Hypermagnesemia does not prevent intracranial hypertension and aggravates cerebral hyperperfusion in a rat model of acute hyperammonemia

Peter Nissen Bjerring, Martin Eefsen, Fin Stolze Larsen, William Bernal, Julia Wendon – 7 March 2011 – Intravenous infusion of magnesium sulfate prevents seizures in patients with eclampsia and brain edema after traumatic brain injury. Neuroprotection is achieved by controlling cerebral blood flow (CBF), intracranial pressure, neuronal glutamate release, and aquaporin‐4 (Aqp4) expression. These factors are also thought to be involved in the development of brain edema in acute liver failure.

Adherence in liver transplant recipients

Patrizia Burra, Giacomo Germani, Francesca Gnoato, Silvia Lazzaro, Francesco Paolo Russo, Umberto Cillo, Marco Senzolo – 7 March 2011 – Adherence to a medical regimen has been defined as the extent to which a patient's behavior coincides with clinical prescriptions. In liver transplant patients, adherence to immunosuppressive therapy and to medical indications in general is crucial for short‐ and long‐term outcomes.

Second‐phase hepatitis C virus RNA decline during telaprevir‐based therapy increases with drug effectiveness: Implications for treatment duration

Jeremie Guedj, Alan S. Perelson – 7 March 2011 – Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA decay during antiviral therapy is characterized by a rapid first phase, followed by a slower second phase. The current understanding of viral kinetics attributes the magnitude of the first phase of decay to treatment effectiveness, whereas the second phase of decay is attributed to the progressive loss of infected cells. Here, we analyzed data from 44 patients treated with telaprevir, a potent HCV protease inhibitor.

The nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX) homologues NOX1 and NOX2/gp91phox mediate hepatic fibrosis in mice

Yong‐Han Paik, Keiko Iwaisako, Ekihiro Seki, Sayaka Inokuchi, Bernd Schnabl, Christoph H. Österreicher, Tatiana Kisseleva, David A. Brenner – 7 March 2011 – Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX) is a multicomponent enzyme that mediates electron transfer from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate to molecular oxygen, which leads to the production of superoxide. NOX2/gp91phox is a catalytic subunit of NOX expressed in phagocytic cells. Several homologues of NOX2, including NOX1, have been identified in nonphagocytic cells.

AST‐120 (spherical carbon adsorbent) lowers ammonia levels and attenuates brain edema in bile duct–ligated rats

Cristina R. Bosoi, Christian Parent‐Robitaille, Keith Anderson, Mélanie Tremblay, Christopher F. Rose – 7 March 2011 – The pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy is multifactorial, involving gut‐derived toxins such as ammonia, which has been demonstrated to induce oxidative stress. Therefore, a primary hepatic encephalopathy treatment target is reducing ammonia production in the gastrointestinal tract. AST‐120, an oral adsorbent of engineered activated carbon microspheres with surface areas exceeding 1600 m2/g, acts as a sink for neurotoxins and hepatotoxins present in the gut.

The contribution of endoplasmic reticulum stress to liver diseases

Lily Dara, Cheng Ji, Neil Kaplowitz – 7 March 2011 – The unfolded protein response (UPR) is an evolutionarily conserved cell signaling pathway that is activated to regulate protein synthesis and restore homeostatic equilibrium when the cell is stressed from increased client protein load or the accumulation of unfolded or malfolded proteins. Once activated, this signaling pathway can either result in the recovery of homeostasis or can activate a cascade of events that ultimately result in cell death.

Detection and management of latent tuberculosis in liver transplant patients

Syed‐Mohammed Jafri, Amit G. Singal, Daniel Kaul, Robert John Fontana – 7 March 2011 – The optimal means for detecting and managing liver transplantation (LT) patients with latent tuberculosis (TB) are not well defined. Our study aims were to (1) determine the frequency and risk factors of latent TB in a large cohort of consecutive adult LT candidates and (2) determine the safety and efficacy of isoniazid treatment in LT recipients with latent TB.

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