BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), as conventionally recognized, is a metabolic disorder largely confined to residents of affluent industrialized Western countries. However, obesity and insulin resistance are not restricted to the West, as witnessed by their increasingly universal distribution. In particular, there has been an upsurge in metabolic syndrome in the Asia-Pacific region, although there are critical differences in the extent of adiposity between Eastern and Western populations.
DATA SOURCES: An English-language literature search using PubMed (1999-2007) on obesity, metabolic syndrome and NAFLD, focusing on Asian definitions and Asian studies.
RESULTS: NAFLD appears to be of long-standing insulin resistance and likely represents the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome. With insulin resistance as a common factor, the disease is associated with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk. All features of the metabolic syndrome and related events are assessed for practical management of NAFLD, although the criteria for the diagnosis of obesity and central obesity differ across racial groups.
CONCLUSIONS: The increasing prevalence of obesity, coupled with diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension and ultimately metabolic syndrome, puts a very large population at risk of developing NAFLD in the coming decades. The simultaneous identification and appropriate treatment of the components of metabolic syndrome are crucial to reduce hepatic as well as cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

BACKGROUND: Many small veins are called accessory, short hepatic veins in addition to the right, middle and left hepatic veins. The size of these veins varied from a pinhole to 1 cm; the size of inferior right hepatic veins (IRHVs) is thicker than that of short hepatic veins or more than 1 cm occasionally. Adults have a higher incidence rate of the IRHV.
DATA SOURCES: A literature search of the PubMed database was conducted and research articles were reviewed.
RESULTS: The size of IRHVs is related to the size of the right hepatic vein, i.e. the larger the diameter of the right hepatic vein, the smaller the diameter of the IRHVs, and vice versa. The IRHVs are divided into superior, medial and inferior groups, separately named the superior, medial and inferior right hepatic veins according to the position of the IRHV entering the inferior vena cava. The superior right hepatic vein mainly drains the superior part of segment Ⅶ, and the medial right hepatic vein drains the middle part of segment Ⅶ. A thicker IRHV mainly drains segment Ⅵ and the inferior part of segment Ⅶ and a thinner IRHV drains the inferior part of segment Ⅴ.
CONCLUSIONS: The clinical significance of these studies on IRHVs is varied: (1) Hepatic caudate lobe resection could be introduced after study on the veins of that lobe. (2) It is very important to identify the draining region of the IRHV for guiding hepatic segmentectomy. The postero-inferior area of the right lobe can be preserved along with the hypertrophic IRHV even if the entire main right hepatic vein is resected during segmentectomy of Ⅶ and Ⅷ with right hepatic vein resection for patients with primary liver cancer. (3) The ligation of the major hepatic vein for the treatment of juxtahepatic vein injury is recommended because of severe hemorrhagic shock and difficulty in exposure. (4) It is very helpful to decide therapeutic modalities for Budd-Chiari syndrome.

BACKGROUND: When liver or kidney transplant can respectively cure end-stage liver or kidney disease, neither hepatic graft nor renal transplant alone can be used as a radical therapy for diseases which involve both liver and kidney. Combined liver and kidney transplantation commenced late in China, and the number of transplants has been limited. This study was designed to assess the effects of simultaneous combined liver and kidney transplantation (SLKT) on end-stage liver and kidney diseases.  
METHODS: Fifteen patients who had received SLKT from 1996 to 2006 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University were reviewed. They included 5 patients with polycystic liver and kidney, 5 patients with hepatic cirrhosis and renal failure, and 5 patients with fulminant hepatic failure and hepatorenal syndrome (11 men and 4 women; average age 43.5 years). All patients had combined liver and kidney transplantation.
RESULTS: The 5 patients with polycystic liver and kidney have survived for more than one year after SLKT, and the longest survival has been 5 years. Three of the 5 patients with hepatic cirrhosis and renal failure have survived more than two years; one died perioperatively and the other died from recurrence of hepatitis B 18 months after the operation. Three of the 5 patients with fulminant hepatic failure and hepatorenal syndrome have survived for two years, and 2 died of multiple organ failure during the operation.
CONCLUSIONS: SLKT is an effective therapy for end-stage liver and kidney disease but the indications of SLKT for hepatorenal syndrome should be strict. SLKT may immunologically protect the renal graft.

BACKGROUND: The safety of donors in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) should be the primary consideration. The aim of this study was to report our experience in increasing the safety of donors in LDLTs using right lobe grafts.
METHODS: We retrospectively studied 37 living donors of right lobe grafts from January 2002 to March 2006. The measures for increasing the safety of donors in LDLT included carefully selected donors, preoperative evaluation by ultrasonography, angiography and computed tomography; and necessary intraoperative cholangiography and ultrasonography. Right lobe grafts were obtained using an ultrasonic dissector without inflow vascular occlusion on the right side of the middle hepatic vein. The standard liver volume and the ratio of left lobe volume to standard liver volume were calculated.
RESULTS: There was no donor mortality in our group. Postoperative complications only included bile leakage (1 donor), biliary stricture (1) and portal vein thrombosis (1). All donors recovered well and resumed their previous occupations. In recipients, complications included acute rejection (2 patients), hepatic artery thrombosis (1), bile leakage (1), intestinal bleeding (1), left subphrenic abscess (1) and pulmonary infection (1). The mortality rate of recipients was 5.4% (2/37); one recipient with pulmonary infection died from multiple organ failure and another from occurrence of primary disease.
CONCLUSIONS: The first consideration in adult-to-adult LDLT is the safety of donors. The donation of a right lobe graft is safe for adults if the remnant hepatic vasculature and bile duct are ensured, and the volume of the remnant liver exceeds 35% of the total liver volume.

BACKGROUND: Viral hepatitis is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in developing countries. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) among the major etiological agents is responsible for both sporadic and epidemic outbreaks. The epidemic outbreak is water-borne whereas the sporadic outbreak is possibly through contact. Various diagnostic tools at times fail to pinpoint the cause of viral hepatitis. This study was carried out to evaluate the utility of ELISA and nRT-PCR (nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) for the diagnosis of sporadic and acute viral hepatitis (AVH) caused by HEV in an endemic situation in North India.
METHODS: Serum samples were collected from all the affected and suspected persons and subjected to serological detection of HAV IgM, HBsAg, HCV antibody and HEV IgM. The samples that were positive for HEV IgM were further processed for the detection of HEV RNA by nRT-PCR.
RESULTS: A total of 843 samples were collected from 685 patients with AVH, 70 patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF), 53 patients with chronic liver disease (CLD), 11 patients with antituberculosis therapy (ATT)-induced jaundice, and 24 pregnant women. The percentage of positivity for anti-HEV IgM was 58.3% in the pregnant women, 41.4% in the paients with FHF, 38.6% in the patients with AVH, 9.4% in the patients with CLD and 18.2% in the patients with ATT induced jaundice. 9.4% of HBsAg carriers were positive for anti-HEV IgM. Males outnumbered females (62.8% vs. 37.1%). Furthermore, the rates of fulminant and acute outbreaks of hepatitis with HEV RNA positivity were 41.4% and 9.4%, respectively.
CONCLUSION: Serological and molecular analysis should be combined for the diagnosis of viral infections, especially in endemic areas.

BACKGROUND: The feasibility and immediate outcome of laparoscopic fenestration for patients with congenital liver cysts have been generally recognized. The aim of the present study was to assess the long-term results after laparoscopic fenestration.
METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on 44 patients with congenital liver cysts who had undergone laparoscopic fenestration between June 1998 and December 2004. Among them, 30 were women and 14 men, aged 57 years on average (range 18-76 years). While 14 patients had solitary cysts, 20 had multiple cysts, and 10 had polycystic liver disease. The results of laparoscopic fenestration, including mortality, morbidity, mean postoperative hospital stay, and recurrences of cysts were evaluated. 
RESULTS: There was no perioperative death and the morbidity rate was 11% (5/44). All complications were treated conservatively. The mean postoperative hospital stay was 4 days. A mean follow-up of 57 months showed that the rates of cyst recurrence and symptom recurrence were 9% and 4.5%, respectively. 
CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic fenestration as a feasible and safe treatment procedure for patients with congenital liver cysts can yield very good long-term results.

BACKGROUND: Brain-dead donors are the main sources for organ transplantation, but many studies show that brain-death affects the organ's function after transplantation. This study was undertaken to investigate liver injury after brain-death in BA-Ma mini pigs and the protective effects of breviscapine on hepatic function and on PKC-α mRNA and its protein expression.
METHODS: Fifteen BA-Ma mini pigs were equally divided into 3 groups at random: brain-dead (group B), breviscapine pretreated (group P), and control (group C). The brain-dead model was established by increasing intracranial pressure in a modified, slow and intermittent way. At 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours after the initial brain-death, the levels of serum AST, ALT, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were determined. The changes in hepatic tissues were assessed, and the expression of PKC-α and PKC-α mRNA was detected by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR, respectively.
RESULTS: The levels of AST and ALT in groups B and P began to increase 12 hours after brain-death, while the values in group P were lower than those in group B (P<0.05). The levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in groups B and P at 3, 6, 12 and 18 hours were lower than those in group B (P<0.05). At 6, 12 and 24 hours, the expressions of PKC-α mRNA and PKC-α protein in group P were lower than those in group B (P<0.05). The degree of injury to hepatic cells in group P was milder than that in group B.
CONCLUSIONS: Breviscapine inhibits the degree of PKC-α mRNA transcription and its protein translation, decreases the release of inflammatory factors, and thus alleviates hepatic injury during brain-death.

BACKGROUND: Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is increasingly diagnosed as a result of the advances in imaging studies such as contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS), enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. However, FNH with atypical features can be difficult to differentiate from other benign and malignant tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of fatty liver background on the CEUS characteristics of FNH.
METHODS: Twenty-six patients with FNH were divided into two groups: group A included 14 patients with fatty liver and group B included 12 patients with normal liver background. Conventional two-dimensional ultrasonography and color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) were conducted and followed by real-time dual-frame CEUS.
RESULTS: On two-dimensional ultrasonography, hypo-echoic nodules were present in most of the patients in group A (12/14) and hyperechoic nodules in most of those in group B (7/12). The difference in the nodule echotextures between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). Nodules with centrifugal blood flow signals on CDFI were found in 6 of the 14 patients in group A and 5 of the 12 in group B (P>0.05). On CEUS, nodules with a central spoked-wheel-like enhancement pattern in the early arterial phase were observed in 8 patients in group A and those with an eccentric enhancement pattern in the remaining 6 patients. In this group, 3 patients had hypoechoic nodules in the delayed phase. Eleven of the 14 patients in this group were diagnosed accurately with CEUS. In group B, nodules with a rapid central spoked-wheel-like enhancement pattern in the early arterial phase were found in 8 patients by CEUS and those with rapid an eccentric enhancement pattern in 4. The nodules were found to be continuously enhanced in the delayed phase. All of the patients in group B were accurately diagnosed with CEUS.
CONCLUSIONS: A FNH nodule on a background of fatty liver may present a hypoechoic pattern on two-dimensional ultrasonography and a hypoechoic wash-out pattern in the delayed phase on CEUS. At this time, punch biopsy is needed for the diagnosis or differential diagnosis of FNH.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by multicause, obvious multistage and multifocal processes of tumor progression. The development of HCC is related intimately to overexpression and signal transduction of many cellular factors. This study was undertaken to investigate the dynamic expression and alteration of heat shock protein (HSP) gp96 along with its gene during HCC development.
METHODS: A rat model of hepatoma induced with 2-fluorenylacetamide (2-FAA, 0.05%) was established in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Total RNA and pathological changes were observed during hepatocarcinogenesis. Total RNAs were transcribed into cDNA by reverse transcription and the gene fragment of gp96 was amplified by nested RT-PCR. The gp96 expression in rat liver tissues was semi-quantitatively analyzed by immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS: Histological examination suggested  that  hepatocytes in rats fed with 2-FAA showed vacuole-like denaturation at the early stages, then dysplastic nodules appeared at the middle stage, and finally progressed to tubercles of cancerous nests. A tendency of increasing liver gp96 protein level was found from normal liver to precancerous to cancerous tissues during hepatoma development (P<0.01), and was in accordance with the changes in gp96 mRNA (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION: HSP gp96 is involved in HCC development and its overexpression may be a useful marker for early diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma increases in recent years. But the diagnosis and treatment are still troublesome to surgeons. This study was designed to explore the value of surgical approach in the treatment of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 135 patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma who had been treated in our hospital from January 1992 to December 2006.
RESULTS: The ratio of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma to biliary duct diseases was 1.81%. The rates of total resection and radical resection were 70.75% (75/106) and 56.60% (60/106), respectively. The overall 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates were 46.93%, 37.33% and 18.75%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates were better in the radical resection group (74.94%, 55.74% and 41.27%, respectively) than in the palliative resection group (42.86%, 26.79% and 26.79%, respectively) (P<0.05). The survival rates of patients who had undergone palliative resection were higher than those of patients who had been subjected to palliative drainage or non-operation: 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates were 42.86%, 26.79%, 26.79% vs. 23.33%, 6.67%, 0 or 17.86%, 0, 0 (P<0.05). While the survival rates were not significantly different between palliative drainage and non-operation (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that the histopathological grades, TNM stages and modalities were key factors influencing the outcome.
CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of the patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is still not optimistic. Radical resection is the first choice for the treatment of tumors.

BACKGROUND: Most reports on the prognosis of cholecystectomy have been short-term studied, and few long-term reports have suggested variable incidences of common bile duct stones after cholecystectomy. We retrospectively reviewed the data to find the possible association between cholecystectomy and the subsequent occurrence of primary common bile duct stones.
METHODS: The data were reviewed retrospectively of 478 patients with primary common bile duct stones diagnosed and treated by endoscopic sphincterotomy at our hospitals between January 1994 and December 2003.
RESULTS: Sixty-one (14.1%) of the 432 patients had a history of cholecystectomy, with an incidence rate markedly higher than that in the general population. The mean interval between cholecystectomy and the occurrence of primary common bile duct stones was 8.23 years, with the longest being 28 years and the shortest 2 years. Compared with the patients who had not  undergone a prior cholecystectomy, those who had had a prior cholecystectomy more often accompanied with acute cholangiolitis (χ2=8.259, P<0.01), and multiple stones or sand-like stones were frequently found (χ2=9.030, P<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a possible relationship between cholecystectomy and the subsequent occurrence of primary common bile duct stones. Perhaps patients with primary common bile duct stones who have had a prior cholecystectomy have a higher probability of infection of the biliary system. The infection may be one of the causes of occurrence of primary common bile duct stones after cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic hilar cholangiocarcinoma can be diagnosed early with the progress in diagnostic imaging, and thus the rate of resection of the tumor has increased markedly. To assess the effectiveness of resection, we reviewed 185 cases of hepatic hilar cholangiocarcinoma diagnosed and treated at our hospital.
METHODS: The clinical data of 185 patients with hepatic hilar cholangiocarcinoma who had been treated surgically from 1972 to 2006 were retrospectively analyzed.
RESULTS: The records of the 185 patients were divided into first stage (1972-1986) or second stage (1987-2006) according to the incidence of the tumor and its resection rate. Primary symptoms included upper abdominal discomfort or pain, anorexia, tiredness, weight loss and progressive jaundice. Ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) were first line methods for atraumatic diagnosis. If the patients displayed intrahepatic bile duct dilatation or were diagnosed as suffering from extrahepatic obstructive jaundice, percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC), MRCP or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) should be used. In this series, 87 patients underwent resection of the tumor (47.0%). Of the 87 patients, 43 received radical resection and 44 palliative resection. Fifteen patients underwent resection in the first stage and 72 in the second stage. A total of 74 patients were followed up after the resection. The median survival time of the radical resection group was 37 months and that of the palliative resection group was 17 months (P<0.001). The other 62 patients receiving no resection died within 1.5 years.
CONCLUSIONS: Once patients are diagnosed with hepatic hilar cholangiocarcinoma, they should undergo exploratory laparotomy. Resection is the most effective method for the treatment of hepatic hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive jaundice is a common disease. Acute renal injury, secondary to obstructive jaundice, is one of the main causes of postoperative multiple system failure. This investigation evaluated renal function and renal aquaporin 2 (AQP2) expression changes in obstructive jaundice.
METHODS: Forty male Wistar rats were equally randomized into two groups. Twenty in the obstructive jaundice group were subjected to common bile duct ligation, and then were subdivided into 7- and 14-day obstruction groups, and the other 20 sham-operated rats were also subdivided into 7- and 14-day groups. At the end of each experiment, rats were sacrificed, venous blood was collected from the inferior vena cava, and serum creatinine and urine nitrogen concentrations were measured. At the same time, the medulla of the right kidney was separated and AQP2 expression was assessed. The RT-PCR technique was used to detect AQP2 mRNA expression.
RESULTS: Ligation of the common bile duct caused significant rises in serum bilirubin, creatinine clearance and urine nitrogen. AQP2 expression in the medulla decreased mere significantly (38.35±2.08) in the 7-day ligation group than in the sham-operated group (41.06±1.04), as did that in the 14-day ligation group, even more than (31.89±1.57). The expression of AQP2 mRNA also decreased more significantly in the 14-day group (0.5429±0.1107) than in the 7-day group (0.6071±0.1328).
CONCLUSION: AQP2 expression is inhibited in obstructive jaundice, and so is its gene expression.

BACKGROUND: The differential diagnosis of solid lesions located at the pancreatic head is very important for choosing therapies and setting up surgical tactics. This study was designed to evaluate the clinical significance of combined measurement of multiple serum tumor markers and the application of the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves in the differential diagnosis of solid lesions located at the pancreatic head.
METHODS: The serum levels of CA19-9, CA242, CA50 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in 112 patients with carcinoma of the pancreatic head and 38 patients with focal chronic pancreatitis in the pancreatic head were measured with ELISA. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) of the four serum tumor markers were calculated. The ROC curves for the four serum tumor markers were constructed and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated.
RESULTS: The AUCs of CA19-9, CA242, CA50 and CEA were 0.805, 0.749, 0.738 and 0.705; the PLRs were 1.91, 3.43, 5.09 and 5.46; and the NLRs were 0.41, 0.56, 0.59 and 0.71, respectively. Combined measurements increased the diagnostic specificity, and parallel combined testing increased the diagnostic sensitivity.
CONCLUSIONS: Combined measurement of serum tumor markers CA19-9, CA242, CA50 and CEA is valuable in differential diagnosis of solid lesions located at the pancreatic head, and CA19-9 has the best diagnostic ability. Combined measurements can increase the specificity of diagnosis. Evaluation with the ROC curve is better than the sensitivity or specificity alone and the results are more integrated and objective.

BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis, especially acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP), is a serious disease with a high morbidity because of multiorgan dysfunction. Recent studies have indicated that during the pathogenesis of ANP, changes of the microcirculation play an important role in the worsening of the disease. This study based on a model of acute pancreatitis in Wistar rats was to determine the effect of treatment with low-dose dopamine on acute pancreatitis by the dynamic measurement of serum levels of inflammatory factors IL-6 and TNF-α.
METHODS: Fifty Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups, and a model of ANP was set up by injecting sodium taurocholate into the pancreatic duct. Rats in the dopamine group (treatment group) were given dopamine by vein and those in the acute pancreatitis group (control group) were given normal saline. To assess the effect of low-dose dopamine (5 µg•kg-1•min-1) on induced acute pancreatitis, the antibody sandwich ELISA method was used to measure the serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α at different times before and after the induction of ANP.
RESULTS: The serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the treatment and control groups before and after ANP induction were significantly different. There was a markedly significant difference in the comparison of the two groups after ANP induction (P<0.01), but no significant difference in the comparison before the induction (P>0.05). Postoperative pancreatic histopathologic changes in the treatment group were more marked than those in the control group.
CONCLUSIONS: Low-dose dopamine is effective in treating ANP by alleviating inflammatory reactions. This effect may be related to the fact that low-dose dopamine not only can increase the blood flow of the pancreatic microcirculation but also reduce its permeability.

BACKGROUND: Cholesterol crystal embolism (CCE) from atherosclerotic arterial disease leading to perforation of the gallbladder is rare. We describe our experience of managing a patient with perforation of gallbladder caused by CCE.
METHODS: A 64-year-old man was admitted to this hospital because of acute abdominal pain with clinical features suggestive of peritonitis. He was known to suffer from atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease and had undergone aortobifemoral bypass 17 years ago. A CT scan showed a collection of peri-hepatic fluid. The gallbladder was normal in appearance but contained multiple calculi. At laparotomy, free bile was observed in the peritoneal cavity, leaking from a pin-hole size peroration of the fundus of the gallbladder. Hence cholecystectomy was performed.
RESULTS: The patient made an uneventful recovery. Histological study of the gallbladder showed chronic cholecystitis and obliteration of the lumen of the mural arteries with cholesterol crystals within, indicating CCE.
CONCLUSIONS: Although perforation of the gallbladder following CCE of its mural arteries is rare, the diagnosis should be considered in patients with abdominal pain and known atherosclerotic arterial disease. Management should include an early recognition of this condition, prompt institution of treatment, prevention of further insults by discontinuing or avoiding predisposing factors, and modification of cardiovascular risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CC) is a rare histopathologic form of primary liver cancer. We report a case of cHCC-CC and review the literature.
METHOD: The clinicopathological features of a 61-year-old male were retrospectively analyzed.
RESULTS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was preopera-tively considered on the basis of clinical findings resembling those associated with HCC. Hepatectomy was therefore performed. Microscopically, the specimen displayed histological features of cHCC-CC. The patient has remained alive after follow-up for 3 months without evidence of recurrence and metastasis.
CONCLUSION: It is difficult to make a correct preoperative diagnosis of cHCC-CC and hepatic resection is the treatment of choice.