BACKGROUND Inflammatory alterations of the gastric mucosa are commonly caused by Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in patients with symptomatic gallstone disease. However, the additional pathogenetic role of an impaired gallbladder function leading to an increased alkaline duodenogastric reflux is controversially discussed. AIM To investigate the relation of gallbladder function and Hp infec...

Bile acids from duodenogastric reflux promote inflammation and increase the risk for gastro-oesophageal cancers. FXR (farnesoid X receptor/NR1H4) is a transcription factor regulated by bile acids such as CDCA (chenodeoxycholic acid). FXR protects the liver and the intestinal tract against bile acid overload; however, a functional role for FXR in the stomach has not been described. We detected F...

BACKGROUND The "classical" biliary injury usually involves misidentification of the common bile duct as the cystic duct. The purpose of this study was to determine if the method of cholecystectomy, specifically the "infundibular technique," might be a contributing factor in this injury. STUDY DESIGN Twenty-one operative notes of patients who were referred with injury to the common bile duct w...

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most frequent hepatic pathology in the Western world and may evolve into steatohepatitis (NASH), increasing the risk of cirrhosis, portal hypertension and hepatocellular carcinoma. NAFLD derives from the accumulation of hepatic fat due to discrepant free fatty acid metabolism. Other factors contributing to this are deranged nutrients and bile aci...

Hepatic infarcts or abscesses occur after hepatic artery interruption. We explored the mechanisms of hepatic deprivation-induced acute liver injury and determine whether partial portal vein arterialization attenuated this injury in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent either complete hepatic arterial deprivation or partial portal vein arterialization, or both. Hepatic ischemia was evaluated...

PURPOSE It's well known that Helicobacter pylori (H.p.) infection plays a leading role in gastric cancer in 70% of patients. A role of bile acids reflux in the stomach as a potentially cancerogenic factor is disputable. As the influence of both factors for malignancy, is still unknown, it was the aim of our investigations in peptic ulcer (PU) patients complicated with duodenogastric reflux (DGR...

Increased dietary fat consumption is associated with colon cancer development. The exact mechanism by which fat induces colon cancer is not clear, however, increased bile acid excretion in response to high-fat diet may promote colon carcinogenesis. The farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, and bile acids are endogenous ligands of FXR. FXR is highly expresse...

A conspicuous feature of the cirrhosis that is produced by butter yellow is the new formation of bile ducts that sprout from ducts of the larger portal spaces and penetrate between "portal units" to anastomose with liver cell columns at the periphery of these units. Hyperplasia of the liver may occur with butter yellow administration in the absence of cirrhosis or other change associated with w...