Markers of cell death predict therapy response in patients with cirrhosis and hepatorenal syndrome.

Background And Aims: Hepatorenal syndrome is a major complication in patients with cirrhosis and associated with high mortality. Predictive biomarkers for therapy response are largely missing. Cytokeratin18-based cell death markers are significantly elevated in patients with complications of chronic liver disease, but the role of these markers in patients with HRS treated with vasoconstrictors and albumin is unknown.

Mechanisms of increased hepatic glutamine uptake in the endotoxin-treated rat.

The mechanisms underlying the accelerated hepatic consumption of glutamine that occurs during endotoxemia were investigated in rats 12 hr after treatment with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide. Hepatic glutamine delivery and consumption were calculated from measurements of hepatic blood flow and blood glutamine levels. Hepatic glutaminase activity and glutamine and glutamate content were determined.

Adaptive regulation in skeletal muscle glutamine metabolism in endotoxin-treated rats.

The effects of a single dose of endotoxin (7.5 mg/kg BW) on skeletal muscle glutamine metabolism were studied in vivo in rats to gain further understanding of the altered glutamine metabolism that characterizes sepsis and other catabolic diseases. In endotoxin-treated animals the arterial glutamine concentration fell early initially and then increased compared with control values.

The effects of glutamine-enriched total parenteral nutrition on tumor growth and host tissues.

The effects of glutamine-enriched total parenteral nutrition (TPN+GLN) were studied in tumor-bearing rats because glutamine can benefit host tissues but also may stimulate tumor growth. Rats were implanted with the methylcholanthrene-induced fibrosarcoma (MCA sarcoma) and were studied when the tumor constituted less than 5% of carcass weight (small tumor) and when the tumor constituted 10% of carcass weight (large tumor). Provision of 20% of TPN protein as glutamine produced a significant increase in the arterial glutamine level and maintained the skeletal muscle intracellular glutamine concentration (2.

Cytokine regulation of intestinal glutamine utilization.

The effects of cytokines on intestinal glutamine metabolism were studied to gain further insight into the regulation of altered glutamine metabolism that occurs during severe infection. One hundred thirteen adult rats were given a single dose of interleukin-1 (IL-1, 50 micrograms/kg), tumor necrosis factor (TNF, 50 micrograms/kg or 150 micrograms/kg), or saline (controls), and flux studies were performed 4 or 12 hours later. Intestinal blood flow was not different between control and cytokine-treated animals at either time point.