Hepatitis C virus genotype affects survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: There is currently no evidence that hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype affects survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to investigate whether the HCV genotype affected the survival rate of patients with HCV-related HCC.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study using the data of patients with HCV-related HCC evaluated at two centers in Korea between January 2005 and December 2016.

An unusual case of fistula formation and thrombosis between arteriovenous graft and a native vein.

Arteriovenous graft for hemodialysis vascular access is a widely used technique with many advantages. However, it has crucial complications with graft thrombosis and infection. We recently experienced an unusual case of arteriovenous graft complication involving graft thrombosis related to fistula formation between the graft and the natural vein with infection.

L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate and fibroblast growth factor-2 treatment maintains differentiation potential in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells through expression of hepatocyte growth factor.

l-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (Asc-2P) acts as an antioxidant and a stimulator of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) production. Previously, we reported that depletion of growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2, epidermal growth factor (EGF), FGF-4 and HGF during serial passage could induce autophagy, senescence and down-regulation of stemness (proliferation via FGF-2/-4 and differentiation via HGF). In this study, we investigated the proliferation and differentiation potential of BMSCs by FGF-2 and Asc-2P.