ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: While tuberculosis (TB) itself is a common disease, isolated TB of the liver is a rare entity. Tubercular involvement of the liver is more commonly a part of a disseminated disease of the hepatic parenchyma. In contrast, isolated hepatic TB spread through the portal vein from the gastrointestinal tract is seldom encountered in clinical practice, with only a few sporadic cases and short series available in the current literature. Vascular complications, such as portal vein thrombosis (PVT), have rarely been reported previously. CASE SUMMARY: A 22-year-old man was hospitalized with complaints of a 3-mo history of fever and weight loss of approximately 10 kg. He had a 10-year hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in his medical history. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) confirmed hepatosplenomegaly, with hypodensity of the right lobe of the liver and 2.1 cm thrombosis of the right branch of the portal vein. A liver biopsy showed epithelioid granulomas with a background of caseating necrosis. Ziehl-Nelson staining showed acid-fast bacilli within the granulomas. The patient was diagnosed with isolated hepatic TB with PVT. Anti-TB therapy (ATT), including isoniazid, rifapentine, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide, was administered. Along with ATT, the patient was treated with entecavir as an antiviral medication against HBV and dabigatran as an anticoagulant. He remained asymptomatic, and follow-up sonography of the abdomen at 4 mo showed complete resolution of the PVT. CONCLUSION: Upon diagnosis of hepatic TB associated with PVT and HBV coinfection, ATT and anticoagulants should be initiated to prevent subsequent portal hypertension. Antiviral therapy against HBV should also be administered to prevent severe hepatic injury.
ABSTRACT
Dendrobium huoshanense is a precious medicinal plant belonging to Dendrobium of Orchidaceae. It is a special medicinal material and extremely scarce in Huoshan county, Anhui province. At present, D. huoshanense has been greatly protected, which also makes it possible to industrialize relying on tissue culture and artificial cultivation technology. Three main planting methods were utilized for cultivating D. huoshanense including facility cultivation, under forest cultivation and simulative habitat cultivation. Firstly, the three cultivation modes and technical characteristics of D. huoshanense were compared and analyzed, and it was found that the ecological environment of D. huoshanense cultivated in the simulated environment was closer to that of wild D. huoshanense. Secondly, based on comparing the characters and quality of three cultivation modes, the results showed that the shape of D. huoshanense cultivated in simulated environment was more similar to that of "grasshopper thigh" recorded in Bencao Jing Jizhu, and its quality was better than that of facilities and under forest cultivation. The comprehensive benefit comparison of three modes showed that the simulated cultivation had high income, the lowest input-output ratio and significant economic benefit. The quality of cultivated D. huoshanense was further evaluated from four aspects of "excellent environment" "excellent shape" "high quality" "excellent effect", which summarized the comprehensive advantages of simulative habitat cultivation of D. huoshanense as follows: the original habitat and site environment of simulated wild D. huoshanense, the closer shape to the wild, the more content of main medicinal components, and higher economic benefit and better efficacy. The quality of D. huoshanense was improved by the use of simulative habitat cultivation, which has practical significance to guide its large-scale cultivation.
Subject(s)
Dendrobium , Plants, Medicinal , Ecosystem , ForestsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study activation of dendritic cells (DC) isolated from peripheral blood monocytes of patients with chronic hepatitis B after stimulation with HBsAg or HBcAg. METHODS: DCs were isolated from peripheral blood monocytes of patients with chronic hepatitis B. DCs were impulsed with HBsAg and HBcAg separately before their maturation. The expression levels of DC surface molecule were analyzed by using flow cytometry and the ability of DC to induce T lymphocyte proliferation was evaluated by a liquid scintillation counter and the amount of interleukin-12 (IL-12) in mixed lymphocytic (IL-12) in mixed lymphocytic reaction (MLR) was measured by using ELISA. RESULTS: The expression rate of CD86 significantly increased to (29.20 +/- 5.18)% on DC after loading with HBcAg as compared with those after loading with HBsAg (76.19 +/- 3.90)% and controls (62.37 +/- 4.24)%, P>0.01. The ability of DC after loading with HBcAg to induce T lymphocyte proliferation (34,326 +/- 3088 cpm) was significantly higher than that of DC after loading with HBsAg (20,306 +/- 2897 cpm) and controls (3454 +/- 409 cpm), P greater than 0.01. The amount of IL-12 in MLR of DC after loading with HBcAg was (348 +/- 42.8) ng/L, which was significantly higher than those of DC after loading with HBsAg (226 +/- 30.6) ng/L and controls (116 +/- 15.6) ng/L, P greater than 0.01. CONCLUSION: Human dendritic cell stimulated with HBcAg could more efficiently present antigen and induce specific T cell immune response.
