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... Reactive oxygen species (ROS) trigger oxidative stress, which induces liver diseases such as liver fibrosis, cirrhosis , viral hepatitis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and others6364656667 . CCl4 and TAA are toxins used worldwide to generate experimental liver injury [29,68,69]. ...
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Pruritus is a common symptom in systemic sclerosis (SSc), an autoimmune disease which causes fibrosis and vasculopathy in skin, lung, and gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Unfortunately, pruritus has limited treatment options in this disease. Pilot trials of low-dose naltrexone hydrochloride (LDN) for pruritus, pain, and quality of life (QOL) in other GIT diseases have been successful. In this case series we report three patients that had significant improvement in pruritus and total GIT symptoms as measured by the 10-point faces scale and the University of California Los Angeles Scleroderma Clinical Trials Consortium Gastrointestinal Tract 2.0 (UCLA SCTC GIT 2.0) questionnaire. This small case series suggests LDN may be an effective, highly tolerable, and inexpensive treatment for pruritus and GIT symptoms in SSc.
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Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) is an important inhibitor of T-lymphocyte response. Polymorphisms in the CTLA-4 gene have been reported to be associated with numerous autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to determine whether polymorphisms of CTLA-4 exon 1 (+49) genes are associated with susceptibility and clinicolaboratory findings of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in the Japanease population. Blood samples were obtained from 45 patients (6 men and 39 women, aged 23-56 years) with PBC and 73 healthy controls (48 men and 25 women, aged 22-72 years). CTLA-4 exon 1 (+49) polymorphism was defined using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism with Bst71I restriction enzyme. The genotype frequencies of A/A, A/G, and G/G in 45 patients with PBC were 11% (5 patients), 44% (20 patients), and 44% (20 patients), respectively. There was no significant difference between frequencies in PBC patients and healthy controls. PBC patients with G/G genotype had significantly higher serum levels of ALT, GGT, and IgM than those in patients with A/A or A/G genotype. In conclusion, CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms are not associated with susceptibility of PBC in Japan; however, G/G genotype may be associated with liver damage.
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