Metabolic and molecular responses to leucine‐enriched branched chain amino acid supplementation in the skeletal muscle of alcoholic cirrhosis

Cynthia Tsien, Gangarao Davuluri, Dharmvir Singh, Allawy Allawy, Gabriella A.M. Ten Have, Samjhana Thapaliya, John M. Schulze, David Barnes, Arthur J. McCullough, Marielle P.K.J. Engelen, Nicolaas E.P. Deutz, Srinivasan Dasarathy – 22 January 2015 – Skeletal muscle loss (sarcopenia) is a major clinical complication in alcoholic cirrhosis with no effective therapy. Skeletal muscle autophagic proteolysis and myostatin expression (inhibitor of protein synthesis) are increased in cirrhosis and believed to contribute to anabolic resistance.

Safety of long‐term biologic therapy in rheumatologic patients with a previously resolved hepatitis B viral infection

Michele Barone, Antonella Notarnicola, Giuseppe Lopalco, Maria Teresa Viggiani, Francesco Sebastiani, Michele Covelli, Florenzo Iannone, Alfonso W. Avolio, Alfredo Di Leo, Luca Cantarini, Giovanni Lapadula – 22 January 2015 – European and Asian studies report conflicting data on the risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation in rheumatologic patients with a previously resolved HBV (prHBV) infection undergoing long‐term biologic therapies. In this patient category, the safety of different immunosuppressive biologic therapies, including rituximab, was assessed.

Activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor dissociates fatty liver from insulin resistance by inducing fibroblast growth factor 21

Peipei Lu, Jiong Yan, Ke Liu, Wojciech G. Garbacz, Pengcheng Wang, Meishu Xu, Xiaochao Ma, Wen Xie – 22 January 2015 – The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), also known as the dioxin receptor, was originally characterized as a xenobiotic receptor that senses xenotoxicants. We investigated the endobiotic and hepatic role of AHR in fatty liver and energy metabolism and identified the endocrine factor that mediates the metabolic function of AHR.

Valproic acid‐induced hepatotoxicity in alpers syndrome is associated with mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening‐dependent apoptotic sensitivity in an induced pluripotent stem cell model

Shengbiao Li, Jingyi Guo, Zhongfu Ying, Shen Chen, Liang Yang, Keshi Chen, Qi Long, Dajiang Qin, Duanqing Pei, Xingguo Liu – 20 January 2015 – Valproic acid (VPA) is widely used to treat epilepsy, migraine, chronic headache, bipolar disorder, and as adjuvant chemotherapy, but potentially causes idiosyncratic liver injury. Alpers‐Huttenlocher syndrome (AHS), a neurometabolic disorder caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA polymerase gamma (POLG), is associated with an increased risk of developing fatal VPA hepatotoxicity.

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