ABSTRACT
Various pathological factors can result in the death of hepatocytes during liver injury. Persistent hepatocyte death initi-ates and aggravates chronic inflammation and fibrosis,ultimately leading to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, limiting hepatocyte death is an effective strategy for improving liver injury. Necroptosis is a newly characterized form of cell death,which is highly regulated by signaling pathways and has typical morphological features of necrosis. Increasing evidence indicates that necroptosis plays a key role in drug-induced or im-munological acute liver injuries,and in chronic liver injuries in-cluding alcoholic fatty liver,nonalcoholic fatty liver and liver fi-brosis. This article reviews the recent advances on the hepato-cyte necroptosis in liver injury,providing novel insights into the pathogenesis of liver disease and related therapeutic reagents.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the role of probiotics in the prevention of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and to investigate the risk factors for NEC.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 2528 hospitalized neonates between January 2002 and May 2005 were assigned into either receiving prophylactic use of probiotics bifoco (Prevention group, n=1182) or without probiotics supplementation (Control group, n = 1346). The incidence of NEC was compared between the two groups. The risk factors for NEC were investigated by conditional logistic regression multifactorial analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were 19 cases of NEC in the Control group (1.41%), but only 6 cases in the Prevention group (0.51%) (P < 0.05). Gestational age (OR = 5.521), hypoxicdouble ended arrowischemic encephalopathy (OR = 3.887), specticemia (OR = 4.854) and critical illness scores (OR = 5.989) were the risk factors for NEC, while the prophylactic use of probiotics was an independent protective factor for NEC (OR = 0.255).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The prophylactic use of probiotics may reduce the incidence of NEC in neonates.</p>