Background: Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is usually used to distinguish the malignant and benign nodules. Applying a biopsy needle evokes a sense of fear and pain in the patients. Although some studies refute the usefulness of local anesthesia (LA) prior to fine needle aspiration biopsy, it is still debatable. This prospective cross-sectional study intended to evaluate the effect of LA ...

BACKGROUND The link between the subcategories of liver cirrhosis and type 2 diabetes is not well known. We investigated the association of type 2 diabetes mellitus with alcoholic cirrhosis and cirrhosis without alcohol. METHODS This nationwide cohort study used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Cirrhotic individuals and their matched controls were identified from 2001-20...

BACKGROUND & AIM. The mechanisms by which type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) worsen liver function are not yet established. Tissue factor (TF) is a protein that participates in hemostatic, immune and inflammatory processes. To test the hypothesis that T2DM contributes to clinical outcome through changes of TF expression on monocytes and to investigate the association between antidiabetic therapies...

The intestine is an important target organ for insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), an anabolic hormone synthesized in the liver upon growth hormone (GH) stimulation. Levels of IGF-I are reduced in cirrhosis, and altered GH/IGF-I axis may contribute to malnutrition in cirrhotic patients. Our aim was to study Na(+)-dependent jejunal transport of amino acids (L-leucine, L-proline, L-glutamic aci...

purpose: to describe a patient with eyelid sarcoidosis. case report: a 54 year-old patient was referred for an eyelid mass from 6 months ago.excisional biopsy showed inflammatory granuloma with tuton gaint cells. chest radiograph demonstrated bilateral hilar adenopathy, increased absorption on gallium scan was noted and bronchoalveolar lavage confirmed a diagnosis of sarcoidosis. treatment with...

CCl(4) cirrhotic rat liver exhibits a hyperresponse to the alpha(1)-adrenergic agonist methoxamine (Mtx) that is associated with enhanced thromboxane A(2) (TXA(2)) production and is abrogated by indomethacin. To further elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in the hyperresponse to vasoconstrictors, portal perfusion pressure dose-response curves to Mtx were performed in CCl(4) cirrhotic ra...

OBJECTIVES An increase in nitric oxide (NO) production has been reported in cirrhotic cardiomyopathy and, portal hypertension. Since minocycline has been shown to inhibit NO overproduction, we aimed to examine its role in a rat model of CCl4-induced cirrhotic cardiovascular complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS Portal pressure and inotropic responsiveness of isolated papillary muscles to isopr...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Nitro-oxidative stress may have pathophysiological consequences. The study aimed to assess the nitro-oxidative stress, the vascular growth factor, and metalloproteinase-9 levels in patients with noncirrohic and cirrhotic portal hypertension. METHODS Patients with noncirrhotic portal hypertension (n=50) and cirrhotic portal hypertension (n=50) from the 3rd Medical Clinic in...

BACKGROUND Variceal pressure is a strong predictor for a first variceal bleed in patients with cirrhosis. AIMS To evaluate whether variceal pressure is also a determinant of the risk of a first variceal bleed in patients with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension. METHODS Variceal pressure was measured non-invasively in 25 patients with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension and large varices while ...