Tumor suppressive effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on the experimentally induced hepatocellular carcinoma was investigated, especially focusing on glutatione transferase and transglutaminase with aptosis in the carcinogenesis. The chemical hepatocarcinogenic procedure of Solt-Farber method was used on Sprague-Dawley rats. Experimental groups were divided into AA group treated by the standard Solt-Farber regimen of diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and 2-acetamidofluorene (AAF) and AD group treated with DHEA simultaneously with AAF and the AAD group treated by DHEA after treatment with AAF. Each group was divided by time sequence further into four subgroups, GI (8wk), G2 (16wk), G3 (28wk), and G4 (36wk). For neoplastic lesion, the immuno histochemical study with anti GSTP antibody was carried out, while the activity and expression of TGase was compared at the same time. The results were summarized as follows; GST-P positive foci detected in AD groups were significantly more suppressed by DHEA treatment than AA groups (P<0.05). AD groups. AD group showed higher activities of TGase than AA groups (P<0.05), which was confirmed by Western and Northern blot analysis. But the number of apoptotic bodies was not correlated with activity and expression of TGase in the nodule. These results suggest that the suppressive effect of DHEA on the murine hepatocellular carcinogenesis might be operating on the promotion process of carcinogenesis rather than regression process of transformed hyperplastic nodules.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

Necleolar organizer regions(NORs) ARE LOOPS OF DNA which transcribe to ribosomal RNA by RNA polymerase I. Since NOR-associated proteins are argyrophilic, silver staining method has been used for demonstration of AgNORs. The numbers and/or configurations of NORs may reflect the activities of cells in hyperplastic and neoplastic conditions. To evaluated the applicability of AgNORs in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma, the author had performed silver staining on the routinely processed, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of 14 cases of normal liver(control), 23 cirrhotic liver, and 21 hepatocellular carcinoma. The results are summarized as follows: 1) The mean number of AgNORs per nucleus(mAgNOR) of normal liver, cirrhotic liver and hepatocellular carcinoma was 1.45+/-0.07, 2.53+/-0.38 and 5.52+/-1.63, respectively. The difference of mAgNOR between normal and cirrhotic liver, and between cirrhotic liver and hepatocellular carcinoma was statistically significant, respectively(p<0.01). 2) The percentage of nuclei showing five or more AgNORs per nucleus(pAgNOR) was 0.07% in normal liver, 7.59% in cirrhotic liver, and 60.49% in hepatocellular carcinoma. 3) AgNORs in hepatocellular carcinoma were large, pleomorphic and irregularly clumped, in addition to increase of mAgNOR and high pAgNOR. In conclusion, the increase of mAgNOR, high pAgNOR and large, irregular AgNORs are regarded as an additional helpful finding for the histopathological diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

Since the discovery of hepatitis B virus as one of the causes of hepatitis, liver and hepatocellular carcinoma, many hepatitis B viral markers that appear in infected individuals have been discovered and many efforts to understand the relationship between the emergence of viral markers and the progression of hepatitis have been performed. Gudat (1975) compared the expression of HBcAg and HBsAg in various conditions and stages of hepatitis but the pattern of expression of viral markers and its significance have not been understood. Recently it was found by mierocytotoxicity assay that HBcAg might be the target of T lymphocytes. This study attempted to identify any correlation of the tissue expression rate and pattern of HBcAg and HBsAg with the histologic activity of 46 cases of liver cirrhosis using immunohistochemical staining. The expression rate and pattern of HBcAg and HBsAg in relation to the nodular size and positivity of serum HBeAg were also compared. The results were as follows; 1) The expression rate of HBcAg in the liver was 41.3% (19/46). and that of HBsAg was 67.4% (31/46). 2) The histologic activity of liver cirrhosis appeared to be correlated with the expression of HBcAg, especially cytoplasmic HBcAg. 3) The positivity of serum HBeAg was significantly higher in active liver cirrhosis. 4) There was no relationship between the tissue expression of HBsAg and the histologic activity of liver cirrhosis. relationship existed between the nodular size and expression rate and pattern of HBcAg and HBsAg. This study suggests that the tissue HBcAg, especially the cytoplasmic HBcAg is the most likely factor determining the histologic activity of liver cirrhosis, and that the cytoplasmic HBcAg may be the ultimate cause and target of most host immune response.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

Kupffer cells are tissue macrophages (histiocytes) fixed in hepatie sinusoids. Since malignant hepatocytes are the only tumor parencymal cells of the hepatocellular carcinoma, theoretically there are no Kupffer cells within the hepatocellular carcinoma. To clarify whether it is true or not, 12 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma of the trabecular type with some extents of the non-neoplastic surrounding liver were subjected to immunoperoxidase staining for lysozyme and S-100 protein and the results are as follows. 1) Kupffer cells were stained positively by the immunoperoxidase staining for lysozyme but not for S-100 protein, indicating that they are monocyte derived macrophages. 2) Kupffer cells were also present within the hepatocellular carcinoma, but were 2-7 times fewer within the hepatocellular carcinoma than in the non-neoplastic areas (p<0.05). 3) The non-neoplastic hepatic tissue of patients with serum HBsAg shows a tendency to have more kupffer cells than those without HBsAg.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

To pursue a desirable format for the pathological diagnosis of liver cirrhosis, the authors attempted to classify 369 biopsy-proven cirrhosis on the basis of etiology and made effort to find out the morphological characteristics of each category. About 735 of total cases were HBsAg seropositive postnecrotic cirrhosis. Alcholic cirrhosis ws the second most frequent type, although accounted only 6.8%. In about 15%, the etiology was not known. Excluding the congenital biliary atresia, chronic biliary obstruction appeared to be a rare cause of cirrhosis among these biopsied cases. Of the HBsAg positive postnecrotic cirrhosis, the eAg seropositive cases tended to be micronodular and to show a higher necroinflammatory activity, in contrast to eAg seronegative cases and those complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), suggesting that the loss of eAg is followed by a decrease of the destructive activity, active regeneration of hepatocytes and finally the development of HCC. alcoholic cirrhosis was micronodular in 64% and revealed histologic evidences of alcoholic liver disease in most cases. The results indicate that etiological diagnosis can be made in most cases of cirrhosis by the morphological characteristics and the precise clinical informations, including those on the NANB virus and the inborn error of metabolism, and that the pathological diagnosis should be more comprehensive, implicating the etiology, the nodular size and the necroinflammatory activity.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular*

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular*

It has been well known that liver cirrhosis, regardless of its etiology, is an important predisposing factor in hepatocarcinogenesis. However, the type of cirrhosis in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)-bearing liver varies not only by geographic areas but also with the cirteria applied for morphological classification of cirrhosis. To elucidate the relationship between the nodule size of HCC-bearing cirrhotic liver and clinicopathologic features, we measured cirrhotic nodule areas of 49 surgically resected HCC cases using image analyzer. The morphological type of cirrhosis was predominantly macronodular(49%), and followed by mixed(37%) and micronodular(14%). Seventy percent of the cases showed seropositivity for HBsAg. The average area of cirrhotic nodules was significantly larger in HBsAg-positive cases(mean: 6.14 mm2) than that of HBsAg-negative cases(mean: 2.5 mm2)(p<0.05), and their size was bigger in cases with grossly expansile pattern of HCC than those cases with infiltrative ones(p<0.05). Based on the above findings, we assume that seropositivity of HBsAg may influence on the regenerative activity of cirrhotic nodules and also subsequent increase of risk for further development of HCC. The presence of cirrhohsis and nodule size seem to be the important contributing factors to determine the growing patterns of HCC.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

No abstract availalbe.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular*

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular*