Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Sex Hormones

The liver is morphologically and functionally modulated by sex hormones. Long-term use of oral contraceptives and androgenic steroids can induce benign and malignant hepatocellular tumors. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is more prevalent in men than in women. The role of sex hormones and their receptors in the development of HCC was reviewed. Some HCCs may be androgen dependent but others may be estrogen or even both dependent. Further studies are mandatory in order to utilize such characteristics of HCC for an effective prophylaxis and therapy of this tumor

Clinical and Enzymatic Investigation of Induction of Oxygen Free Radicals by Ischemia and Reperfusion in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Adjacent Liver

Serum concentration of thiobarbituric acid (TBA) reactants in the hepatic vein were measured before and after transient dearterialization of the liver in five human subjects bearing unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). During 1 hour of the occlusion of the hepatic artery, change inTBA reactants level was slight. However, the mean value of TBA reactants in 1 hour after the reflow increased to 1.50 ± 0.11 nmol/ml (mean ± S.E.) and was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those before hepatic dearterialization (1.28 ± 0.11 nmol/ml) and just before the release of occlusion (1.32 ± 0.09 nmol/ml)

A case of biliary cystadenocarcinoma arising in the liver with a congenital retention of indocyanine green.

A case of biliary cystadenocarcinoma that occurred in a 45-year-old woman is reported. Ultrasonography and computed tomography clearly revealed papillary projections in the cyst of the liver. Percutaneous transhepatic cystography showed connection between the cyst and the common bile duct. The tumor was surgically resected and proved to be a mucinous papillary adenocarcinoma arising from a biliary cystadenoma. The patient is doing well 4 years after surgery. Interestingly, this is the first reported case of a biliary cystadenocarcinoma in the liver with markedly diminished excretion of indocyanine green.</p

Inferior Vena Caval Thrombosis After Traumatic Liver Injury

We report here the case of a 35-year-old man who presented with inferior vena cava thrombosis (IVCT) after blunt hepatic trauma. The IVCT was incidentally detected by computed tomography (CT) 35 days after deep parenchymal suturing and suture approximation for liver lacerations. The patient denied any symptoms of thrombophlebitis. However, he had presented with significantly elevated values of FDP-D-dimer and a modest increase in plasminogen concentration, which indicated that he had been in a hypercoagulable and hypofibrinolytic state after the operation. He had not undergone any prophylactic anticoagulant therapy because of his concomitant subarachnoid hemorrhage and huge hepatic hematoma. The patient was treated with an emercy thrombectomy. Posttraumatic IVCT is extremely rare phenomenon. We should consider IVCT in patients with a severe hepatic injury, particularly if their coagulation system change into hypercoagulable and hypofibrinolytic state. Additionally, this case made us reflect on the treatment of traumatic liver injury

Cross-sectional and prospective study of the association between lung function and prediabetes

Objectives: A growing body of evidence suggests that there is a relationship between impaired lung function and the risk of developing diabetes mellitus (DM). However, it is not known if this reflects a causal effect of lung function on glucose metabolism. To clarify the relationship between lung function and the development of DM, we examined the incidence of newly diagnosed prediabetes (a precursor of DM) among subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) at baseline. Design: Primary analysis of an occupational cohort with both cross-sectional and longitudinal data (follow-up duration mean±SD: 28.4±6.1 months). Setting and participants: Data were analysed from 1058 men in a cross-sectional study and from 560 men with NGT in a longitudinal study. Outcomes and methods: Impaired lung function (per cent predicted value of forced vital capacity (%FVC) or per cent value of forced expiratory volume 1 s/FVC (FEV1/FVC ratio)) in relation to the ratio of prediabetes or DM in a cross-sectional study and development of new prediabetes in a longitudinal study. NGT, prediabetes including impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and increased fasting glucose (IFG) and DM were diagnosed according to 75 g oral glucose tolerance tests. Measurements and main results: %FVC at baseline, but not FEV1/FVC ratio at baseline, was significantly associated with the incidences of DM and prediabetes. Among prediabetes, IGT but not IFG was associated with %FVC. During follow-up, 102 subjects developed prediabetes among those with NGT. A low %FVC, but not FEV1/FVC ratio, was predictive of an increased risk for development of IGT, but not of IFG. Conclusions: Low lung volume is associated with an increased risk for the development of prediabetes, especially IGT, in Japanese men. Although there is published evidence for an association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and DM, prediabetes is not associated with the early stage of COPD.This work was supported in part by a grant-in-aid for scientific research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (No. 23390222 and 24659405), and a grant to the Respiratory Failure Research Group from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan

Comparison of Various Serum Protein Values in the Japanese and the Japanese-Americans Resident in the United States

Measurements were made of various types of proteins, that is α1-antitrypsin, α1-acid glycoprotein, α2-HS glycoprotein, haptoglobin, α2-macroglobulin, transferrin, C3, IgG, IgA and lgM, in the serum of the Japanese-Americans living in Hawaii and the Japanese-Americans living in Los Angeles who are assumed to be genetically almost identical to the Japanese in Hiroshima Prefecture but are known to have a higher intake of animal fats but a lower intake of complex carbohydrates. These were compared with those of the Japanese in Hiroshima Prefecture. α2-macroglobulin values in serum of the male Japanese-Americans living in Hawaii of ages 30-39 years, 40-49 years, and 50-59 years were significantly lower than those of the residents in Hiroshima Prefecture, but no significant difference in these values could be observed between the Japanese-Americans living in Los Angeles and the Japanese in Hiroshima Prefecture. No significant difference could be observed in the values of other serum proteins in all age groups. These findings indicate that the difference in intake volume of animal fats and complex carbohydrates did not affect these serum protein values

Repeated Hepatic Dearterialization for Unresectable Liver Metastases From Gastric Cancer: Review of Five Cases

A novel method of repeated hepatic dearterialization was evaluated in five patients with multiple metastases from gastric cancer in both hepatic lobes. After gastrectomy with extensive lymph node dissection (R2/3), all patients underwent implantation of a vascular occluder around the hepatic artery. Cannulation of the hepatic artery was added for later chemotherapy. The hepatic artery was occluded repeatedly for 1 hour twice daily in combination with intrahepatic infusion of anticancer drugs for as long as possible. Three of five patients demonstrated marked tumour regression with unexpectedly long survival (16 months in two patients and one still alive at 15 months). Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels decreased to almost normal in four patients who had initially high levels. The present experiences seems to indicate that long survival can be hoped for in patients with advanced gastric cancer with unresectable liver metastases

Paramyxovirus Sendai virus-like particle formation by expression of multiple viral proteins and acceleration of its release by C protein

AbstractEnvelope viruses maturate by macromolecule assembly and budding. To investigate these steps, we generated virus-like particles (VLPs) by co-expression of structural proteins of Sendai virus (SeV), a prototype of the family Paramyxoviridae. Simultaneous expression of matrix (M), nucleo- (N), fusion (F), and hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) proteins resulted in the generation of VLPs that had morphology and density similar to those of authentic virus particles, although the efficiency of release from cells was significantly lower than that of the virus. By using this VLP formation as a model of virus budding, roles of individual proteins in budding were investigated. The M protein was a driving force of budding, and the F protein facilitated and the HN protein suppressed VLP release. Either of the glycoproteins, F or HN, as well as the N protein, significantly shifted density of VLPs to that of virus particles, suggesting that viral proteins bring about integrity of VLPs by protein–protein interactions. We further found that co-expression of a nonstructural protein, C, but not V, enhanced VLP release to a level comparable to that of virus particles, demonstrating that the C protein plays a role in virus budding

RNA-seq analysis of the gonadal transcriptome during Alligator mississippiensis temperature-dependent sex determination and differentiation

Annotation of development-dependent dimorphic genes in gonad during Day 0–12. Annotation of development-dependent significantly up- and down- regulated DEGs at FDR < 0.01 in gonadal regions incubated under MPT and FPT conditions during Day 0 to Day 12. Ordered by decreasing fold change. (XLSX 196 kb