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

Ultrastructure of the ectopic eosinophilopoeitic foci in the liver and small intestine of schistosomiasis mansoni infected hamsters

Extramedullary Eosinophilopoiesis in murine schistosomiasis mansoni is thought to occur only in those tissues having a heamopoietic potential. So, the aim of this work is thought to be to investigate this belief in hamster model, by the histological examination of an organ that lacks this potential; as the small intestine. Ecotopic eosinophilic foci in different stages of maturation was seen in both the liver as well as the gut wall [ilium]. The ultrastructural features of cell population in these foci, were nearly identical in both organs. Three stages of cell maturation could be identified, resembling those described in the bone marrow. Several mitotic figures was seen, not only in the early stages but also of the adult eosinophils. The latter was more encountered in the intestine than in the liver. From the findings of this study it can be assumed that, ectopic eosinophil granulocytopoiesis can occur in any infected tissue under the effect of suitable stimuli; that means a haemoietic potential is not a must in having extramedullary eosinophilopoiesis