The presence of UC post-liver transplant is associated with a significantly increased risk of rPSC. Furthermore, the presence of rPSC increases the rate of graft failure and death, with higher re-transplantation rates.

Sepsis is a common complication of cirrhosis with a high mortality. In this study, we have investigated some of the pathways that may be involved in tissue injury and death. Bile duct-ligated (BDL) cirrhotic and control rats were challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Sensitivity to LPS was markedly enhanced in the BDL group, and was associated with increased liver injury and mortality. There was a 5-fold constitutive activation of nuclear factor B (NFB) in the liver of BDL rat controls (P F .001), and this was activated further, but to a similar extent, in the liver of both sham and BDL rats after injection of LPS. Plasma tumor necrosis factor ␣ (TNF-␣) increased more markedly in the BDL cirrhotic rats (2,463 ؎ 697 pg/mL in BDL rats versus 401 ؎ 160 pg/mL in the controls at 3 hours; P F .01). Plasma nitrite/nitrate concentrations were increased in the BDL controls at baseline, and increased further after LPS (P F .05), but did not differ from sham controls at 6 hours. Plasma F 2 -isoprostanes increased 6-fold in the cirrhotic rats and 2-fold in the controls (P F .01) indicative of lipid peroxidation. Esterified F 2 -isoprostanes in the liver increased 2-to 3-fold at 1 hour in control and BDL rats, but returned to baseline levels by 3 hours. Esterified F 2 -isoprostanes in the kidney increased by 2-fold in the BDL rats after LPS administration, but remained unchanged in sham controls. We conclude that there is a marked increase in sensitivity to LPS in BDL cirrhotic rats. This is associated with an enhanced TNF-␣ response and increased lipid peroxidation. These may be directly and causally related to mortality. (HEPATOLOGY 1999;30:1198-1205.)Sepsis and associated endotoxemia occur in approximately 40% of hospitalized patients with cirrhosis and is a major cause of death.

BackgroundMobile learning (mLearning) devices (such as tablets and smartphones) are increasingly part of the clinical environment but there is a limited and somewhat conflicting literature regarding the impact of such devices in the clinical learning environment. This study aims to: assess the impact of mLearning devices in the clinical learning environment on medical students’ studying habits, attitudes towards mobile device supported learning; and the perceived reaction of clinicians and patients to the use of these devices as part of learning in the clinical setting.MethodsOver three consecutive academic years, 18 cohorts of medical students (total n = 275) on a six-week rotation at a large teaching hospital in London were supplied with mLearning devices (iPad mini) to support their placement-based learning. Feedback on their experiences and perceptions was collected via pre- and post-use questionnaires.ResultsThe results suggest mLearning devices have a positive effect on the students’ perceived efficiency of working, while experience of usage not only confirmed pre-existing positive opinions about devices but also disputed some expected limitations associated with mLearning devices in the clinical workplace. Students were more likely to use devices in ‘down-time’ than as part of their clinical learning. As anticipated, both by users and from the literature, universal internet access was a major limitation to device use. The results were inconclusive about the student preference for device provision versus supporting a pre-owned device.ConclusionM-learning devices can have a positive impact on the learning experiences medical students during their clinical attachments. The results supported the feasibility of providing mLearning devices to support learning in the clinical environment. However, universal internet is a fundamental limitation to optimal device utilisation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-018-1264-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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