Masami Abe

Augmented hepatic Toll-like receptors by fatty acids trigger the pro-inflammatory state of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice.

There is considerable evidence that intestinal microbiota are involved in the development of metabolic syndromes and, consequently, with the development of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) are essential for the recognition of microbiota. However, the induction mechanism of TLR signals through the gut‐liver axis for triggering the development of non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) or NAFLD remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of palmitic acid (PA) in triggering the development of a pro‐inflammatory state of NAFLD.

Polymorphism of Receptor-Type Tyrosine-Protein Phosphatase Delta gene in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Some single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with the development of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). As one of the genetic factors, PNPLA3 rs738409 (I148M) is important to associate with pathogenesis of NAFLD. Because other SNPs remain unclear in Japan, we performed a high‐throughput sequencing that targeted more than 1000 genes to identify a novel genetic variant in Japanese patients with NAFLD.

Effectiveness of pazopanib for postoperative recurrence of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-producing primary hepatic angiosarcoma

A 38-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our hospital with complaints of fever, general fatigue, and upper abdominal discomfort. Computed tomography revealed a massive tumor in the right lobe of the liver, and laboratory data demonstrated increased white blood cell (WBC) count and serum granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) level. An extended right hepatectomy was performed, and pathological examination revealed spindle-shape tumor cells that formed vessel-like structures that were compatible with hepatic angiosarcoma. As a rapid recurrence occurred after surgery, S-1 was administered as a first-line chemotherapy, and weekly paclitaxel was administered as the second-line chemotherapy. However, patient eventually became resistant to these therapies. Therefore, pazopanib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was administered, after which both the WBC count and G-CSF level rapidly decreased. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) revealed decreased FDG uptake. This is the first report on the administration of pazopanib as a third-line chemotherapeutic agent for treating G-CSF-producing primary hepatic angiosarcoma. The efficacy of this therapy was demonstrated with FDG-PET.