Maternal microchimerism in the livers of patients with Biliary atresia

BACKGROUND: Biliary atresia (BA) is a neonatal cholestatic disease of unknown etiology. It is the leading cause of liver transplantation in children. Many similarities exist between BA and graft versus host disease suggesting engraftment of maternal cells during gestation could result in immune responses that lead to BA. The aim of this study was to determine the presence and extent of maternal microchimerism (MM) in the livers of infants with BA. METHODS: Using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), 11 male BA & 4 male neonatal hepatitis (NH) livers, which served as controls, were analyzed for X and Y-chromosomes. To further investigate MM in BA, 3 patients with BA, and their mothers, were HLA typed. Using immunohistochemical stains, the BA livers were examined for MM. Four additional BA livers underwent analysis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for evidence of MM. RESULTS: By FISH, 8 BA and 2 NH livers were interpretable. Seven of eight BA specimens showed evidence of MM. The number of maternal cells ranged from 2–4 maternal cells per biopsy slide. Neither NH specimen showed evidence of MM. In addition, immunohistochemical stains confirmed evidence of MM. Using PCR, a range of 1–142 copies of maternal DNA per 25,000 copies of patients DNA was found. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal microchimerism is present in the livers of patients with BA and may contribute to the pathogenesis of BA

Comparison of gastrointestinal pH in cystic fibrosis and healthy subjects

The primary objective of this study was to define the pH conditions under which supplemental pancreatic enzyme preparations must function in the upper gastrointestinal tract. The hypothesis was that normal or greater gastric acid output in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), combined with low pancreatic bicarbonate output, results in an acidic duodenal pH, compromising both dosage-form performance and enzyme activity. Gastrointestinal pH profiles were obtained in 10 CF and 10 healthy volunteers under fasting and postprandial conditions. A radiotelemetric monitoring method, the Heidelberg capsule, was used to continuously monitor pH. Postprandial duodenal pH was lower in CF than in healthy subjects, especially in the first postprandial hour (mean time greater than pH 6 was 5 min in CF, 11 min in healthy subjects, P <0.05). Based on the dissolution pH profiles of current enteric-coated pancreatic enzyme products, the duodenal postprandial pH in CF subjects may be too acidic to permit rapid dissolution of current enteric-coated dosage forms. However, the pH was above 4 more than 90% of the time on the average, suggesting that irreversible lipase inactivation in the duodenum is not likely to be a significant limitation to enzyme efficacy. Overall results suggest that slow dissolution of pH-sensitive coatings, rather than enzyme inactivation, may contribute to the failure of enteric-coated enzyme supplements to normalize fat absorption.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44403/1/10620_2005_Article_BF01296029.pd

Pedoman gizi pediatrik : pendekatan algoritmik/ Edit.: David L. Suskind; Polly Lenssen

xv, 236 hal.: tab.; 24 cm

Pedoman gizi pediatrik : pendekatan algoritmik/ Edit.: David L. Suskind; Polly Lenssen

xv, 236 hal.: tab.; 24 cm

Pedoman gizi pediatrik : pendekatan algoritmik/ Edit.: David L. Suskind; Polly Lenssen

xv, 236 hal.: tab.; 24 cm

Pedoman gizi pediatrik : pendekatan algoritmik/ Edit.: David L. Suskind; Polly Lenssen

xv, 236 hal.: tab.; 24 cm

Pedoman gizi pediatrik : pendekatan algoritmik/ Edit.: David L. Suskind; Polly Lenssen

xv, 236 hal.: tab.; 24 cm

Pedoman gizi pediatrik : pendekatan algoritmik

xv, 236 hlm., 15,5 x 24 cm

Searching for common stem cells of the hepatic and hematopoietic systems in the human fetal liver: CD34(+) cytokeratin 7/8(+) cells express markers for stellate cells

Background/Aims: The hematopoietic and hepatic systems are intertwined in the liver during fetal life. Cells expressing the hematopoietic stem cell marker CD34 and cytokeratin 7/8 (CK7/8) are hypothesized to be common stem cells for the hematopoietic and hepatic systems. Our aim was to determine if human fetal liver cells expressing CD34 and CK7/8 represent a common stem cell for both the hernatopoietic and hepatic systems. Methods: CD34(+)CK7/8(+) cells from midgestation livers were analyzed for the expression of various markers by flow cytometry and isolated based on their expression of CD34, nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) and lack of CD45 expression. CD34(+)CD38(-) hematopoietic stem cells were also isolated and cultured in the presence of various hepatopoietins. Results: CD34(+)CK7/8(+) cells comprised 3.4-8.5% of the erythrocyte-depleted liver. CD34(+)CK7/8(+) cells had unique light-scatter properties compared to hematopoietic precursors and did not express most markers associated with hernatopoietic cells. They did stain with CD13, CD59, NGFR, desmin and alpha-smooth muscle actin. In culture, these cells had a stellate appearance. Cultured hernatopoietic stem cells failed to generate hepatocytes. Conclusions: CD34(+)CK7/8(+) cells are not common stem cells but rather appear to be hepatic stellate cells. A link between the hematopoietic and hepatic systems during fetal life requires further investigation. (C) 2003 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved