria in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Herein, we evaluated the differences of four methods and compared the association of these methods with the prognosis of HCC patients undergoing TACE. ⋯ The response assessment by EASL and mRECIST could reliably predict the survival of HCC patients undergoing TACE and could be applicable in practice in preference to the conventional WHO and RECIST criteria.
-
Journal of hepatology · Jun 2013
Non-hypervascular hypointense nodules detected by Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI are a risk factor for recurrence of HCC after hepatectomy.
The gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) often depicts non-hypervascular hypointense hepatic nodules during the hepatobiliary phase in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is unclear whether the presence of these nodules is associated with HCC recurrence after hepatectomy. We conducted a prospective observational study to investigate the impact of the presence of non-hypervascular hypointense hepatic nodules on the hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI on the recurrence of HCC after hepatectomy. ⋯ Patients with preoperative non-hypervascular hypointense hepatic nodules detected during the hepatobiliary phase of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI are at higher risk of HCC recurrence after hepatectomy, mainly due to multicentric recurrence.