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Unlabelled: Noni juice of an Indian mulberry fruit has recently become a very popular remedy for several diseases. The paper presents the case of hepatotoxic action of Noni juice in a previously healthy 55-years old female patient. After symptomatic therapy and cessation of exposure to the juice all symptoms dissapeared., Conclusions: 1. Indian mulberry formulations may, in some cases, lead to liver toxicity. 2. Treatment consists of cessation of exposure to preparations containing Indian mulberry fruits and a symptomatic therapy. 3 There is an urgent need to examine the therapeutic and toxic effects of commonly used herbal specifics.

Fibrosis is characterized by balance disorders between syntesis and degradation ECM (Extracellular Matrix) by myofibroblasts. Activated by inflammation factor HSC cells transform in myofibroblasts. This changes are caused and assisted by number of mediators: cytokines, growth factors, kinases. All this stimulus we call fibrosis factors. This paper compose second part of object-article: Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis - causes.

Chronic alcohol consumption increases body iron stores. Patients with alcoholic liver disease frequently exhibit iron overload, but mechanisms of its accumulation remain unclear. Many novel iron-regulatory proteins have been identified for several last years, which have improved understanding the underlying some mechanisms of iron overload in alcoholic liver disease. In this paper, the effect of alcohol on hepcidin expression which is a key hormone in the regulation of iron metabolism has been given. Hepcidin regulates of iron metabolism by inhibiting intestinal iron absorption and the release of iron from macrophages. Alcohol was found to down-regulate hepcidin expression in the liver leading to elevated expression of the iron transporter proteins, DMT1 and ferroportin in the duodenum. Ethanol-mediated oxidative stress inhibits C/EBPaz DNA-binding activity and down-regulates hepcidin transcription in the liver. Deregulation of the hormone synthesis may be one of the causes of iron overload during chronic alcohol consumption.

Alcoholism is one of the most frequent dependences among people leading to organism destruction and death. Excessive alcohol intake causes a number of metabolic changes and disturbs homeostasis of macro- and microelements in the body. In this paper, the role of alcohol in the regulation of systemic iron metabolism and the effect of its consumption on indices of body iron stores and vice versa, the influence of these stores on alcohol abuse markers have been presented. Alcohol drinking increases the body iron stores. Even moderate consumption leads to the elevation of the iron concentration, ferritin and transferrin saturation in serum and the hepatic iron content. Both iron and alcohol cause the oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation leading to the liver injury. The excessive iron accumulation can be one of the reasons involved in alcoholic liver disease. Body iron stores affect the indicators of liver function, such as GGT AST and ALT and the concentration of alcohol abuse marker such as carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) in the serum.

Extramitochondrial malic enzyme is widely distributed in mammalian tissues, including humans. The major role of this protein in the liver and white adipose tissue is the production of NADPH required for fatty-acid synthesis. Malic enzyme thus belongs to the family of lipogenic enzymes. Malic enzyme activity is regulated both by gene transcription and mRNA stability. Malic enzyme gene expression is tightly controlled by hormonal (i.e. insulin, glucagon, triiodothyronine) and nutritional conditions. There are many transcription factors which recognize special response elements present in the malic enzyme gene promoter. In this paper some important information about the structure and regulation of malic enzyme gene expression in mammalian lipogenic tissues is presented.

Liver transplantation is the only efficient method of treatment of liver failure. Short time between liver end-stage insufficiency and transplantation procedure is the main problem limiting the number of liver transplants. In this paper the methods of liver support in patients awaiting a liver transplant using tissue engineering techniques were introduced. The methods of liver support using bioartificial liver and isolated hepatocytes transplantation were described.

In this paper are presented main tasks of the pathologist dealing with liver diagnosis concerning problems of its transplantation in adults. They include: pretransplant diagnosis of recipient's liver, examination of explanted liver, evaluation of donor liver (pretransplant biopsies and performed during the operation), posttransplant assessment of the graft. On the basis of our own experience, the most frequent problems in patologist's work and basic information concerning the diagnostic process in liver transplantation with posibillities and limits of the histopathological method are described. Because of the popularity of transplantation as the method of treatment of advanced liver diseases, the group of transplanted patients continously enlarges and may lead to visit to doctors of different specialties. That is why presentation of this issue seems to be very valuable.

Purpose: Universal use of fluorine compounds in dentistry, as well as industrial and civilization-related exposures may produce undesirable effects of fluorine action. The effects of fluoride ions depend on the dose and exposure time. Some may be positive, e.g. in caries prevention, while others are harmful when optimal prophylactic or therapeutic doses have been surpassed. The literature is replete with reports on interactions of fluoride ions with the activity of many enzymes and indirectly with cellular metabolism., Material and Methods: The paper presents the results of a histoenzymatic study of the liver and submandibular gland of young rats exposed to NaF administered in drinking water. The intensity of staining for lactate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, acid and alkaline phosphatase was evaluated., Results: The reaction to succinate dehydrogenase in the submandibular gland and lactate dehydrogenase in hepatocytes was attenuated, while the reaction to acid phosphatase was enhanced in the liver when rats were exposed to 32.0 mg NaF/dm(3) of drinking water.

Unlabelled: Met-enkephalin is a pentapeptide belonging to the opioid system and like other opioid peptides is involved in phenomena associated with modulated pain perception, regulation of memory and emotional conditions, food and liquid consumption, regulation of immunological system and it has an impact upon digestive system motility, gastric and pancreatic secretion, metabolism of carbohydrates. Met-enkephalin concentration changes in liver tissue and plasma during liver disorders. It has been revealed that Met-enkephalin takes part in the etiopathogenesis of ascites and pruritus. Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic inflammatory liver disease, its course involves the destruction of small and medium-sized bile ducts as a result of the process of granulation tissue growth developing in such diseases as fibrosis, liver cirrhosis development, and liver insufficiency. During the ending period of the PBC, clinical and biochemical symptoms of decompensation of liver cirrhosis occur. The objective of the study and paper was to make a comparison between the Met-enkephalin concentration rates in plasma and its content in liver tissue with the progress stage of PBC, which was assessed using clinical symptoms. The study was carried out in 40 female patients with PBC. PBC has been found by means of biochemical, serological investigations as well as histopathological liver bioptate estimation. The patietns with different causes of liver disorders have been excluded. Met-enkephalin concentration in plasma and content in liver tissue have been indicated in each patient. The control group consisted of 30 female patients treated in the Department of Gastroenterology with normal activity of indicative and cholestatic enzymes, and without any organic disorders. In the control group, the Met-enkephalin concentration rates in plasma were determined. Statistically significant difference has been indicated in Met-enkephalin plasma concentration between two patients groups: 23 patients with pruritus and 17 patients without it where (p = 0.0476). Statistically significant difference in Met-enkephalin concentration level in plasma and liver tissue in the group of 19 patients with liver failure symptoms (stadium IV and V according to Schaffner and Popper classification) and in the group of 21 patients without those symptoms (stadium I and II according to Schaffner and Popper classification) has been stated. For Met-enkephalin plasma concentration p = 0.002 and for Met-enkephalin liver tissue concentration p = 0.0214., Conclusions: 1. The Met-enkephalin concentration rates in serum of patients with the PBC is higher than in the control group; 2. In PBC patients' pruritus appears together with the increase of Met-enkephalin plasma concentration. 3. In PBC patients, when liver failure symptoms appear Met-enkephalin concentration increases in plasma, and it decreases in the liver tissue.

The aim of this paper was estimation the GGT activity and GSH concentration in the liver of rats intoxicated with chlorfenvinphos. The experiment was conducted on male Wistar rats divided into three groups: control--which received oil and examined--receiving oil solution of chlorfenvinphos in dose of 0.5 LD50 and 0.1 LD50. At the 1st, 24th and 48th hour after intoxication an activity of enzyme was determined. The GGT activity increased after 48th hour of intoxication with the lower dose of insecticide and after 1st, 24th and 48th with higher dose. The GSH concentration increased at the 1st, 24th and 48th hour of intoxication with chlorfenvinphos at dose 0.1 LD50 and at the 24th hour of intoxication with chlorfenvinphos at dose 0.5 LD50. We suppose that increase in the liver GGT activity can result from disturbance in hepatic function. This increase can influence on the reduced glutathione level.

In this paper we showed age effect on hepatic level of cytochrome P-450. We discussed effects of inductors on this hemoprotein also. Cytochrome P-450 content increased to 1-month of life, but decreased to 4-month. In the oldest rats cytochrome P-450 increased again. Content of this hemoprotein was induced by phenobarbital and beta-naphthoflavone in all examined groups, especially strong in young animals. Induction effect of dexamethasone was observed in 4-20-month of life.

The paper presents the assessment of liver pathology based on clinical examinations, biochemical findings and abdominal ultrasound examination with colour Doppler modalities in a group of 40 alcohol dependent patients. Special regard was paid to the liver, it is size, echogenecity, homogeneity and flow patterns in the portal vein. No significant correlations between the biochemical and USG parameters of liver pathology and the intensity of alcohol withdrawal and the level of the alcohol dependence syndrome were found. It can be concluded that the biochemical parameters as well as ultra sound diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease do not allow to make a final diagnosis of liver pathology.

White male Wistar rats were poisoned orally with a single carbaryl dose 474 mg/kg (1/2 LD50). The activity of aminotransferases in the cytoplasma of liver homogenates catalysing the reactions between alpha-ketoglutarate and six amino acids (cysteine, lysine, phenylalanine, leucine, asparagine and valine) after 2, 4, 24 and 72 hours from the administration of the insecticide was determined. The activity of aminotransferases was expressed as the amount of glutamic acid developing during 1 hour of incubation of liver homogenate calculated for 1 g of tissue. Glutamic acid was determined spectrophotometrically after chromatographic separation on paper. The results of the investigations demonstrated that acute poisoning with carbaryl caused a statistically significant changes in the activity of two hepatic aminotransferases. A rise was observed in the activity of the enzyme causing transamination in the reaction between alpha-ketoglutarate and phenylalanine 24 hours after insecticide administration (64.1%), and a fall of the activity of the aminotransferase catalyzing the reaction between alpha-ketoglutarate and asparagine in the 4th, 24th and 72nd hours after intoxication (16.4%, 17.3% and 19.2% respectively).

The aim of the paper has been the experimental evaluation of protracted exposure to ammonium-fluoride vapours exerted on selected biochemical parameters in serum as well as microsomal fraction of the liver in animals. An attempt was made to ameliorate eventual changes by using Cernitin preparation. The experiment was performed on male rats of Wistar strain. The rats were exposed to NH4F in a toxicological chamber with controlled parameters. Cernitin was added to standard diet and given to animals in the form of balls. The studies were carried out after 3 and 6 month-long exposure. The range of the performed studies covered: activity of enzymes (AspAT, AlAT, AP, ChE) and content of bilirubin as well as lipids were studied in the blood serum. Content of proteins, cholesterol and phospholipids was investigated in the liver homogenate. It has been shown that chronic exposure to NH4F vapours causes a rise in the activity of studied aminotransferases and alkaline phosphatase, and a decreases in activity of cholinesterase. The changes in activity were accompanied by an increase in the content of lipids. Prophylactic application of Cernitin preparation normalizes the disorder involving the studied enzymatic and lipid parameters.

The present paper reviews the literature on influence of ethanol and acetaldehyde on synthesis, export and degradation of liver proteins. Direction and intensification changes caused by ethanol and acetaldehyde depend on concentration, time of activity and the way of administration of these compounds, and the way of feeding.

In vitro experiments the effect of chlorfenvinphos on aminotransferases activities in rat plasma and liver homogenate cytoplasmic fraction was studied. As amino groups donors in the transamination reactions with plasma enzymes the next eight amino acids were used: alanine, aspartic acid, cysteine, phenylalanine, leucine, lysine, valine and asparagine, and with the liver cytoplasmatic enzymes--the same above mentioned without asparagine. In all these reactions as an amino groups acceptor alfa-ketoglutaric acid was used. To the incubation mixtures were added: 1 cm3 of the plasma or liver homogenate cytoplasmic fraction; 0.05 cm3 of chlorfenvinphos solution in ethyl acetate (0.17 mg/cm3) or 0.05 cm3 ethyl acetate. Aminotransferase activity was expressed as the amount of glutamate developing during 1 h incubation. Glutamic acid was determined spectrophotometrically after chromatographic separation on filter paper. Both in rat plasma and in liver cytoplasmic fraction all used amino acids as amino groups donors in the transamination reactions were shown. In the reactions with the blood plasma enzymes the most active donors were: alanine, aspartic acid and cysteine and with the participation of liver transaminases: alanine, aspartic acid and phenylalanine. As well in plasma, as in liver the greater activity of AlAT than of AspAT was observed. In the reaction with alanine and aspartate there was formed in the case of plasma 1.51 mumol Glu/cm3 and 1.00 mumol Glu/cm3 respectively and in the case of liver -69.07 mumol Glu/g and 53.26 mumol Glu/g respectively. Results of statistical analysis revealed that small plasma and liver aminotransferases inhibition was caused by the solvent, while the insecticide under test had no influence on the efficiency of transamination.

This paper is on peroxisomes ("microbodies") dealing with various aspects of their physiological significance including the central question of biogenesis of peroxisomes. Attention is also focused on how peroxisomes are involved in human pathology and the so-called peroxisomal diseases are described.