The functions of the liver are very diverse.From detoxifying blood to storing glucose in the form of glycogen and producing bile to facilitate fat digestion,the liver is a very active and important organ.The liver is comprised of many varied cell types whose functions are equally diverse.Cholangiocytes line the biliary tree and aid in transporting and adjusting the composition of bile as it travels to the gallbladder.Hepatic stellate cells and portal fibroblasts are located in different areas within the liver architecture,but both contribute to the development of fibrosis upon activation after liver injury.Vascular cells,including those that constitute the peribiliary vascular plexus,are involved in functions other than blood delivery to and from the liver,such as supporting the growth of the biliary tree during development.Mast cells are normally found in healthy livers but in very low numbers.However,after injury,mast cell numbers greatly increase as they infiltrate and release factors that exacerbate the fibrotic response.While not an all-inclusive list,these cells have individual roles within the liver,but they are also able to communicate with each other by cellular crosstalk.In this review,we examine some of these pathways that can lead to an increase in the homeostatic dysfunction seen in liver injury.

The Academy of Medicine (AMS) and Ministry of Health (MOH) have developed the clinical practice guidelines on Assessment and Management of Infertility at Primary Healthcare Level to provide doctors and patients in Singapore with evidence-based treatment for infertility. This article reproduces the introduction and executive summary (with recommendations from the guidelines) from the AMS-MOH clinical practice guidelines on Assessment and Management of Infertility at Primary Healthcare Level, for the information of SMJ readers. Chapters and page numbers mentioned in the reproduced extract refer to the full text of the guidelines, which are available from the Ministry of Health website: http://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/healthprofessionalsportal/doctors/guidelines/cpg_medical/2013/cpgmed_infertility.html. The recommendations should be used with reference to the full text of the guidelines. Following this article are multiple choice questions based on the full text of the guidelines.
Evidence-Based Medicine ; Female ; Guidelines as Topic ; Humans ; Infertility ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Male ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Primary Health Care ; methods ; standards ; Public Health ; standards ; Singapore