Ricerc@Sapienza

The serpinopathies are among a diverse set of conformational diseases that involve the aberrant self-association of proteins into ordered aggregates. α1-Antitrypsin deficiency is the archetypal serpinopathy and results from the formation and deposition of mutant forms of α1-antitrypsin as “polymer” chains in liver tissue. No detailed structural analysis has been performed of this material. Moreover, there is little information on the relevance of well-studied artificially induced polymers to these disease-associated molecules.

This retrospective study shows the results of a 2 years application of a clinical pathway concerning the indications to NOM based on the patient's hemodynamic answer instead of on the injury grade of the lesions.We conducted a retrospective study applied on a patient's cohort, admitted in "Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti of Ancona" and in the Digestive and Emergency Surgery Department of the Santa Maria of Terni hospital between September 2015 and December 2017, all affected by blunt abdominal trauma, involving liver, spleen or both of them managed conservatively.

To implement split liver transplantation(SLT) a mandatory-split policy has been adopted in Italy since August 2015: donors aged 18-50 years at standard-risk are offered for SLT, resulting in a left-lateral segment(LLS) graft for children and an extended-right graft(ERG) for adults. We aim to analyse the impact of the new mandatory-split policy on liver transplantation(LT)-waiting list and SLT outcomes, compared to old allocation policy.

The use of machine perfusion (MP) in liver transplantation (LT) is spreading worldwide. However, its efficacy has not been demonstrated, and its proper clinical use has far to go to be widely implemented. The Società Italiana Trapianti d’Organo (SITO) promoted the development of an evidence-based position paper. A 3-step approach has been adopted to develop this position paper. First, SITO appointed a chair and a cochair who then assembled a working group with specific experience of MP in LT.

Despite gaining wide consensus in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), minimally invasive liver surgery (MILS) has been poorly investigated for its role in the setting of salvage liver transplantation (SLT). A multicenter retrospective analysis was carried out in 6 Italian centers on 211 patients with HCC who were initially resected with open (n = 167) versus MILS (n = 44) and eventually wait-listed for SLT. The secondary endpoint was identification of risk factors for posttransplant death and tumor recurrence.

Human biliary tree stem/progenitor cells (hBTSCs) are being used for cell therapies of patients with liver cirrhosis. A cryopreservation method was established to optimize sourcing of hBTSCs for these clinical programs and that comprises serum-free Kubota's Medium (KM) supplemented with 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), 15% human serum albumin (HSA) and 0.1% hyaluronans. Cryopreserved versus freshly isolated hBTSCs were similar in vitro with respect to self-replication, stemness traits, and multipotency.

Background & aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide and an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality. Angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTLs) are targets for vitamin D receptor (VDR)-mediated gene transcription and this axis may promote NAFLD. ANGPTL3 is a hepatokine which inhibits lipoprotein lipase and its experimentally induced inactivation reduces hepatosteatosis. Little is known on ANGPTL3 in human NAFLD and no data exist on its relationship with hepatic VDR/VD-related genes.

The reactions involved in the metabolic pathways of SR9009 were characterized by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) to identify the most appropriate marker(s) of use. The effects of gender, genetic polymorphism, and drug–drug interaction on the metabolic profile of SR9009 were also evaluated. In vitro approaches were based on the use of human liver microsomes and cytochrome P450 isoforms. Sample preparation included an enzymatic hydrolysis (performed only for the phase II investigation) followed by liquid–liquid extraction.

The safety of minimally invasive procedures during COVID pandemic remains hotly debated, especially in a country, like Italy, where minimally invasive techniques have progressively and pervasively entered clinical practice, in both the hepatobiliary and pancreatic community.