Liver iron modulates hepcidin expression during chronically elevated erythropoiesis in mice

Víctor Díaz, Elena Gammella, Stefania Recalcati, Paolo Santambrogio, Arianne Monge Naldi, Johannes Vogel, Max Gassmann, Gaetano Cairo – 6 June 2013 – The liver‐derived peptide hepcidin controls the balance between iron demand and iron supply. By inhibiting the iron export activity of ferroportin, hepcidin modulates iron absorption and delivery from the body's stores. The regulation of hepcidin, however, is not completely understood and includes a variety of different signals.

Sleep‐wake abnormalities in patients with cirrhosis

Sara Montagnese, Cristiano De Pittà, Michele De Rui, Michela Corrias, Matteo Turco, Carlo Merkel, Piero Amodio, Rodolfo Costa, Debra J. Skene, Angelo Gatta – 6 June 2013 – A considerable proportion of patients with cirrhosis exhibit insomnia, delayed sleep habits, and excessive daytime sleepiness. These have been variously attributed to hepatic encephalopathy and impaired hepatic melatonin metabolism, but the understanding of their pathophysiology remains limited and their treatment problematic. Sleep is regulated by the interaction of a homeostatic and a circadian process.

Protein kinase a‐dependent pSer675‐β‐catenin, a novel signaling defect in a mouse model of congenital hepatic fibrosis

Carlo Spirli, Luigi Locatelli, Carola M. Morell, Romina Fiorotto, Stuart D. Morton, Massimiliano Cadamuro, Luca Fabris, Mario Strazzabosco – 6 June 2013 – Genetically determined loss of fibrocystin function causes congenital hepatic fibrosis (CHF), Caroli disease (CD), and autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD). Cystic dysplasia of the intrahepatic bile ducts and progressive portal fibrosis characterize liver pathology in CHF/CD.

Off‐therapy durability of response to entecavir therapy in hepatitis B e antigen‐negative chronic hepatitis B patients

Wen‐Juei Jeng, I‐Shyan Sheen, Yi‐Cheng Chen, Chao‐Wei Hsu, Rong‐Nan Chien, Chia‐Ming Chu, Yun‐Fan Liaw – 6 June 2013 – The optimal duration of nucelos(t)ide analog (Nuc) treatment in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)‐negative patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is unknown. The Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) guidelines recommend that treatment can be discontinued if undetectable HBV‐DNA has been documented on three occasions ≥6 months apart.

Homeostatic generation of reactive oxygen species protects the zebrafish liver from steatosis

Justin M. Nussbaum, Liuhong J. Liu, Syeda A. Hasan, Madeline Schaub, Allyson McClendon, Didier Y.R. Stainier, Takuya F. Sakaguchi – 6 June 2013 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common liver disease in both adults and children. The earliest stage of this disease is hepatic steatosis, in which triglycerides are deposited as cytoplasmic lipid droplets in hepatocytes. Through a forward genetic approach in zebrafish, we found that guanosine monophosphate (GMP) synthetase mutant larvae develop hepatic steatosis.

Receptor interacting protein kinase 3 is a critical early mediator of acetaminophen‐induced hepatocyte necrosis in mice

Anup Ramachandran, Mitchell R. McGill, Yuchao Xie, Hong‐Min Ni, Wen‐Xing Ding, Hartmut Jaeschke – 6 June 2013 – Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is a major cause of hepatotoxicity and acute liver failure in the U.S., but the pathophysiology is incompletely understood. Despite evidence for apoptotic signaling, hepatic cell death after APAP is generally considered necrotic in mice and in humans. Recent findings suggest that the receptor interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP3) acts as a switch from apoptosis to necrosis (programmed necrosis).

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