Interactions between inner membrane proteins in donor and recipient cells limit conjugal DNA transfer.

Conjugation enables horizontal transmission of DNA among bacteria, thereby facilitating the rapid spread of genes such as those conferring resistance to antibiotics. Cell-cell contact is required for conjugative DNA transfer but does not ensure its success. The presence of certain plasmids in potential recipient cells inhibits redundant transfer of these plasmids from competent donors despite contact between donor and recipient cells.

Intricarene, an unprecedented trispiropentacyclic diterpene from the Caribbean Sea plume Pseudopterogorgia kallos.

[structure: see text] A novel trispiropentacyclic diterpene, intricarene (1), was isolated from the hexane extract of the Caribbean gorgonian octocoral Pseudopterogorgia kallos. Its highly entangled structure was established by interpretation of NMR, IR, UV, and HREIMS data and subsequently confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The unprecedented carbon skeleton of 1 constitutes a new addition to the already impressive architectural diversity of the diterpene class of marine secondary metabolites.

Screening tests for hepatocellular carcinoma.

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rising throughout the world. HCC meets the criteria for which a disease benefits from screening or surveillance: it is an important health problem; those with cirrhosis are the targets for surveillance; there is acceptable treatment if diagnosed early; surveillance using alpha-fetoprotein and ultrasound has been shown to be cost effective; surveillance is widely implemented by health care professionals and accepted by patients; standardized recall procedures exists; and the screening tests must achieve an acceptable level of accuracy in the population undergoing screening. The latter point is the main limitation of surveillance for HCC.

Hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose Of Review: The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is expected to continue to increase over the next two decades. The risk factors for the development of HCC are unknown and there is a lack of standardization of the diagnostic criteria for HCC. Our aim is to review the latest information regarding the risk factors, surveillance and diagnosis of this tumor.

Prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: comparison of 7 staging systems in an American cohort.

Currently there is no consensus as to which staging system is best in predicting the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aims of this study were to identify independent predictors of survival and to compare 7 available prognostic staging systems in patients with HCC. A total of 239 consecutive patients with cirrhosis and HCC seen between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2003, were included.

SELDI-TOF MS profiling of serum for detection of the progression of chronic hepatitis C to hepatocellular carcinoma.

Proteomic profiling of serum is an emerging technique to identify new biomarkers indicative of disease severity and progression. The objective of our study was to assess the use of surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) to identify multiple serum protein biomarkers for detection of liver disease progression to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A cohort of 170 serum samples obtained from subjects in the United States with no liver disease (n = 39), liver diseases not associated with cirrhosis (n = 36), cirrhosis (n = 38), or HCC (n = 57) were applied to metal affinity protein chips for protein profiling by SELDI-TOF MS.

Improving the prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients with an arterially-enhancing liver mass.

In the United States, cirrhotic patients with known or suspected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are prioritized for liver transplantation. Noninvasive criteria for the diagnosis of HCC rely on arterial enhancement of a mass. The aim of this study was to determine whether clinical, laboratory, and / or radiologic data can improve the prediction of HCC in cirrhotic patients with an arterially-enhancing mass.

Hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose Of Review: This year the number of papers published regarding hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) continued to increase compared with last year, coinciding with an increase in incidence and awareness of this tumor.

Recent Findings: Molecular clock studies determined that hepatitis C-related HCC will continue to increase over the next 20 years mimicking the Japanese epidemic. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the most common chronic liver disease in the US, has been associated with HCC.

Hepatocellular carcinoma.

The number of papers published in the topic of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) increased remarkably from last year. The prevalence of chronic hepatitis C infection has increased the incidence of HCC. However, studies confirm that obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease are important factors for the development of HCC in the United States.

Alcohol, tobacco and obesity are synergistic risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background/aims: Alcohol has been shown to be an important risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The role of tobacco as a risk factor for HCC is controversial. Recently, obesity has been reported to be a risk factor for HCC.

Newer markers for hepatocellular carcinoma.

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing worldwide; the overall survival of patients with HCC is grim because most patients are diagnosed late, when curative treatment is not possible. Cirrhosis is the strongest risk factor for the development of HCC. HCC surveillance with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and ultrasonography has been recommended for persons with cirrhosis.

Influence of portal hypertension and its early decompression by TIPS placement on the outcome of variceal bleeding.

Increased portal pressure during variceal bleeding may have an influence on the treatment failure rate, as well as on short- and long-term survival. However, the usefulness of hepatic hemodynamic measurement during the acute episode has not been prospectively validated, and no information exists about the outcome of hemodynamically defined high-risk patients treated with early portal decompression. Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement was made within the first 24 hours after admission of 116 consecutive patients with cirrhosis with acute variceal bleeding treated with a single session of sclerotherapy injection during urgent endoscopy.

Effect of high concentration of Co (II) on Enterobacter liquefaciens strain C-1: a bacterium highly resistant to heavy metals with an unknown genome.

Heavy metals are required as nutrients for essential functions in microorganisms. However, higher concentrations of these cations are generally toxic and may produce contrasting effects on living organisms. Enterobacter liquefaciens strain C-1, a bacterium isolated from the Moa mine in Cuba, is able to survive in the presence of high concentrations of heavy metals.

Bielschowskysin, a gorgonian-derived biologically active diterpene with an unprecedented carbon skeleton.

Bielschowskysin is a naturally occurring diterpene isolated from the Caribbean gorgonian octocoral Pseudopterogorgia kallos. Its highly oxygenated hexacyclic structure is based on a previously undescribed tricyclo[9.3.

Effectiveness of interferon alpha-2b and ribavirin combination therapy in the treatment of naive chronic hepatitis C patients in clinical practice.

Background & Aims: Studies in many diseases have shown that efficacy in clinical trials often does not translate into effectiveness in clinical practice. The aims of this study were to determine the rate of sustained virological response (SVR) and the factors associated with SVR in therapy naive chronic hepatitis C patients treated with interferon alpha-2b and ribavirin combination therapy at a university outpatient clinic.

Methods: The medical records of 153 consecutive chronic hepatitis C patients treated between June 1998 and May 2001 were reviewed.

Two-color, rolling-circle amplification on antibody microarrays for sensitive, multiplexed serum-protein measurements.

The ability to conveniently and rapidly profile a diverse set of proteins has valuable applications. In a step toward further enabling such a capability, we developed the use of rolling-circle amplification (RCA) to measure the relative levels of proteins from two serum samples, labeled with biotin and digoxigenin, respectively, that have been captured on antibody microarrays. Two-color RCA produced fluorescence up to 30-fold higher than direct-labeling and indirect-detection methods using antibody microarrays prepared on both polyacrylamide-based hydrogels and nitrocellulose.

A simple noninvasive index can predict both significant fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Information on the stage of liver fibrosis is essential in managing chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. However, most models for predicting liver fibrosis are complicated and separate formulas are needed to predict significant fibrosis and cirrhosis. The aim of our study was to construct one simple model consisting of routine laboratory data to predict both significant fibrosis and cirrhosis among patients with CHC.

Isolation and structure of providencin: a highly oxygenated diterpene possessing a unique bicyclo[12.2.0]hexadecane ring system from the sea plume Pseudopterogorgia kallos.

[structure: see text] Providencin (1) is a naturally occurring cytotoxin isolated from the Caribbean gorgonian octocoral Pseudopterogorgia kallos. Its highly oxygenated hexacyclic structure is based on a previously undescribed bicyclo[12.2.

Isolation and characterization of kallosin A, a novel rearranged pseudopterane diterpenoid from the Caribbean sea plume Pseudopterogorgia kallos (Bielschowsky).

The Caribbean alcyonacean Pseudopterogorgia kallos is shown to contain a novel rearranged pseudopterane diterpene, kallosin A (1), possessing several unusual structural features. In addition to having two distinct 2(3H)- and 2(5H)-furanone moieties, kallosin A is based on a new carbon skeleton. The structural assignment of 1 was based mainly on 1D and 2D NMR spectral data and was further supported by accurate mass measurement and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

Bacteremic pneumococcal infections in immunocompromised patients without AIDS: the impact of beta-lactam resistance on mortality.

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia in the elderly, and in recent years it has arisen as an important pathogen in HIV-infected patients. However, there is a scarcity of information on clinical and therapeutic problems associated with pneumococcal infections in other immuno-compromised patients. The objective of this study was to assess the most relevant epidemiologic aspects, clinical features and prognostic factors of pneumococcal bacteremia in immunocompromised hosts without AIDS.

Des-gamma carboxyprothrombin can differentiate hepatocellular carcinoma from nonmalignant chronic liver disease in american patients.

Mortality due to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not improved over the last 20 years. This is in part due to the poor performance of available tumor markers leading to delays in diagnosis. Des-gamma carboxy-prothrombin (DCP) has been reported to be more sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of HCC in Japanese patients compared with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP).

Percutaneous radiofrequency thermal ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma: a safe and effective bridge to liver transplantation.

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing in the United States. Although liver transplantation is an effective means of treating selected patients, pretransplantation tumor progression may preclude some patients from undergoing transplantation. The aim of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of percutaneous radiofrequency thermal ablation (RFA) in 33 consecutive patients with nonresectable HCC and advanced cirrhosis.

NAFLD may be a common underlying liver disease in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States.

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the United States is increasing, but the clinical characteristics of American patients with HCC have not been well described. The aims of this study were to determine the etiology of liver disease and short-term outcome among HCC patients presenting to a single center in the United States. One hundred five consecutive patients with HCC were studied; mean age was 59 years, 67% were men, and 76% were non-Hispanic white.