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L-tryptophan administration promotes the reversion of pre-established chronic liver injury in rats treated with carbon tetrachloride.

We examined the effect of L-tryptophan (Trp) administration on the reversion of CCl(4)-induced chronic liver injury after hepatotoxicant withdrawal in rats. When rats treated with CCl(4) twice a week for 6 weeks were released from CCl(4) treatment for 2 weeks, there was an incomplete reversion of liver injury. The reversion was enhanced by 2 weeks of daily intraperitoneal administration of Trp (50 mg/kg body weight), starting just after CCl(4) withdrawal. There were increases in the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, an index of lipid peroxidation, Ca(2+), triglycerides, and Trp, and decreases in tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase activity and serum triglyceride concentrations in the liver of rats treated with CCl(4) for 6 weeks. Serum albumin concentrations and in vitro hepatic protein synthesis activity did not change in the CCl(4)-treated rats. The changes in the CCl(4)-treated rats were partially attenuated 2 weeks after CCl(4) withdrawal. The attenuation was enhanced by 2 weeks of daily Trp administration. The increases in hepatic thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and triglycerides and the decreases in hepatic tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase activity and serum triglyceride concentrations observed 2 weeks after CCl(4) withdrawal were almost completely attenuated by Trp administration. In vitro hepatic protein synthesis in CCl(4)-treated and untreated rats was increased by 2 weeks of daily Trp administration. These results indicate that Trp administration promotes the reversion of pre-established chronic liver injury in rats treated with CCl(4,) and suggest that Trp exerts this effect by enhancing the improvement of several parameters of liver dysfunction associated with chronic liver injury and by stimulating hepatic protein synthesis.

Journal Article↗

Liver transplantation after jejunoileal bypass for morbid obesity.

BACKGROUND: Jejunoileal (JI) bypass was developed as a therapy for morbid obesity in the late 1960s but has since been abandoned because of a high rate of complications, including cirrhosis. The need for liver transplantation after JI bypass has been infrequent, with only four previous patients reported in the literature; however, because the time to develop symptomatic end-stage liver disease after JI bypass may be quite long (25 years or more), the incidence of patients who will require liver transplantation may only now be increasing. STUDY DESIGN: We reviewed our experience with JI bypass and liver transplantation in 380 consecutive adult patients since 1985. RESULTS: Four patients underwent liver transplantation for cirrhosis after JI bypass, all within the last 48 months. The mean duration of time from JI bypass to transplantation was 22.3 years. All patients had complications, in addition to their liver disease, which were related to the JI bypass, which included nephrolithiasis, cholelithiasis, vitamin deficiencies, renal insufficiency, and d-lactic acidosis. One patient had the JI bypass taken down before transplantation, which precipitated acute liver and renal failure, necessitating urgent transplantation. One patient, who had the JI bypass taken down at the time of transplant, has developed recurrent morbid obesity, while the other three patients have not. The one patient who has not had the JI bypass taken down has not developed evidence of recurrent liver disease and is followed with monthly liver function tests and yearly biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of patients who require liver transplantation after JI bypass may be on the increase. Take down of the JI bypass may precipitate acute liver failure in the cirrhotic patient. JI bypass should be accomplished either at the time of transplantation or if signs of liver dysfunction occur after transplantation. Liver transplant recipients can be at risk for recurrent obesity after takedown of the JI bypass. Transplantation for those patients with decompensated cirrhosis after JI bypass has demonstrated excellent early results.

Aged↗

Pharmacokinetic and imaging studies in patients receiving a formulation of liposome-associated adriamycin.

Pharmacokinetic and imaging studies in 19 patients receiving liposome-entrapped adriamycin (L-ADM) were carried out within the framework of a Phase I clinical trial (Gabizon et al., 1989a). The formulation of L-ADM tested consisted of 0.2 microM-extruded multilamellar vesicles composed of egg phosphatidylcholine, egg-derived phosphatidyl-glycerol (PG), cholesterol, and ADM intercalated in the fluid lipid bilayer. Plasma clearance of total drug extracted from the plasma after L-ADM infusion followed a biexponential curve with a pattern similar to that reported for free ADM. The plasma concentration of drug circulating in liposome-associated from was also measured in a subgroup of seven patients. Liposome-associated drug was found to be rapidly cleared from plasma. Its ratio to non-liposome-associated drug appeared to correlate with liver reserve, with highest ratios in patients with normal liver function. Liposome clearance, as measured by the plasma concentration of PG in three patients was slower than the clearance of liposome-associated ADM, suggesting that liposomes lose part of their drug payload during circulation. To learn about the liposome organ distribution, imaging studies were carried out with 111Indium-deferoxamine labelled liposomes of the same composition. Liposomes were cleared predominantly by liver and spleen and to a lesser extent by bone marrow in seven out of nine patients. In two patients with active hepatitis and severe liver dysfunction, there was minimal liver uptake and increased spleen and bone marrow uptake. Except for one hepatoma patient, intrahepatic and extrahepatic tumours were not imaged by liposomes, suggesting that liposome uptake is restricted to cells of the reticulo-endothelial system (RES).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Intestinal dysfunction in liver cirrhosis: Its role in spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is a common illness in patients with cirrhosis and ascites that occurs without any apparent focus of infection. Bacterial translocation plays an important role in spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and it is evident from a variety of studies that the gut is a major source of this bacteria. Gut motility alterations, along with bacterial overgrowth and changes in intestinal permeability, probably play a role in this bacterial translocation. The present review looks at the role of the intestine in spontaneous bacterial peritonitis induced by liver cirrhosis and the factors influencing bacterial translocation in this disease.

Animals↗

A phase I/II study of hepatic artery infusion with wtp53-CMV-Ad in metastatic malignant liver tumours.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second commonest cause of cancer death in the UK, with greater than 40% of these patients destined to die of the disease despite current medical management. Death is commonly due to liver metastases with sequelae including progressive liver dysfunction. Most patients with liver metastases present with tumours that are unresectable and incurable with existing therapies. The median survival for CRC patients after diagnosis with liver metastases is approximately 6 months or less. The human p53 gene is a tumour suppressor gene involved in the control of cell proliferation. Loss of wild-type p53 function is associated with the uncontrolled growth of many types of human cancers. The reintroduction and expression of wild-type p53 into p53 altered tumour cells has been shown to suppress tumour growth or induce apoptosis in both in vitro and in vivo models. In our experience greater than 50% of CRC tumours have p53 alterations. This study seeks to evaluate the safety, biological efficacy and the effectiveness of wtp53-CMV-Ad treatment which is a recombinant adenoviral vector containing the wild-type human p53 gene. It will be administered by infusion via the hepatic artery, for the regional gene therapy of malignant liver tumours. Study patients will have incurable metastatic (CRC) malignant tumours of the liver with evidence of p53 alteration in their liver tumours. In vitro studies have demonstrated p53-specific antiproliferative effects of wtp53-CMV-Ad on human liver tumour cells and in vivo studies have demonstrated p53-specific antiproliferative effects on human liver tumour cells. The vector Ad-p53 is a recombinant, replication-defective adenovirus based on adenovirus serotype 5. It contains a sequence encoding wild-type p53 whose expression is under the control of the human cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter-enhancer. This construct will be growth in 293 cells which contain the adenoviral E1A and E1B coding sequences which have been removed from the vector to render it replication defective. The study design is an open-label, non-randomised, single-dose, dose escalation Phase I/II clinical trial anticipated to involve a maximum of 19 patients. wtp53-CMV-Ad will be administered by infusion in a reservoir connected to the hepatic artery, for regional gene therapy (surgically implanted pump) in 3 escalating doses to successive cohorts of 3 patients each until the maximum tolerated dose is determined. Subsequently, 10 patients will be treated with this dose. Regional wtp53-CMV-Ad therapy will be administered as a single bolus infusion via hepatic artery catheter. The route of administration of wtp53-CMV-Ad via hepatic artery infusion is designed to maximise gene therapy exposure to the malignant tumours while minimising exposure to normal tissues outside the liver. The clinical protocol is designed to monitor treatment toxicity. Another objective is to evaluate the biological efficacy, including efficiency and stability of gene transfer by analysis of tumour tissues following therapy. As an important part of this objective the pharmacokinetics of wtp53-CMV-Ad will be studied. Clinical evidence of anti-tumour efficacy will also be collected. In addition, the safety and efficacy of different doses levels of wtp53-CMV-Ad will be studied.

Adenoviridae↗

Development of a hybrid bioartificial liver.

OBJECTIVE: The authors developed an extracorporeal liver support system and tested its efficacy in experimental animals with liver failure. The first clinical use of this system to treat a patient with liver failure is reported. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Multiple attempts have been made, ranging from plasma exchange to use of charcoal columns, to develop liver support systems for treating patients with acute severe liver failure. None of these systems has achieved wide clinical use. There is a need for providing liver support as a "bridge" to transplantation and for treating patients with potentially reversible liver dysfunction. METHODS: A hybrid liver support system has been developed consisting of plasma perfusion through a charcoal column and a porous hollow fiber module inoculated with 5 x 10(9) matrix-attached hepatocytes. The system was tested in dogs with ischemic liver failure (n = 7) who underwent plasmapheresis; a control group (n = 6) underwent charcoal perfusion alone. A patient with liver failure was treated with this hybrid system. RESULTS: After 6 hours of hybrid liver support treatment, animals had significantly decreased serum ammonia and lactate levels, increased glucose level, normal prothrombin time, and increased systolic blood pressure compared with controls treated with charcoal perfusion alone. Use of the system to treat a patient was well tolerated with evidence of clinical improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma perfusion through a system consisting of a charcoal column and matrix-attached porcine hepatocytes had significant beneficial effects in animals with liver failure and was well tolerated by a patient with liver failure.

Animals↗

Liver support for fulminant hepatic failure: is it time to use the molecular adsorbents recycling system in children?

OBJECTIVE: To describe the main liver support devices used for fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) and to review data on the Molecular Adsorbents Recycling System (MARS) and assess its efficiency in children. DATA SOURCE: Studies were identified through selected readings and a MEDLINE search from 1975 and 2004 using fulminant hepatic failure, acute liver failure, primary graft dysfunction, liver support, MARS, and extracorporeal liver assist device as key words. STUDY SELECTION: All original studies, including case reports, relating to the use of the MARS or albumin dialysis system were included. Additional attention was put on prognosis criteria of FHF severity in children. DATA EXTRACTION: Study design, numbers and diagnoses of patients, definite or bridging treatment, outcome measures, and complications were extracted and compiled. Results of individual trials were combined on the risk ratio scale. DATA SYNTHESIS: Nine randomized trials including 354 patients were identified. However, liver support failed to significantly affect mortality when compared with standard medical therapy. Albumin dialysis, and particularly MARS, emerges as an easily applicable technique for temporary liver support. Some well-designed studies have characterized its efficiency in a few indications, such as in intractable pruritus in chronic liver disease, in acute or chronic liver diseases, and in decompensated cirrhosis with hepatorenal syndrome. In adults and children with FHF, anecdotal reports suggest that MARS may stabilize the patient. However, no randomized controlled study has validated its use in this indication. A randomized controlled study is ongoing in adults with FHF. Such a trial seems to be unfeasible in children for several methodologic reasons. CONCLUSIONS: Although promising preliminary results suggest that MARS may have a significant position in the therapeutic arsenal for FHF, no sufficient data exist to justify its use in children. For as long as the results of the ongoing adult trial are not available, the indications of this expensive technique in children with FHF are limited.

Adult↗

Long-term mycophenolate mofetil monotherapy in combination with calcineurin inhibitors for chronic renal dysfunction after liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) are the first-line immunosuppressive agents administered after liver transplantation, but they cause renal impairment. Two recent randomized trials report cellular rejection and liver graft loss when mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) monotherapy was used as a renal-sparing agent. Our experience with MMF in the same setting but with longer follow-up is described. METHODS: In 45 patients with serum creatinine more than 120 micromol/L or creatinine clearance less than 50 mL/min, 2 g MMF per day was administered (median 29 months, 1-49 months) either as monotherapy (with all other immunosuppression withdrawn in 1 month) in 16 patients (group I) or in combination with low-dose CNI (trough tacrolimus </=5 ng/mL, cyclosporin A </=50 ng/mL) in 29 patients (18 patients without [group II] and 11 patients with [group III] previous refractory rejection [rejection after two episodes of treated rejection]). RESULTS: In group I (median interval receiving MMF, 33 months), only one patient (6%) experienced cellular rejection, and serum creatinine normalized in five of eight patients long term. In group II (median follow-up 26.5 months), none of 18 experienced rejection, and serum creatinine normalized in 6 of 10 long term. In group III (median follow-up 34 months), 5 of 11 patients (45%) experienced further rejection, one was not steroid responsive, and serum creatinine normalized in four of eight patients long term. There was no graft loss or death as a result of rejection. CONCLUSIONS: Our cohort with prolonged follow-up showed significant improvement in renal function with both MMF monotherapy and in combination with low-dose CNI with minimal rejection (five of six steroid responsive) and no graft loss. MMF substitution is a therapeutic strategy that deserves more extensive use in liver transplantation.

Adult↗

Light and electron microscopic study of the liver in paraquat poisoning.

Intrahepatic cholestasis in paraquat poisoning in man has been thought to be secondary to extensive bile duct injuries, though its exact mechanism remains unsettled. We have examined liver biopsy specimens from two cases of paraquat poisoning. Case 1 (fatal) presented severe intrahepatic jaundice, and liver biopsy showed centrilobular cholestasis with extensive bile duct loss. Ultrastructurally, dilatation of bile canaliculi with decrease of microvilli and thickening of pericanalicular ectoplasm was found in the hepatocytes. Case 2 (alive) showed mild liver dysfunction without jaundice. While liver biopsy showed nonspecific reactive changes with intact bile ducts and ductules, electron microscopy disclosed dilatation of bile canaliculi with decrease of microvilli and thickening of pericanalicular ectoplasm in the hepatocytes, suggesting that damage to the bile secretory apparatus in the hepatocytes develops irrespective of extensive bile duct loss. These findings suggest that bile secretory apparatus in the hepatocytes as well as biliary epithelial cells could be a target of paraquat or its metabolites.

Adult↗

Pharmacokinetics of mycophenolic acid after mycophenolate mofetil administration in liver transplant patients treated with tacrolimus.

The pharmacokinetics of mycophenolic acid (MPA) was studied after oral administration of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in 8 liver transplant patients. The mean (+/- SD) maximum MPA plasma concentration of 10.6 (+/- 7.5) mg/ml was achieved within 0.5 to 5 hours. The mean (+/- SD) steady-state area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC(0-12)) was 40 (+/- 30.9) mg/ml/h. The mean (+/- SD) half-life was 5.8 (+/- 3.8) hours. There was poor correlation between trough blood concentrations of tacrolimus (r = -0.004) or serum creatinine (r = 0.689) with MPA AUC, while the serum bilirubin concentrations correlated (r = 0.743) well with MPA AUC, suggesting impairment in MPA conjugation in patients with liver dysfunction. The mean (+/- SD) ratio of the AUC of mycophenolic acid glucuronide (MPAG) to MPA was 64 (+/- 84), which correlated significantly with serum creatinine (r = 0.72) but not with serum bilirubin concentrations (r = 0.309), indicating accumulation of MPAG in patients with renal dysfunction. In 7 primary liver transplant patients on the same dose of MMF, the trough plasma concentrations of MPA during the first week of therapy ranged from < 0.3 to 1.5 microg/ml. The MPA concentrations increased by several folds during the next few weeks, which correlates well with increases in serum albumin concentrations. Changes in albumin appear to partially contribute to the variations in the pharmacokinetics of MPA in liver transplant patients.

Adult↗

Renal dysfunction in liver cirrhosis.

Liver cirrhosis is an escalating health problem attributed to numerous causes, including an increase in alcohol consumption, morbid obesity and chronic viral hepatitis. The circulatory disturbances seen in advanced cirrhosis lead to the development of ascites, which often lead to progressive renal impairment or the development of hepatorenal syndrome. Furthermore, cirrhotic patients commonly experience clinical situations that predispose them to the development of pre-renal failure, such as dehydration, hypovolaemia, septic shock, or exposure to nephrotoxic drugs. This article provides an overview of the main causes of acute renal failure in liver cirrhosis and describes the current medical and nursing management.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

Syndrome of the sea-blue histiocyte.

A 39-year-old male was admitted with fever, systemic lymph node swelling, liver dysfunction and mild splenomegaly. Liver biopsy specimen showed histiocytic aggregation in portal areas. These histiocytes were closely packed with granules, dyed sea-blue with May-Giemsa staining. Further microscopical examination of lymph nodes, gastro-intestinal tract and bone marrow also revealed the accumulation of sea-blue histiocytes. Activities of lipid metabolic enzymes were normal and hematopoietic diseases which are sometimes accompanied by secondary sea-blue histiocytosis were ruled out. We diagnosed this case as syndrome of the sea-blue histiocyte.

Adult↗