Factors associated with liver stiffness in chronic liver disease / 대한간학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Transient elastography is a new noninvasive tool for measuring liver stiffness that accurately predicts significant fibrosis and cirrhosis. However, several studies have indicated that liver stiffness can be significantly influenced by major changes in aminotransferase in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. The aim of this study was to determine the factors influencing liver stiffness in patients with chronic liver disease. METHODS: We studied 158 patients with chronic liver disease who underwent transient elastography and liver biopsy sampling. Histologic findings on fibrosis and necroinflammatory activity in the biopsy specimens were evaluated according to the Korean Society of Pathologists Scoring System. Routine biochemical tests were performed according to standard methods. RESULTS: Liver stiffness was strongly correlated with liver fibrosis stage (Spearman coefficient=0.636, P<0.001), lobular activity (Spearman coefficient=0.359, P<0.001), and portoperiportal activity grade (Spearman coefficient=0.448, P<0.001). Liver stiffness was significantly associated with serum levels of total bilirubin (P=0.025), direct bilirubin (P=0.049), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (P=0.014), platelet count (P=0.004), albumin (P<0.001), and international normalized ratio (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that fibrosis stage (B 3.50, P=0.009) and lobular activity grade (B 3.25, P=0.047) were independently associated with liver stiffness. CONCLUSIONS: Liver stiffness as measured by transient elastography is associated with the grade of necroinflammatory activity and the stage of fibrosis, irrespective of serum ALT levels.

The contribution of BCA-1 and apoptosis in gastric MALT lymphoma generation / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND: In spite that several lines of evidence suggest that gastric MALT lymphoma arises from Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)-associated acquired MALT(mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue), the exact underlying pathogenic mechanism has not yet been clearly exploited. The high expression of B cell attracting chemokine-1 (BCA-1) and modulation of cell death by apoptosis have been suggested as possible pathogenic determinants for whether the cases with H. pylori infection will develop MALToma or not. METHODS: We have studied the expression of BCA-1 and its receptor CXCR5 in gastric tissue samples obtained from patients suffering with H. pylori-positive gastritis, H. pylori-negative gastritis and H. pylori-positive low grade MALT lymphoma, respectively. TUNEL (Terminal deoxynucleotidyl Transferase Biotin-dUTP Nick End Labeling) staining for detecting apoptotic cells was also included. Furthermore, the changes of the BCA-1 and CXCR5 expressions before and after the complete remission of MALToma were compared. The in vitro influencing effect of H. pylori infection on the BCA-1 and CXCR5 expression was observed. RESULTS: Significantly higher levels of BCA-1 and its receptor CXCR5 expression were observed in H. pylori-positive MALToma specimens as compared with either the H. pylori-positive gastritis or H. pylori-negative gastritis specimens; its levels were significantly reduced after the remission of MALToma. In contrast to the increased apoptotic activity after H. pylori infection, a significant reduction of epithelial apoptosis was observed in the H. pylori-positive MALToma specimens. H. pylori infection directly induced the expression of BCA-1 in the cultured gastric epithelial cells. CONCLUSION: The up-regulated BCA-1 expression and the decreased apoptosis in H. pylori infected gastric epithelial cells might contribute to the development of MALT lymphoma.

Liver Stiffness Measurement for the Diagnosis of Hepatic Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Viral Hepatitis / 대한간학회지

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: FibroScan(R) is a new medical device that noninvasively measures liver stiffness. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of the liver stiffness measurement by FibroScan(R) for making the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. METHODS: We studied 103 patients with chronic viral hepatitis B or C and they underwent FibroScan(R) and liver biopsy between October 2005 and August 2006. Liver fibrosis was staged on a 0-4 scale according to the Korean Society of Pathologists Scoring System. The diagnostic accuracy was assessed by analysis of the receiver operator characteristics (ROC). RESULTS: The liver stiffness was 3.5-57.1 kPa (mean: 11.8, SD: 8.9). The mean value of liver stiffness in each fibrosis stage group (F1, F2, F3 and F4) was 5.8+/-1.8 kPa, 11.3+/-6.8 kPa, 11.8+/-6.0 kPa and 23.4+/-16.5 kPa, respectively. Liver stiffness measured by FibroScan(R) showed reliable correlation with the liver fibrosis stage as confirmed by liver biopsy (r=0.56, p or = F2, > or = F3 and F4 was 0.93 (0.86-0.99), 0.72 (0.62-0.82) and 0.80 (0.67-0.92), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of 7.5 kPa, which was the cutoff value for > or = F2, was 84% and 90%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: FibroScan(R) is a reliable method for the diagnosis of significant fibrosis (> or =F2) and cirrhosis in patients with chronic liver disease. The liver stiffness measurement by FibroScan(R) showed good diagnostic performance for significant fibrosis.

Clinical Significance of Erosive and/or Small Ulcerative Lesions in the Colon and Terminal Ileum: Short-term Follow-up Study / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Various etiologies and diseases may be related to erosions and/or small ulcers without gross inflammatory changes in the surrounding mucosa found in the colon and terminal ileum during colonoscopy. However, studies on follow-up of these lesions are rare. Thus, we investigated the clinical significance of these lesions and their characteristics helpful for differential diagnosis. METHODS: We reviewed the data of 183 patients with colonoscopically observed erosive or small ulcerative lesions (<2 cm), and analyzed them according to the location, number, and size of lesions, histopathologic findings, chief complaints, laboratory findings, changes of symptoms, and changes in lesions during 4-12 week follow-up period. RESULTS: Histopathologic findings of these lesions included acute nonspecific inflammation, chronic nonspecific inflammation, Crohn's disease, tuberculous colitis, ischemic colitis, Behcet's disease, cytomegalovirus infection, eosinophilic colitis, ulcerative colitis or pseudomembranous colitis, but most of them were nonspecific (84%). In patients with nonspecific inflammation, histopathologic findings, symptoms, location and multiplicity of the lesions were not prognostic factors for the persistency of symptoms and lesions during follow-up period. Two patients with acute inflammation, who showed no improvement in symptoms and lesions, were later diagnosed as Crohn's disease. CONCLUSIONS: Erosive or small ulcerative lesions without macroscopic inflammatory changes in the surrounding mucosa during colonoscopy, are mainly nonspecific. However, careful follow-up is required when the symptoms and/or lesions are not improved.

Efficacy of 5-Fluorouracil and Mitomycin-C on Glaucoma Filtration Surgery in Rabbits

Antimetabolites, 5-fluorouracil(5-FU) and mitomycin-C(MMC), are used to promote the success rate of the glaucoma filtration surgery(GFS). The authors observed and compared the duration of bleb formation and complications by slit-lamp biomicroscopy, and the inhibition of fibroblast proliferation and of fibrosis by light microscopy following GFS in 4 group rabbits. One hundred and twenty rabbits comprised in this study were divided into four groups; the first control group(I) was the balanced salt solution soaked group(BSS) during GFS, the second(II) was the 5-FU subconjunctival injected group(5-FU SC) after GFS, the third(III) was the 5-FU soaked group(5-FU) during GFS, and the fourth(IV) was the MMC soaked group(MMC) during GFS. For the maintenance of bleb formation, MMC, 5-FU SC, 5-FU and BSS group showed 0%, 26.7%, 16.7%, 100% at the 1 month after GFS, and 0%, 0%, 0%, 73.3% at the 2 months after GFS, respectively, which suggested that MMC group lasted longest. The inhibition of fibrosis and fibroblast proliferation became higher in the order of MMC, 5-FU, 5-FU SC, BSS group at 2 weeks after the surgery. At 3 months after GFS, there was no conspicuous statistic difference(P>0.05) between 5-FU SC and 5-FU group, but some differences(P<0.001) in the rest groups. From these results, we concluded that antimetabolites such as 5-FU and MMC could be used effectively in cases of poor prognosis of GFS. However, the dosage and application method of antimetabolites should be considered very carefully and further research will be necessary to find out the optimal dosage with minimum toxicity.