Taehan Kan Hakhoe chi = The Korean journal of hepatology最新文献

Background/aims: Immunogene therapy is extensively studied for a therapeutic modality of various cancers. This study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of immunogene therapy using the T-cell costimulatory molecule and human B7-1 (CD80, hB7-1) in an in vivo human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model.

Methods: The stable HCC cell line expressing hB7-1 gene was established using retroviral vector (Huh-7/hB7-1). Of fourteen BALB/c nude mice, 7 were subcutaneously injected with 2 X 10(6) Huh-7/hB7-1 cells, while the other 7 were injected with 2 X 10(6) Huh-7/mock cells as a control group. After the injection, the mice were observed weekly for three months for subcutaneous tumor formation. Assay for natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity and serum IFN-gamma was performed at 1 and 2 weeks after inoculation.

Results: In BALB/c nude mice inoculated with Huh-7/hB7-1 cells, no tumor growth was observed. BALB/c nude mice inoculated with Huh-7/hB7-1 cells showed significantly increased NK cell activities of splenocytes compared with those with Huh-7/mock cells. Serum IFN-gamma was not measurable at 1 week, but significantly increased at 2 weeks after inoculation to the level of 470 pg/ml in BALB/c nude mice with Huh-7/mock cells and 521 pg/ml in BALB/c nude mice with Huh-7/hB7-1.

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the in vivo anti-tumor immunity and NK cell activation by transfer of hB7-1 gene into human HCC in xenogeneic BALB/c nude mice model. This approach may provide a tool for the development of immunogene therapies against human malignant tumors.

Background/aims: The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) consists of serum bilirubin and creatinine levels, International Normalized Ratio (INR) for prothrombin time, and etiology of liver disease. The MELD score is a reliable measurement of mortality risk and is suitable for a disease severity index in patients with end-stage liver disease. We examined the validity of the MELD as a disease severity index for patients with end-stage liver disease.

Methods: We investigated the 379 patients with liver cirrhosis hospitalized between January 1995 and May 2001. We retrospectively reviewed the hospital records to verify the diagnosis of cirrhosis and to collect exact patient information about their demographic data, portal hypertensive complications and laboratory data. The ability to classify patients with liver cirrhosis according to their risk of death was examined using the concordance c-statistic.

Results: The MELD score performed well in predicting death within 3 months with a c-statistic of 0.73 with etiology and 0.71 without etiology. The significant clinical, laboratory variables on 3 month survival in patients with liver cirrhosis are serum bilirubin, ascites and hepatic encephalopathy. The addition of portal hypertensive complications to the MELD score did not improve the accuracy of the MELD score.

Conclusions: The MELD score is a useful disease severity index for the patients with end-stage liver disease and provides reliable measurement of short term survival over a wide range of liver disease severity and diverse etiology.

Background/aims: It is still unclear whether Super Paramagnetic Iron Oxide-Magnetic Resonance Imaging (SPIO-MRI) is a clinically useful imaging modality for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study searched for the clinical usefulness and limitations of SPIO-MRI with respect to tumor detection capacity, false positive and negative rate, and early recurrence rate.

Methods: From December 1999 to February 2001, 218 patients who were surgical candidates by 3-phase dynamic helical CT (3dHCT) were enrolled. We reviewed the medical records and radiologic findings, retrospectively, and postulated the post-operative pathologic findings and the early recurrences within 3 months as the standards for the true positive lesion.

Results: The mean number of nodules detected by SPIO-MRI was significantly more numerous than that of 3dHCT (p<0.01). Modifications of treatment strategy due to the discordant findings between SPIO-MRI and 3dHCT for tumor resectability were observed in 22 (10.1%) out of 218 patients. Early recurrences were observed in 10 patients (7.8%). The false positive and negative rates of SPIO-MRI were 6.3% and 13.3%, respectively.

Conclusions: We demonstrated that the tumor detection rate of SPIO-MRI was better than that of 3dHCT. Given the relatively acceptable false positive and negative rates, SPIO-MRI could be an appropriate preoperative imaging modality for patients with HCCs.

It is our great pleasure to announce that the Taehan Kan Hakhoe Chi (The Korean Journal of Hepatology) was approved for listing, from 2002, in the Index Medicus, Medline/PubMed of the National Library of Medicine, NIH of USA. Herein, I review the searching tools employing a Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) such as liver disease and liver neoplasm or an author index for this Journal in the PubMed at a website. Of course, The Korean Journal of Hepatology should be continually striving to be upgraded. Dream comes true.

Background/aims: Tamoxifen has been tried in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, its inhibitory mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we evaluated the effects of tamoxifen on HCC cell growth and the expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) which had been known as an important cytokine in growth of HCC.

Methods: Hep 3B cells were cultivated in estrogen free media with 0.1 micro M, 0.5 micro M, 1 micro M, 5 micro M, and 10 micro M of tamoxifen for 6 days. Viable cells were counted daily and the TGF-beta1 concentrations in supernatant were measured by ELISA method.

Results: The number of viable HCC cells increased rather significantly after the treatment of tamoxifen of lower concentration (0.1micro M) compared with that of the control (2.59x10(7) vs. 1.97x107; p<0.05). As the concentration of treated tamoxifen was higher, the number of viable HCC cells became gradually less, resulting in the significant decrease of it at the highest concentration (10micro M) compared with that of the control (1.40x10(7) vs. 1.97x10(7); p<0.05). TGF-beta1 concentration in supernatant of tamoxifen-treated samples was significantly decreased compared with those of controls, regardless of the amount of treated tamoxifen.

Conclusions: These results suggest that tamoxifen may suppress TGF-beta1 expression to an extent, although it has different effects on the proliferation of HCC cells, at the various concentrations of this agent in vitro. Such effects of tamoxifen on TGF-beta1 expression may inhibit the growth and progression of HCCs over-expressing TGF-beta1 in vivo.

Mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver (MHL) is a rare benign tumor usually found in childhood, especially during the first two years. MHL is extremely rare in adults. Most reported cases present with a slow growing abdominal mass. It is thought to be a developmental anomaly and consists of bile ducts, hepatocytes and mesenchymal tissue. We report a case of mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver in an adult male with a brief review of the literature.

Auto-immune hepatitis is a chronic necroinflammatory liver disorder that is characterized by hypergammaglobulinemia, auto-antibodies in serum, and, on histological examination, the presence of periportal hepatitis. Although it can be associated with a number of other auto-immune diseases, Sjogren's syndrome is rarely associated with auto-immune hepatitis. We herein report an unusual case of auto-immune hepatitis associated with primary Sjogren's syndrome. A 39-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to jaundice. Laboratory data showed negative viral hepatitis marker, increased serum IgG level, positive anti- nuclear antibody, and an increased rheumatoid factor titer. The patient had no history of taking medications and alcohol. Based on characteristic clinical features, liver biopsy findings, positive Schirmer's test, and salivary scintigraph, she was diagnosed as having auto-immune hepatitis and Sjogren's syndrome. The patient achieved complete remission with steroid monotherapy.