RSV and RV infections are factors in the development and exacerbation of wheezing after virus-induced lower respiratory tract infections. Moreover, RV-induced wheezing may be associated with subsequent recurrent wheezing and the development of asthma.

In alcoholic liver cirrhosis, investigations of ALDH2 polymorphism and ethanol consumption profile are useful for prediction of HCC development.

Background & Aims: The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing worldwide. We evaluated serum collagen IV as a direct non-invasive marker of severe liver fibrosis in NAFLD.Methods: The study included 148 NAFLD and 187 chronic hepatitis C patients in whom histological severity of liver fibrosis was evaluated. The utility of serum collagen IV measured by immune-mediated agglutination using two types of monoclonal antibodies for distinguishing severe fibrosis (≥ stage 3 and ≥ F3) from non-to-moderate fibrosis in NAFLD or chronic hepatitis C was assessed in comparison to serum hyaluronic acid or other indirect fibrosis markers.Results: Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that serum collagen IV was significantly associated with severe fibrosis in NAFLD (odds ratio: 1.21, p<0.001) but not in chronic hepatitis C. For distinguishing severe fibrosis in NAFLD, collagen IV showed the largest area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (0.827, 95%CI: 0.746-0.908) followed by FIB-4 (0.805, 95%CI: 0.728-0.890); in chronic hepatitis C, those for FIB-4 (0.813, 95%CI: 0.748-0.878) and collagen IV (0.770, 95%CI: 0.683-0.857) were the largest and smallest, respectively. To detect severe fibrosis in NAFLD, a cutoff of collagen IV > 177 exhibited 77.1% sensitivity, 84.0% specificity, 76.5% positive predictive value, and 84.0% negative predictive value. Combined with a cutoff of FIB-4 > 2.09, the negative and positive predictive values, and specificity for detecting severe fibrosis in NAFLD increased further.Conclusion: Collagen IV is a reliable marker for distinguishing severe liver fibrosis from non-to-moderate fibrosis in NAFLD but not chronic hepatitis C.

Reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level is a characteristic feature of dyslipidemia in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, abnormality in serum triglyceride (TG) has not been fully investigated. To clarify the impact of HCV genotype 1b (G1b) infection and advanced fibrosis on serum TG profiles, TG concentrations in lipoprotein fractions were examined in fasting sera from 185 subjects with active or cleared HCV infection by high-performance liquid chromatography. Serum lipoproteins were fractionated into four classes: chylomicron, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), LDL, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Then, the significance of HCV G1b infection on TG levels in each lipoprotein fraction was determined using multiple regression models. We found that active HCV G1b infection was positively associated with high HDL-TG levels and low VLDL-TG levels, independent of other factors included in the regression model. In VLDL sub-fractions, active HCV infection was only found to be associated with low levels of large VLDL-TG. Similarly, advanced liver fibrosis in chronic HCV G1b infection was associated with high levels of LDL-TG, HDL-TG, and small VLDL-TG, independent of other clinical factors. These findings indicate that active HCV G1b infection and advanced fibrosis are closely associated with abnormal serum TG profiles.

Background Taking advantage of the current advances in diagnostic imaging modalities, including endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), and due to the increased attention to ectopic fat accumulation in the pancreas following the rising trend of metabolic syndrome, we qualitatively assessed the clinical implication of pancreatic steatosis by EUS in this study. Methods The study included 243 patients that were divided into four groups. The correlation between the average echogenicity of the pancreas and that of the control organs and the key clinical data of all study patients were collectively analyzed. The cut‐off point of the pancreas‐control (PC) ratio in EUS and liver‐control (LC) ratio on abdominal ultrasound were determined from the population distribution and the obtained median values. Results With the cut‐off point of 1.30 for the PC ratio and 1.20 for the LC ratio, sex, the Brinkman index, habitual alcohol drinkers, and fatty pancreas were significant factors. The associations between each relevant factor in fatty pancreas, metabolic syndrome in the fatty liver group, and age in the pancreatic cancer group were all significant in the analysis. In addition, we investigated whether the PC ratio differed according to age and staging in pancreatic cancer patients. Interestingly, the PC ratio was lower in the advanced stage group than in the early‐stage group. Conclusion Our results suggest that, irrespective of the degree, ectopic fat infiltration in the pancreas could be a specific clinical phenotype of serious pancreatic diseases, including pancreatic cancer, especially in high‐risk patients.

As the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by infection with the hepatotropic viruses hepatitis B and hepatitis C decreases, greater attention has become focused on HCC caused by nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an advanced form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease which has shown increasing prevalence in correspondence with the overall increase in metabolic syndrome over the recent decades. Several clinical population studies have shown a positive relationship between NASH and HCC, while also providing initial insights into the underlying mechanisms of HCC development from NASH. Research into the pathological progression of NASH to HCC has advanced by use of several beneficial rodent models. In this review, we summarize the established mouse models for preclinical research of NASH-associated HCC and discuss the underlying hepatic mechanisms of NASH-related tumorigenesis identified to date that could lead to new targets for treatment and prevention.

Background and Aim Fine‐needle biopsy (FNB) needles obtain more core samples and support the shift from cytologic to histologic evaluation; however, recent studies have proposed a superior diagnostic potential for liquid‐based cytology (LBC). This study compared the diagnostic ability of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)‐guided FNB histology with a 22‐gauge Franseen needle (22G‐FNB‐H) and fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) LBC with a conventional 25‐gauge needle (25G‐FNA‐LBC). Methods We analyzed 46 patients who underwent both 22G‐FNB‐H and 25G‐FNA‐LBC in the same lesion during the same endoscopic procedure. This study evaluated the diagnostic ability of each needle, diagnostic concordance between needles, and incremental diagnostic effect of both needles compared to using each needle alone. Results The agreement rate for malignancy between both techniques was 93.5% (kappa value = 0.82). There was no significant difference in the diagnostic ability of both methods. 22G‐FNB‐H and 25G‐FNA‐LBC provided an incremental diagnostic accuracy in two (4.3%) cases and one (2.2%) case, respectively. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that the diagnostic accuracy of 25G‐FNA‐LBC and 22G‐FNA‐H for solid pancreatic lesions were comparable. A conventional 25‐gauge needle that punctures lesions with ease can be used in difficult cases and according to the skill of the endoscopist.

Our results indicate that CETP plays a role in abnormalities of lipoprotein metabolism in patients with chronic HCV infection.