Early and accurate cancer diagnosis is crucial for improving patient survival rates. Luminescent nanoparticles have emerged as a promising tool in fluorescence bioimaging for cancer diagnosis. To enhance diagnostic accuracy, ligands promoting endocytosis into cancer cells are commonly incorporated onto nanoparticle surfaces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To investigate how hepatitis C virus (HCV) G1b infection influences the particle number of lipoproteins.
Methods: The numbers of lipoprotein particles in fasting sera from 173 Japanese subjects, 82 with active HCV G1b infection (active HCV group) and 91 with cleared HCV infection (SVR group), were examined. Serum lipoprotein was fractionated by high-performance liquid chromatography into twenty fractions.
Aim: To determine the significance of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) in lipoprotein abnormalities in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.
Methods: We evaluated the significance of the serum concentration of CETP in 110 Japanese patients with chronic HCV infection. Fifty-five patients had active HCV infection, and HCV eradication had been achieved in 55.
Reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level is a characteristic feature of dyslipidemia in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, abnormality in serum triglyceride (TG) has not been fully investigated. To clarify the impact of HCV genotype 1b (G1b) infection and advanced fibrosis on serum TG profiles, TG concentrations in lipoprotein fractions were examined in fasting sera from 185 subjects with active or cleared HCV infection by high-performance liquid chromatography.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The life cycle of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is tightly associated with host lipoprotein metabolic pathways. Apolipoprotein is present on the outer surface of lipoprotein particles and plays an important role in lipoprotein metabolism. We aimed to elucidate the influence of chronic HCV infection on serum apolipoprotein profiles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough acute hepatitis and nephrotic syndrome are commonly reported as complications of tertiary syphilis, nephrotic syndrome concomitant with hepatitis in early-stage syphilis is rare. Here, we describe the case of a 46-year-old male who was diagnosed with acute liver dysfunction and nephrotic syndrome after presenting with general malaise, and who subsequently developed acute kidney injury. Laboratory examination showed alkaline phosphatase had a greater magnitude of elevation compared to alanine aminotransferase, suggesting the possibility of syphilitic hepatitis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To evaluate interferon-λ3 (IFNL3) polymorphisms in response-guided pegylated interferon-α plus ribavirin (Peg-IFNα/RBV) therapy for genotype 2 (G2) chronic hepatitis C.
Methods: Between January 2006 and June 2012, a total of 180 patients with chronic infections of G2 hepatitis C virus (HCV) were treated with response-guided Peg-IFNα/RBV therapy. The treatment duration was 24 wk for patients who achieved rapid virologic response (RVR), and 36 or 48 wk for patients who did not.
Background And Aims: The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing worldwide. We evaluated serum collagen IV as a direct non-invasive marker of severe liver fibrosis in NAFLD.
Methods: The study included 148 NAFLD and 187 chronic hepatitis C patients in whom histological severity of liver fibrosis was evaluated.
Background And Aim: We aimed to clarify the influences of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) polymorphisms, and ethanol consumption profile to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in alcoholic liver cirrhosis without chronic hepatitis B and C virus infection (non-B non-C).
Methods: Of 236 freshly diagnosed non-B non-C alcoholic liver cirrhosis patients, 67 were diagnosed as HCC and the remaining 169 as not having HCC. The relationship between the genetic polymorphisms and development to HCC were evaluated in well-matched patients with HCC (HCC group, n = 67) and without HCC (non-HCC group, n = 67) using propensity scores in age, sex, and prevalence of diabetes mellitus.
Background And Aim: We evaluated the usefulness of serum cytokeratin 18 fragment (CK18-F) as a noninvasive biomarker in differentiating nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) from nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) since the prognosis of the 2 diseases differ.
Methods: 116 Japanese patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) proven by liver biopsy were studied. Histological findings were classified according to the NAFLD activity score (NAS) proposed by the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network.
Tuberculous lymphadenitis is a rare cause of obstructive jaundice. Here, we report the case of a 33-year-old male with obstructive jaundice caused by tuberculous lymphadenitis around the pancreatic head. The patient was born in China and had immigrated to Japan at 12 years of age.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOf 168 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection-related liver disease, 20 patients who had received 100 mg of lamivudine plus 10 mg/day of adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) (ADV group) and 124 patients who had received 0.5 mg/day of entecavir or 100 mg/day of lamivudine (non-ADV group) for >1 year were enrolled. For comparative analyses, 19 well-matched pairs were obtained from the groups by propensity scores.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Abnormal serum lipid profiles have been noted in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Moreover, many reports suggest that serum lipoprotein profiles are more profoundly distorted in patients with HCV G1b infection who have an unfavorable response to pegylated interferon (peg-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy. However, after the discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms near the IL28B gene (rs8099917 and rs12979860) as potent predictive factors affecting the response to peg-IFN plus RBV, lipid factors are thought to be confounding factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHost lipoprotein metabolism is associated closely with the life cycle of hepatitis C virus (HCV), and serum lipid profiles have been linked to the response to pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) therapy. Polymorphisms in the human IL28B gene and amino acid substitutions in the core and interferon sensitivity-determining region (ISDR) in NS5A of HCV genotype 1b (G1b) were also shown to strongly affect the outcome of Peg-IFN plus RBV therapy. In this study, an observational cohort study was performed in 247 HCV G1b-infected patients to investigate whether the response to Peg-IFN and RBV combination therapy in these patients is independently associated with the level of lipid factors, especially apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100), an obligatory structural component of very low density lipoprotein and low density lipoprotein.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvaluating hepatic insulin resistance (IR) is the key to making a sensitive an accurate diagnosis of glucose intolerance. However, there is currently no suitable method to perform this procedure. This study was conducted to investigate whether the fasting (13)C-glucose breath test (FGBT) is useful as a convenient and highly sensitive clinical test for evaluating hepatic IR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to determine the most suitable duration of pegylated-interferon (Peg-IFN)-plus-ribavirin combination therapy in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 who had not achieved rapid virological response (serum HCV RNA disappearance after 4 weeks of therapy). HCV genotype 2 patients (n = 182) with a high viral load received >80% of the standard Peg-IFN-plus-ribavirin dose for at least 24 weeks, and their final virological responses were studied. Patients were classified into "rapid virological response" and "non-rapid virological response" groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWorld J Gastroenterol
January 2013
Aim: To identify factors associated with prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after initial therapy.
Methods: A total of 377 HCC patients who were newly treated at Katsushika Medical Center, Japan from January 2000 to December 2009 and followed up for > 2 years, or died during follow-up, were enrolled. The factors related to survival were first analyzed in 377 patients with HCC tumor stage T1-T4 using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.
The life cycle of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is closely related to host lipoprotein metabolism. Serum levels of lipid are associated with the response to pegylated interferon plus ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV) therapy, while single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) around the human interleukin 28B (IL28B) gene locus and amino acid substitutions in the core region of the HCV have been reported to affect the efficacy of PEG-IFN/RBV therapy in chronic hepatitis with HCV genotype 1b infection. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between serum lipid and factors that are able to predict the efficacy of PEG-IFN/RB therapy, with specific focus on apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100) in 148 subjects with chronic HCV G1b infection.
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