Role of manganese accumulation in increased brain glutamine of the cirrhotic rat

Cirrhosis promotes increases of both manganese and glutamine in brain. Manganese is a modulator and glutamine is the product of glutamine synthetase. This work studies the relationship between manganese and glutamine synthetase in a model of cirrhosis in the rat. We administered manganese (1 g/L) in the drinking water of sham-operated and bile-duct obstructed rats. We evaluated the manganese and glutamine accumulation and the glutamine synthetase activity in frontal cortex, striatum, and pallidum after 2, 4, and 6 weeks of biliary obstruction or sham surgery. Cirrhotic rats receiving manganese increased their brain content of metal about 400%–600% after 4 weeks of treatment (P < .05) and also remarkably accumulated glutamine through time in the three regions studied (P < .05 at week 6). Interestingly, bile-duct obstructed rats treated with manganese showed no effect on glutamine synthetase activity. Results from this study suggest that manganese induces increases of brain glutamine independently of its synthesis.     

Proteome analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex process involving multiple changes in gene expression and usually occurs in the presence of liver cirrhosis. In this research, we observed proteome alterations of three tissue types isolated from livers of HCC patients: normal, cirrhotic, and tumorous tissue. Proteome alterations were observed using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Comparing the tissue types with each other, a significant change in expression level was found in 21 proteins. Of these proteins, sarcosine dehydrogenase, liver carboxylesterase, peptidyl-prolyl isomerase A, and lamin B1 are considered novel HCC marker candidates. In particular, lamin B1 may be considered as a marker for cirrhosis, because its expression level changes considerably in cirrhotic tissue compared with normal tissue. The proteins revealed in this experiment can be used in the future for studies pertaining to hepatocarcinogenesis, or as diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for HCC.     

腹水降钙素原诊断肝硬化自发性腹膜炎的临床价值研究

目的:探讨腹水中降钙素原(PCT)诊断晚期肝硬化腹水并发自发性细菌性腹膜炎(SBP)的临床价值,并确定其参考值水平。方法:选择42例肝硬化失代偿期患者为研究对象(伴SBP22例,非SBP 20例),抽取其住院时、住院后24 h和48 h外周血及腹水标本各一次,进行腹水中有核细胞数计数,并采用免疫荧光层析法同时测定和比较其血清及腹水中PCT的含量。结果:22例伴SBP的患者血清和腹水PCT含量均明显高于20例不伴有SBP的患者(P0.01),而伴SBP的患者腹水PCT含量和同时间点血清PCT含量比较差异均无统计学意义(P0.05)。以入院时腹水PCT含量诊断SBP的ROC曲线的AUC为0.986,而血清PCT、腹水PMN计数的AUC分别为0.942、0.868;入院后24时腹水PCT和血清PCT诊断SBP的ROC曲线的AUC分别为0.998和0.986;入院后48时腹水PCT和血清PCT诊断SBP的ROC曲线的AUC为0.986和0.990。结论:腹水降钙素原可用于晚期肝硬化腹水并发SBP的诊断,且较血清降钙素原和腹水中有核细胞计数具有更高的诊断价值。入院时、入院后24 h和48 h时,腹水PCT大于0.565 ng/m L、0.545 ng/m L和0.410 ng/m L提示患SBP可能性大。     

骨髓干细胞移植治疗肝硬化的基础与临床研究现状

肝硬化是一种临床常见的肝病良性终末期表现。目前临床上尚缺乏有效的治疗措施。肝脏移植是最理想的治疗方法,但受供体肝脏来源限制,且费用昂贵。近年来开展的自体骨髓干细胞(BMSCs)移植治疗,为肝硬化的治疗带来了新的希望。BMSCs主要包括造型血干细胞和间充质干细胞,其具有可塑性,体外通过生长因子,体内利用特定微环境均可诱导BMSCs分化为肝前体细胞和成熟肝细胞,并明显改善肝功能。从动物实验到临床研究亦表明,BMSCs具有来源丰富、费用低廉、损伤小、自体移植不栓塞、无排斥反应等优点,为治疗肝病带来了新思路,有望成为生物人工肝的细胞来源。本文就BMSCs移植治疗肝硬化的研究现状,尤其是移植途径以及在肝脏内定居、迁移和分化机制的示踪观察方法和存在的问题作一综述,以期为从事肝病研究的同仁提供参考依据。通过对BMSCs移植从基础研究及临床应用的最新进展的描述,展示BMSCs在肝硬化治疗方面良好的治疗前景。     

肝炎后肝硬化患者肝癌发生的保护因素与危险因素研究

目的:通过回顾性病例对照研究,探讨多种因素在病毒性肝炎后肝化门静脉高压症患者HCC发生过程中的作用以及脾切除是否抑制了肝癌的发生进程。方法:收集第四军医大学西京医院病案统计室检索2002年1月～2008年12月之间出院诊断为病毒性肝炎后(HBV/HCV)肝硬化门脉高压的病例2300余例,收集所有病例的一般资料,临床及实验室检查数据,影象学检查结果,以及在治疗过程中的脾切除手术史。采用病例对照,按年龄、性别两个指标进行1:1配对,根据研究对象是否合并HCC将其分为合并HCC组(组1),未合并HCC组(组2),采用SPSS17.0进行单因素分析及多因素logistic回归分析。结果:描述性统计结果显示,两组的ALB、AST、TP、ALP、GGT等差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),而PLT、ALT、TBIL等在两组间差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。将单因素分析有意义的研究因素纳入多因素logistic回归方程得知,AST、ALP、GGT异常升高增加了肝癌发生的危险性,而行脾切除和门奇断流术明显降低了肝癌发生的危险性,仅为无手术患者肝癌发生危险性的57.1%(OR:0.571,95%CI:0.394～0.825)。...     

肝硬化并自发性细菌性腹膜炎的观察和护理

目的探讨肝硬化并自发性细菌性腹膜炎有效的观察方法和护理措施。方法对152例肝硬化并自发性细菌性腹膜炎的观察方法和护理措施进行回顾性分析。结果152例患者通过治疗及护理配合,治愈好转129例,死亡和自动出院23例。结论加强病情观察及实施有效的护理措施对促进患者康复、减少并发症,降低死亡率有重要的意义。     

The rs738409 (I148M) variant of the PNPLA3 gene and cirrhosis: a meta-analysis

The human patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing-3 (PNPLA3) gene rs738409 C>G polymorphism is associated with several types of liver disease. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the risk of cirrhosis on the basis of rs738409 allele frequency and genotype. Medline, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were searched for prospective and retrospective studies assessing the effect of the rs738409 polymorphism on liver cirrhosis. Seven studies, involving 2,023 patients with cirrhosis, were included. The G allele was associated with a significantly increased risk of cirrhosis versus the C allele [pooled odds ratio (OR) = 1.86, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.64–2.12, Z = 9.55, P < 0.001]. Both the GC and GG genotypes were associated with a significantly increased risk of cirrhosis versus the CC genotype (GC vs. CC: pooled OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.51–1.98, Z = 7.86, P < 0.001; GG vs. CC: pooled OR = 3.41, 95% CI = 2.77–4.18, Z = 11.65, P < 0.001). There was no evidence of publication bias. Our findings suggest that patients at risk for liver cirrhosis may benefit from PNPLA3 genotyping and thus more intensive monitoring if the rs738409 C>G polymorphism is identified.     

Polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolites as novel lipidomic biomarkers for noninvasive diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Lipotoxicity is a key mechanism thought to be responsible for the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Noninvasive diagnosis of NASH is a major unmet clinical need, and we hypothesized that PUFA metabolites, in particular arachidonic acid (AA)-derived eicosanoids, in plasma would differentiate patients with NAFL from those with NASH. Therefore, we aimed to assess the differences in the plasma eicosanoid lipidomic profile between patients with biopsy-proven NAFL versus NASH versus normal controls without nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD; based on MRI fat fraction <5%). We carried out a cross-sectional analysis of a prospective nested case-control study including 10 patients with biopsy-proven NAFL, 9 patients with biopsy-proven NASH, and 10 non-NAFLD MRI-phenotyped normal controls. We quantitatively compared plasma eicosanoid and other PUFA metabolite levels between NAFL versus NASH versus normal controls. Utilizing a uniquely well-characterized cohort, we demonstrated that plasma eicosanoid and other PUFA metabolite profiling can differentiate between NAFL and NASH. The top candidate as a single biomarker for differentiating NAFL from NASH was 11,12-dihydroxy-eicosatrienoic acid (11,12-diHETrE) with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 1. In addition, we also found a panel including 13,14-dihydro-15-keto prostaglandin D₂ (dhk PGD2) and 20-carboxy arachidonic acid (20-COOH AA) that demonstrated an AUROC of 1. This proof-of-concept study provides early evidence that 11,12-diHETrE, dhk PGD2, and 20-COOH AA are the leading eicosanoid candidate biomarkers for the noninvasive diagnosis of NASH.     

微生态制剂对预防肝硬化自发性腹膜炎再发的疗效观察及护理体会

目的探讨常规保肝基础上联合微生态制剂对肝硬化自发性腹膜炎再发的疗效及护理措施。方法选取选取2011年10月至2013年6月来我院治疗的肝硬化自发性腹膜炎患者48例,随机分为微生态治疗组及对照组,微生态治疗组行常规保肝治疗并加用微生态制剂,对照组仅行常规保肝治疗,比较1年内两组患者自发性腹膜炎的再发情况及再发时各症状缓解时间的变化,并总结护理措施。结果微生态治疗组再发率明显低于与对照组再发率,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);微生态治疗组的各项症状的缓解时间也明显少于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论在常规保肝基础上加服微生态制剂可以有效地预防肝硬化患者自发性腹膜炎再发,并能显著缩短再发时各症状的缓解时间。同时,护理人员的正确护理是保证治疗顺利进行,并改善患者预后的关键。