Tolvaptan increases urine and ultrafiltration volume for patients with oliguria undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

Background: Hypoalbuminemia caused by peritoneal dialysate protein loss, frequently occurs in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) and is associated with an increased risk of death. We investigate whether PD dialysis exchange volume (PD volume) could be reduced with tolvaptan (TVP) through increased urine volume (UV).

Methods: The study included 11 stable patients with oliguria undergoing PD.

Long-term follow-up ABO-incompatible adult living donor liver transplantation in cirrhotic patients.

ABO-incompatible liver transplantation is usually contraindicated. The presence in the recipient of preformed anti-A/B antibodies located on endothelial cells raises the risk of antibody-mediated humoral rejection of the graft. We describe four successful cases of steroid withdrawal in adult patients who had living-donor liver transplantation from ABO-incompatible donors.

Increased sensitivities of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to immunosuppressive drugs in cirrhosis patients awaiting liver transplantation.

Successful immunosuppressive therapy is critical for liver transplantation. However, a considerable number of patients show clinical resistance to the therapy and experience rejection episodes, or alternatively exhibits serious adverse effects of drugs. We examined the in vitro response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to immunosuppressive drugs in cirrhosis patients awaiting liver transplantation.

Reconstruction of liver organoid using a bioreactor.

Aim: To develop the effective technology for reconstruction of a liver organ in vitro using a bio-artificial liver.

Methods: We previously reported that a radial-flow bioreactor (RFB) could provide a three-dimensional high-density culture system. We presently reconstructed the liver organoid using a functional human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (FLC-5) as hepatocytes together with mouse immortalized sinusoidal endothelial cell (SEC) line M1 and mouse immortalized hepatic stellate cell (HSC) line A7 as non parenchymal cells in the RFB.

Fas/Fas-ligand expressions in peripheral-blood mononuclear cells of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

Increased expressions of Fas and Fas-ligand (Fas-L) in bone marrow cells of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have been reported, and large number of these "cell-death signals" might explain molecular basis for exacerbation of apoptosis in marrow cells of these syndromes. However, expression of these molecules or progression of apoptosis in peripheral-blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in MDS has little been investigated. In the present study, we compared expression of these cell-death molecules and percentages of apoptotic cells in PBMCs between MDS patients and healthy subjects.

CYP3A4 inducible model for in vitro analysis of human drug metabolism using a bioartificial liver.

CYP3A is responsible for approximately 50% of the therapeutic drug-metabolizing activity in the liver. The present study was undertaken to establish the CYP3A4 inducible model for analysis of human drug metabolism using a bioartificial liver composed of the functional hepatocellular carcinoma cell (HCC) line FLC-5. A radial-flow bioreactor (RFB), which is a carrier-filled type bioreactor, was used for 3-dimensional perfusion culture of FLC-5 cells.