Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0015695 (fatty liver)
 13,941 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Liver disease occurring in pregnancy can be categorized into three groups. The first group includes diseases unique to pregnancy and caused by it. Among these are hyperemesis gravidarum, cholestasis of pregnancy, and disorders associated with preeclampsia. Liver involvement may be expected in 50% of patients with hyperemesis gravidarum. Preeclampsia has been associated with both the HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver tests, and low platelets), which includes hepatic infarction and rupture, and with acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP). In patients with HELLP syndrome, liver test abnormalities do not correlate with liver injury. Therefore, this and other disorders associated with preeclampsia require aggressive treatment, primarily with delivery. The second group of liver diseases are those exacerbated by pregnancy. Viral infections involving the liver that are usually benign, such as hepatitis E and herpes simplex, are more likely to be exacerbated in pregnant women and are more likely to lead to fulminant hepatic failure. Cholelithiasis and Budd-Chiari syndrome are more prevalent in pregnant women. The third group is comprised of liver diseases that are preexisting in the pregnant patient and includes autoimmune chronic active hepatitis and Wilson's disease. The number of patients in the last group is small, as chronic liver disease is rare in women who are able to bear children.
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PMID:Hepatic disease in pregnancy. 810 83

Acute viral hepatitis is the most common cause of jaundice in pregnancy. The course of acute hepatitis is unaffected by pregnancy, except in patients with hepatitis E and disseminated herpes simplex infections, in which maternal and fetal mortality rates are significantly increased. Chronic hepatitis B or C infections may be transmitted to neonates; however, hepatitis B virus transmission is effectively prevented with perinatal hepatitis B vaccination and prophylaxis with hepatitis B immune globulin. Cholelithiasis occurs in 6 percent of pregnancies; complications can safely be treated with surgery. Women with chronic liver disease or cirrhosis exhibit a higher risk of fetal loss during pregnancy. Preeclampsia is associated with HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count) syndrome, acute fatty liver of pregnancy, and hepatic infarction and rupture. These rare diseases result in increased maternal and fetal mortality. Treatment involves prompt delivery, whereupon the liver disease quickly reverses. Therapy with penicillamine, trientine, prednisone or azathioprine can be safely continued during pregnancy.
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PMID:Liver disease in pregnancy. 1006 7

Herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) converts ganciclovir (GCV) into an active compound, which can be incorporated into DNA molecules and terminate DNA synthesis. Gene transfer of HSV-tk followed by GCV administration has been used with success to treat experimental cancer and this strategy has entered into clinical trials. Although it is thought that the cytotoxic effect occurs mainly in tumoral dividing cells, where mitotic activity favors integration of the genotoxic compound into nuclear DNA, there are concerns of potential damage to normal nondividing cells. In the present work we have explored the mechanisms of HSV-tk/GCV toxicity and in particular whether this therapy may cause lesions of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and mitochondrial dysfunction. We found that the administration of GCV to rats injected with adenovirus encoding HSV-tk induced hepatocellular damage characterized by the presence of apoptotic bodies, ballooning of hepatocytes, and severe hepatic steatosis with mitochondria enlargement and cristae dissolution at the ultrastructural level. Remarkably, Southern blot analysis showed substantial reduction in the amount of mtDNA in the liver. Using radiolabeled GCV we could demonstrate incorporation of this compound into both nuclear and mtDNA in HSV-tk-transduced rat hepatocytic cell line MCA-RH7777 and subsequent alteration of mitochondrial function. Our observations confirm that GCV can damage both nuclear and mtDNA in cells transduced with HSV-tk and that this effect could be responsible for severe mitochondrial dysfunction and toxicity in normal nondividing cells. These data are relevant for the design of clinical trials using adenoviral vectors encoding HSV-tk.
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PMID:Liver failure caused by herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase plus ganciclovir therapy is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and mitochondrial DNA depletion. 1269 11

Liver diseases specific of pregnancy, the most common hepatic complications of pregnancy, are always associated with a sometimes asymptomatic increase in serum aminotransferase activity. The most frequent of the liver diseases specific of pregnancy in normotensive pregnant women is cholestasis of pregnancy, the cause of generalised pruritus, and, in those with pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia which requires short-term cessation of pregnancy. Similar treatment is required by acute fatty liver of pregnancy the diagnosis of which must be done in the third trimester when recent polydipsia, nausea or vomiting occurs. Moreover, pregnancy increases the incidence and/or the severity of herpes simplex hepatitis (for which acyclovir therapy is urgently required) and hepatitis type E. Pregnancy may also unmask untreated cases of autoimmune hepatitis, Wilson's disease or Budd-Chiari syndrome.
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PMID:[Hepatic complications of pregnancy]. 1472 76

The infrequent occurrence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) hepatitis in healthy women in comparison with the high prevalence of HSV infections suggests that, in addition to deranged immunity, an underlying condition in the liver might be necessary to develop HSV hepatitis. We report the case of a 28-year-old pregnant woman in the 28 (th) week of gestation. Following HSV type 2 infection of the uterine cervix, acute liver failure developed, necessitating urgent liver transplantation. In addition to fulminant HSV type 2 hepatitis, the explanted liver also showed the histological features of acute fatty liver of pregnancy. The presented case suggests a possible pathogenetic role of acute fatty liver of pregnancy in the development of fulminant HSV hepatitis following recurrent infection with HSV in healthy pregnant women. We believe that early histopathological diagnosis, followed by specific antiviral treatment and liver transplantation in selected patients may improve the clinical outcome of otherwise almost uniformly fatal HSV hepatitis.
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PMID:Acute fatty liver of pregnancy -- an underlying condition for herpes simplex type 2 fulminant hepatitis necessitating liver transplantation. 1587 Oct 67

Acute liver failure (ALF) in pregnancy is a common challenging clinical problem both in terms of correct diagnosis and management. Acute viral hepatitis is the most common cause of jaundice in pregnancy. The course of acute viral hepatitis is unaffected by pregnancy, except in patients with hepatitis E (HEV), particularly from endemic countries like India, where ALF carries a high mortality. In both HEV infection and herpes simplex infections, maternal and fetal mortality rates are significantly increased. ALF specific to pregnancy including pre-eclampsia, associated with hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome, acute fatty liver of pregnancy, and hepatic infarction result in increased maternal and fetal mortality if not recognized and acted on early. Early recognition of possible causes and prompt treatment are crucial for successful outcome of ALF in pregnancy. Treatment involves prompt delivery, whereupon the liver disease quickly reverses. This review article addresses the present understanding of ALF in pregnancy reviewing the common causes of ALF and their management in pregnancy.
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PMID:Acute liver failure in pregnancy: an overview. 1829 70

Hepatic disorders severely affected by pregnancy include choledochal cysts that can be compressed by the gravid uterus and potentially rupture; hepatic adenomas that exhibit accelerated growth because of hyperestrogenemia during pregnancy; acute intermittent porphyria that is exacerbated by increased female sex hormones during pregnancy; splenic artery aneurysms that can rupture during pregnancy because of compression by the gravid uterus; Budd-Chiari syndrome that is promoted by hyperestrogenemia; and hepatitis E and herpes simplex hepatitis that are particularly severe during pregnancy. Hepatic disorders unique to pregnancy include intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy; acute fatty liver of pregnancy; preeclampsia and eclampsia; and hemolysis, elevated liver function tests, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome. Most disorders uniquely related to pregnancy are treated by prompt fetal delivery as soon as the fetus is sufficiently mature.
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PMID:Hepatic disorders severely affected by pregnancy: medical and obstetric management. 1857 Sep 41

There are many obstetric, medial, and surgical disorders that share many of the clinical and laboratory findings of patients with severe pre-eclampsia-eclampsia. Imitators of severe pre-eclampsia-eclampsia are life-threatening emergencies that can develop during pregnancy or in the postpartum period. These conditions are associated with high maternal and perinatal mortalities and morbidities, and survivors may face long-term sequelae. The pathophysiologic abnormalities in many of these disorders include vasospasm, platelet activation or destruction, microvascular thrombosis, endothelial cell dysfunction, and reduced tissue perfusion. Some of these disorders include acute fatty liver of pregnancy, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, hemolytic uremic syndrome, acute exacerbation of systemic lupus erythematosus, and disseminated herpes simplex and sepsis syndromes. Differential diagnosis may be difficult due to the overlap of several clinical and laboratory findings of these syndrome. It is important that the clinician make the accurate diagnosis when possible because the management and complications from these syndromes may be different. Because of the rarity of these conditions during pregnancy and postpartum, the available literature includes only case reports and case series describing these syndromes. This review focuses on diagnosis, management, and counseling of women who develop these syndromes based on results of recent studies and my own clinical experience.
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PMID:Imitators of severe pre-eclampsia. 1946 11

A young woman presented with a febrile illness in the third trimester of pregnancy. Laboratory investigation revealed severe acute hepatitis with thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy. Liver injury progressed despite emergent caesarian section and delivery of a healthy infant. Therefore, therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) was performed on three consecutive days post-partum for a presumed diagnosis of acute liver failure (ALF) associated with pregnancy due to hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets (HELLP) or acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP). Treatment with TPE was followed by biochemical and clinical improvement but during her recovery herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection was diagnosed serologically and confirmed histologically. Changes in the immune system during pregnancy make pregnant patients more susceptible to acute HSV hepatitis, HSV-related ALF, and death. The disease is characterized by massive hepatic inflammation with hepatocyte necrosis, mediated by both direct viral cytotoxicity and the innate humoral immune response. TPE may have a therapeutic role in acute inflammatory disorders such as HSV hepatitis by reducing viral load and attenuating systemic inflammation and liver cell injury. Further investigation is needed to clarify this potential effect. The roles of vigilance, clinical suspicion, and currently accepted therapies are emphasized.
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PMID:Acute liver failure caused by herpes simplex virus in a pregnant patient: is there a potential role for therapeutic plasma exchange? 2385 23

Autophagy is originally described as the main catabolic pathway responsible for maintaining intracellular nutritional homeostasis that involves the formation of a unique vacuole, the autophagosome, and the interaction with the endosome-lysosome pathways. This conserved machinery plays a key role in immune-protection against different invaders, including pathogenic bacteria, intracellular parasites, and some viruses like herpes simplex and hepatitis C virus. Importantly, autophagy is linked to a number of human diseases and disorders including neurodegenerative disease, Crohn's disease, type II diabetes, tumorigenesis, cardiomyopathy, and fatty liver disease. On the other hand, inflammasomes are multiprotein platforms stimulated upon several environmental conditions and microbial infection. Once assembled, the inflammasomes mediate the maturation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and promote phagosome-lysosome fusion to sustain an innate immune response. The intersections between autophagy and inflammasome have been observed in various diseases and microbial infections. This review highlights the molecular aspects involved in autophagy and inflammasome interactions during different medical conditions and microbial infections.
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PMID:The cooperation between the autophagy machinery and the inflammasome to implement an appropriate innate immune response: do they regulate each other? 2587 94


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