Percutaneous aspiration and ethanolamine oleate sclerotherapy for sustained resolution of symptomatic polycystic liver disease: an initial experience.

Objective: Surgical therapy for symptomatic polycystic liver disease is effective but has substantial mortality and morbidity. Minimally invasive options such as percutaneous aspiration with or without ethanol sclerosis have had disappointing results. The purpose of this study was to evaluate percutaneous aspiration with ethanolamine oleate sclerosis in the management of symptomatic polycystic liver disease.

Multivariate analysis for factors predicting rapid response of leukocytapheresis in patients with steroid-resistant ulcerative colitis: a multicenter prospective open-label study.

Leukocytapheresis (LCAP) has been advocated as a treatment for moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis (UC) in Japan. To clarify the predictive factors for a rapid response to LCAP treatment, we conducted a multicenter prospective open-label study. A total of 105 patients with UC were analyzed.

Serum proinflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules in ulcerative colitis.

Background/aims: The aim of this study was to define the correlation between serum markers, such as proinflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules, and disease activity in ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methodology: Nineteen patients with UC treated in our hospital from April 2003 to June 2004, were enrolled into this study. We measured serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) from a blood sample.