Viral and fungal infections after liver transplantation — Part II

Shimon Kusne, Janis E. Blair – 28 December 2005 – Viral and fungal infections in liver transplant recipients are important to recognize and treat early because of their association with substantial morbidity and mortality. Some viruses, such as cytomegalovirus and human herpesvirus 6, have immunomodulatory properties and can facilitate other infections, including fungal infections.

Liver repopulation and long‐term function of rat small hepatocyte transplantation as an alternative cell source for hepatocyte transplantation

Chihiro Shibata, Toru Mizuguchi, Yamato Kikkawa, Takayuki Nobuoka, Hideki Oshima, Hiroyuki Kawasaki, Masaki Kawamoto, Tadashi Katsuramaki, Toshihiro Mitaka, Koichi Hirata – 28 December 2005 – Hepatocyte transplantation (HT) is an attractive therapeutic modality for liver disease as an alternative for liver organ transplantation. Primary fresh hepatocytes (FHs) are the exclusive cell source that has been used for clinical HT. However, the use of FHs is limited due to a shortage of donor cells.

Fatal graft‐versus‐host disease after living donor liver transplantation: Differential impact of donor‐dominant one‐way HLA matching

Hideya Kamei, Fumitaka Oike, Yasuhiro Fujimoto, Hidekazu Yamamoto, Koichi Tanaka, Tetsuya Kiuchi – 28 December 2005 – Graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) is an uncommon but potentially devastating complication following liver transplantation. Recently, it was shown that use of a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐homozygous donor leading to one‐way HLA matching significantly increases the risk of GVHD after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). However, the precise impact of HLA matching between donor and recipient on the risk of GVHD is not yet clear.

Nasobiliary drainage induces long‐lasting remission in benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis

Janneke M. Stapelbroek, Karel J. van Erpecum, Leo W. J. Klomp, Niels G. Venneman, Thijs P. Schwartz, Gerard P. van Berge Henegouwen, John Devlin, Carin M. J. van Nieuwkerk, A. S. Knisely, Roderick H. J. Houwen – 22 December 2005 – Benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis (BRIC) is characterized by episodic cholestasis and pruritus without anatomical obstruction. Effective medical treatment is not available.

Hematopoietic mobilization in mice increases the presence of bone marrow–derived hepatocytes via in vivo cell fusion

Oscar Quintana‐Bustamante, Alberto Alvarez‐Barrientos, Alexander V. Kofman, Isabel Fabregat, Juan A. Bueren, Neil D. Theise, José C. Segovia – 22 December 2005 – The mechanisms for in vivo production of bone marrow–derived hepatocytes (BMDHs) remain largely unclear. We investigated whether granulocyte colony–stimulating factor (G‐CSF)–mediated mobilization of hematopoietic cells increases the phenomenon. Recurrent liver injury in mice expressing green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in all hematopoietic‐derived cells was produced by 3 months of carbon tetrachloride (CCL4) injections.

NPC2 is expressed in human and murine liver and secreted into bile: Potential implications for body cholesterol homeostasis

Andrés Klein, Ludwig Amigo, María José Retamal, María Gabriela Morales, Juan Francisco Miquel, Attilio Rigotti, Silvana Zanlungo – 22 December 2005 – The liver plays a critical role in the metabolism of lipoprotein cholesterol and in controlling its elimination through the bile. Niemann‐Pick type C 2 (NPC2), a cholesterol‐binding protein, is key for normal intracellular trafficking of lipoprotein cholesterol, allowing its exit from the endolysosomal pathway into the metabolically active pool of the cell. In addition, NPC2 is a secretory protein from astrocytes and epididymal cells.

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