Hepatic expression of programmed death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand, PD-L1, in children with autoimmune hepatitis: relation to treatment response.

Aim Of The Study: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is characterized histologically by aggressive inflammation with interface hepatitis and prominent lymphoplasmacytic infiltration. Programmed death-1 (PD-1) is expressed on activated lymphocytes. Engagement of PD-1 by its ligand PD-L1 leads to cell apoptosis and death.

Structural changes of hair shaft after application of chemical hair straighteners: Clinical and histopathological study.

Background: Chemical hair straightening becomes popular for managing frizzy hair. Keratin in hair care products can penetrate the cortex of the hair fiber improving the mechanical properties of damaged fibers and promote a surface coating that prevents or decreases water diffusion through the hair fibers. This may have beneficial effects on the hair structure; however, the side effects and safety of this treatment have not yet been completely evaluated.

Integration of VEGF and α-SMA Expression Improves the Prediction Accuracy of Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis C Liver Biopsy.

Introduction: The progression of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a multifactorial process. The high adverse effects and the cost of standard health care increase the demand to discover new predictors for the progression of fibrosis in CHC patients. Our study aims to establish the relation between the angiogenic marker [vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)] and activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) represented by the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and whether these 2 markers can be used as predictors for the progression of fibrosis in patients with CHC.