Liver Cirrhosis Complicated by Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis Caused by the Burkholderia cepacia Complex.

A 79-year-old man with underlying alcoholic liver cirrhosis presented with complaints of a fever, abdominal pain, and difficulty walking. A diagnostic work-up revealed liver atrophy and chylous ascites, and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) was diagnosed based on the cell and neutrophil counts. The Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) was detected on blood and ascitic fluid cultures.

Effect of interferon-based and -free therapy on early occurrence and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C.

Background And Aims: Although treatment for hepatitis C virus has been dramatically improved by the development of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs), whether interferon (IFN)-free therapy reduces hepatocarcinogenesis in an equivalent manner to IFN-based therapy remains controversial. The aims of this study were to evaluate the occurrence and recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients treated with DAAs and to identify biomarkers of HCC development after antiviral treatment.

Methods: A restrospective review of a prospective database of 1,897 CHC patients who were treated with IFN-based (1,145) or IFN-free therapies (752) was carried out.

Hepatic IFNL4 expression is associated with non-response to interferon-based therapy through the regulation of basal interferon-stimulated gene expression in chronic hepatitis C patients.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within or near interferon lambda 4 (IFNL4) gene located upstream of IFNL3 are associated with response to anti-HCV therapy both in interferon (IFN)-based and IFN-free regimens. IFNL4 encodes IFNλ4, a newly discovered type III IFN, and its expression is controlled by rs368234815-TT/ΔG, which is in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) with other tag SNPs within or near IFNL4 such as rs12979860 and rs8099917. Intrahepatic expression levels of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) affect the responsiveness to IFNα and are also associated with IFNL4 genotype.

Bone morphogenetic protein-4 modulates proliferation and terminal differentiation of fetal hepatic stem/progenitor cells.

Unlabelled: Fetal hepatic stem/progenitor cells, called hepatoblasts, play central roles in liver organogenesis; however, molecular mechanisms regulating proliferation and terminal differentiation of such cells have not been completely elucidated. Bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4) is essential for the development of stem cells in various tissues, but its function in regulating the phenotype of hepatoblasts after the mid-gestational fetal stage remains unclear. The aim of this study is to clarify a functional role for BMP-4 in proliferation and terminal differentiation of murine hepatoblasts in mid-gestational fetal livers.

Serial measurement of Wisteria floribunda agglutinin positive Mac-2-binding protein is useful for predicting liver fibrosis and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with IFN-based and IFN-free therapy.

Aim: Wisteria floribunda agglutinin positive (WFA) Mac-2-binding protein (M2BPGi) is a noninvasive glyco-marker for liver fibrosis. This study evaluated the utility of serial measurement of serum M2BPGi and total M2BP as a predictor of fibrosis and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: This study included 119 patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC).

Matrix metalloproteinase-14 mediates formation of bile ducts and hepatic maturation of fetal hepatic progenitor cells.

Fetal hepatic stem/progenitor cells, called hepatoblasts, play central roles in liver development; however, the molecular mechanisms regulating the phenotype of these cells have not been completely elucidated. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-14 is a type I transmembrane proteinase regulating pericellular proteolysis of the extracellular matrix and is essential for the activation of several MMPs and cytokines. However, the physiological functions of MMP-14 in liver development are unknown.

Naturally occurring, resistance-associated hepatitis C virus NS5A variants are linked to interleukin-28B genotype and are sensitive to interferon-based therapy.

Aim: The presence of resistance-associated variants (RAV) may attenuate the efficacy of direct-acting antivirals (DAA) in combination therapy for hepatitis C. The aim of this study was to characterize the NS3 and NS5A regions of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in naturally occurring RAV.

Methods: The NS3 and NS5A regions of HCV were amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction and their nucleotide sequences were determined by direct sequencing in 493 genotype 1b patients naive to DAA-based therapies.

L-carnitine Reduces Muscle Cramps in Patients With Cirrhosis.

We performed a prospective study to evaluate the ability of L-carnitine, which is involved in the β-oxidation of fatty acids, to reduce muscle cramps in patients with cirrhosis. Consecutive patients with cirrhosis and muscle cramps were given L-carnitine 300 mg, 3 times/day (900 mg/day, n = 19) or 4 times/day (1200 mg/day, n = 23) for 8 weeks. The frequency of muscle cramps was assessed by questionnaires, and the degree of muscle cramping was assessed by using the visual analogue scale (VAS).

Purification, characterization, and primary structure of a novel N-acyl-D-amino acid amidohydrolase from Microbacterium natoriense TNJL143-2.

A novel N-acyl-D-amino acid amidohydrolase (DAA) was purified from the cells of a novel species of the genus Microbacterium. The purified enzyme, termed AcyM, was a monomeric protein with an apparent molecular weight of 56,000. It acted on N-acylated hydrophobic D-amino acids with the highest preference for N-acetyl-D-phenylalanine (NADF).

Fifteen trace elements in eluate from enameled cookware using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.

Objective: The purpose of this research is to clarify the effects of the following treatments on the elution of trace elements: water settling, 2 h boiling of water, acetic acid settling, and 2 h boiling of acetic acid in prebrushed enameled cookware, and the same four treatments after brushing the surface of enameled cookware.

Method: The eluate samples from enameled cookware subjected to the above eight treatments ware obtained, and the concentrations of the fifteen trace elements (B, Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Sb, Pb, and U) were simultaneously analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Results: The concentrations of the fifteen elements eluted from enameled cookware were low or very low after the treatments.

Microbacterium natoriense sp. nov., a novel D-aminoacylase-producing bacterium isolated from soil in Natori, Japan.

A rod-shaped, Gram-positive bacterium, strain TNJL143-2(T), having N-acyl-D-amino acid amidohydrolase (D-aminoacylase) activity, was isolated from a soil sample from Natori, Japan. It was a non-spore-forming, strictly aerobic bacterium without motility, showing a temperature optimum for growth of 30 degrees C and a pH optimum for growth of 5-7. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of the strain showed the highest similarities to members of the genus Microbacterium, in particular, Microbacterium aerolatum, Microbacterium foliorum and Microbacterium phyllosphaerae.