Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary ; drug therapy ; Ursodeoxycholic Acid ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo generate a comprehensive clinical profile of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) by systematically reviewing ICP cases managed in our hospital.

METHODSThe recorded clinical data, including diagnosis, complications, management, and maternal and infant outcomes, of nine ICP cases were collected retrospectively and reviewed systematically.

RESULTSSeven of the nine total ICP patients presented with pruritus. All nine of the ICP patients showed bile acid level beyond the normal range. ICP complications included gestational hypertension (n = 3), diabetes mellitus (DM, n = 1) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT, n = 1), and pre-eclampsia (n = 1). The infant of one patient with severe ICP showed meconium-stained liquor. All nine of the ICP patients underwent surgical delivery, of which three were delivered preterm (between the 35th and 36th week of gestation). All mothers' total bile acids declined to normal levels after delivery, and all infants survived without complication.

CONCLUSIONICP does not increase the puerpera mortality rate and does not represent a poor prognosis for infants. Bile acid levels in the ICP patients, however, may be related to the extent of premature delivery time. While the standard drug treatment of ursodeoxycholic acid is suitable for most ICP cases, those with insufficient gestational age may benefit from adjuvant corticosteroid therapy to promote fetal lung maturation prior to preterm delivery. Severe ICP cases should be managed by inducing artificial labor or performing Caesarean section.

Animals ; Cholestasis, Intrahepatic ; drug therapy ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Ursodeoxycholic Acid ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on intrahepatic cholestasis in rats, and to explore its mechanism.

METHODRats suffering from intrahepatic cholestasis were treated with UDCA. Their serum alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GT), total cholesterol (TCH), bile flow, total bile acid excretion, total Na(+) and TCH of bile were measured before and after treatment. In addition, the changes of liver tissue under microscrope were observed and recorded.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, serum ALT, ALP, TBIL, DBIL, gamma-GT and TCH of rats in the treatment group decreased, while bile flow, total bile acid excretion, total Na(+) and TCH decreased significantly. Degeneration of hepatocytes, infiltration of inflamed cells and proliferation of small bile ducts in the treatment group were improved under microscope.

CONCLUSIONUDCA may have therapeutic effects on cholestatic hepatitis. The mechanism may involve in its hydrophilicity, choleretic effect and immune modulation.

Prednisone or prednisolone are the mainstay drug treatments for autoimmune hepatitis in children. However, long-term use of corticosteroid is associated with the risk of steroid-induced toxicities, and this situation requires newer immuno-suppressive agents for the treatment of autoimmune hepatitis, especially in growing children. An 11-yr-old Korean girl with type-1 autoimmune hepatitis discontinued prednisolone due to toxicities, i.e., hirsutism, buffalo hump, and skin striae, and remained clinical and biochemical remission under replacement of deflazacort and ursodeoxycholic acid combination therapy. A follow-up liver biopsy after 19 months of deflazacort and ursodeoxycholic acid treatment showed histologic remission.
Ursodeoxycholic Acid/therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Pregnenediones/*therapeutic use ; Korea ; Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hepatitis, Autoimmune/*drug therapy ; Female ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Cholagogues and Choleretics/therapeutic use ; Child

No direct comparison of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) has yet been carried out in the treatment of liver cirrhosis in China. We designed a double-blind randomized trial to evaluate the potential therapeutic efficacy of TUDCA in liver cirrhosis, using UDCA as parallel control. The enrolled 23 patients with liver cirrhosis were randomly divided into TUDCA group (n=12) and UDCA group (n=11), and given TUDCA and UDCA respectively at the daily dose of 750 mg, in a randomly assigned sequence for a 6-month period. Clinical, biochemical and histological features, and liver ultrasonographic findings were evaluated before and after the study. According to the inclusion criteria, 18 patients were included in the final analysis, including 9 cases in both two groups. Serum ALT, AST and ALP levels in TUDCA group and AST levels in UDCA group were significantly reduced as compared with baseline (P<0.05). Serum albumin levels were significantly increased in both TUDCA and UDCA groups (P<0.05). Serum markers for liver fibrosis were slightly decreased with the difference being not significant in either group. Only one patient in TUDCA group had significantly histological relief. Both treatments were well tolerated and no patient complained of side effects. It is suggested that TUDCA therapy is safe and appears to be more effective than UDCA in the treatment of liver cirrhosis, particularly in the improvement of the biochemical expression. However, both drugs exert no effect on the serum markers for liver fibrosis during 6-month treatment.
Adult ; Cholagogues and Choleretics ; therapeutic use ; Double-Blind Method ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Taurochenodeoxycholic Acid ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Ursodeoxycholic Acid ; therapeutic use

Clinical variants of hepatitis A include the prolonged, relapsing and cholestatic forms. Here, the first childhood case of hepatitis A, with a combination of the relapsing and cholestatic forms is presented, a 14-year old boy. In the first phase of the illness, while the AST and ALT levels were declined, th total and direct bilirubin and GGT were increased. The patient was thought to have the cholestatic form of hepatitis A. Du to intense pruritus and high bilirunbin levels, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) therapy was started. On the 17th day, the decreased AST and ALT levels began to increase, reaching levels as high as 484 U/L and 862 U/L, respectively. The UDCA treatment was stopped on the 64th day. On the 164th day, all his laboratory parameters were within normal limits, but the anti-HAV IgM was still positive.
Adolescent ; Alanine Transaminase/blood ; Aspartate Aminotransferases/blood ; Cholestasis/classification/drug therapy/*etiology ; Hepatitis A/*complications ; Human ; Male ; Ursodeoxycholic Acid/therapeutic use

The risk of developing colorectal cancer is increased in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Surveillance colonoscopy has not been shown to prolong survival and rates of interval cancer are reported to be high. Continuing colonic inflammation has been shown to be important in the development of colorectal cancer and therefore anti-inflammatory agents such as the 5-aminosalicylates and immunomodulators have been considered as potential chemopreventive agents. This review focuses on various chemopreventive agents that have been clearly shown to reduce the risk of colorectal adenoma and cancer in the patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use ; Chemoprevention ; Colorectal Neoplasms/*complications/*prevention & control ; Folic Acid/therapeutic use ; Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/*complications/drug therapy ; Mesalamine/therapeutic use ; Ursodeoxycholic Acid/therapeutic use

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a slowly progressive cholestatic liver disease of autoimmune etiology. The initial presentation of PBC is various from asymptomatic, abnormal liver biochemical tests to overt cirrhosis. The diagnosis of PBC is based on cholestatic biochemical liver tests, presence of antimitochondrial antibody and histologic findings of nonsuppurative destructive cholangitis. Although the diagnosis is straightforward, it could be underdiagnosed because of its asymptomatic presentation, or underrecognition of the disease. UDCA in a dose of 13-15 mg/kg is the widely approved therapy which can improve the prognosis of patients with PBC. However, one-third of patients does not respond to UDCA therapy and may require liver transplantation. Every effort to diagnose PBC in earlier stage and to develop new therapeutic drugs and clinical trials should be made.
Autoantibodies/blood ; Autoimmunity/immunology ; Cholagogues and Choleretics/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary/*diagnosis/pathology/*therapy ; Liver Transplantation ; Ursodeoxycholic Acid/therapeutic use

Cholestasis ; etiology ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; drug therapy ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Neonatology ; Parenteral Nutrition, Total ; adverse effects ; S-Adenosylmethionine ; therapeutic use ; Ursodeoxycholic Acid ; therapeutic use