CD40 expression in HCV-associated chronic liver diseases.

CD40 is expressed primarily on B cells and plays an important role in antigen presentation, B cell proliferation, and T cell activation. It has been reported that the CD40 signal modulates apoptosis and has an anti-viral effect in certain cells. Therefore, we investigated the expression and the function of CD40 in HCV-associated chronic liver disease.

Detection of precore-mutant hepatitis B virus genome in patients with acute and fulminant hepatitis using mutation site-specific assay (MSSA).

Background/aims: Precore mutation of hepatitis B virus was recently been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of fulminant hepatitis. In this study, we analyzed the occurrence of precore mutants in patients with acute and fulminant hepatitis B using new simple rapid and sensitive MSSA (mutation site-specific assay) and evaluated this method for predicting prognosis.

Methodology: We analyzed HBV-DNA of 10 patients with fulminant hepatitis B, 15 patients with acute self-limited hepatitis, and 4 patients with acute severe hepatitis using MSSA.

Pancreatic cancer with chylous ascites demonstrated by lymphoscintigraphy: successful treatment with peritoneovenous shunting.

A 60-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of abdominal distension caused by massive chylous ascites. Six months earlier, she was diagnosed with inoperative pancreatic head cancer and biliary tract stenting and radiation therapy were performed due to obstructive jaundice. The chylous ascites was observed by lymphoscintigraphy with 99mTc-labeled human serum albumin.

High expression of p21WAF1/CIP1 is correlated with human hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with hepatitis C virus-associated chronic liver diseases.

p21(WAF1/CIP1) (p21) protein is a universal inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases and is regulated transcriptionally by p53, which is activated by DNA stress. Hepatocytes in chronic hepatitis receive several DNA stresses by lymphocytes and Kupffer cells. Therefore, we analyzed p21 expression of hepatocytes in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated chronic liver diseases and investigated the possible involvement of p21 in hepatocarcinogenesis.