Reconstruction of an abnormal hepatic vein in a donor liver - A case report

In the era of worldwide organ shortage for liver transplantation, every effort must be made to use all potentially available livers. In this case report, we present a liver graft with abnormal left hepatic vein draining directly to the right atrium of the donor heart, which was discovered during back table preparation of a liver graft. The vein was reconstructed and the subsequent liver transplantation was successful. Five years after the transplantation, no signs of complications have emerged

Liver pathology and cell proliferation after octreotide administration following partial hepatectomy in rats - An experimental study

Octreotide is a somatostatin analog introduced for clinical use that inhibits the growth of various tumors in rats. This study investigates liver pathology after octreotide treatment following partial (2/3) hepatectomy in rats. Thirty rats, weighing 250-300 g underwent partial hepatectomy and were divided in to two groups. Group A (N = 25) received octreotide subcutaneously [2 mug Sandostatin (Sandoz) in 1 ml normal saline every 12 hr for 15 days]. Group B (N = 5) was injected with 1 ml normal saline subcutaneously every 12 hr for the same time period; animals in this group were used as controls. At the end of the experiment rats were sacrificed and liver tissue was obtained for pathologic examination. Liver sections from group A (octreotide administration) showed extensive cholangiolar and fibrous tissue proliferation in the hepatectomy area, and hypertrophy and swelling of Kupffer cells in the liver parenchyma. Sections from the hepatectomy surface from group B (controls) displayed signs of liver regeneration. Proliferation activity (Ki-67(+) cells) was higher in the cholangiolar epithelium in group A and in hepatocytes in group B. In conclusion, the results of this study show that octreotide inhibits liver regeneration, which occurs after partial hepatectomy in rats and enhances hyperplasia of cholangiolar and fibrous tissue

Oval cell proliferation in cirrhosis in rats. An experimental study

Oval cells are liver stem cells involved in liver regeneration following liver damage. Previous studies have shown that pretreatment with a hepatocyte inhibitor is required to allow full oval cell activation. This study investigates whether oval cells develop and proliferate in a model of experimental liver fibrosis without pretreatment with a known hepatocyte inhibitor. The study comprised 66 male Wistar rats divided into two groups: A (n = 6): controls; and B (n = 60): CCl4 injection (intraperitoneally 2 mL/kg bodyweight 1:1 volume in corn oil twice weekly). Rats were sacrificed at four, eight and 12 weeks. Liver tissues were evaluated for the degree of fibrosis (Masson's trichrome), cell proliferation (Ki67 antigen), expression of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) mRNA (RT-PCR and in situ hybridization), AFP protein (Western blot) and cytokeratin-19. Cells with morphologic features of oval cells that were cytokeratin 19 (CK19)+ and AFP mRNA+ were scored in morphometric analysis. Oval cells were present in all 66 specimens; their percentage was higher in group B compared to group A (P < 0.001). AFP mRNA and protein expression increased as fibrosis advanced. Similarly, the numbers of CK19+, AFP mRNA+ and Ki67+ oval cells were higher in advanced fibrosis stages. This study demonstrates that oval cells develop and proliferate in a model of experimental liver fibrosis without pretreatment with a known hepatocytic inhibitor. However, further research is warranted in order to identify the exact molecular mechanisms involved in this process