Complete response by a combination of 5-fluorouracil and interferon-alpha chemotherapy for lung metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatic resection with portal and hepatic vein tumor thrombectomy.

A 75-year-old female was admitted to our hospital and diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Computed tomography (CT) revealed a liver tumor with tumor thrombi in the portal trunk and main hepatic vein, as well as small lung metastases. The patient had good liver function with no sign of hepatitis B or C infection.

Akt activation protects rat liver from ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Background: Apoptosis as well as necrosis may play an important role in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Akt, a serine-threonine protein kinase, is known to promote cell survival. We investigated whether gene transfer of constitutively active or dominant negative Akt could affect hepatic I/R injury.

Usefulness of 99mTc-sestamibi scintigraphy in suggesting the therapeutic effect of chemotherapy against gastric cancer.

Purpose: Imaging with (99m)Tc-sestamibi ((99m)Tc-MIBI) has been used to assess 170-kDa P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression and predict chemotherapy responses in several types of malignancy, such as breast and lung cancers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between (99m)Tc-MIBI accumulation in tumors and sensitivity to chemotherapy in gastric cancer patients.

Experimental Design: Thirty-six patients with advanced gastric cancer underwent (99m)Tc-MIBI scintigraphy before chemotherapy.

Cholangitis and liver abscess after percutaneous ablation therapy for liver tumors: incidence and risk factors.

Purpose: To determine the risk factors of cholangitis and liver abscess occurring after percutaneous ablation therapy for liver tumors.

Materials And Methods: Between October 1995 and September 2002, 358 patients with 455 liver tumors underwent a total of 683 ablation procedures, such as percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), percutaneous microwave coagulation (PMC), and radiofrequency (RF) ablation therapy. With a retrospective review of medical records, the rates and outcomes of cholangitis and/or liver abscess occurring after ablation therapy were evaluated.

Inactivation of the small GTPase Rac1 protects the liver from ischemia/reperfusion injury in the rat.

Background: In ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, a massive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after reperfusion is a critical factor. Rac, a member of the Rho GTPase superfamily, plays important roles in the production of ROS and activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in vitro. However, the exact role of Rac in the ROS production and NF-kappaB activation in vivo after I/R is still obscure.

Resection for hepatocellular carcinoma with duodenal invasion: report of a case.

A 73-year-old man was admitted to our hospital on emergency for severe anemia. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopic study revealed a hemorrhagic ulcer in the duodenal bulb. He underwent endoscopic hemostasis.

Myoglobin gene expression attenuates hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury.

Background: Cellular functions are maintained by a continuous supply of ATP, which is supplied efficiently by mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Since myoglobin, found in cardiac myocytes and red skeletal muscle, but not in the liver, facilitates oxygen diffusion under low oxygen conditions and enhances oxidative phosphorylation, this study seeks to enhance hepatic ATP levels and attenuate ischemia-reperfusion injury in rodent livers by adenovirus-mediated myoglobin expression.

Material And Methods: After infecting Hep3B and rodent livers with adenovirus carrying CMV promoter sequences linked to the human myoglobin gene (AdCMVMyo), reverse transcriptase-PCR and immunodetection for myoglobin, and cellular and hepatic ATP levels were examined.

Results of hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma invading major portal and/or hepatic veins.

Nonsurgical therapy for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has yielded poor long-term survival. This study evaluates the effects of surgical treatments for patients with HCC invading major portal and/or hepatic veins. The surgical results of 112 patients with HCC invading major portal and/or hepatic veins who underwent hepatic resection between 1985 and 2001 were studied to evaluate the feasibility of hepatic resection as a local treatment.

Increased expression of collagenase in the liver induces hepatocyte proliferation with cytoplasmic accumulation of beta-catenin in the rat.

Background/aims: Since the hepatic extracellular matrix is remodeled in liver regeneration, we investigated whether increased collagenase activity in the liver can induce hepatocyte proliferation in vivo.

Methods: To increase hepatic collagenase activity, human matrix metalloproteinase-1 was delivered to the rat liver by the recombinant adenoviral vector Ad5MMP-1.

Results: Hepatic delivery of Ad5MMP-1 increased the 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine labeling index and mitotic index in hepatocytes, causing an increase in the dry liver weight; control adenovirus, Ad5LacZ, had minimal effect.

Management of adrenal metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: Although the adrenal gland is a common site of extrahepatic metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), there are no definitive guidelines for the treatment of adrenal metastasis. This study examines the effectiveness of various treatments for this disease.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 20 patients treated for adrenal metastasis of HCC by adrenalectomy ( n = 13), transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), or percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT) ( n = 7).

Significance of serum type IV collagen level of hepatectomized patients with chronic liver damage.

Type IV collagen, one of the serum markers for hepatic fibrosis, was measured perioperatively in patients with and without chronic liver damage to investigate whether this parameter changes in response to acute stress to the liver and can predict the surgical risk of hepatic resection. The serum type IV collagen level was significantly elevated in patients with liver cirrhosis. There were significant correlations between serum type IV collagen levels and the indocyanine green clearance test and cholinesterase activity, although the correlation coefficients were not high.

Suppression of proliferative cholangitis by E2F decoy oligodeoxynucleotide.

Background: Proliferative cholangitis (PC) associated with hepatolithiasis results in stricture of the main bile ducts and is a major cause of residual and/or recurrent stones after repeated treatment for hepatolithiasis. The transcription factor E2F controls the expression of several genes involved in cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to inhibit PC using cytostatic gene therapy by transferring fusigenic anionic liposome-hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ-anionic liposome) complexes containing a synthetic double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide with high affinity for E2F (E2F decoy).