Histological demonstration of BSEP/ABCB11 inhibition in transient neonatal cholestasis: a case report.

Background: Idiopathic or transient neonatal cholestasis (TNC) represents a group of cholestatic disorders with unidentified origin and remains a diagnosis of exclusion. Dysfunction of hepatobiliary transporters mediating excretion of biliary constituents from hepatocytes may play a central role in the pathogenesis of cholestasis. Despite variants of bile salt (BS) export pump (BSEP/ABCB11) have already been described in TNC, the pathogenic role of BSEP dysfunction in TNC remained so far elusive.

NOD2 gene variants confer risk for secondary sclerosing cholangitis in critically ill patients.

Sclerosing cholangitis in critically ill patients (SC-CIP) is a progressive cholestatic disease of unknown aetiology characterized by chronic biliary infections. Hence we hypothesized that common NOD2 (nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain containing 2) gene variants, known risk factors for Crohn's disease and bacterial translocation in liver cirrhosis, increase the odds of developing SC-CIP. Screening of 4,641 endoscopic retrograde cholangiography procedures identified 17 patients with SC-CIP, who were then genotyped for the three common NOD2 mutations (Cohort 1, discovery cohort).

Effect of eplerenone on parathyroid hormone levels in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism: results from the EPATH randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Accumulating evidence points toward mutual interaction between parathyroid hormone (PTH) and aldosterone as potential mechanism for increasing cardiovascular risk in primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT).

Methods: The Eplerenone on parathyroid hormone levels in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (EPATH) trial is a single-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial. The primary aim is to evaluate the effects of the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist eplerenone on plasma intact PTH (iPTH) concentration in patients with pHPT.

Nor-ursodeoxycholic acid reverses hepatocyte-specific nemo-dependent steatohepatitis.

Background: Hepatocyte-specific NEMO/NF-κB deleted mice (NEMO(Δhepa)) develop spontaneous non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Free fatty acids and bile acids promote DR5 expression. TRAIL/NK cell-mediated activation of TRAIL-R2/DR5 plays an important role during acute injury in NEMO(Δhepa) mice.

Drosophila growth cones: a genetically tractable platform for the analysis of axonal growth dynamics.

The formation of neuronal networks, during development and regeneration, requires outgrowth of axons along reproducible paths toward their appropriate postsynaptic target cells. Axonal extension occurs at growth cones (GCs) at the tips of axons. GC advance and navigation requires the activity of their cytoskeletal networks, comprising filamentous actin (F-actin) in lamellipodia and filopodia as well as dynamic microtubules (MTs) emanating from bundles of the axonal core.