Impact of Obesity and Heavy Alcohol Consumption on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development after HCV Eradication with Antivirals.

Background And Aims: It remains unclear whether obesity increases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis C who achieved a sustained virological response (SVR) with antiviral therapy.

Methods: In this multicenter cohort study, we enrolled patients with chronic hepatitis C who achieved SVR with interferon (IFN)-based therapy (IFN group) or direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy (DAA group) between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2018. The patients underwent regular surveillance for HCC.

Efficacy and safety of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir in patients with hepatitis C virus infection aged ≥75 years.

Aim: Opportunities to treat older patients with hepatitis C virus infection have increased. We investigated the efficacy and safety of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir in patients with HCV infection aged ≥75 years.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 131 patients with hepatitis C virus infection treated with glecaprevir/pibrentasvir at nine institutions in Japan.

Intrahepatic subcapsular biloma after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography treated by endoscopic biliary drainage.

Several major complications from endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), including pancreatitis, cholangitis, and hemorrhage have been discussed in detail; however, a few uncommon but severe complications have been reported. We encountered an unusual case of post-ERCP intrahepatic subcapsular biloma. An 89-year-old woman with a 25-mm mass located at the hepatic hilum, suggestive of cholangiocarcinoma, underwent ERCP which demonstrated complete stricture of the common hepatic duct.

[A case of left subphrenic abscess caused by gastric ulcer penetration that was successfully treated with endoscopic transgastric drainage].

A 65-year-old male visited our hospital because of fever and difficulty in walking. He was suffering from left-sided hypochondrial pain for a month. Laboratory tests performed on admission revealed a white blood cell count of 1700/μl and C-reactive protein level of 9.

[A very elderly case of complete remission by chemotherapy in a patient of primary esophageal non-Hodgkin lymphoma].

A very elderly patient with primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the esophagus is reported. An 87-year-old woman presented with dysphagia. Endoscopy revealed an elevated lesion with ulceration in the middle and lower esophagus.

Functional diversity between Rho-kinase- and MLCK-mediated cytoskeletal actions in a myofibroblast-like hepatic stellate cell line.

Using a rat myofibroblast-like hepatic stellate cell line, we studied the actomyosin-based cytoskeletal actions mediated by Rho-kinase and/or myosin light chain kinase (MLCK). Calmodulin/MLCK inhibitors W-7 and ML-7 attenuated cell migration dose-relatedly at concentrations from 10(-6) to 10(-4)M and collagen gel-contraction by the cells at 10(-4)M, respectively. Rho-kinase inhibitors Y-27632 and HA1077 attenuated the gel-contraction at concentrations from 10(-6) to 10(-4) M, respectively.

Antiproliferative property of sphingosine 1-phosphate in rat hepatocytes involves activation of Rho via Edg-5.

Background & Aims: Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a ligand for G protein-coupled endothelial differentiation gene-1 (Edg-1), Edg-3, Edg-5, Edg-6, and Edg-8, elicits a variety of responses by cells. Prominent among these is cell proliferation. S1P is abundantly stored in platelets and released upon their activation, suggesting that S1P plays a pathophysiologic role in vivo.

p53 May positively regulate hepatocyte proliferation in rats.

p53, known as a tumor suppressor gene, is a transcription factor that regulates various cellular functions. Recently, several growth factor gene promoters, including that of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha), were shown to be direct targets of p53-mediated transcription. Hepatic p53 mRNA is up-regulated during liver regeneration in rats.

Stabilization of RNA strands in protein synthesis by type I procollagen C-proteinase enhancer protein, a potential RNA-binding protein, in hepatic stellate cells.

Type I procollagen C-proteinase enhancer (PCPE) exists in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) which can produce collagen. The deduced amino acid sequence of PCPE contains motifs specific for RNA-binding proteins. The effect of PCPE on the syntheses of collagen and noncollagenous protein was studied using an HSC clone derived from cirrhotic rat liver.