Background And Aims: Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a genetic disorder characterized by the misfolding and accumulation of the mutant variant of alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) within hepatocytes, which limits its access to the circulation and exposes the lungs to protease-mediated tissue damage. This results in progressive liver disease secondary to AAT polymerization and accumulation, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to deficient levels of AAT within the lungs. Our goal was to characterize the unique effects of COPD secondary to AATD on liver disease and gene expression.
Methods: A subcohort of AATD individuals with COPD (n = 33) and AATD individuals without COPD (n = 14) were evaluated in this study from our previously reported cross-sectional cohort. We used immunohistochemistry to assess the AATD liver phenotype, and RNA sequencing to explore liver transcriptomics. We observed a distinct transcriptomic profile in liver tissues from AATD individuals with COPD compared to those without.
Results: A total of 339 genes were differentially expressed. Canonical pathways related to fibrosis, extracellular matrix remodeling, collagen deposition, hepatocellular damage, and inflammation were significantly upregulated in the livers of AATD individuals with COPD. Histopathological analysis also revealed higher levels of fibrosis and hepatocellular damage in these individuals.
Conclusions: Our data supports a relationship between the development of COPD and liver disease in AATD and introduces genes and pathways that may play a role in AATD liver disease when COPD is present. We believe addressing lung impairment and airway inflammation may be an approach to managing AATD-related liver disease.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.14218/JCTH.2024.00201 | DOI Listing |
Geroscience
January 2025
Center for Aging and Population Health, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, 310 BelPB, 130 N. Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
Unintentional weight loss in older populations is linked to greater mortality and morbidity risks. This study aims to understand the metabolic mechanisms of unintentional weight loss and their relationship with body composition changes in older adults. We investigated plasma metabolite associations with weight and body composition changes over 5 years in 1335 participants (mean age 73.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancer Causes Control
January 2025
Epidemiology Department, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.
Purpose: To examine incidence trends and patterns for early- and late-onset liver cancer.
Methods: Liver and intrahepatic bile duct (IBD) cancers diagnosed between 2000 and 2019 were acquired from 22 SEER registries. Variables included early-onset (20-49) vs.
Mycopathologia
January 2025
Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1135, Centre d'Immunologie et de Maladies Infectieuses (Cimi-Paris), AP-HP, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie, 184 rue Faubourg Saint Antoine, 175012, Paris, France.
We present Enterocytozoon bieneusi infection in four patients with autoimmune diseases undergoing prolonged monoclonal antibody therapies. Two patients suffered from inflammatory bowel disease and received anti-TNF therapies, whereas two other patients suffered from systemic lupus erythematosus with renal involvement and received anti-CD20 or anti-BLyS protein therapies. Three out of four patients consulted for diarrhea with abdominal pain without intestinal inflammation or bleeding at the time of sampling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEJNMMI Res
January 2025
Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, Utrecht, 3584 CX, the Netherlands.
Background: To study the feasibility of hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) to improve selection and planning of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with holmium-166 (Ho)-microspheres radioembolization.
Results: Thirty-one patients with HCC were included and treated with Ho- radioembolization as part of a prospective phase 2 study. Twenty-seven patients were eligible for analysis, 67% had a cirrhotic liver morphology on imaging, 70% had multifocal disease and 51% had bilobar disease.
Intern Emerg Med
January 2025
Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Transplant Medicine, Medical Faculty, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstraße 55, 45147, Essen, Germany.
Gallstones are among the most frequent hepatobiliary conditions. Although in most cases, they remain asymptomatic, they can cause complications and, in such cases, invasive treatments like endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) or cholecystectomy are required. Here, we present the results of genetic testing of a single family with a high incidence of symptomatic gallstones and cholestatic liver phenotypes.
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