Caecal dermoid cyst presenting as an appendicular mucocele on abdominal imaging.

: Dermoid cysts are benign tumors rarely arising from the cecum. Also, including this report, 10 cases have been described in the literature, to our knowledge. Dermoid cysts are benign tumors rarely found in the cecum.

Testing of microencapsulated porcine hepatocytes in a new model of fulminant liver failure in baboons.

Background: There is no standard therapy for acute liver failure. Hepatocyte transplantation has been proposed for temporary liver function support, while the injured liver regenerates or while waiting for transplantation. We have previously shown such efficacy for microencapsulated porcine hepatocytes in mice with fulminant liver failure.

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist modulates the early phase of liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy in mice.

Background: Cytokine administration is a potential therapy for acute liver failure by reducing inflammatory responses and favour hepatocyte regeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) during liver regeneration and to study the effect of a recombinant human IL-1ra on liver regeneration.

Methods: We performed 70%-hepatectomy in wild type (WT) mice, IL-1ra knock-out (KO) mice and in WT mice treated by anakinra.

Transplantation of encapsulated hepatocytes during acute liver failure improves survival without stimulating native liver regeneration.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of intraperitoneal transplantation of encapsulated human hepatocytes on liver metabolism and regeneration of mice with acute liver failure. Primary human hepatocytes were immortalized using lentiviral vectors coding for antiapoptotic genes and microencapsulated using alginate-polylysine polymers. In vitro, immortalized human hepatocytes showed low, but stable, synthetic and catabolitic functions over time, when compared to primary hepatocytes.

Transplantation of mouse embryonic stem cells induces hematopoietic and tissue chimerism in rats.

Embryonic stem cells (ESC) can differentiate into all cell lineages, and ESC-like cells were shown to induce hematopoietic chimerism and tolerance in allogeneic models. The aim of our study was to test the capacity of mouse ESC (mESC) to engraft in rats in a xenotransplantation setting. Forty-six rats were transplanted intravenously with 1 million mESC, without immunosuppression (group 1, n = 23) or with cyclosporine (group 2, n = 23).

International human xenotransplantation inventory.

Background: Xenotransplantation carries inherent risks of infectious disease transmission to the recipient and even to society at large, and it should only be carried out with strict regulation and oversight. In collaboration with the International Xenotransplantation Association, the University Hospital Geneva, and the World Health Organization, an international inventory has been established (www.humanxenotransplant.

Expression of the hepatic Niemann-Pick C1 like 1 protein gene is sensitive to rosuvastatin treatment of primary human hepatocytes.

Statins act by reducing hepatic cholesterol synthesis, thus stimulating uptake of serum cholesterol. Statin therapy modulates a number of genes involved in hepatic cholesterol homeostasis. These have rarely been analyzed simultaneously in the same experimental setting, with virtually no studies of primary human hepatocytes.

Fibrogenic potential of human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells in injured liver.

Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are currently investigated clinically as cellular therapy for a variety of diseases. Differentiation of MSC toward endodermal lineages, including hepatocytes and their therapeutic effect on fibrosis has been described but remains controversial. Recent evidence attributed a fibrotic potential to MSC.

Improved survival of fulminant liver failure by transplantation of microencapsulated cryopreserved porcine hepatocytes in mice.

The aim of this study was to establish hepatocyte isolation in pigs, and to evaluate function of isolated hepatocytes after encapsulation, cryopreservation, and transplantation (Tx) in a mouse model of fulminant liver failure (FLF). After isolation, porcine hepatocytes were microencapsulated with alginate-poly-L-Lysine-alginate membranes and cryopreserved. In vitro, albumin production of free and encapsulated hepatocytes were measured by enzyme linked-immunoadsorbent assay.

What clinical alternatives to whole liver transplantation? Current status of artificial devices and hepatocyte transplantation.

Shortage of organ donors limits the number of possible liver transplantations. Alternative therapies for treatment of liver failure are currently being developed: (i) extracorporeal artificial liver devices; (ii) bioartificial liver devices using hepatocytes; and (iii) hepatocyte transplantation. The objective of these strategies is to bridge patients with liver failure until a suitable liver allograft is obtained for transplantation or the patient's own liver regenerates sufficiently to resume normal function.

Computer-assisted digital image analysis to quantify the mass and purity of isolated human islets before transplantation.

Background: Accurate determination of islet purity and mass before transplantation is an essential part of quality control. The standard method is based on manual evaluation of these parameters and thus subjective and prone to errors. Therefore, we developed a computerized approach aimed at evaluating more objectively the number and purity of isolated human islets.

Unsaturated fatty acids inhibit the expression of tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) via microRNA-21 up-regulation in hepatocytes.

Unlabelled: Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a regulator of phosphoinositide 3-kinase signaling and an important tumor suppressor mutated/deleted in human cancers. PTEN deletion in the liver leads to insulin resistance, steatosis, inflammation, and cancer. We recently demonstrated that unsaturated fatty acids trigger steatosis by down-regulating PTEN expression in hepatocytes via activation of a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) complex, but the molecular mechanisms implicated in this process are still unknown.

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 secreted by adipose tissue induces direct lipid accumulation in hepatocytes.

Unlabelled: For many years, adipose tissue has been mainly considered as an inert reservoir for storing triglycerides. Since the discovery that adipocytes may secrete a variety of bioactive molecules (hormones, chemokines, and cytokines), an endocrine and paracrine role for white adipose tissue (WAT) in the regulation of energy balance and other physiological processes has been established, particularly with regard to brain and muscle. In contrast, little is known about the interactions of WAT with liver.

[Xenotransplantation, soon a clinical reality?].

Organ transplantation has encountered great development during the 80's. However, the number of organ donations and transplantations performed stabilized during the 90ies, with a concomitant increase of patients on the waiting list. Xenotransplantation, i.

Microarray analyses and molecular profiling of steatosis induction in immortalized human hepatocytes.

Hepatic steatosis is an important risk factor for the development of inflammation, fibrosis and impaired liver regeneration. The factors regulating lipid accumulation and driving hepatic steatosis toward inflammation, fibrosis and impaired regeneration are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to identify major alterations in gene expression occurring in steatotic hepatocytes, and to analyze how these changes impact cellular processes associated with steatosis.