Alcohol use disorders and alcohol dependency affect millions of individuals worldwide. The impact of these facts lies in the elevated social and economic costs. Alcoholic liver disease is caused by acute and chronic exposure to ethanol which promotes oxidative stress and inflammatory response. Chronic consumption of ethanol implies liver steatosis, which is the first morphological change in the liver, followed by liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. This review comprises a broad approach of alcohol use disorders, and a more specific assessment of the pathophysiologic molecular basis, and genetics, as well as clinical presentation and current modalities of treatment for alcoholic liver disease.
Angiotensin II (AT-II) is a peptide that plays an important role in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAA) system. Traditionally, the RAA system has been related with states of systemic hypertension and hypoperfusion as a counterbalance mechanism. Recently, AT-II has been studied for its properties in the process of fibrosis in several organs, especially in the liver. AT-II is capable to stimulate the activated hepatic stellate cells, which increase expression of profibrogenic molecules like tumor growth factor-beta, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 and collagen I, among others. At the same time, AT-II is implied in the hemodynamic balance of cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Due to its profibrogenic and vasoactive properties, blockade of AT-II actions constitutes an important therapeutic target to inhibit fibrotic processes and reduction of risk of complications of portal hypertension as well. Some drugs like angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or the angiotensin II receptor blockers have been studied as alternatives for the treatment of patients with cirrhosis with promising results. Nonetheless, additional research is required in order to consider these drugs as a part of the integral treatment of the patient with cirrhosis and portal hypertension.
Population of patients with end-stage renal disease increases every day. There is a vast difference in the number of patients on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, and the number of donors and the gap increases every year. The use of more marginal organs can increase the donor pool. These organs include the kidneys with small renal cell carcinomas (RCTC). There has been a number of reports in the literature about the use of these grafts for renal transplant after tumor excision and reconstruction. These grafts have been reported to be used with good renal function outcomes without an increased risk for malignancy recurrences. We present the collection of evidence for the use of kidneys with RCC for transplantation, technique used for surgical resection, and reconstruction as well as insights on the recommendations for the use of these grafts.
Novel treatments for hepatitis C viral infection and the hepatic fibrosis
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection represents a global health problem due to its evolution to hepatic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The viral pathogenesis and infectious processes are not yet fully understood. The development of natural viral resistance towards the host immune system represents a major challenge for the design of alternative therapeutic interventions and development of viral vaccines. The molecular mechanisms of hepatic fibrosis are well described. New alternatives for the treatment of patients with HCV infection and hepatic cirrhosis are under intensive research. New drugs such as viral protease inhibitors and assembly inhibitors, as well as immune modulators have been studied in clinical trials. Additional alternatives include antifibrotic drugs, which reverse the hepatic cellular damage caused by HCV infection. This review makes reference to viral infective mechanisms, molecular pathways of liver fibrosis and overviews conventional and new treatments for HCV infection and liver fibrosis (Rev Méd Chile 2009; 137: 280-8
Antecedentes: Actualmente en México no hay estudios que determinen la seguridad y la calidad de vida de los donadores renales. Objetivo: Determinar la seguridad de ser donador renal y la calidad de vida, comparando el abordaje abierto frente al laparoscópico mano-asistido. Método: Estudio observacional, transversal, analítico, de todos los donadores renales de nuestro hospital de enero de 2015 a diciembre de 2018, con seguimiento mínimo de 2 años. Se dividieron en dos grupos: operados con técnica abierta o laparoscópica mano-asistida. Para determinar la seguridad se utilizaron la escala de Clavien-Dindo y el sangrado transquirúrgico, y se les aplicó el cuestionario SF-36 de calidad de vida relacionada con la salud. Resultados: No se reportan complicaciones transquirúrgicas en ningún tipo de abordaje. Todos los pacientes obtuvieron grado I en escala de Clavien-Dindo. En el puntaje del cuestionario SF-36 en pacientes donadores renales con abordaje quirúrgico laparoscópico mano-asistido versus abordaje abierto se obtuvo una diferencia entre ambas medias de 14.05, con p < 0.0001 a favor del abordaje mano-asistido. Conclusiones: Ser donador renal es seguro y el abordaje que recomendamos ofrecer es el laparoscópico mano-asistido.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.