Prediction of early hepatic artery thrombosis by intraoperative color Doppler ultrasound in pediatric segmental liver transplantation.

Early hepatic artery thrombosis (eHAT) after transplantation is associated with a high incidence of graft failure and mortality in pediatric segmental liver transplantation (LT). The evaluation of intraoperative color Doppler ultrasound (CD-US) parameters and their sensitivity and specificity for the prediction of eHAT were important. Pediatric segmental LTs were performed in 49 consecutive patients from October 2006 to December 2010 in our hospital.

Identification and characterization of genes related to the development of skeletal muscle in the Hainan black goat.

In total, 185 unigenes were identified from 380 clones of postnatal skeletal muscle of Hainan Black goats by suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technology. Most of the differentially expressed genes involved energy metabolism and muscle contraction. The expression of 19 genes was analyzed in the longissimus dorsi muscles of 2-, 6-, 12-, 24-month olds, and four gene expression patterns were found by hierarchical cluster analysis.

Increases in adiponectin predict improved liver, but not peripheral, insulin sensitivity in severely obese women during weight loss.

Obesity-related glucose intolerance is a function of hepatic (homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance [HOMA-IR]) and peripheral insulin resistance (S(i)) and beta-cell dysfunction. We determined relationships between changes in these measures, visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous (SAT) adipose tissue, and systemic adipocytokine biomarkers 1 and 6 months after surgical weight loss. HOMA-IR decreased significantly (-50%) from baseline by 1 month and decreased further (-67%) by 6 months, and S(i) was improved by 6 months (2.

Local glutathione redox status does not regulate ileal mucosal growth after massive small bowel resection in rats.

Glutathione (GSH) concentration affects cell proliferation and apoptosis in intestinal and other cell lines in vitro. However, in vivo data on gut mucosal GSH redox status and cell turnover are limited. We investigated the effect of altered GSH redox status on the ileal mucosa in a rat model of short bowel syndrome following massive small bowel resection (SBR).

Are plasma citrulline and glutamine biomarkers of intestinal absorptive function in patients with short bowel syndrome?

Sensitive biomarkers for intestinal absorptive function would be clinically useful in short bowel syndrome (SBS). Citrulline (Cit) is a product of the metabolism of glutamine (Gln) and derived amino acids by enterocytes. Cit is produced almost exclusively by the gut, which is also a major site of Gln metabolism.

Stimulation of colonic mucosal growth associated with oxidized redox status in rats.

Limited data in animal models suggest that colonic mucosa undergoes adaptive growth following massive small bowel resection (SBR). In vitro data suggest that intestinal cell growth is regulated by reactive oxygen species and redox couples [e.g.

Growth hormone favorably affects bone turnover and bone mineral density in patients with short bowel syndrome undergoing intestinal rehabilitation.

Background: Patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) have a high prevalence of metabolic bone disease due to nutrient malabsorption and potential effects of parenteral nutrition (PN). Human growth hormone (hGH) has been shown in some studies to have anabolic effects on bone, but hGH effects on bone in patients with SBS are unknown.

Methods: Adults with PN-dependent SBS underwent a 7-day period of baseline studies while receiving usual oral diet and PN and then began receiving modified diets designed to improve nutrient absorption and daily oral calcium/vitamin D supplements (1500 mg elemental calcium and 600 IU vitamin D, respectively).

Thiol/disulfide redox status is oxidized in plasma and small intestinal and colonic mucosa of rats with inadequate sulfur amino acid intake.

Low molecular weight thiol/disulfide redox pools are dependent upon extracellular cysteine (Cys) availability. We determined whether dietary sulfur amino acid (SAA) deficiency induces oxidative stress in vivo, as determined by redox state of major thiol/disulfide couples in plasma [Cys/cystine (CySS)] and intestinal mucosa [glutathione (GSH)/glutathione disulfide (GSSG)]. Rats were fed isocaloric, isonitrogenous semipurified diets: either SAA-adequate (control), SAA-deficient, or SAA-supplemented, pair-fed to intake of the SAA-deficient group.

Dietary supplementation with orotate and uracil increases adaptive growth of jejunal mucosa after massive small bowel resection in rats.

Background: Massive small-bowel resection (SBR) increases adaptive growth of residual intestine in animal models of short-bowel syndrome (SBS). Pyrimidine nucleotides are critical for DNA and RNA synthesis, but no previous study has evaluated whether supplementation of pyrimidines or their precursors in the diet enhances adaptive gut growth after SBR. This study determined growth responses in jejunal mucosa after 7 days of dietary supplementation with uracil, or its precursor, orotate, after massive SBR in rats.

Comparative effects of glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), growth hormone (GH), and keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) on markers of gut adaptation after massive small bowel resection in rats.

Background: Administration of specific growth factors exert gut-trophic effects in animal models of massive small bowel resection (SBR); however, little comparative data are available. Our aim was to compare effects of a human glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) analog, recombinant growth hormone (GH) and recombinant keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) on jejunal, ileal, and colonic growth and functional indices after 80% SBR in rats.

Methods: Thirty-seven male rats underwent small bowel transection (sham operation) with s.

The effects of gastric surgery on systemic ghrelin levels in the morbidly obese.

Hypothesis: Circulating ghrelin, produced primarily in the stomach, is a powerful orexigen. Ghrelin levels are elevated in states of hunger, but rapidly decline postprandially. Early alterations in ghrelin levels in morbidly obese patients undergoing weight reduction surgery may be attributed to gastric partitioning.

Wnt11 signaling promotes proliferation, transformation, and migration of IEC6 intestinal epithelial cells.

Wnts are morphogens with well recognized functions during embryogenesis. Aberrant Wnt signaling has been demonstrated to be important in colorectal carcinogenesis. However, the role of Wnt in regulating normal intestinal epithelial cell proliferation is not well established.

Colonic leptin: source of a novel proinflammatory cytokine involved in IBD.

Leptin, a peptide encoded by the obese (ob) gene, is primarily secreted by adipocytes and is a critical hormone that controls body weight due to its central effects. Recently, additional roles for leptin in the gastrointestinal tract have been suggested because gastric lining cells also produce and release leptin in response to meal-related stimuli. While gastric epithelia might thus directly contribute to circulating leptin following a meal, here we show that inflamed colonic epithelial cells express and release leptin apically into the intestinal lumen.

Glutamine and KGF each regulate extracellular thiol/disulfide redox and enhance proliferation in Caco-2 cells.

Glutamine (Gln) and keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) each stimulate intestinal epithelial cell growth, but regulatory mechanisms are not well understood. We determined whether Gln and KGF alter intra- and extracellular thiol/disulfide redox pools in Caco-2 cells cultured in oxidizing or reducing cell medium and whether such redox variations are a determinant of proliferative responses to these agents. Cells were cultured over a physiological range of oxidizing to reducing extracellular thiol/disulfide redox (Eh) conditions, obtained by varying cysteine (Cys) and cystine (CySS) concentrations in cell medium.

Severe villus atrophy and chronic malabsorption induced by azathioprine.

Azathioprine is commonly prescribed for autoimmune hepatitis and inflammatory bowel disease. An acute gastroenteritis-like syndrome has been ascribed to azathioprine use, but chronic diarrhea has not. We report a patient with autoimmune hepatitis who developed severe small-bowel villus atrophy and chronic diarrhea after azathioprine was initiated (50 mg/day).

Extracellular thiol/disulfide redox state affects proliferation rate in a human colon carcinoma (Caco2) cell line.

Redox mechanisms function in regulation of cell growth, and variation in redox state of plasma thiol/disulfide couples occurs in various physiologic conditions, including diabetes, chemotherapy, and aging. The present study was designed to determine whether a systematic variation in extracellular thiol/disulfide redox state (E(h)) over a range (0 mV to -150 mV) that occurs in human plasma altered proliferation of cultured cells. Experiments were performed with a human colon carcinoma cell line (Caco2), which grows slowly in the absence of serum and responds to peptide growth factors with increased rate of cell division.

Glutathione and thioredoxin redox during differentiation in human colon epithelial (Caco-2) cells.

Cellular redox, maintained by the glutathione (GSH)- and thioredoxin (Trx)-dependent systems, has been implicated in the regulation of a variety of biological processes. The redox state of the GSH system becomes oxidized when cells are induced to differentiate by chemical agents. The aim of this study was to determine the redox state of cellular GSH/glutathione disulfide (GSH/GSSG) and Trx as a consequence of progression from proliferation to contact inhibition and spontaneous differentiation in colon carcinoma (Caco-2) cells.

Trefoil peptide expression and goblet cell number in rat intestine: effects of KGF and fasting-refeeding.

The trefoil factor family peptides TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3 are important for gut mucosal protection and restitution. Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) stimulates proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells with potent effects on goblet cells. To investigate interactions between food intake and KGF, rats were fed ad libitum (control), fasted for 72 h, or fasted for 72 h and then refed for 72 h with or without KGF (3 mg.

Distribution of the H+/peptide transporter PepT1 in human intestine: up-regulated expression in the colonic mucosa of patients with short-bowel syndrome.

Background: Intestinal adaptation after massive bowel resection in animal models is characterized by increased gut-mucosal growth and expression of nutrient transporters. Few data about these indexes exist in humans with short-bowel syndrome (SBS).

Objective: The objective was to compare small-bowel and colonic mucosal growth and expression of the peptide transporter PepT1 in adults with or without SBS.

rHuKGF ameliorates symptoms in DSS and CD4(+)CD45RB(Hi) T cell transfer mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease.

There is an acute need for effective therapy for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly at the level of repair of the damaged epithelium. We evaluated the efficacy of recombinant human keratinocyte growth factor (rHuKGF) in both the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and the CD4(+)CD45RB(Hi) T cell transfer models of IBD. Disease was induced either by the ad libitum administration to normal mice of 4% DSS in the drinking water or by the injection of 4 x 10(5) CD4(+)CD45RB(Hi) T cells into immunodeficient scid/scid mice.