Liver involvement in rheumatic diseases.

Liver involvement in rheumatic diseases may occur as a primary liver disease, primary rheumatic disease with hepatic manifestations or antirheumatic drug-induced liver disease. The aim of our article is to underline the importance of monitoring and control of the level of aminotransferases and cholestatic enzymes in rheumatic disorders. Some of the rheumatic diseases with constantly elevated liver enzymes need to be investigated in consideration of concomitant primary autoimmune liver disease (such as autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis) or drug hepatotoxicity.

Nanomechanics and Histopathology as Diagnostic Tools to Characterize Freshly Removed Human Brain Tumors.

Background: The tissue-mechanics environment plays a crucial role in human brain physiological development and the pathogenesis of different diseases, especially cancer. Assessment of alterations in brain mechanical  properties during cancer progression might provide important information about possible tissue abnormalities with clinical relevance.

Methods: With atomic force microscopy (AFM), the stiffness of freshly removed human brain tumor tissue was determined on various regions of the sample and compared to the stiffness of healthy human brain tissue that was removed during neurosurgery to gain access to tumor mass.