The prognosis of H-CRP-positive patients was poorer compared with H-CRP-negative patients. This study confirmed that H-CRP, like CRP, is a marker of poor prognosis in HCC patients.

These results indicate that prophylactic lamivudine administration reduces HBV-DNA levels and prevents exacerbation of liver damage throughout the period of chemotherapy in HBe antigen positive patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The fusion of PET plus CT images is useful in detecting extrahepatic metastases in HCC and combined HCC/CC patients.

No abstract

Abstract. Kupffer cells contribute to the pathogenesis of liver injury in chronic liver disease, yet it is difficult to assess Kupffer cell function either ex vivo or in vivo, since supporting data are limited. The aim of this study was to clarify the relation between Kupffer cell function and hepatocyte function by analyzing the correlation between conventional indices of hepatic functional reserve and both superparamagnetic iron oxide-enhanced MRI (SPIO-MRI) and technetium-99m-galactosyl human serum albumin scintigraphy (Tc-99m-GSA) in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. Consecutive 46 patients (16 patients with chronic hepatitis and 30 patients with cirrhosis) who underwent both SPIO-MRI and Tc-99m-GSA were examined. The patients were aged 46-83 years (median 70) and included 29 men and 17 women. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlations between functional reserve indices and both reduction percentages of liver-to-muscle signal intensity ratio (reduction-%LMR), as a surrogate parameter of Kupffer cell function and Tc-99m-GSA parameters. The usefulness of each parameter as a marker to differentiate Child-Pugh A from Child-Pugh B/C was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The reduction-%LMR correlated more closely with Child-Pugh score (r=0.77; P<0.001) than did Tc-99m-GSA parameters. For predicting Child-Pugh B/C, ROC analysis revealed that reduction-%LMR (AUC=0.91, P<0.001) was the most useful parameter and at a cutoff value of 50% or less, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 0.79, 0.91, 0.94 and 0.71, respectively. SPIO-MRI may be a helpful non-invasive method for the evaluation of hepatic functional reserve, and this study suggests that Kupffer cell function is closely correlated with hepatocyte function in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. IntroductionProper assessment of hepatic functional reserve is crucial to the selection of patients for hepatic surgery, particularly in liver transplantation and the management of liver cirrhosis. The Child-Pugh score (1,2) is now used worldwide as the standard in the assessment of hepatic functional reserve (3). Given the relation between this score and survival in patients with cirrhosis of the liver, it has recently been listed as one of the parameters in the minimal criteria of the liver transplant Abbreviations: SPIO, superparamagnetic iron oxide; Tc-99m-GSA-scintigraphy, scintigraphy using technetium-99m-labelled galactosyl human serum albumin; GRE, gradient-recalled echo; ROIs, regions of interest; %LMR, percentages of liver-to-muscle signal intensity ratio; H15, uptake ratio of the heart at 15 min after Tc-99m-GSA injection; H3, uptake ratio of the heart at 3 min after Tc-99m-GSA injection; HH15, index of blood clearance = H15/H3; L15, radioactivity of the liver at 15 min after Tc-99m-GSA injection; LHL15, the receptor index = L15/(H15 + L15); ICG15, indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min; ROC analysis, receiver operating characteristic analysisKey words: chro...