Prenatal diagnosis of Pfeiffer syndrome type 2 with increased nuchal translucency.

Pfeiffer syndrome (PS) is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder characterized by craniosynostosis, broad thumbs / toes. Here, we report a case of PS type 2 with increased nuchal translucency in early trimester.

Hematopoietic chimerism in liver transplantation patients and hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in adult human liver.

Unlabelled: Liver transplantation (LT) is a cure for many liver diseases. Blood chimerism of donor origin can develop after LT, which raises the possibility of the existence of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) in the liver. We characterized the blood chimerism in a large cohort of 249 LT patients and analyzed putative HSPCs in adult human livers.

Occult hepatitis B virus infection of donor and recipient origin after liver transplantation despite nucleoside analogue prophylaxis.

Liver grafts from donors positive for antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) may be used for transplantation in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver disease, and an occult HBV infection may develop from either source. Liver biopsy was performed for 31 patients who remained seronegative for hepatitis B surface antigen for a median of 44.5 months (range = 13.

Activation of interleukin-6-induced glycoprotein 130/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway in mesenchymal stem cells enhances hepatic differentiation, proliferation, and liver regeneration.

Adult bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exist in all living species and are capable of differentiating into different types of specific cells. In this study, we demonstrate the therapeutic effectiveness of rat MSC transplantation in D-galactosamine (GalN)-induced acute liver injury and identified the novel pathways which are involved in hepatic differentiation of MSCs. In vivo, intraportal transplantation with 5 × 10(6) MSCs at 24 hours after GalN administration resulted in significant reduction in serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bilirubin compared to the control group.

Hepatitis B virus-specific CD4 T cell immunity after liver transplantation for chronic hepatitis B.

Cellular immunity plays an important role in the long-term control of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We studied the changes in HBV-specific CD4 T cell immunity after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for chronic hepatitis B under antiviral prophylaxis. T cell proliferation and interferon-gamma production in response to in vitro challenge with HBV-encoded antigens were tested in 40 OLT recipients without HBV recurrence and in 12 OLT recipients with HBV recurrence more than 1 year after transplantation, and they were compared to 40 subjects with chronic HBV infection and to 23 subjects with self-limited HBV infection.

Identification of hepatitis B virus-specific lymphocytes in human liver grafts from HBV-immune donors.

Both animal and human studies have demonstrated the adoptive transfer of immunity against hepatitis B virus (HBV) through liver transplantation that may be attributed to the presence of HBV-specific immunocompetent cells of donor origin in liver grafts. In this study, we characterized the resident lymphocytes in 41 human liver grafts by immunohistochemical staining and flow cytometry and directly identified the intragraft HBV-specific lymphocytes in relation to the donor's and subsequent recipient's immunity using enzyme-linked immunospot assay. A significant number of HBV-specific T and B cells were detectable in 59.

Liver intestine-cadherin (CDH17) haplotype is associated with increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer, is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide. We previously showed that aberrant mRNA splicing of the liver intestine-cadherin gene CDH17 in liver tissues was triggered by the specific constellation of two CDH17 single nucleotide polymorphisms (651T and IVS6+35G). CDH17 aberrant splicing was highly associated with tumor dissemination and shorter survival of HCC patients.

Significance of hepatitis B virus genotype in liver transplantation for chronic hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype influences chronic hepatitis B disease profile but its relevance in liver transplantation (LTx) is not known. HBV genotype was identified by direct sequencing from pre-transplant sera of 119 patients who underwent LTx using lamivudine prophylaxis (genotype A,1; B,43; C,74; D,1). The baseline characteristics and outcome of 43 genotype B and 74 genotype C patients were compared.

Up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in small-for-size liver grafts enhances macrophage activities through VEGF receptor 2-dependent pathway.

This study aims to investigate the potential role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF-R2 (fetal liver kinase (Flk)-1) in mediating macrophage activities in small-for-size liver transplantation. A rat orthotopic liver transplantation model was performed using either whole, 50, or 30% liver grafts (both 50 and 30% were regarded as small-for-size) in syngeneic or allogeneic combinations, respectively. Firstly, the mRNA and protein levels of VEGF and Flk-1 in liver grafts were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot, and the number of Flk-1(+) macrophages (labeled by ED1) was determined by flow cytometry.