Glucocorticoid receptors: The key of the response to steroid therapy in autoimmune hepatitis.

Aim Of The Study: This study was performed to investigate the hepatic expression of glucocorticoid receptors (GR) and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) in pediatric autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) patients and its relation to the steroid response.

Material And Methods: This study included 100 patients diagnosed with AIH on immunosuppressive therapy with different responses to treatment. The patients were subjected to full history taking and thorough clinical examination, laboratory investigations, abdominal ultrasound and liver biopsy for histopathological evaluation and assessment of the hepatic expression of GR and 11β-HSD1.

Have serum vitamin D and ferritin a role in predicting the prognosis of autoimmune hepatitis treatment in children?

Aim Of The Study: To investigate whether serum ferritin and vitamin D levels before starting autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) treatment have a role in disease prognosis regarding a therapeutic response.

Material And Methods: The prospective study included 100 children diagnosed with AIH according to simplified criteria for diagnosis of AIH. They attended the Pediatric Hepatology Department, National Liver Institute, Menoufia University.

Hepatic progenitor cells in children with chronic hepatitis C: correlation with histopathology, viremia, and treatment response.

Objective: Hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) are bipotential stem cells that can differentiate towards the hepatocytic and cholangiocytic lineages. Many studies have investigated HPCs in adults with hepatitis C virus infection; however, none has been carried out in the pediatric population. Therefore, this work aimed to investigate HPCs expansion in children with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and its correlation with histopathology, viremia, and treatment response.