Alcohol abuse is a global problem due to the financial burden on society and the healthcare system. While the harmful health effects of chronic alcohol abuse are well established, more recent data suggest that acute a...Alcohol abuse is a global problem due to the financial burden on society and the healthcare system. While the harmful health effects of chronic alcohol abuse are well established, more recent data suggest that acute alcohol consumption also affects human wellbeing. Thus, there is a need for research models in order to fully understand the effect of acute alcohol abuse on different body systems and organs. The present manuscript summarizes the interdisciplinary advantages and disadvantages of currently available human and non-human models of acute alcohol abuse, and identifi es their suitability for biomedical research.展开更多
Liver diseases are an increasingly common cause of morbidity and mortality; new approaches for investigation of mechanisms of liver diseases and identification of therapeutic targets are emergent. Lipid rafts (LRs) ar...Liver diseases are an increasingly common cause of morbidity and mortality; new approaches for investigation of mechanisms of liver diseases and identification of therapeutic targets are emergent. Lipid rafts (LRs) are specialized domains of cellular membranes that are enriched in saturated lipids; they are small, mobile, and are key components of cellular architecture, protein partition to cellular membranes, and signaling events. LRs have been identified in the membranes of all liver cells, parenchymal and non-parenchymal; more importantly, LRs are active participants in multiple physiological and pathological conditions in individual types of liver cells. This article aims to review experimental-based evidence with regard to LRs in the liver, from the perspective of the liver as a whole organ composed of a multitude of cell types. We have gathered up-to-date information related to the role of LRs in individual types of liver cells, in liver health and diseases, and identified the possibilities of LR-dependent therapeutic targets in liver diseases.展开更多
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) is currently the third most common indication for liver transplantation in the United States. With the growing incidence of obesity, NAFLD is expected to become the most common...Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) is currently the third most common indication for liver transplantation in the United States. With the growing incidence of obesity, NAFLD is expected to become the most common indication for liver transplantation over the next few decades. As the number of patients who have undergone transplantation for NAFLD increases, unique challenges have emerged in the management and long-term outcomes in patients. Risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia continue to play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease and its recurrence. Patients who undergo liver transplantation for NAFLD have similar long-term survival as patients who undergo liver transplantation for other indications. Research shows that post-transplantation recurrence of NAFLD is commonplace with some patients progressing to recurrent non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. While treatment of comorbidities is important, there is no consensus on the management of modifiable risk factors or the role of pharmacotherapy and immunosuppression in patients who develop recurrent or de novo NAFLD post-transplant.This review provides an outline of NAFLD as indication for liver transplantation with a focus on the epidemiology, pathophysiology and risk factors associated with this disease. It also provides a brief review on the pretransplant considerations and post-transplant factors including patient characteristics, role of obesity and metabolic syndrome, recurrence and de novo NAFLD, outcomes post-liver transplantation, choice of medications, and options for immunosuppression.展开更多
基金Supported by Grants AA016571 (AD)AA014372 (GS) from NIAAAA (in part)
文摘Alcohol abuse is a global problem due to the financial burden on society and the healthcare system. While the harmful health effects of chronic alcohol abuse are well established, more recent data suggest that acute alcohol consumption also affects human wellbeing. Thus, there is a need for research models in order to fully understand the effect of acute alcohol abuse on different body systems and organs. The present manuscript summarizes the interdisciplinary advantages and disadvantages of currently available human and non-human models of acute alcohol abuse, and identifi es their suitability for biomedical research.
文摘Liver diseases are an increasingly common cause of morbidity and mortality; new approaches for investigation of mechanisms of liver diseases and identification of therapeutic targets are emergent. Lipid rafts (LRs) are specialized domains of cellular membranes that are enriched in saturated lipids; they are small, mobile, and are key components of cellular architecture, protein partition to cellular membranes, and signaling events. LRs have been identified in the membranes of all liver cells, parenchymal and non-parenchymal; more importantly, LRs are active participants in multiple physiological and pathological conditions in individual types of liver cells. This article aims to review experimental-based evidence with regard to LRs in the liver, from the perspective of the liver as a whole organ composed of a multitude of cell types. We have gathered up-to-date information related to the role of LRs in individual types of liver cells, in liver health and diseases, and identified the possibilities of LR-dependent therapeutic targets in liver diseases.
基金Supported by PHS grant AA12862(to GS)UMMS Center for AIDS Research Core Facility CFAR(grant 5P30 AI42845)+1 种基金Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center(PHS grant DK32520)by NIH Summer Research Fellowship(to CG)
文摘Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) is currently the third most common indication for liver transplantation in the United States. With the growing incidence of obesity, NAFLD is expected to become the most common indication for liver transplantation over the next few decades. As the number of patients who have undergone transplantation for NAFLD increases, unique challenges have emerged in the management and long-term outcomes in patients. Risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia continue to play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease and its recurrence. Patients who undergo liver transplantation for NAFLD have similar long-term survival as patients who undergo liver transplantation for other indications. Research shows that post-transplantation recurrence of NAFLD is commonplace with some patients progressing to recurrent non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. While treatment of comorbidities is important, there is no consensus on the management of modifiable risk factors or the role of pharmacotherapy and immunosuppression in patients who develop recurrent or de novo NAFLD post-transplant.This review provides an outline of NAFLD as indication for liver transplantation with a focus on the epidemiology, pathophysiology and risk factors associated with this disease. It also provides a brief review on the pretransplant considerations and post-transplant factors including patient characteristics, role of obesity and metabolic syndrome, recurrence and de novo NAFLD, outcomes post-liver transplantation, choice of medications, and options for immunosuppression.
