The homeodomain proteins encoded by the Hox complex genes do not bind DNA with high specificity. In vitro, Hox specificity can be increased by binding to DNA cooperatively with the homeodomain protein extradenticle or its vertebrate homologs, the pbx proteins (together, the PBC family). Here we show that a two basepair change in a Hox-PBC binding site switches the Hox-dependent expression patte...

High-risk primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), defined by inadequate response at one year to Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), is associated with disease progression and liver transplantation. Stratifying high-risk patients early would facilitate improved approaches to care. Using long-term follow-up data to define risk at presentation, 6 high-risk PBC patients and 8 low-risk patients were identified ...

Emerging evidence has suggested environmental factors as causative agents in the pathogenesis of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). We have hypothesized that in PBC the lipoyl domain of the immunodominant E2 component of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDC-E2) is replaced by a chemical xenobiotic mimic, which is sufficient to break self-tolerance. To address this hypothesis, based upon our quantitative s...

UNLABELLED The development of advanced radiation treatment techniques such as intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric intensity modulated arc therapy (VMAT) require more accurate dose calculation algorithms within the treatment planning systems (TPS) considering that the human body is composed of tissues of widely differing radiological properties and the characteristics of ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) patients experience significant impairment to quality of life (QOL). Studies to date examining relative contributions of different symptoms to QOL impairment in PBC, and biological associations have been limited by the unavailability of appropriate disease specific symptom quantification modalities. METHODS We applied the PBC-40, a recently deve...

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), previously known as primary biliary "cirrhosis", is a rare autoimmune liver disease characterized by the hallmark autoantibodies to mitochondrial antigens and immune-mediated destruction of small bile duct epithelial cells leading to cholestasis and cirrhosis. Surprisingly, while immune modulators have not been effective in the treatment of PBC, supplementatio...

BACKGROUND AND AIM Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic disease of autoimmune origin and has a genetic component. Although it has been reported that the prevalence of the HLA-DRB1*08 allele is high in various populations, the prevalence of HLA alleles in Mexican PBC patients has not been described. The aim of this study was to quantify the prevalence of HLA-B/-DR alleles in ...

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is histologically characterized by chronic nonsuppurative destructive cholangitis (CNSDC) associated with destruction of small bile ducts. The pathogenesis of PBC, predominance of female, or the reason why biliary duct is selectively involved, however, remains unknown. Infectious or non-infectious noxious insults such as xenobiotic chemicals may precipitate in th...

BACKGROUND Current methods of female surgical sterilisation require incisional surgery, general anaesthesia and a prolonged recovery time. We studied the safety and effectiveness of Essure pbc, a minimally invasive, transcervically placed micro-insert that occludes the Fallopian tubes, resulting in permanent female contraception. Device under study: The Essure pbc implant is a dynamically expan...

Correspondence to: Professor David E J Jones, Liver Research Group, Institute of Cellular Medicine, 4th Floor William Leech Building, The Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 4HH, UK; d.e.j.jones@ ncl.ac.uk __________________________ P rimary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease that affects up to one in 700 women in western populations (female to...