Is there a difference in gastric emptying between myotonic dystrophy type 1 patients with and without gastrointestinal symptoms?

Gastrointestinal symptoms are frequent complaints in patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (MyD1) and may be associated with reduced gastrointestinal motility caused by smooth muscle dysfunction. Although previous studies have found delayed gastric emptying (GE) in MyD1 patients, the relationship between GE and symptoms has been unclear. We investigated GE in 23 MyD1 patients and 20 healthy volunteers using the 13C-acetate breath test.

Is there delayed gastric emptying in patients with multiple system atrophy? An analysis using the (13)C-acetate breath test.

Autonomic failure is one of the criteria according to the second consensus statement for the diagnosis of multiple system atrophy (MSA). Gastrointestinal symptoms are frequent complaints in patients with MSA and may be associated with reduced gastrointestinal motility due to autonomic nervous system dysfunction. However, there are few reports on gastric emptying in patients with MSA.

The cyan fluorescent protein nude mouse as a host for multicolor-coded imaging models of primary and metastatic tumor microenvironments.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) has an important influence on tumor progression. For example, we have discovered that passenger stromal cells are necessary for metastasis. In this report, we describe six different cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) multicolor TME nude mouse models.

Increased levels of serum leptin are a risk factor for the recurrence of stage I/II hepatocellular carcinoma after curative treatment.

Obesity and related adipocytokine disbalance increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. To determine the impact of increased levels of leptin, an obesity-related adipocytokine, on the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma, we conducted a prospective case-series analysis. Eighty-five consecutive primary hepatocellular carcinoma patients at our hospital from January 2006 to December 2008 were analyzed.

L-tryptophan-mediated enhancement of susceptibility to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is dependent on the mammalian target of rapamycin.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is one of the most common liver diseases. L-tryptophan and its metabolite serotonin are involved in hepatic lipid metabolism and inflammation. However, it is unclear whether L-tryptophan promotes hepatic steatosis.

Imaging the recruitment of cancer-associated fibroblasts by liver-metastatic colon cancer.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is critical for tumor growth and progression. However, the formation of the TME is largely unknown. This report demonstrates a color-coded imaging model in which the development of the TME can be visualized.

Acid sphingomyelinase regulates glucose and lipid metabolism in hepatocytes through AKT activation and AMP-activated protein kinase suppression.

Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) regulates the homeostasis of sphingolipids, including ceramides and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). Because sphingolipids regulate AKT activation, we investigated the role of ASM in hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism. Initially, we overexpressed ASM in the livers of wild-type and diabetic db/db mice by adenovirus vector (Ad5ASM).

Role of interleukin-18 in intrahepatic inflammatory cell recruitment in acute liver injury.

Although the innate immune system has been demonstrated to play important roles as the first line of defense against various infections, little is known about the interactions between intrahepatic inflammatory cells and the cytokine network in the liver. Here, we examined the role of IL-18 in IHL recruitment in acute liver injury. C57BL/6 mice were injected with an αCD40 mAb, and their serum IL-18 levels were observed to increase, with subsequent recruitment of IHLs into the liver.

Is there a delayed gastric emptying of patients with early-stage, untreated Parkinson's disease? An analysis using the 13C-acetate breath test.

During the pre-symptomatic stage of Parkinson's disease (PD), the idiopathic PD related abnormal synuclein immunostaining is confined to the medulla oblongata and olfactory bulb, according to Braak. In the study of the enteric nervous system of PD, it has reported that Lewy bodies were found in the Auerbach's and Meissner's plexuses. These lesions may cause dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract (GI) as pre-clinical symptoms of PD.

Simultaneous color-coded imaging to distinguish cancer "stem-like" and non-stem cells in the same tumor.

In this study, we demonstrate that the differential behavior, including malignancy and chemosensitivity, of cancer stem-like and non-stem cells can be simultaneously distinguished in the same tumor in real time by color-coded imaging. CD133(+) Huh-7 human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells were considered as cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), and CD133(-) Huh-7 cells were considered as non-stem cancer cells (NSCCs). CD133(+) cells were isolated by magnetic bead sorting after Huh-7 cells were genetically labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) or red fluorescent protein (RFP).

Insulin resistance raises the risk for recurrence of stage I hepatocellular carcinoma after curative radiofrequency ablation in hepatitis C virus-positive patients: A prospective, case series study.

Aim: Several studies have reported that insulin resistance raises the risk of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We conducted a prospective, case series study to test the impact of insulin resistance on the recurrence after curative radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of stage I HCC in HCV-positive patients.

Methods: From January 2006 to December 2007, 226 consecutive patients underwent treatment for primary HCC at our institutions, including 37 stage I cases.

Roles of CD44 in chemical-induced liver injury.

CD44 has been identified as one of the adhesion molecules that regulate cell migration in inflamed tissue. The principal ligand of CD44 is hyaluronan, and CD44 is involved in the metabolism of this compound. Furthermore, an increasing quantity of evidence suggests that CD44 has various functions related to inflammatory disease.

Indirect calorimetry and anthropometry to estimate energy metabolism in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Energy malnutrition worsens survival in patients with liver cirrhosis, and is currently defined as non-protein respiratory quotient (npRQ) <0.85, as measured by indirect calorimetry. However, measurement of this npRQ is limited because of the high cost of indirect calorimetry.

Clinical trial: rebamipide promotes gastric ulcer healing by proton pump inhibitor after endoscopic submucosal dissection--a randomized controlled study.

Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is useful for treating gastric tumors. Several trials have shown the efficacy of 4 or 8 weeks of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) administration for post-ESD ulcers. However, if the size of the post-ESD ulcer is larger than predicted, PPI administration alone might not be sufficient for the ulcer to heal within 4 weeks.

Role of acid sphingomyelinase of Kupffer cells in cholestatic liver injury in mice.

Unlabelled: Kupffer cells, resident tissue macrophages of the liver, play a key role in the regulation of hepatic inflammation, hepatocyte death, and fibrosis that characterize liver diseases. However, it is controversial whether Kupffer cells promote or protect from liver injury. To explore this issue we examined the role of Kupffer cells in liver injury, cell death, regeneration, and fibrosis on cholestatic liver injury in C57BL/6 mice using a model of partial bile duct ligation (BDL), in which animals do not die and the effects of BDL can be compared between injured ligated lobes and nonligated lobes.

Elevated serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors correlate with aberrant energy metabolism in liver cirrhosis.

Objective: Protein-energy malnutrition is frequently observed in patients with liver cirrhosis and is associated with their poor prognosis. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is elevated in those patients and may contribute to the alterations of energy metabolism. Our aim was to characterize the aberrant energy metabolism in cirrhotic patients with regard to TNF-alpha.

Is there a difference in gastric emptying between Parkinson's disease patients under long-term L-dopa therapy with and without motor fluctuations? An analysis using the 13C-acetate breath test.

The mechanism underlying the motor fluctuations that develop after long-term L-dopa therapy is not fully known. It has been speculated that malabsorption of L-dopa from the small intestine occurs. It was reported that gastric retention in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with motor fluctuations is increased as compared with that in PD without fluctuations.

Extracellular matrix is required for the survival and differentiation of transplanted hepatic progenitor cells.

Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) gel has been reported to maintain the mature hepatocyte phenotypes in primary cultured hepatocytes. We investigated the effect of EHS gel on the differentiation of fetal liver cells, which contain stem/progenitor cells. The isolated fetal liver cells cultured on EHS gel formed a spherical shape and increased liver-specific gene expressions compared with cells cultured on collagen.

Role of CD44 in CTL-induced acute liver injury in hepatitis B virus transgenic mice.

Background: There are many uncertain points regarding leukocyte movement in the liver, especially interaction between liver sinus endothelial cells (LSECs) and cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). We examined the role of CD44 in these interactions using the hepatitis model.

Methods: CTLs were administered to hepatitis B virus transgenic mice (HBVTg) mice and HBVTg x CD44 knockout (KO) mice, and alanine aminotransferase activity (ALT), number of intrahepatic leukocytes, cytokines, and chemokine mRNA level were examined.

Implication of cytokines: Roles of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in liver injury.

Acute liver failure caused by viruses, drugs, or liver resection, is marked by a massive degree of hepatocyte apoptosis and impaired hepatocyte proliferation, the mechanisms of which, however, still remain to be understood. The choice between life and death is associated with events in regulation of the immune system. The liver is continuously exposed to a large antigenic load that includes pathogens, toxins and dietary antigens.

Long-term outcome of branched-chain amino acid treatment in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Clinical impact of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) on the outcome of liver cirrhosis is well documented. As a candidate interventional modality to improve PEM in cirrhosis, effects of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation on event-free survival and quality of life (QOL) was first reported by Yoshida et al. in 1989.

Differentiation of mouse hepatic progenitor cells induced by hepatocyte nuclear factor-4 and cell transplantation in mice with liver fibrosis.

Background: Hepatocyte nuclear factor-4 (HNF-4) plays a central role in the differentiation process of hepatic cells. We investigated the effects of an overexpression of HNF-4 on hepatic progenitor cells isolated from a fetal mouse liver and transplantation of the cells in a mouse model of liver fibrosis.

Methods: Hepatic progenitor cells were isolated from the embryonic day 14.

Pathological role of CD44 on NKT cells in carbon tetrachloride-mediated liver injury.

Aim: CD44 has a variety of functions in immune regulation and signal transduction. Although CD44 is involved in the induction of several inflammatory diseases, it remains unknown whether CD44-targeting therapies are useful for liver diseases. Here, we examined whether CD44 blockade is effective in a chemical-induced liver injury model.