The American journal of the medical sciences
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Although excess iron induces oxidative stress in the liver, it is unclear whether it directly activates the hepatic stellate cells (HSC). ⋯ HSC express iron-transport proteins. Holotransferrin (iron) activates HSC fibrogenesis and the TGF-β pathway, whereas iron depletion by chelation reverses this, suggesting that this could be a useful adjunct therapy for patients with fibrosis. Further studies in primary human HSC and animal models are necessary to confirm this.
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The proto-oncogene Myc serves as a paradigm for understanding the dynamics of transcriptional regulation. Myc protein has been linked to immune dysfunction, cancer development and neoplastic transformation. ⋯ However, decreased expression of Myc has been observed in HSCT patients who did not survive. Understanding impaired or inappropriate expression of Myc may present a path for the discovery of new targets for therapeutic applications.
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Comparative Study
Clinical Heterogeneity of Interstitial Lung Disease in Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis Patients With or Without Specific Autoantibodies.
The aim of this study was to compare the heterogeneity of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis (PM/DM) according to serological type. ⋯ MDA5-ILD was associated with severe pulmonary manifestations, poor response to treatment and aggravated prognosis. The ARS-ILD group had favorable treatment response and prognosis. MSN-ILD patients had relatively worse treatment response and prognosis compared to the ARS group, even though they expressed milder pulmonary manifestation.
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IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a recently recognized condition defined by characteristic histopathologic findings in affected organs. Serum IgG4 concentration is often but not always elevated. The sensitivity and specificity of serum IgG4 vary greatly across studies and has been anecdotally associated to ethnicity. Our study was conducted to investigate the difference in serum IgG4 levels between Asian and non-Asian patients with IgG4-RD. ⋯ Asian patients with IgG4-RD have more exuberant serum IgG4, IgG and polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia than non-Asian patients; the mechanism of this difference requires further study. These findings have significant clinical importance and must be accounted for in the diagnostic workup of patients in multiethnic settings.