Review of recent research on hepatitis C therapy for 54th annual meeting of the American association for the study of liver diseases

The deposition of proteins in the form of amyloid fibrils and plaques is the characteristic feature of more than 20 degenerative conditions affecting either the central nervous system or a variety of peripheral tissues. As these conditions include Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and the prion diseases, several forms of fatal systemic amyloidosis, and at least one condition associated with medical intervention (haemodialysis), they are of enormous importance in the context of present-day human health and welfare. Much remains to be learned about the mechanism by which the proteins associated with these diseases aggregate and form amyloid structures, and how the latter affect the functions of the organs with which they are associated. A great deal of information concerning these diseases has emerged, however, during the past 5 years, much of it causing a number of fundamental assumptions about the amyloid diseases to be re-examined. For example, it is now apparent that the ability to form amyloid structures is not an unusual feature of the small number of proteins associated with these diseases but is instead a general property of polypeptide chains. It has also been found recently that aggregates of proteins not associated with amyloid diseases can impair the ability of cells to function to a similar extent as aggregates of proteins linked with specific neurodegenerative conditions. Moreover, the mature amyloid fibrils or plaques appear to be substantially less toxic than the pre-fibrillar aggregates that are their precursors. The toxicity of these early aggregates appears to result from an intrinsic ability to impair fundamental cellular processes by interacting with cellular membranes, causing oxidative stress and increases in free Ca2+ that eventually lead to apoptotic or necrotic cell death. The 'new view' of these diseases also suggests that other degenerative conditions could have similar underlying origins to those of the amyloidoses. In addition, cellular protection mechanisms, such as molecular chaperones and the protein degradation machinery, appear to be crucial in the prevention of disease in normally functioning living organisms. It also suggests some intriguing new factors that could be of great significance in the evolution of biological molecules and the mechanisms that regulate their behaviour.

http://virtuallaboratory.colorado.edu/Biofundamentals-2014/chapters/Protein%20Aggregation%20and%20toxicity.pdf

Protein aggregation and aggregate toxicity: new insights into protein folding, misfolding diseases and biological evolution

https://www.naspghan.org/files/documents/pdfs/training/curriculum-resources/biliary-disease/aasld-guidelines/EASL_Cholestatic_Dz.pdf

EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines: management of cholestatic liver diseases

Pathologic Basis of Diseaseby Stanley L. Robbins is really the fourth edition of hisPathology. Appropriate updating and addition enhance the otherwise identical format, sequence, writing, and illustrations. So many medical students have benefited from this source that it may be the best known general book in the field. I recommend it even more now. Like his former texts, this will be enjoyed for its readability. He clearly lays out a great deal of information. When he includes minutiae, the reasons are clear and one feels that all the material is pertinent. Robbins keeps the whole field in perspective—that is, he does not dwell so long or so heavily on pathologic anatomy or pathogenesis as to tempt the reader to overlook clinical presentation or prognosis. A great strength of the subject of pathology is that it bonds strongly with many other medical sciences and specialties and thus occupies the

Pathologic Basis of Disease

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(07)60439-5.pdf

Wilson's Disease

https://aasldpubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hep.21287

Hepatocellular carcinoma in ten children under five years of age with bile salt export pump deficiency.

Smoking associated with damage to the lipid layer of the ocular surface.

Objectives: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the thyroid is a non-invasive, cost-effective screening procedure that is valuable for distinguishing neoplastic lesions from non-neoplastic nodules. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of FNACs performed at our institution by correlating FNAC results with histopathological diagnoses.



Methods:  Two hundred and seventy-one aspiration cytology specimens followed by thyroidectomy were included in the study, and the results of 260 adequate FNACs were compared with their histological diagnoses.



Results:  The sensitivity and specificity of thyroid FNAC for detecting neoplasia were 92.6% and 91.6%, respectively. There were 15 (5.7%) false positives and six (2.3%) false negatives.



Conclusions:  The results showed that follicular cells that exhibit some of the features of papillary carcinoma could be observed in a cytology slide of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, leading to a diagnostic pitfall. In addition, cellularity and overlapping cytological criteria in hyperplasia might lead to a false diagnosis.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2303.2008.00594.x

Diagnostic pitfalls in the evaluation of fine needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid: correlation with histopathology in 260 cases.

Objectives/Hypothesis The study aimed to detect the changes in adult rabbit nasal septal tissues after application of nasal pack or trans-septal suture as performed during septoplasty.



Study Design Randomized double-blind animal study.



Methods Thirty-three adult albino Vienna rabbits were assigned into the following groups: control, suture, and nasal pack. The mucoperichondrium at one side of the nasal septum was elevated and then put into place again over the cartilage and fixed with either a nasal pack or an absorbable trans-septal suture. The nasal packs were removed 48 hours after insertion. Rabbits were killed 6 weeks after the procedure. The nasal septa were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and examined by means of light microscopy for mucosal changes (inflammation or damage) and for thicknesses of the mucosa, the perichondrium, and the cartilage.



Results Both intranasal packs and sutures caused significant mucosal inflammation and damage when compared with the control group (χ2 test, P < .05). The mucosal thickness did not change, but the perichondrial thickness for both the nasal pack group and the suture group increased (Mann-Whitney U test, P < .05). Also, the septal cartilage thickness was not significantly different between the suture and the nasal pack groups, but the suture group had a thinner septal cartilage than the control group (Mann-Whitney U test, P < .05).



Conclusion The septal suture is an efficient and useful method for clinching the septal flaps over the septal cartilage. In addition, it has nearly the same effects as nasal packs on the histological appearance of the nasal septum and does not cause discomfort for the patient. The septal suture can be a preferred alternative to intranasal packing.

Comparison of suture and nasal packing in rabbit noses.

Purpose. To evaluate histopathologic and clinical response to silicone plug insertion in dry eye patients. Methods. Punctal plugs were placed in 32 eyes of 18 dry eye patients with aqueous deficiency who were on maximum medical therapy and who had Schirmer testing with topical anesthetic measuring less than 5 mm. Pre-treatment and posttreatment (6 weeks and 1 year) evaluations included temporal and inferior quadrant impression cytology examinations, Schirmer-1, BUT, corneal fluorescein and rose-bengal staining patterns and questionnaire scores. The cytology samples were graded according to the method described by Nelson. Results. There was an improvement in subjective symptoms of patients 6 weeks after punctal occlusion. Corneal fluorescein and rose-bengal staining scores decreased from a mean of 5.33 ± 1.74 to 1.37 ± 1.48 and from 5.90 ± 1.2 to 2.45 ± 1.89 (p < 0.05) respectively. BUT values increased from 2.98 ± 1.1 to 11.3 ± 3.1 seconds (p < 0.05) at 6 weeks posttreatment. Increase in goblet cell...

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Papers

Hepatocellular carcinoma in ten children under five years of age with bile salt export pump deficiency.

Smoking associated with damage to the lipid layer of the ocular surface.

Diagnostic pitfalls in the evaluation of fine needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid: correlation with histopathology in 260 cases.

Comparison of suture and nasal packing in rabbit noses.

Ocular surface changes in keratoconjunctivitis sicca with silicone punctum plug occlusion.