Interleukin‐2 and interleukin‐12 mediate distinct effector mechanisms of liver allograft rejection

N L Thai, Y Li, F Fu, S Qian, A J Demetris, R J Duquesnoy, J J Fung – 30 December 2003 – Interleukin‐2 (IL‐2), interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) or interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) were administered postoperatively to otherwise spontaneously accepting mouse liver allograft recipients (C57BL/10 → C3H) to test whether TH1 cytokines are critical mediators of rejection in this model.

Recurrent nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis after liver transplantation

R M Molloy, R Komorowski, R R Varma – 30 December 2003 – Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) may progress to cirrhosis and lead to liver failure. Histologically, NASH is often indistinguishable from liver disease caused by alcohol use; the cause of NASH remains unknown. A subgroup of patients with NASH eventually develops fibrosis and/or cirrhosis, and in many cases, transplantation is performed for end‐ stage liver disease attributed to steatohepatitis in patients who do not consume alcohol.

Liver transplantation for cryptogenic cirrhosis

M R Charlton, M Kondo, S K Roberts, J L Steers, R A Krom, R H Wiesner – 30 December 2003 – End‐stage liver disease secondary to cryptogenic cirrhosis is the indication for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in 7% to 14% of recipients. However, there are no reports documenting the outcome of OLT for this indication. The aim of this study was to determine (1) survival and (2) the incidence of histological recurrence of cryptogenic cirrhosis after OLT. Between March 1985 and December 1994, 560 OLTs were performed at our institution.

Apoptosis after ischemia‐reperfusion in human liver allografts

G Borghi‐Scoazec, J Y Scoazec, F Durand, J Bernuau, J Belghiti, G Feldmann, D Henin, C Degott – 30 December 2003 – Little is known about the possible contribution of apoptosis to ischemia‐reperfusion injury in human liver transplantation. Therefore, we studied postreperfusion surgical biopsy specimens of 16 human liver allografts using the TUNEL assay for in situ demonstration of apoptotic cells. In all patients, a variable proportion of hepatocytes and sinusoidal endothelial cells presented labeled nuclei.

Hepatitis C virus genotypes and quantitation of serum hepatitis C virus RNA in liver transplant recipients: Relationship with severity of histological recurrence and implications in the pathogenesis of HCV infection

G P Pageaux, J Ducos, A M Mondain, V Costes, M C Picot, P F Perrigault, J Domergue, D Larrey, H Michel – 30 December 2003 – The reasons for the wide variation of incidence and severity of recurrent hepatitis C after liver transplantation are not clear. We have studied liver transplant recipients to assess the impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype and HCV RNA quantification on HCV recurrence after transplantation. Twenty‐two patients received transplants for HCV cirrhosis and were followed up with virological and histological assessments. Mean follow‐up was 39 months.

Gastric mucosal pH is associated with initial graft function but is not a predictor of major morbidity after liver transplantation

J K Maring, I J Klompmaker, J H Zwaveling, R Verwer, M J Slooff – 30 December 2003 – Gastric mucosal pH reflects splanchnic perfusion. Monitoring gastric mucosal pH might be useful in predicting outcome after liver transplantation. Forty patients were included in the study. Gastric mucosal pH and gastric mucosal pH corrected for systemic pH were compared with regard to initial liver function and morbidity. Eighty percent of the patients had at least one episode with a gastric mucosal pH of <7.32, and 84% of these had a concomitant arterial pH of <7.32.

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