Autologous Stem Cells Transplantation in Egyptian Patients with Liver Cirrhosis on Top of Hepatitis C Virus

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Use of pluripotent stem cells is an ideal solution for liver insufficiencies. This work aims is to evaluate the safety and feasibility of autologous stem cells transplantation (SCT) in Egyptian patients of liver cirrhosis on top of hepatitis C virus (HCV). SUBJECTS AND RESULTS: 20 patients with HCV induced liver cirrhosis were divided into 2 groups. Group I: included 10 patients with liver cirrhosis Child score > or =9, for whom autologous stem cell transplantation was done using granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) for stem cells mobilization. Separation and collection of the peripheral blood stem cells was done by leukapheresis. G-CSF mobilized peripheral blood mononuclear cells (G-CSF PB-MNCs) were counted by flow cytometry. Stem cell injection into the hepatic artery was done. Group II: included 10 patients with HCV induced liver cirrhosis as a control group. Follow up and comparison between both groups were done over a follow up period of 6 months. The procedure was well tolerated. Mobilization was successful and the total number of G-CSF PB-MNCs in the harvests ranged from 25x106 to 191x106. There was improvement in the quality of life, serum albumin, total bilirubin, liver enzymes and the Child-Pugh score of group I over the first two-three months after the procedure. CONCLUSION: SCT in HCV induced liver cirrhosis is a safe procedure. It can improve the quality of life and hepatic functions transiently with no effect on the life expectancy or the fate of the liver cirrhosis.

Cytokeratin 18 as a non invasive marker in diagnosis of NASH and its usefulness in correlation with disease severity in Egyptian patients

A simple noninvasive test that accurately distinguishes NASH from NAFL as well as determines the disease severity is urgently needed. Recently, it was found that determination of Cytokeratin-18 [CK-18] fragments in the blood, predicts and correlates with histological NASH in which there is development of lobular inflammation, cell ballooning and fibrosis, supporting its usefulness in clinical practice To evaluate the role of CK-18 as a non invasive marker in diagnosis of NASH and its usefulness in correlation with disease severity in Egyptian patients. 90 subjects were divided into 3 groups: group I: including 30 patients with NASH, group II: including 30 patients with NAFL, and group III: including 30 healthy subjects as control. Diagnosis of NASH and its discrimination from NAFL was done by liver biopsy. CK-18 level in plasma was measured for all subjects using ELISA. CK-18 was significantly elevated in patients of group I in comparison to group II and III patients, with mean +/- SD: 460 +/- 279, 167 +/- 56 and 149 +/- 57, respectively, and/3 value: 0.001. The [ROC] curve diagnostic performance of CK18 in diagnosis of NASH shows: cutoff value of >240U/L, with sensitivity 76.7%, specificity 95.0%. Ck-18 was found to correlate with disease severity assessed by NAS scoring system with P value: 0.001. Measurement of CK18 in NASH is a useful screening, diagnostic and staging bio-marker