[Clinical effects of bile aspiration just before contrast injection during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography].

Background/aims: This study was designed to determine whether bile aspiration before contrast injection cholangiogram prevent of post-ERCP cholangitis, liver function worsening, cholecystitis and pancreatitis.

Methods: One hundred and two patients in the bile aspiration group before contrast injection from December 1, 2008 to December 30, 2009 and 115 patients in the conventional control group from January 1, 2010 to June 30, 2010 were analyzed. The incidence of post-ERCP cholangitis, liver function worsening, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, and hyperamylasemia only were compared between these two groups.

Association of transforming growth factor-beta1 gene polymorphisms with a hepatocellular carcinoma risk in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) can act as both a tumor suppressor and a stimulator of tumor progression. We have examined the relationship between polymorphisms of the TGF-beta1 gene and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. A total of 1,237 Korean subjects were prospectively enrolled; 1,046 patients with chronic HBV infection and 191 healthy controls with no evidence of recent or remote HBV infection.