Metabolic syndrome and risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Context: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome, has been considered the most common liver disease nowadays, which is also the most frequent cause of elevated transaminases and cryptogenic cirrhosis. The greatest input of fatty acids into the liver and consequent increased beta-oxidation contribute to the formation of free radicals, release of inflammatory cytokines and varying degrees of hepatocytic aggression, whose histological expression may vary from steatosis (HS) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The differentiation of these forms is required by the potential risk of progression to cirrhosis and development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

[Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase alteration in hepatic schistosomiasis doesn't correlate with parasitic load and precedes ultrasound alterations].

Background: Liver disorders are the major manifestations of schistosomiasis mansoni. Factors that account for increased concentrations of cholestasis-indicating enzymes in the hepatosplenic form of the disease are unknown.

Objective: To assess the correlation between increased gamma-glutamyltransferase serum levels and both the parasitic load and ultrasound alterations in patients with schistosomiasis.