During recent years the incidence of obesity has increased significantly, and in some instances rapidly, in many resource-rich countries. Paralleling this increase has been an increase in the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma. It has been estimated that as many as 90% of obese adults will develop the metabolic syndrome. The worldwide incidence of this syndrome in adults at this time ranges ...

BACKGROUND Alcoholic liver disease remains one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease worldwide. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of metalloproteinases (MMP1 and MMP13) as diagnostic markers of alcoholic liver disease and to determine the changes in free amino acid profile in the patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sixty patients with al...

BACKGROUND/AIMS General population studies have shown a strong association between alcohol intake and death from alcoholic cirrhosis, but whether this is a dose-response or a threshold effect remains unknown, and the relation among alcohol misusers has not been studied. METHODS A cohort of 6152 alcohol misusing men and women aged 15-83 were interviewed about drinking pattern and social issues...

BACKGROUND Significantly higher prevalence of Strongyloides stercoralis has been reported in chronic alcoholic patients. The aim of this investigation was to report the prevalence of Strongyloides larvae in stools of chronic alcoholic patients with known daily ethanol intake. METHODS From January 2001 through December 2003 the results of fecal examinations and the daily ethanol intake were re...

BACKGROUND The liver is the first line of defence against continuously occurring influx of microbial-derived products and bacteria from the gut. Intestinal bacteria have been implicated in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Escape of intestinal bacteria into the ascites is involved in the pathogenesis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, which is a common complication of liver cirr...

AIM Bacterial infections are common complicating findings in course of liver cirrhosis, most of them being Gram-negative. Similarly periodontal pathogens are also mostly Gram-negative bacteria hence the objective was to evaluate the periodontal status in alcoholic liver cirrhosis patients and to compare the periodontal status of alcoholic liver cirrhosis patients in: a. Smokers with periodontit...

There are three phases of alcoholic liver disease: fatty liver, which is usually reversible with abstinence; alcoholic hepatitis, or liver inflammation; and cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver. Patients frequently have more than one type of liver disease, such as coexisting fatty liver and alcoholic hepatitis or alcoholic hepatitis together with cirrhosis. Patients with both cirrhosis and alcoh...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer worldwide, with significant increase in the incidence observed in the past two decades in the United States. Majority of cases of HCC are due to chronic viral hepatitis B and C infections; however non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, associated with obesity and diabetes emerges as an important risk factor for HCC, in particular in the developed co...

BACKGROUND The incidence of hepatocellular cancer in complicated alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases is on the rise in western countries as well in our country. Vascular adhesion protein-1 (VAP-1) levels have been presented as new marker. In our study protocol, we assessed the value of this serum protein, as a newly postulant biomarker for hepatocellular cancer in patients with a h...