Copyright © 2020 Clinical and Experimental Hepatology.Aim of the study The quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen (qHBsAg) level indicates the amount of transcriptional activity of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) and integrated DNA in hepatocytes which plays a role in development of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and may help decide whether the treatment is necessary or not. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between serum qHBsAg levels and viral replication and stage of liver fibrosis in treatment-naive CHB patients and to determine the role of qHBsAg levels in predicting when liver biopsy is necessary. Material and methods 967 patients were included in the study. IACS-10759 concentration Because of refusal of liver biopsy the study was conducted on 123 patients. The association between qHBsAg levels with HBV DNA, a-fetoprotein, fibrosis stage and histology activity index was evaluated. Results Of the patients, mean age was 48 ±11.2 years and 56.1% were male. We found that patients with HBV DNA ≥ 2000 IU/ml had a higher qHBsAg titer in comparison with HBV DNA less then 2000 IU/ml. However, there was no relationship between qHBsAg titer and liver necroinflammation or fibrosis stage. Conclusions Monitoring of qHBsAg together with HBV DNA may be helpful in CHB management. However, qHBsAg level does not provide knowledge about the timing of biopsy or the decision of CHB treatment. Copyright © 2020 Clinical and Experimental Hepatology.Aim of the study Binge ethanol drinking causes liver damage and decreased paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) gene expression. On the other hand, regular physical activity and curcumin consumption as non-invasive interventions can have liver protective effects through enhancing antioxidant defense, and improving PON-1 and NF-kβ (nuclear factor kappa B) gene expression. The aim of this study was to investigate the interactive effect of exercise rehabilitation and curcumin consumption on hepatocyte damage as well as NF-kβ and PON-1 gene expression in rats. Material and methods Fifty-six male Wistar rats were randomly selected and equally divided into seven groups dextrose-control (Dext-Con), ethanol-control (Eth-Con), ethanol-saline (Eth-sal), ethanol-DMSO (Eth-DMSO), ethanol-curcumin (Eth-Cur), ethanol-swimming training (Eth-SWT) and ethanol-SWT + curcumin (Eth-SWT + Cur). After four days of the binge drinking protocol followed by six days of quitting, the interventions of SWT and curcumin (50 mg/kg) were employed for 14 days. Afterwards, the rats' liver tissues were collected and sent to the laboratory for biochemical assays. Results The interaction of SWT and curcumin caused an increase in PON-1 gene expression (p = 0.02). In addition, curcumin consumption (p = 0.003) and its interaction with SWT (p = 0.004) resulted in a reduction in NF-kβ gene expression. Also, liver tissue damage was observed in the Eth-Con group compared to other groups. Conclusions The combination of curcumin and SWT may be used to reduce the side effects of binge ethanol drinking and improve recovery in the quitting period. Copyright © 2020 Clinical and Experimental Hepatology.Aim of the study Liver regeneration after hemi-hepatectomy may be affected by several growth factors and cytokines. The aim is to evaluate the importance of interleukin 6 (IL-6) in the induction of liver cell regeneration and find correlations with other parameters such as liver enzymes, and DNA analysis by flow cytometric studies. Material and methods 80 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were obtained and divided into two equal groups (n = 40 rats) to undergo 70% partial hepatectomy group 1 - untreated (control) group; 40 rats not treated; and group 2 - treated group, 40 rats treated with IL-6 35 μg/100 gm body weight according to a lethality study for a period of 4 days, then hepatic resection was carried out according to the steps of Higgins and Anderson. Assessment of liver enzymes and bilirubin level was done. Flow cytometric study was done using a flow cytometer (FACSCalibur; Becton Dickinson) and DNA content was estimated with CellQuest software (Becton Dickinson). Results The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were significantly higher in the untreated group of rats with liver resection. A higher value of bilirubin was observed in the treated group. Rat weight at sacrification was significantly lower in the group of rats treated with IL-6 than those without treatment, p less then 0.001. Liver weight at sacrification was significantly higher in the group of rats treated with IL-6 (p less then 0.001). The percentage of apoptotic cells with hypodiploid DNA content was determined from DNA histograms. Untreated rat resected liver showed a peak pattern that represented liver damage with high damage of 73.4%. Conclusions Interleukin 6 is of value in induction of liver cell regeneration after seventy percent hemi-hepatectomy as evident by increased liver cell mass, liver enzymes and flow cytometric analysis. Copyright © 2020 Clinical and Experimental Hepatology.Aim of the study Combined magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRI/MRCP) can identify biliary strictures and diagnose primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma in patients with PSC remains challenging, and the accuracy of MRI/MRCP has not been completely established. We aimed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of MRI/MRCP in the diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma among patients with PSC from the published literature. Material and methods We searched Embase, PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov, and abstracts from relevant scientific meetings and performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the diagnostic yield of MRI/MRCP in patients with PSC. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated from pooled estimates of cholangiocarcinoma cases identified and lesions missed. Modifying variables were included in a meta-regression model. Results Our literature search yielded 302 articles and 9 conference abstracts; 8 studies involving 846 liver patients from 5 countries were included in the final analysis. Of those, 531 had PSC and received MRI/MRCP. Thirty-six (6.8%) patients were diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma (33 true positive, 3 false negative and 1 false positive). Pooled sensitivity was 98.9% (95% CI 98.6-99.3%). Cholangiocarcinoma cases missed by MRI/MRCP were diagnosed as beading irregularities of the central hepatic ducts, or PSC-related diffuse stricture. Metaregression revealed that neither publication year, study design, nor sample size had a significant effect on observed cancer rates (p = 0.9, 0.3, and 0.3, respectively). Conclusions MRI/MRCP followed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a sensitive and specific tool to diagnose cholangiocarcinoma among patients with PSC. Further research should estimate MRI/MRCP diagnostic accuracy for cholangiocarcinoma using prospective methodology and longer term outcomes. Copyright © 2020 Clinical and Experimental Hepatology.