Complement System as a Target for Therapies to Control Liver Regeneration/Damage in Acute Liver Failure Induced by Viral Hepatitis.

The complement system plays an important role in innate immunity inducing liver diseases as well as signaling immune cell activation in local inflammation regulating immunomodulatory effects such as liver damage and/or liver regeneration. Our aim is to evaluate the role of complement components in acute liver failure (ALF) caused by viral hepatitis, involving virus-induced ALF in human subjects using peripheral blood, samples of liver tissues, and ex vivo assays. Our findings displayed low levels of C3a in plasma samples with high frequency of C3a, C5a, and C5b/9 deposition in liver parenchyma.

Domino Hepatocyte Transplantation: A Therapeutic Alternative for the Treatment of Acute Liver Failure.

Background And Aims: Acute liver failure (ALF) is a severe syndrome with an elevated mortality rate, ranging from 40 to 80 %. Currently, liver transplantation is the only definitive treatment for these patients and new therapies aiming to treat ALF include artificial organs implant and stem cells therapy, for example. However, a major limitation of liver donors exists.

Changes in cellular proliferation and plasma products are associated with liver failure.

Aim: To study the differences in immune response and cytokine profile between acute liver failure and self-limited acute hepatitis.

Methods: Forty-six patients with self-limited acute hepatitis (AH), sixteen patients with acute liver failure (ALF), and twenty-two healthy subjects were involved in this study. The inflammatory and anti-inflammatory products in plasma samples were quantified using commercial enzyme-linked immunoassays and quantitative real-time PCR.

Right gastroepiploic artery as an alternative for arterial reconstruction in living donor liver transplantation.

Background. An adequate blood flow is directly related to graft survival in living donor liver transplantation. However, in some cases, unfavorable conditions prevent the use of the hepatic artery for arterial reconstruction.

Portal vein embolization using an adapted hysterosalpingography catheter.

Background: Portal vein embolization is an accepted procedure that provides hypertrophy of the future remnant liver in order to reduce post-hepatectomy complications.

Aim: To present a series submitted to portal vein embolization using an adapted hysterosalpingography catheter via transileocolic route.

Methods: Were performed right portal branch embolization in 19 patients using hysterosalpingography catheter.

Is there any difference between right hepatectomy and left lateral sectionectomy for living donors? as much you cut, as much you hurt?

Background: The worldwide rising demand for cadaveric donors in liver transplantation is an important incentive for the development of alternative transplantation options, such as living donors. A precise evaluation of surgical complications is, therefore, considered to be an important issue in this setting.

Aim: Present a retrospective analysis of 126 living donors hepatectomies undertaken at our centre.

Fulminant hepatitis failure in adults and children from a Public Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) is characterized by massive hepatocellular injury, whose physiopathology is still unclear. Hepatitis B (HBV) is probably the most common viral cause of FHF, while hepatitis A (HAV) virus seem occurs less frequently. However, the host and viral factors that determine the outcome of these infections are poorly understood.

Eosinophils involved in fulminant hepatic failure are associated with high interleukin-6 expression and absence of interleukin-5 in liver and peripheral blood.

Background/aims: Although eosinophils are considered to play an important role in the pathogenesis of various parasitic, allergic and autoimmune digestive diseases, their role in fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) is unknown. Our contribution was to identify and quantify eosinophils and cytokine levels [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-5 and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha] in liver parenchyma and peripheral blood from FHF patients at pre- and post-transplantation steps.

Methods: Histochemical methods were used to identify/quantify eosinophils in liver samples.

Liver transplantation with monosegment from a living donor.

The shortage of organ donors for low-weight liver transplant recipients, especially for small children, has led to the development of new surgical techniques to increase the donor pool. Almost all of these techniques use the left lateral segment (Couinaud's segments II and III), but even this graft could be too large for children under 10 kg. We report here the case of an 8-month-old boy, weighing 6.