Immune Dysfunction and Infection Risk in Advanced Liver Disease.

The risk of microbial infections is increased in cirrhosis and other forms of advanced liver disease such as alcohol-associated hepatitis. Such infections may precipitate new or further decompensation and death, especially in patients with clinical features of acute-on-chronic liver failure. The severe immune dysfunction or "immune paralysis" caused by advanced liver disease is associated with high short-term mortality.

Rituximab-induced serum sickness in multiple sclerosis patients.

Rituximab is a chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that is an effective therapy for multiple sclerosis. Rituximab has been associated with the development of serum sickness (type III hypersensitivity) characterized by arthralgia, fever, and rash during the treatment of other conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Here we describe serum sickness associated with rituximab in multiple sclerosis patients and discuss both the management of serum sickness itself and implications for utilizing alternative anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies for disease management in this patient population.

Dietary Lipids Differentially Shape Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Progression and the Transcriptome of Kupffer Cells and Infiltrating Macrophages.

A crucial component of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pathogenesis is lipid stress, which may contribute to hepatic inflammation and activation of innate immunity in the liver. However, little is known regarding how dietary lipids, including fat and cholesterol, may facilitate innate immune activation in vivo. We hypothesized that dietary fat and cholesterol drive NAFLD progression to steatohepatitis and hepatic fibrosis by altering the transcription and phenotype of hepatic macrophages.

Sevelamer Improves Steatohepatitis, Inhibits Liver and Intestinal Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR), and Reverses Innate Immune Dysregulation in a Mouse Model of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Bile acid sequestrants are synthetic polymers that bind bile acids in the gut and are used to treat dyslipidemia and hyperphosphatemia. Recently, these agents have been reported to lower blood glucose and increase insulin sensitivity by altering bile acid signaling pathways. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of sevelamer in treating mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

RNA sequencing of sessile serrated colon polyps identifies differentially expressed genes and immunohistochemical markers.

Background: Sessile serrated adenomas/polyps (SSA/Ps) may account for 20-30% of colon cancers. Although large SSA/Ps are generally recognized phenotypically, small (<1 cm) or dysplastic SSA/Ps are difficult to differentiate from hyperplastic or small adenomatous polyps by endoscopy and histopathology. Our aim was to define the comprehensive gene expression phenotype of SSA/Ps to better define this cancer precursor.