CD14 is associated with biliary stricture formation.

Unlabelled: The pathogenesis of intrahepatic biliary stricture formation in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) or after liver transplantation (LTx) remains elusive. CD14 receptor signaling is a key mediator of the innate immune system; its common genetic variant is associated with alcoholic liver disease. PSC and LTx cohort patients and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) control patients were genotyped for the CD14 -260C>T (rs2569190) polymorphism, and genotypes were correlated with long-term clinical outcome.

Tauro-β-muricholic acid restricts bile acid-induced hepatocellular apoptosis by preserving the mitochondrial membrane potential.

Purpose: β-Muricholic acid (βMCA) is a trihydroxylated bile acid that constitutes the major bile acid in rat and mouse. βMCA is more hydrophilic than ursodeoxycholic acid and has been evaluated for dissolution of cholesterol gallstones. Since it is unknown if βMCA has beneficial effects on hepatocyte cell death we determined the effect of tauro-βMCA (TβMCA) on apoptosis in vitro.

Analysis of IL2/IL21 gene variants in cholestatic liver diseases reveals an association with primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Background/aims: The chromosome 4q27 region harboring IL2 and IL21 is an established risk locus for ulcerative colitis (UC) and various other autoimmune diseases. Considering the strong coincidence of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) with UC and the increased frequency of other autoimmune disorders in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), we investigated whether genetic variation in the IL2/IL21 region may also modulate the susceptibility to these two rare cholestatic liver diseases.

Methods: Four strongly UC-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the KIAA1109/TENR/IL2/IL21 linkage disequilibrium block were genotyped in 124 PBC and 41 PSC patients.

Role of mitogen-activated protein kinases in tauroursodeoxycholic acid-induced bile formation in cholestatic rat liver.

Aim: Ursodeoxycholic acid exerts anticholestatic effects in various cholestatic disorders and experimental models of cholestasis. Its taurine conjugate (TUDCA) stimulates bile salt secretion in isolated perfused rat livers (IPRL) under physiological, non-cholestatic conditions, in part by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-dependent mechanisms. The role of MAPK in the anticholestatic effect of TUDCA, however, is unclear.

[A 27-year-old patient with recurrent Fever].

Background: In spite of a decreasing incidence of tuberculosis in highly industrialized countries, an obvious increase of the disease is observed worldwide. In times of progressing international migration, the early detection of tuberculosis is also becoming important in Germany. The diagnosis, however, is often impaired by unspecific symptomatology and ambiguous imaging results.