Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
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J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. · Jul 2008
Comparative StudyBody mass index is a stronger predictor of alanine aminotransaminase levels than alcohol consumption.
The relative effects of obesity compared to alcohol on liver injury are uncertain. We examined their effects on alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) levels in a population-based cohort. ⋯ Excess weight is more common than excessive alcohol consumption in the community and confers a greater risk of elevated aminotransaminase levels.
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J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. · Jul 2008
Comparative StudyUltrasonographic comparison of gastric motility between diabetic gastroparesis patients with and without metabolic syndrome.
Diabetic patients with poor glycemic control or long standing disease often have impaired gastric motility. Recently, metabolic factors such as blood glucose have been reported as influencing gastric motility independently of autonomic neuropathy. Many diabetic patients have metabolic syndrome, which is strongly associated with coronary and other diseases. We investigated whether metabolic syndrome influences diabetic gastroparesis patients. ⋯ Metabolic syndrome did not appear to contribute to delayed gastric motility in diabetic gastroparesis.
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J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. · Jul 2008
Simvastatin for rats with thioacetamide-induced liver failure and encephalopathy.
Nitric oxide (NO) inhibition aggravates hepatic damage and encephalopathy and increases mortality in rats with thioacetamide (TAA)-induced acute liver failure. Statins enhance NO synthase expression beyond their lipid-lowering capability, but the impact on encephalopathy remains unexplored. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of simvastatin on rats with TAA-induced acute liver damage and hepatic encephalopathy. ⋯ Simvastatin improved encephalopathy and survival in TAA-administered rats. The beneficial effect was offset by L-NAME, suggesting the role of NO in liver damage and encephalopathy.
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J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. · Jul 2008
Huang-lian-jie-du-tang, a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, induces cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in human liver cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.
Huang-lian-jie-du-tang (HLJDT; Japanese name, oren-gedoku-to) is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription known to possess anti-inflammatory activity. Our study reports here for the first time the anticancer effect of HLJDT in two human liver cancer cell lines, Hep G2 and PLC/PRF/5. ⋯ Taken together, these results suggest a potential anticancer effect of HLJDT against human liver cancer cells.
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J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. · Jul 2008
Elevation of pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure threshold in cholestatic mice: interaction between opioid and cannabinoid systems.
Several studies have reported that endogenous opioid and cannabinoid systems may be involved in some pathophysiological changes occurring in cholestatic liver disease. It is well known that endogenous opioids and cannabinoids alter the susceptibility of experimental animals to different models of seizure. ⋯ Both opioid and cannabinoid CB(1) receptors may be involved in the dramatic increase in pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure threshold in cholestasis.