Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
-
J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. · Feb 2006
Comparative StudyRatio of circulating follistatin and activin A reflects the severity of acute liver injury and prognosis in patients with acute liver failure.
The activin A-follistatin system is known to play a critical role in hepatocyte regeneration during the repair of liver tissue. However, the relationship between blood levels of these compounds and the severity and prognosis of acute liver injury remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of circulating activin A and follistatin in patients with acute liver disease. ⋯ Decreased blood F/A ratio in ALF patients may be a reliable indicator of the severity of acute liver injury and prognosis in ALF.
-
J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. · Feb 2006
Comparative StudyGender-related differences in visceral perception in health and irritable bowel syndrome.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is more common in female subjects, and IBS patients generally exhibit reduced pain thresholds to rectal distension. The aim of the present paper was to determine gender-related differences in rectal perception in both healthy controls and IBS patients. ⋯ No gender differences in visceral perception were determined to exist between the healthy controls and the IBS patients. Therefore, the increased prevalence of IBS in women may be related to another set of pathophysiological factors, and not to gender-related differences in visceroperception.