Spotlight on the three main hepatic fibrogenic cells in HCV-infected patients: Multiple immunofluorescence and ultrastructure study.

The present work deals with the simultaneous ultrastructure and triple immunofluorescence study of the three main hepatic fibrogenic cells, hepatic stellate cell, myofibroblast (MF), and fibroblast, in a group of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA positive patients, as their exact interrelation behavior in vivo with the progress of hepatic fibrosis is still inadequate. In this study, for the first time, cells having the morphological characteristic of MF and not bone marrow fibrocytes were revealed in liver portal vessels. This necessitates the reevaluation of the available knowledge concerning bone marrow fibrocyte.

Value of reelin for assessing hepatic fibrogenesis in a group of Egyptian HCV infected patients.

Background: Development of non-invasive markers that can predict the stages of hepatic fibrosis without resorting to repeated liver biopsies is still an important goal to evaluate the effectiveness of antifibrotic treatment. The present work investigates the value of the assessment of peripheral circulating reelin, in which the liver represents its prime source, as a marker for monitoring hepatic fibrogenesis.

Methods: Seventy-four cases with chronic hepatitis positive for serum HCV RNA and 15 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study.