A. Takada

Gastroenteric Clearance of Albumin in Liver Cirrhosis; Relative Protein-losing Gastroenteropathy

Gastroenteric clearance of albumin was measured to explore the role of an extrahepatic factor related to the development of hypoalbuminemia in liver cirrhosis. Loss of albumin into the gastrointestina

Effects of Long-Term Alcohol Administration on the Development of Fatty Cirrhosis in Choline-Deficient Rats

Administration of alcohol in the drinking water (15% solution by volume) for 5–6 months was conducted to elucidate how the progression of cirrhosis in choline-deficient rats would be modified by alcoh

Clinicopathological study on subacute hepatitis (III); The differential diagnosis at the early stage

An attempt was made to differentiate subacute hepatitis, which shows histological change of submassive hepatic necrosis and serious clinical signs, i.e., hemorrhagic tendency, ascites, edema and or mental disturbance, from acute hepatitis at the early stage before the development of these signs. Present history and various hepatic tests at the early stage of disease were analyzed in 16 cases of subaeute hepatitis, 4 cases of acute hepatitis with submassive or zonal necrosis but with no serious signs, and 18 cases of classical type of acute hepatitis with spotty hepatic cell necrosis. Loss of appetite and general malaise improved after the appearance of jaundice in 16 of 18 cases of classical acute hepatitis. On the contrary, these symptoms persisted or worsened after the appearance of jaundice in 15 of 16 cases of subacute hepatitis and 2 of 4 cases with submassive necrosis but with no serious signs. A combined abnormality of ZTT and TTT was found in 4 of 5 cases of subacute hepatitis (11 cases were excluded, because the hepatic tests were not performed at the early stage) and all 4 eases of acute hepatitis with submassive necrosis, while it was detected in only 3 out of 18 cases of classical acute hepatitis. The difference of the incidences between the former two groups and the latter one was statistically significant (p<0.01). The cases showing both of abnormal values of ZTT and TTT and no improvement of appetite or general malaise after the appearance of jaundice were 4 of 5 cases of subacute hepatitis, 2 of 4 cases of acute hepatitis with submassive necrosis, and only 2 out of 18 cases of classical acute hepatitis. From these results, it was suggested that most of subacute hepatitis would be possible to diagnose even at the early stage of the disease before the development of severe signs mainly from an analysis of history and liver function tests, especially ZTT and TTT. The diagnosis of acute hepatitis with submassive hepatic necrosis might be also predictable.

Histological studies of the liver in extrahepatic obstructive jaundice with special reference to morphogenesis of hepatic fibrosis

In order to study the fibrogenesis of bi l iary cirrhosis, histological studies were carr ied out on liver specimens obtained by needle biopsy, laparotomy or autopsy in 46 cases (calculosis of the bile duct, 11; carcinoma of the head of the pancreas, 10; carc inoma of the bile duct, 17 and miscellaneous, 8). Among these 46 cases, no fibrotic change was revealed in 16 (34.8%), sl ight fibrosis in 12 (26.1%), considerable degree of fibrosis in 13 (28.3%) and definite pictures of bil iary c i r rhosis in 5 (10.9%), respectively. Mean durat ions of jaundice due to the extrahepat ic obst ruct ion in each group was 40.3+_9.3, 87.2+--33.2, 181.2_+44.2 and 873.6 days, respectively. Concerning the fibrogenesis of the l iver in extrahepat ic obs t ruct ive jaundice, fibrosis began mainly f rom the periportal areas, and in a few cases it began f rom the centrolobular areas. In some eases, the two pat terns of fibrosis coexisted more or less in termingl ing wi th each other. At the early stage of obstruct ion, s l ight fibrosis of the l iver was predominant ly found in the portal and perihepatocellular areas. As the fibrosis progressed, per iductular fibrosis became prominent . Serial microscopic examinat ion of the liver specimens revealed tha t fibrous bands or iginated f rom the per iportal and /or in t ra lobular areas accompanied wi th marked bile ductular proliferat ion mainly connected wi th the fibrous bands in the neighboring portal tr iads. And part ly, they also connected wi th the small fibrotic s t r ings around centra l veins caused by parenchymal degeneration. It was assumed that these connections of the fibrous bands might gradually divide hepatic lobules into small pseudolobules.

Effects of alcohol upon the development of liver cirrhosis induced by carbon tetrachloride

ConclusionThe effect of 12.5% ethanol ingestion as the only source of fluid intake on cirrhosis induced in rats by the intraperitoneal injection of a 10% carbon tetrachloride solution in olive oil, (0.3 m/ per 100g body weight twice a week for 10 weeks), was studied and the follwoing results were obtained:1)In the group treated with the combined use of alcohol and carbon tetrachloride, the growth of the rats was limited as compared with that of the group treated with carbon tetrachloride alone. Ten weeks after the beginning of the experiment, the difference in body weight increase between the twc groups was statistically significant.2)Although the weight of the liver failed to show a significant difference between the alcohol and non-alcohol groups, the weight of the spleen was significantly heavier in the former than in the latter. The amount of lipids in the liver was the same in both groups.3)The degree of hepatic fibrosis was definitely more intense in the alcohol group, suggesting the facilitating action of alcohol on the development of cirrhosis induced by carbon tetrachloride administration.