Vascular and lymphatic malformations represent a challenge for clinicians. The identification of inherited somatic mutations in important signaling pathways, including the PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)/AKT (protein kinase B)/mTOR (mammalian target rapamycin), RAS (rat sarcoma)/RAF (rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma)/MEK (mitogen-activated protein kinase)/ERK (extracellular signal-regulated ki...

Experimental rat models and clinical trials in human patients with liver cirrhosis show evidence that supplementation hepatotropic factors provides therapeutic benefits. This form of support has not yet been described dogs multiple acquired portosystemic shunts (MAPSS) despite similarities between both pathological conditions. Especially hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) branched chain amino acids...

GOALS To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) induced into hepatocyte-like cells and of un-induced BMSCs in acute liver failure rats. METHODS BMSCs in highly homogenous passage 3 were cultured using the whole bone marrow adherent culture method. Hepatic-related characters were confirmed with morphology, RT-PCR analysis, glycogen staining and albu...

After surgical removal of two-thirds of the liver, remaining hepatocytes replicate and restore hepatic mass within 2 weeks. This process must be initiated by signals extrinsic to the hepatocyte, but it remains unclear whether subsequent events leading to DNA synthesis (S phase) are regulated by circulating or locally produced growth factors (a noncell autonomous response), or by a program intri...

Well-established techniques are available to predict in vivo hepatic uptake and metabolism from in vitro data, but predictive models for biliary clearance remain elusive. Several studies have verified the expression and activity of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) efflux transporters central to biliary clearance in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes, raising the possibility of predicting biliary cleara...

Introduction: Severe industrial diseases result from the hepatic accumulation of mercury, cadmium or chromium in humans and on the other hand cadmium and dichromate and mercuric salts may induce lung or kidney cancer. Acute or chronic CdCl2, HgCl2 or dichromate administration induces hepatic and nephrotoxicity in rodents. Oxidative stress is often cited as a possible cause of metal induced cell...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the second cause of cancer-related death. Search for genes/proteins whose expression can discriminate between normal and neoplastic liver is fundamental for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic purposes. Currently, the most used in vitro hepatocyte models to study molecular alterations underlying transformation inclu...

Rat serum very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) inhibits initiation of DNA synthesis in fetal rat hepatocyte cultures; cells engaged in synthesizing DNA resist inhibition. VLDL action is specific and apparently blocks prereplicative protein synthesis. These and other results, from studies of altered blood VLDL levels and [3H] thymidine incorporation into isolated liver nuclei in 70% hepatectomize...

Often results from toxicological studies using rodent models cannot be directly extrapolated to probable effects in human beings. In order to examine the genotoxic potential of chemicals in human liver cells, a human hepatocyte DNA repair assay has been defined. Procedures were optimized to prepare primary cultures of human hepatocytes from discarded surgical material. On eight different occasi...

Often results from lexicological studies using rodent models cannot be directly extrapolated to probable effects in human beings. In order to examine the genotoxic potential of chemicals in human liver cells, a human hepatocyte DNA repair assay has been defined. Procedures were optimized to prepare primary cultures of human hepatocytes from dis carded surgical material. On eight different occas...