A Low Daily Intake of Simple Sugars in the Diet Is Associated with Improved Liver Function in Cirrhotic Liver Transplant Candidates.

(1) Background: We investigated, for the first time, whether dietary simple sugar intake affects MELD score changes over time in a cohort of cirrhotic liver transplant candidates. (2) Methods: the MELD score, dietary habits using a 3-day food diary, and visceral adipose tissue index (VATI) measured with CT scan were assessed in 80 consecutive outpatient cirrhotic patients at baseline, after counseling to follow current nutritional guidelines. The MELD score was reassessed after six months and the DELTA-MELD was calculated as the MELD at the second assessment minus the MELD at baseline.

The Propensity of the Human Liver to Form Large Lipid Droplets Is Associated with PNPLA3 Polymorphism, Reduced INSIG1 and NPC1L1 Expression and Increased Fibrogenetic Capacity.

In nonalcoholic steatohepatitis animal models, an increased lipid droplet size in hepatocytes is associated with fibrogenesis. Hepatocytes with large droplet (Ld-MaS) or small droplet (Sd-MaS) macrovesicular steatosis may coexist in the human liver, but the factors associated with the predominance of one type over the other, including hepatic fibrogenic capacity, are unknown. In pre-ischemic liver biopsies from 225 consecutive liver transplant donors, we retrospectively counted hepatocytes with Ld-MaS and Sd-MaS and defined the predominant type of steatosis as involving ≥50% of steatotic hepatocytes.

TGF-β signaling is an effective target to impair survival and induce apoptosis of human cholangiocarcinoma cells: A study on human primary cell cultures.

Unlabelled: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and its subtypes (mucin- and mixed-CCA) arise from the neoplastic transformation of cholangiocytes, the epithelial cells lining the biliary tree. CCA has a high mortality rate owing to its aggressiveness, late diagnosis and high resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapeutics. We have demonstrated that CCA is enriched for cancer stem cells which express epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) traits, with these features being associated with aggressiveness and drug resistance.

Cryopreservation protocol for human biliary tree stem/progenitors, hepatic and pancreatic precursors.

Human biliary tree stem/progenitor cells (hBTSCs) are being used for cell therapies of patients with liver cirrhosis. A cryopreservation method was established to optimize sourcing of hBTSCs for these clinical programs and that comprises serum-free Kubota's Medium (KM) supplemented with 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), 15% human serum albumin (HSA) and 0.1% hyaluronans.

Profiles of cancer stem cell subpopulations in cholangiocarcinomas.

Cholangiocarcinomas (CCAs) comprise a mucin-secreting form, intrahepatic or perihilar, and a mixed form located peripherally. We characterized cancer stem cells (CSCs) in CCA subtypes and evaluated their cancerogenic potential. CSC markers were investigated in 25 human CCAs in primary cultures and established cell lines.