LGIMD was found to decrease the NAFLD score in a relatively short time. Encouraging those subjects who do not seek medical attention but still have NAFLD to follow a LGIMD and other life-style interventions, may reduce the degree of severity of the disease. Dietary intervention of this kind, could also form the cornerstone of primary prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease.

Sorafenib was shown in clinical trial to enhance survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, but with minimal tumor shrinkage. To correlate several indices of HCC growth at various drug concentrations, HCC cells were grown in various low concentrations of two multi-kinase inhibitors, Regorafenib (Stivarga) and Sorafenib (Nexavar) and their effects were examined on alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), cell growth, migration and invasion. In two AFP positive human HCC cell lines, AFP was inhibited at 0.1–1µM drug concentrations. Cell migration and invasion were also inhibited at similar low drug concentrations. However, 10-fold higher drug concentrations were required to inhibit cell growth in both AFP positive and negative cells. To investigate this concentration discrepancy of effects, cells were then grown for prolonged times and sub-cultured in low drug concentrations and then their growth was re-tested. The growth in these drug-exposed cells was found to be slower than cells without prior drug exposure and they were also more sensitive to subsequent drug challenge. Evidence was also found for changes in cell signaling pathways in these slow-growth cells. Low multi-kinase inhibitor concentrations thus modulate several aspects of HCC cell biology.

Objective: In this study, the serum lipid profile, including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), has been investigated in colorectal cancer patients (CRC) with and without synchronous distant metastases. The aim of this study was to verify whether the presence of metastases was associated to serum lipid abnormalities, and whether lipoprotein abnormalities were linked to the nutritional status. Methods: The fasting serum lipid profile was examined in 84 CRC patients using colorimetric methods. To determine the nutritional status, the body mass index (BMI) was calculated and serum albumin was measured. Results: Patients with distant metastases showed significantly higher levels of TC, LDL-C and the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio than patients without metastases (p< 0.05). The presence of metastases was positively associated with TC, LDL-C and the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, being independent of sex, age and BMI. Conclusions: Elevated serum lipid levels may facilitate the development of distant metastasis in CRC patients.

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Two new highly effective and simple methods of oxidn. of dihydroxybenzenes and 2,6-disubstituted phenols lead to the corresponding quinones. The oxidn. is performed by hydrogen peroxide and catalyzed by halogens or hydrogen halides. The role of halogen catalysis is discusse

Coffee drinking seems to have several beneficial effects on health outcomes. However, the effect on hepatic steatosis, depending on a high alcohol consumption (AFLD, alcoholic fatty liver disease) or on metabolic factors (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, NAFLD), is still equivocal. Thus, we aimed to explore the potential association between coffee consumption and the presence and severity of hepatic steatosis in people with NAFLD or AFLD. In this cross-sectional study, coffee drinking was recorded using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and categorized as yes vs. no and as 0, 1, 2, ≥3. The degree of fatty liver was assessed through a standardized ultrasound examination (score 0 to 6, with higher values reflecting higher severity). Liver steatosis was classified as NAFLD or AFLD on daily alcohol intake >30 g/day for men and >20 g/day for women. This study included 2819 middle-aged participants; the great majority were coffee drinkers (86.1%). After adjusting for 12 potential confounders, drinking coffee was not associated with decreased odds for NAFLD (n = 916) (odds ratio, OR = 0.93; 95% confidence intervals, CI: 0.72–1.20) or AFLD (n = 276) (OR = 1.20; 95% CI: 0.66–2.0). The consumption of coffee (categorized as yes vs. no), or an increased consumption of coffee were not associated with the presence of mild, moderate or severe liver steatosis in either NAFLD or AFLD. In conclusion, coffee intake was not associated with any lower odds of hepatic steatosis in either non-alcoholic or alcoholic forms in this large cohort of South Italian individuals.

Glycoprotein 90K/MAC-2BP is a member of the scavenger receptor cystein-rich protein superfamily, which is thought to be involved in immune surveillance, defending the body against pathogens and cancer. 90K serum levels are elevated in patients with cancer of various origins and in viral infections, such as human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Because in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is high, in the present paper we examined, by means of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the 90K serum levels in 103 patients with liver cirrhosis, and in 69 with HCC, and compared them to alpha-fetoprotein, the reference tumor marker for this neoplasm. Serum levels of 90K (cut-off 14 microg/ml) were elevated both in cirrhosis (39%) and HCC (46%) compared to controls (14.1 microg/ml vs. 10.6 microg/ml in cirrhosis, and 14.8 microg/ml vs. 9.1 microg/ml in HCC, p < or = 0.001). There was a significant association with the presence of anti-HCV antibodies. 90K was found to be a non-specific tumor marker which is complementary to alpha-fetoprotein on the basis of its probable different biological significance. In fact, 74% of HCC patients had at least one positive marker. Combined use of 90K and alpha-fetoprotein could improve the sensitivity of a single test in the diagnosis of HCC.

Background-Hyperinsulinaemia has been associated with many common diseases in developed countries, such as ischaemic heart disease and colon cancer. Gall stones are also very prevalent in these countries but little is known about the association between insulin and gall stones. Aims-To study the relationships between insulin and the incidence of gall stones in a sample of the general population. Subjects and methods-Between May 1985 and June 1986, systematic sampling from the electoral register of Castellana, a small town in southern Italy, yielded 2472 subjects who had their gall bladder checked for gall stones by ultrasonography. Between May 1992 and June 1993, 1962 of the 2235 subjects without gall stones at the first examination agreed to a further ultrasound examination. A total of 101 subjects with newly diagnosed gall stones and 303 randomly chosen controls entered the study. Serum insulin was determined by radioimmunoassay, and concentrations of cholesterol, cholesterol high density lipoprotein (HDL), glucose, and triglycerides by standard enzymatic colorimetric methods. Unconditional multiple logistic regression was used to study the association between insulin and gall stones, controlling for the most common confounding factors. Results-In individuals with no clinical diagnosis of diabetes and serum glucose <7 mmol/l, insulin was associated with gall stones. This association persisted even after controlling for sex, age, body mass index, and serum glucose. The risk of gall stones in the highest quintile of serum insulin was 2.66 (95% confidence interval 1.04-6.72; 2 test for trend, p=0.03). The association of insulin with gall stones persisted when total and HDL cholesterol were entered in the logistic regression models, and only slightly decreased when serum triglycerides were included in the model. Conclusions-The results of the study indicate that hyperinsulinaemia may play an important role in the aetiology of gall stones even in individuals without diabetes and with normal serum glucose levels.