Mucosal-associated invariant T-cell tumor infiltration predicts long-term survival in cholangiocarcinoma.

Background And Aims: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignancy arising from biliary epithelial cells of intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts with dismal prognosis and few nonsurgical treatments available. Despite recent success in the immunotherapy-based treatment of many tumor types, this has not been successfully translated to CCA. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are cytotoxic innate-like T cells highly enriched in the human liver, where they are located in close proximity to the biliary epithelium.

Long-term follow-up of successful hepatitis C virus therapy: waning immune responses and disappearance of liver disease are consistent with cure.

Background: A sustained viral response (SVR) after interferon-based therapy of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is regarded to represent a cure. Previous studies have used different markers to clarify whether an SVR truly represents a cure, but no study has combined a clinical work-up with highly sensitive HCV RNA detection, and the determination of immune responses.

Aim: To determine clinical, histological, virological and immunological markers 5-20 years after SVR.

In situ characterization of intrahepatic non-parenchymal cells in PSC reveals phenotypic patterns associated with disease severity.

Liver-infiltrating T cells have been implicated in the pathogenesis of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), however little information is available about changes in other cellular compartments in the liver during PSC. This study aimed to characterize non-parenchymal intrahepatic cells in PSC livers and to find associations between phenotypes and disease severity. Using immunohistochemistry, followed by automated image analysis and quantification and a principal component analysis, we have studied non-parenchymal intrahepatic cells in PSC-patient livers (n = 17) and controls (n = 17).

The value of thioredoxin family proteins and proliferation markers in dysplastic and malignant gallbladders in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Background And Aims: Patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) have an increased risk for biliary and gallbladder malignancy and markers of early malignancy in PSC are lacking. The aims were to evaluate biomarkers to look for premalignancy/malignancy.

Methods: All available gallbladder specimens (n = 53) in patients with PSC at Karolinska University Hospital between 1985 and 2006 were reviewed.