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Jee JJ, Yang L, Shivakumar P, Xu PP, Mourya R, Thanekar U, Yu P, Zhu Y, Pan Y, Wang H, Duan X, Ye Y, Wang B, Jin Z, Liu Y, Cao Z, Watanabe-Chailland M, Romick-Rosendale LE, Wagner M, Fei L, Luo Z, Ollberding NJ, Tang ST, Bezerra JA. Maternal regulation of biliary disease in neonates via gut microbial metabolites. Nat Commun 2022; 13:18. [PMID: 35013245 PMCID: PMC8748778 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27689-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal seeding of the microbiome in neonates promotes a long-lasting biological footprint, but how it impacts disease susceptibility in early life remains unknown. We hypothesized that feeding butyrate to pregnant mice influences the newborn’s susceptibility to biliary atresia, a severe cholangiopathy of neonates. Here, we show that butyrate administration to mothers renders newborn mice resistant to inflammation and injury of bile ducts and improves survival. The prevention of hepatic immune cell activation and survival trait is linked to fecal signatures of Bacteroidetes and Clostridia and increases glutamate/glutamine and hypoxanthine in stool metabolites of newborn mice. In human neonates with biliary atresia, the fecal microbiome signature of these bacteria is under-represented, with suppression of glutamate/glutamine and increased hypoxanthine pathways. The direct administration of butyrate or glutamine to newborn mice attenuates the disease phenotype, but only glutamine renders bile duct epithelial cells resistant to cytotoxicity by natural killer cells. Thus, maternal intake of butyrate influences the fecal microbial population and metabolites in newborn mice and the phenotypic expression of experimental biliary atresia, with glutamine promoting survival of bile duct epithelial cells. The pathogenesis of biliary atresia remains poorly understood. Here, the authors report that maternal butyrate treatment alters the gut microbiome and glutamine/hypoxanthine metabolites similar to human subjects, and suppresses biliary atresia in newborn mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jai Junbae Jee
- Divisions of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and The Liver Care Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Severance Children's Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Li Yang
- Divisions of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and The Liver Care Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
| | - Pranavkumar Shivakumar
- Divisions of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and The Liver Care Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, USA
| | - Pei-Pei Xu
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430022, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Reena Mourya
- Divisions of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and The Liver Care Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
| | - Unmesha Thanekar
- Divisions of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and The Liver Care Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.,Department of Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, 38105, USA
| | - Pu Yu
- Department of Neonatal Surgery, Xi'an Children's Hospital, 710003, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yu Zhu
- Department of Pediatrics, Western China Second Hospital, Sichuan University, 610041, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yongkang Pan
- Department of Neonatal Surgery, Xi'an Children's Hospital, 710003, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Haibin Wang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Wuhan Children's Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430015, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xufei Duan
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Wuhan Children's Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430015, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yongqin Ye
- Department of General Surgery, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, 518038, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Bin Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, 518038, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhu Jin
- Department of Pediatric General Thoracic and Urology Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, 563000, Zunyi, Guizhou, China
| | - Yuanmei Liu
- Department of Pediatric General Thoracic and Urology Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, 563000, Zunyi, Guizhou, China
| | - Zhiqing Cao
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Jiangmen Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, 529000, Jiangmen, Guangdong, China
| | - Miki Watanabe-Chailland
- Division of Pathology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
| | | | - Michael Wagner
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430022, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,Division of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
| | - Lin Fei
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430022, Wuhan, Hubei, China.,Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA
| | - Zhenhua Luo
- Divisions of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and The Liver Care Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.,Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou City, Guangdong, China
| | - Nicholas J Ollberding
- Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.,Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise, and Nutrition Sciences, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, USA
| | - Shao-Tao Tang
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, USA.
| | - Jorge A Bezerra
- Divisions of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and The Liver Care Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45267, USA.
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2
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Patel AM, Liu YS, Davies SP, Brown RM, Kelly DA, Scheel-Toellner D, Reynolds GM, Stamataki Z. The Role of B Cells in Adult and Paediatric Liver Injury. Front Immunol 2021; 12:729143. [PMID: 34630404 PMCID: PMC8495195 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.729143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
B lymphocytes are multitasking cells that direct the immune response by producing pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines, by presenting processed antigen for T cell activation and co-stimulation, and by turning into antibody-secreting cells. These functions are important to control infection in the liver but can also exacerbate tissue damage and fibrosis as part of persistent inflammation that can lead to end stage disease requiring a transplant. In transplantation, immunosuppression increases the incidence of lymphoma and often this is of B cell origin. In this review we bring together information on liver B cell biology from different liver diseases, including alcohol-related and metabolic fatty liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary and primary sclerosing cholangitis, viral hepatitis and, in infants, biliary atresia. We also discuss the impact of B cell depletion therapy in the liver setting. Taken together, our analysis shows that B cells are important in the pathogenesis of liver diseases and that further research is necessary to fully characterise the human liver B cell compartment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arzoo M. Patel
- Centre for Liver and Gastrointestinal Research, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Yuxin S. Liu
- Centre for Liver and Gastrointestinal Research, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Scott P. Davies
- Centre for Liver and Gastrointestinal Research, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel M. Brown
- Department of Histopathology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Deirdre A. Kelly
- The Liver Unit, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Dagmar Scheel-Toellner
- Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Gary M. Reynolds
- Centre for Liver and Gastrointestinal Research, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- The Liver Unit, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Zania Stamataki
- Centre for Liver and Gastrointestinal Research, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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3
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Mohanty SK, Donnelly B, Temple H, Ortiz-Perez A, Mowery S, Lobeck I, Dupree P, Poling HM, McNeal M, Mourya R, Jenkins T, Bansal R, Bezerra J, Tiao G. High Mobility Group Box 1 Release by Cholangiocytes Governs Biliary Atresia Pathogenesis and Correlates With Increases in Afflicted Infants. Hepatology 2021; 74:864-878. [PMID: 33559243 PMCID: PMC8349381 DOI: 10.1002/hep.31745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Biliary atresia (BA) is a devastating cholangiopathy of infancy. Upon diagnosis, surgical reconstruction by Kasai hepatoportoenterostomy (HPE) restores biliary drainage in a subset of patients, but most patients develop fibrosis and progress to end-stage liver disease requiring liver transplantation for survival. In the murine model of BA, rhesus rotavirus (RRV) infection of newborn pups results in a cholangiopathy paralleling that of human BA. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is an important member of the danger-associated molecular patterns capable of mediating inflammation during infection-associated responses. In this study, we investigated the role of HMGB1 in BA pathogenesis. APPROACH AND RESULTS In cholangiocytes, RRV induced the expression and release of HMGB1 through the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, and inhibition of p38 blocked HMGB1 release. Treatment of cholangiocytes with ethyl pyruvate suppressed the release of HMGB1. Administration of glycyrrhizin in vivo decreased symptoms and increased survival in the murine model of BA. HMGB1 levels were measured in serum obtained from infants with BA enrolled in the PROBE and START studies conducted by the Childhood Liver Disease Research Network. High HMGB1 levels were found in a subset of patients at the time of HPE. These patients had higher bilirubin levels 3 months post-HPE and a lower survival of their native liver at 2 years. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that HMGB1 plays a role in virus induced BA pathogenesis and could be a target for therapeutic interventions in a subset of patients with BA and high HMGB1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujit K Mohanty
- Department of Pediatric and Thoracic SurgeryCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiOH
| | - Bryan Donnelly
- Department of Pediatric and Thoracic SurgeryCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiOH
| | - Haley Temple
- Department of Pediatric and Thoracic SurgeryCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiOH
| | - Ana Ortiz-Perez
- Translational Liver ResearchDepartment of Medical Cell BiophysicsTechnical Medical CentreFaculty of Science and TechnologyUniversity of TwenteEnschedeThe Netherlands
| | - Sarah Mowery
- Department of Pediatric and Thoracic SurgeryCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiOH
| | - Inna Lobeck
- Department of Pediatric and Thoracic SurgeryCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiOH
| | - Phylicia Dupree
- Department of Pediatric and Thoracic SurgeryCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiOH
| | - Holly M Poling
- Department of Pediatric and Thoracic SurgeryCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiOH
| | - Monica McNeal
- Department of PediatricsUniversity of Cincinnati College of MedicineCincinnatiOH.,Division of Infectious DiseasesCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiOH
| | - Reena Mourya
- Division of Gastroenterology Hepatology & NutritionCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiOH
| | - Todd Jenkins
- Department of Pediatric and Thoracic SurgeryCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiOH
| | - Ruchi Bansal
- Translational Liver ResearchDepartment of Medical Cell BiophysicsTechnical Medical CentreFaculty of Science and TechnologyUniversity of TwenteEnschedeThe Netherlands
| | - Jorge Bezerra
- Division of Gastroenterology Hepatology & NutritionCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiOH
| | - Greg Tiao
- Department of Pediatric and Thoracic SurgeryCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CenterCincinnatiOH
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Malik A, Thanekar U, Mourya R, Shivakumar P. Recent developments in etiology and disease modeling of biliary atresia: a narrative review. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 3. [PMID: 33615212 PMCID: PMC7891552 DOI: 10.21037/dmr-20-97] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Biliary atresia (BA) is a rare but severe fibroinflammatory disease of the extrahepatic and the intrahepatic bile ducts. Without prompt interventions, BA has fatal outcomes and is the most common indicator for pediatric liver transplantation (LTx). While the mainstay of treatment involves surgically correcting the extrahepatic biliary obstruction via Kasai hepato-portoenterostomy (KHPE), activation of a multitude of biological pathways and yet-to-be-determined etiology in BA continue to foster liver inflammation, cirrhosis and need for LTx. However, important caveats still exist in our understandings of the biliary pathophysiology, the rapidity of liver fibrosis and progression to liver failure, largely due to limited knowledge of the triggers of biliary injury and the inability to accurately model human BA. Although inconclusive, a large body of existing literature points to a potential viral infection in the early peri- or postnatal period as triggers of epithelial injury that perpetuates the downstream biliary disease. Further confounding this issue, are the lack of in-vivo and in-vitro models to efficiently recapitulate the cardinal features of BA, primarily liver fibrosis. To overcome these barriers in BA research, new directions in recent years have enabled (I) identification of additional triggers of biliary injury linked mostly to environmental toxins, (II) development of models to investigate liver fibrogenesis, and (III) translational research using patient-derived organoids. Here, we discuss recent advances that undoubtedly will stimulate future efforts investigating these new and exciting avenues towards mechanistic and drug discovery efforts and disease-preventive measures. The implications of these emerging scientific investigations and disease modeling in severe fibrosing cholangiopathies like BA are enormous and contribute substantially in our understandings of this rare but deadly disease. These findings are also expected to facilitate expeditious identification of translationally targetable pathways and bring us one step closer in treating an infant with BA, a population highly vulnerable to life-long liver related complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astha Malik
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Unmesha Thanekar
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Reena Mourya
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Pranavkumar Shivakumar
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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5
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Averbukh LD, Wu GY. Evidence for Viral Induction of Biliary Atresia: A Review. J Clin Transl Hepatol 2018; 6:410-419. [PMID: 30637219 PMCID: PMC6328731 DOI: 10.14218/jcth.2018.00046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Biliary atresia (BA) is a childhood disease which manifests with abnormal narrowing, blockage or complete absence of bile ducts within the liver. Many possible etiologies have been reported for the development of BA, including congenital, perinatal and acquired conditions. Since the 1970's, there has been increasing evidence linking BA development to viral perinatal infections. The viral vectors most commonly implicated include members of the herpesviridae family (cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus) as well as those of the reoviridae family (reovirus and rotavirus). While extensive work has been done on a murine model of disease, the current review focuses primarily on evidence from human studies of viral vectors in children afflicted with BA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leon D. Averbukh
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology-Hepatology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
- *Correspondence to: Leon D. Averbukh, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology-Hepatology, University of Connecticut Health Center, 236 Farmington Ave., Farmington, CT 06030, USA. Tel: +1-347-306-4752, E-mail:
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6
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Huang YH, Shih HH, Tiao MM, Huang CC, Kuo KC, Huang FC, Yang YL, Chuang JH. Toll-like receptor 7 agonist induces hypoplasia of the biliary system in a neonatal mouse model. JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY, IMMUNOLOGY, AND INFECTION = WEI MIAN YU GAN RAN ZA ZHI 2018; 51:166-173. [PMID: 27590984 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmii.2016.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Revised: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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7
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Harada K. Sclerosing and obstructive cholangiopathy in biliary atresia: mechanisms and association with biliary innate immunity. Pediatr Surg Int 2017; 33:1243-1248. [PMID: 29039048 DOI: 10.1007/s00383-017-4154-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Biliary atresia (BA) is histologically characterized by a progressive, sclerosing cholangitis and the obstruction of extrahepatic bile ducts. In terms of the etiology and pathogenesis of BA, several viral infections consisting of dsRNA, including Reoviridae, have been implicated. Human biliary epithelial cells (BECs) possess an innate immune system consisting of Toll-like receptors (TLRs). BECs have negative regulatory mechanisms of TLR tolerance to avoid an excessive inflammatory response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a TLR4 ligand; however, they lack the tolerance to poly(I:C) (a synthetic analog of viral dsRNA), a TLR3 ligand. Treatment with poly(I:C) induces the expression of the apoptosis-inducer TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), along with the antiviral molecule IFN-β1, and reduces the viability of BECs by enhancing apoptosis. In response, surviving BECs increase their expression of various markers, including basic FGF [an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-inducer], S100A4 (a mesenchymal marker), and Snail (a transcriptional factor), and decrease that of epithelial markers such as CK19 and E-cadherin before undergoing EMT. Extrahepatic bile ducts in BA infants frequently show a lack of epithelial markers and an aberrant expression of vimentin, in addition to the enhancement of TRAIL and apoptosis. dsRNA viruses may directly induce apoptosis and EMT in human BECs as a result of the biliary innate immune response, supporting the notion that Reoviridae infections may be directly associated with the pathogenesis of cholangiopathies in BA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenichi Harada
- Department of Human Pathology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, 920-8640, Japan.
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8
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Saito T, Terui K, Mitsunaga T, Nakata M, Ono S, Mise N, Yoshida H. Evidence for viral infection as a causative factor of human biliary atresia. J Pediatr Surg 2015; 50:1398-404. [PMID: 25979202 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2015.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2014] [Revised: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 04/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To explore the evidence for viral infections triggering human biliary atresia (BA) by reviewing archival original articles that analyzed human samples via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments, considering the recent experimental trend of extensive use of rotaviral BA animal models. METHODS A PubMed search retrieved original articles that reported the results of PCR experiments for detecting viral DNA or RNA in patient samples as proof of past infection. Search terms included the often-debated DNA or RNA viruses and BA. Special focus was directed toward PCR analyses that targeted reovirus and rotavirus, where PCR accuracy, specimen characteristics and their interpretations were compared. RESULTS Nineteen studies were conducted on 16 different kinds of viruses using PCR, with 5 studies on reovirus, 3 on rotavirus, 10 on cytomegalovirus, 5 on Epstein-Barr virus, 4 on parvovirus B19, and so on. Among the papers suggesting a possible viral link to only BA, there was no study on reovirus, 1 on rotavirus, 3 on cytomegalovirus, 1 on EB virus, and 1 on papillomavirus. Of the 6 PCR studies on Reoviridae, 3 on reovirus and 2 on rotavirus were evaluated rigorously for experimental accuracy, including their sensitivity. Two research groups analyzed preoperative stool samples in addition to generic hepatobiliary tissue obtained at surgery. Sample collection timing varied widely, with storage period prior to PCR experimentation not revealed in most reports on Reoviridae. CONCLUSION Although a considerable number of PCR studies have sought to clarify a viral role in the pathogenesis of BA using human samples, the findings have been contradictory and have not succeeded in achieving an obvious differentiation between causative and accidental infection of the focused virus. Reproducible and convincing evidence for a causative Reoviridae infection has been lacking based on objective data from highly sensitive PCR experiments. Even though the possibility remains of viral disappearance at the timing of collection, to avoid further ambiguous interpretations of PCR results, rigorous and meticulous collection of large numbers of specimens at carefully planned timing, along with a strictly adjusted and finely tuned PCR system, is strongly recommended for obtaining more reliable and consistent results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Saito
- Department of Pediatric Surgery (E6), Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
| | - Keita Terui
- Department of Pediatric Surgery (E6), Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Mitsunaga
- Department of Pediatric Surgery (E6), Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Mitsuyuki Nakata
- Department of Pediatric Surgery (E6), Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Sachie Ono
- Department of Pediatric Surgery (E6), Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Naoko Mise
- Department of Pediatric Surgery (E6), Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - Hideo Yoshida
- Department of Pediatric Surgery (E6), Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
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9
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Rotavirus Infects Human Biliary Epithelial Cells and Stimulates Secretion of Cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 via MAPK Pathway. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:697238. [PMID: 26247025 PMCID: PMC4515493 DOI: 10.1155/2015/697238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2015] [Revised: 06/11/2015] [Accepted: 06/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Biliary atresia (BA) is an infantile inflammatory cholangiopathy of unknown etiology although epidemiologic studies and animal models utilizing rotavirus (RV) have suggested a role for viral infection. Proinflammatory and profibrotic cytokines have been detected in infants with BA. The purpose of our study was to investigate the susceptibility of human cholangiocytes (H69 cells) to infection with RRV and to determine if this infection resulted in cytokine secretion. Infection of H69 cells by RRV was noncytolytic and resulted in a time-dependent increase in the release of both infectious virions and cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 into the supernate. The greatest difference in cytokine supernatant levels between infected and mock-infected cells was noted at 24 hours postinfection (h p.i.) for IL-8, 556 ± 111 versus 77 ± 68 pg/mL (p < 0.0001), and at 48 h p.i. for IL-6, 459 ± 64 versus 67 ± 2 pg/mL (p < 0.0001). Production of both cytokines following RRV infection was significantly reduced by pretreating the H69 cells with inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Conclusion. RRV can infect human cholangiocytes resulting in the production of proinflammatory and profibrotic cytokines via the MAPK pathway. RRV-infected H69 cells could be a useful model system for investigating the viral hypothesis of BA.
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10
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Zhao
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xi-Dai Long
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiang Xia
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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11
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Prevalence of groups A and C rotavirus antibodies in infants with biliary atresia and cholestatic controls. J Pediatr 2015; 166:79-84. [PMID: 25444003 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.09.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2014] [Revised: 08/11/2014] [Accepted: 09/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To analyze the prevalence of acute asymptomatic group A and C rotavirus (RV-A and RV-C) infection in neonates with cholestasis. STUDY DESIGN Participants were infants <180 days of age with cholestasis (serum direct or conjugated bilirubin >20% of total and ≥2 mg/dL) enrolled in the Childhood Liver Disease Research and Education Network during RV season (December-May). Forty infants with biliary atresia (BA), age 62 ± 29 days (range, 4.7-13 weeks) and 38 infants with cholestasis, age 67 ± 44 days (range, 3-15.8 weeks) were enrolled. RESULTS At enrollment, RV-A IgM positivity rates did not differ between infants with BA (10%) vs those without (18%) (P = .349). RV-C IgM was positive in 0% of infants with BA vs 3% in those without BA (P = .49). RV-A IgG was lower in infants with BA: 51 ± 39 vs 56 ± 44 enzyme-linked immunoassay unit, P = .045 but this difference may lack biological relevance as maternal RV-A IgG titers were similar between groups. Infant RV-A IgM titers at 2-6 months follow-up increased markedly vs at presentation in both infants with BA (50 ± 30 vs 9 ± 9) and those without (43 ± 18 vs 16 ± 20 enzyme-linked immunoassay unit) (P < .0001), without differences between groups. CONCLUSIONS RV-A infection in the first 6 months of life is common in infants with cholestasis of any cause. RV-A could have different pathogenetic effects by initiating different hepatic immune responses in infants with vs without BA or could lack pathogenetic significance.
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Abstract
A new paradigm of rotavirus disease is emerging and rotavirus infection is no longer considered to be localized and confined to the GI tract. New evidence indicates that rotavirus infection is systemic. Viral antigen and infectious virus frequently enter the circulation in both children and animal model systems. Clinical case reports of systemic sequelae to rotavirus infection in children continue to accumulate, suggesting involvement in systemic disease syndromes. The use of animal models is providing biological and molecular evidence for infection at peripheral sites. Thus, infection at peripheral sites may account for reports of systemic sequelae to rotavirus infection. The importance of systemic sequelae and the ability of vaccination to prevent such sequelae remains to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert F Ramig
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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13
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Okamura A, Harada K, Nio M, Nakanuma Y. Interleukin-32 production associated with biliary innate immunity and proinflammatory cytokines contributes to the pathogenesis of cholangitis in biliary atresia. Clin Exp Immunol 2013; 173:268-75. [PMID: 23607494 DOI: 10.1111/cei.12103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Biliary atresia (BA) is thought to be associated with infections by viruses such as Reoviridae and is characterized histologically by fibrosclerosing cholangitis with proinflammatory cytokine-mediated inflammation. Interleukin (IL)-32 affects the continuous inflammation by increasing the production of proinflammatory cytokines. In this study, the role of IL-32 in the cholangitis of BA was examined. Immunohistochemistry for IL-32 and caspase 1 was performed using 21 samples of extrahepatic bile ducts resected from BA patients. Moreover, using cultured human biliary epithelial cells (BECs), the expression of IL-32 and its induction on stimulation with a Toll-like receptor [(TLR)-3 ligand (poly(I:C)] and proinflammatory cytokines was examined. BECs composing extrahepatic bile ducts showing cholangitis expressed IL-32 in BA, but not in controls. Caspase 1 was expressed constantly on BECs of both BA and control subjects. Furthermore, poly(I:C) and proinflammatory cytokines [(IL-1β, interferon (IFN)-γ and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α] induced IL-32 expression strongly in cultured BECs, accompanying the constant expression of TLR-3 and caspase 1. Our results imply that the expression of IL-32 in BECs was found in the damaged bile ducts of BA and induced by biliary innate immunity via TLR-3 and proinflammatory cytokines. These findings suggest that IL-32 is involved initially in the pathogenic mechanisms of cholangitis in BA and also plays an important role in the amplification and continuance of periductal inflammatory reactions. It is therefore tempting to speculate that inhibitors of IL-32 could be useful for attenuating cholangitis in BA.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Okamura
- Department of Human Pathology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan
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14
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Abstract
Biliary atresia (BA) is an infantile obstructive cholangiopathy of unknown etiology with suboptimal therapy, which is responsible for 40 to 50% of all pediatric liver transplants. Although the etiology of bile duct injury in BA in unknown, it is postulated that a pre- or perinatal viral infection initiates cholangiocyte apoptosis and release of antigens that trigger a Th1 immune response that leads to further bile duct injury, inflammation, and obstructive fibrosis. Humoral immunity and activation of the innate immune system may also play key roles in this process. Moreover, recent investigations from the murine BA model and human data suggest that regulatory T cells and genetic susceptibility factors may orchestrate autoimmune mechanisms. What controls the coordination of these events, why the disease only occurs in the first few months of life, and why a minority of infants with perinatal viral infections develop BA are remaining questions to be answered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara L. Mack
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Digestive Health Institute, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Amy G. Feldman
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Digestive Health Institute, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Ronald J. Sokol
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Digestive Health Institute, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
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Detection of hepatotropic viruses has no impact on the prognosis after Kasai procedure. J Pediatr Surg 2012; 47:1828-32. [PMID: 23084192 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2012.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2011] [Revised: 04/02/2012] [Accepted: 04/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE A viral origin of biliary atresia (BA) is discussed, and several studies have demonstrated different viral strains in liver biopsies of patients undergoing Kasai portoenterostomy. We hypothesized that the presence of hepatotropic viruses in patients undergoing portoenterostomy contributes to the progression of the disease and negatively affect the outcome. METHODS Liver biopsies were prospectively taken from 70 patients undergoing portoenterostomy in our department from April 1996 to April 2004. Samples were screened by polymerase chain reaction for all common hepatic viruses. Primary outcome parameter was survival with the native liver. Secondary parameters were postoperative serum activity of liver enzymes and serum bilirubin levels at different time points. Patients underwent regular follow-up until October 2008. RESULTS Twenty-eight patients (40%) were positive for 1 or more hepatotropic viruses. Four patients were lost to follow-up. In the remaining 66 patients, there was no significant difference in survival with their native liver between virus-positive and virus-negative patients. After a mean follow-up of 7.7 years (range, 4.6-16.1 years), 15 (23%) of 66 patients still lived with their native liver. There was no difference in liver enzymes, C-reactive protein, or bilirubin at any time point between both groups. CONCLUSION A significant number of our patients tested positive for hepatotropic viruses in liver biopsies at the time of the Kasai procedure, but the presence of virus had no influence on the course of BA. This suggests that the ongoing inflammatory process of BA leading to liver cirrhosis in most Kasai-treated patients is not affected by hepatotropic viruses. Our data question the necessity to aggressively screen for and treat viral infections in patients with BA.
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Moreira RK, Cabral R, Cowles RA, Lobritto SJ. Biliary atresia: a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and management. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2012; 136:746-60. [PMID: 22742548 DOI: 10.5858/arpa.2011-0623-ra] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Biliary atresia is an inflammatory cholangiopathy of infancy that results in progressive fibrosis and obliteration of bile ducts and represents the main indication for liver transplant in young children. In spite of extensive investigation, its etiology has remained poorly understood. Timely surgical intervention (Kasai procedure) may result in significant benefit to these patients and represents the final goal of an accurate diagnostic evaluation. OBJECTIVE To present an overview of biliary atresia, including clinical and surgical approaches to this disease, with emphasis on the histopathologic evaluation. DATA SOURCES Review of relevant literature indexed in PubMed (US National Library of Medicine). CONCLUSION A well-coordinated multidisciplinary approach is required in the assessment of suspected cases of biliary atresia. Pathologic examination of biopsy specimens is an integral part of the diagnostic algorithm and, therefore, plays a pivotal role in the diagnostic evaluation of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger Klein Moreira
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, USA.
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17
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Abstract
The cause of biliary atresia is unknown; in the past few decades, the majority of investigations related to its pathogenesis have centered on viral infections and immunity. The acquired or perinatal form of biliary atresia entails a progressive inflammatory injury of bile ducts, leading to fibrosis and obliteration of both the extrahepatic and intrahepatic bile ducts. Theories of pathogenesis include viral infection, chronic inflammatory or autoimmune-mediated bile duct injury, and abnormalities in bile duct development. This review will focus solely on human studies pertaining to a potential viral trigger of bile duct injury at diagnosis and provide insight into the interplay of the innate and adaptive immune responses in the pathogenesis of disease.
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18
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Brindley SM, Lanham AM, Karrer FM, Tucker RM, Fontenot AP, Mack CL. Cytomegalovirus-specific T-cell reactivity in biliary atresia at the time of diagnosis is associated with deficits in regulatory T cells. Hepatology 2012; 55:1130-8. [PMID: 22105891 PMCID: PMC3319336 DOI: 10.1002/hep.24807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Biliary atresia (BA) is a progressive, inflammatory cholangiopathy that culminates in fibrosis of extrahepatic and intrahepatic bile ducts. A leading theory on the pathogenesis of BA is that the bile duct damage is initiated by a virus infection, followed by a bile duct-targeted autoimmune response. One mechanism of autoimmunity entails a diminished number or function of regulatory T cells (Tregs). The aim of this study was to identify potential virus-specific liver T cells from infants with BA at the time of diagnosis, implicating the virus involved in early bile duct damage. A subaim was to determine if the presence of virus infection was associated with quantitative changes in Tregs. Liver T cells from BA and control patients were cultured with antigen-presenting cells in the presence of a variety of viral or control proteins. 56% of BA patients had significant increases in interferon-gamma-producing liver T cells in response to cytomegalovirus (CMV), compared with minimal BA responses to other viruses or the control group CMV response. In addition, a positive correlation between BA plasma CMV immunoglobulin M (IgM) and liver T-cell CMV reactivity was identified. Investigation of peripheral blood Tregs revealed significant deficits in Treg frequencies in BA compared with controls, with marked deficits in those BA patients who were positive for CMV. CONCLUSION Liver T-cell responses to CMV were identified in the majority of BA patients at diagnosis, suggesting perinatal CMV infection as a plausible initiator of bile duct damage. Deficiency of Tregs in BA implies decreased inhibition of inflammation and autoreactivity, potentially allowing for exaggerated bile duct injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M. Brindley
- Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Allison M. Lanham
- Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Frederick M. Karrer
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, Digestive Health Institute, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Rebecca M. Tucker
- Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Andrew P. Fontenot
- Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Cara L. Mack
- Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado,Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, Digestive Health Institute, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
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19
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Extrahepatische Gallenwegserkrankungen im Säuglingsalter. Monatsschr Kinderheilkd 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00112-010-2364-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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21
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Biliary innate immunity: function and modulation. Mediators Inflamm 2010; 2010. [PMID: 20798866 PMCID: PMC2926654 DOI: 10.1155/2010/373878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2009] [Accepted: 06/22/2010] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Biliary innate immunity is involved in the pathogenesis of cholangiopathies in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and biliary atresia. Biliary epithelial cells possess an innate immune system consisting of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family and recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Tolerance to bacterial PAMPs such as lipopolysaccharides is also important to maintain homeostasis in the biliary tree, but tolerance to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is not found. In PBC, CD4-positive Th17 cells characterized by the secretion of IL-17 are implicated in the chronic inflammation of bile ducts and the presence of Th17 cells around bile ducts is causally associated with the biliary innate immune responses to PAMPs. Moreover, a negative regulator of intracellular TLR signaling, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), is involved in the pathogenesis of cholangitis. Immunosuppression using PPARγ ligands may help to attenuate the bile duct damage in PBC patients. In biliary atresia characterized by a progressive, inflammatory, and sclerosing cholangiopathy, dsRNA viruses are speculated to be an etiological agent and to directly induce enhanced biliary apoptosis via the expression of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). Moreover, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of biliary epithelial cells is also evoked by the biliary innate immune response to dsRNA.
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22
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Mieli-Vergani G, Vergani D. Biliary atresia. Semin Immunopathol 2009; 31:371-81. [PMID: 19533128 DOI: 10.1007/s00281-009-0171-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2009] [Accepted: 06/01/2009] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Biliary atresia (BA) is a condition unique to infancy. It results from inflammatory destruction of the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts. It is the most frequent surgically correctable liver disorder in infancy and the most frequent indication for liver transplantation in paediatric age. Clinical presentation is in the first few weeks of life with conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia (dark urine and pale stools); other manifestations of liver disease, such as failure to thrive, splenomegaly and ascites, appear only later, when surgery is unlikely to be successful. Hence, all infants with conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia must be urgently referred to specialised centres for appropriate treatment. Success of surgery depends on the age at which it is performed. With corrective surgery, followed, when necessary, by liver transplantation, the overall survival rate is approximately 90%. The cause of BA is unknown, but there is evidence for the involvement of infectious, genetic and immunologic mechanisms, which will be discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgina Mieli-Vergani
- Paediatric Liver Centre, Institute of Liver Studies, King's College London School of Medicine, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 9RS, UK.
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23
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Harada K, Sato Y, Ikeda H, Isse K, Ozaki S, Enomae M, Ohama K, Katayanagi K, Kurumaya H, Matsui A, Nakanuma Y. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition induced by biliary innate immunity contributes to the sclerosing cholangiopathy of biliary atresia. J Pathol 2009; 217:654-64. [PMID: 19116990 DOI: 10.1002/path.2488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Infections of Reoviridae consisting of a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) genome and the biliary innate immune response to dsRNA are implicated in the aetiopathogenesis of biliary atresia (BA). Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has recently been proposed as a mechanism behind the sclerosing cholangitis in BA. We hypothesized that the innate immune response to dsRNA in biliary epithelial cells plays an important role in peribiliary fibrosis via biliary EMT. Experiments using cultured human biliary epithelial cells revealed that stimulation with poly(I : C) (a synthetic analogue of viral dsRNA) increased the expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF, an EMT-inducer), S100A4 (a mesenchymal marker) and Snail (a transcriptional factor), and decreased that of epithelial markers (biliary-type cytokeratin 19 and E-cadherin) and Bambi (TGF-beta1 pseudoreceptor). The expression of TGF-beta1 (EMT-inducer) and vimentin (a mesenchymal marker) was not affected by poly(I : C). Both EMT-inducers, bFGF and TGF-beta1, evoked a decrease and increase in the expression of the epithelial markers and of vimentin respectively, and the expression of Bambi was down-regulated on stimulation with bFGF. Combined treatment with bFGF and TGF-beta1 quickly and completely induced a transformation of morphology as well as change from epithelial to mesenchymal features in cultured biliary epithelial cells. Immunohistochemistry revealed that biliary epithelial cells lining extrahepatic bile ducts and peribiliary glands in BA frequently show a lack of epithelial markers and an aberrant expression of vimentin. Moreover, the biliary epithelium showing sclerosing cholangitis expressed bFGF accompanied by bFGF-positive mononuclear cells. In conclusion, the EMT may contribute to the histogenesis of sclerosing cholangiopathy, and the biliary innate immune response to dsRNA viruses induces biliary epithelial cells to undergo EMT via the production of bFGF and the increased susceptibility to TGF-beta1 caused by the down-regulation of Bambi expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenichi Harada
- Department of Human Pathology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan
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Rauschenfels S, Krassmann M, Al-Masri AN, Verhagen W, Leonhardt J, Kuebler JF, Petersen C. Incidence of hepatotropic viruses in biliary atresia. Eur J Pediatr 2009; 168:469-76. [PMID: 18560888 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-008-0774-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2007] [Accepted: 05/21/2008] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Biliary atresia (BA) is the most frequent indication for paediatric liver transplantation. We tested the hypothesis of a viral aetiology of this disease by screening liver samples of a large number of BA patients for the common human hepatotropic viruses. Moreover, we correlated our findings to the expression of Mx protein, which has been shown to be significantly up-regulated during viral infections. Seventy-four liver biopsies (taken during Kasai portoenterostomy) were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for DNA viruses (herpes simplex virus [HSV], Epstein-Barr virus [EBV], varicella zoster virus [VZV], cytomegalovirus [CMV], adenovirus, parvovirus B19 and polyoma BK) and RNA viruses (enteroviruses, rotavirus and reovirus 3). Mx protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Virus DNA/RNA was found in less than half of the biopsies (8/74 CMV, 1/74 adenovirus; 21/64 reovirus, 1/64 enterovirus). A limited number presented with double infection. Patients that had detectable viral RNA/DNA in their liver biopsies were significantly older than virus-free patients (P = 0.037). The majority (54/59) of the liver biopsies showed expression of Mx proteins in hepatocytes, bile ducts and epithelium. Our data suggest that the known hepatotropic viruses do not play a major role in the aetiology and progression of BA. Their incidence appears to be, rather, a secondary phenomenon. Nonetheless, the inflammatory response in the livers of BA patients mimics that observed during viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Rauschenfels
- Department of Pediatric Kidney and Liver Diseases and Metabolic Disorders, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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25
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Upstream stimulatory factor 2 is implicated in the progression of biliary atresia by regulation of hepcidin expression. J Pediatr Surg 2008; 43:2016-23. [PMID: 18970934 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2008.03.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2008] [Revised: 03/12/2008] [Accepted: 03/12/2008] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepcidin is downregulated during the progression of biliary atresia (BA), but the mechanism is still unknown. METHODS We analyzed single nucleotide polymorphism of rs7251432 and 916145 within hepcidin and its upstream, USF2 gene, respectively, in 52 patients of BA and 96 healthy controls. Liver tissues were obtained from 10 patients with early and late stage of BA, 10 patients with choledochal cyst, and 4 normal controls to study upstream stimulatory factor 2 (USF2) messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expressions. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and USF2-specific short interference RNA (siRNA) were used in human HepG2 cells to show that USF2 can regulate hepcidin expression. RESULTS C and CC allele frequencies of rs916145 of USF2 were significantly higher in patients with BA than in healthy controls. There was also significantly higher USF2 protein nuclear translocation in the early stage of BA than in the late stage, which was compatible with higher hepcidin mRNA expression in the early stage of BA. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated physiologic bindings of USF2 to the hepcidin promoter in HepG2 cells. USF2 siRNA also significantly knocked down hepcidin mRNA expression. CONCLUSION The study demonstrates that C allele of rs916145 in USF2 gene has more frequency for developing BA, and decreased USF2 protein nuclear translocation might partly play a role in the decreased hepcidin expression in the cholestatic liver injury of the late stage of BA.
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Abstract
Extrahepatic biliary atresia (EHBA), an inflammatory sclerosing cholangiopathy, is the leading indication for liver transplantation in children. The cause is still unknown, although possible infectious, genetic, and immunologic etiologies have received much recent focus. These theories are often dependent on each other for secondary or coexisting mechanisms. Concern for EHBA is raised by a cholestatic infant, but the differential diagnosis is large and the path to diagnosis remains varied. Current treatment is surgical with an overall survival rate of approximately 90%. The goals of this article are to review the important clinical aspects of EHBA and to highlight some of the more recent scientific and clinical developments contributing to our understanding of this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikelle D. Bassett
- Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children’s Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
| | - Karen F. Murray
- Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Seattle Children’s Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
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27
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Abstract
Biliary atresia (BA) is the most frequent indication for paediatric liver transplantation. We tested the hypothesis of a viral aetiology of this disease by screening liver samples of a large number of BA patients for the common human hepatotropic viruses. Moreover, we correlated our findings to the expression of Mx protein, which has been shown to be significantly up-regulated during viral infections. Seventy-four liver biopsies (taken during Kasai portoenterostomy) were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for DNA viruses (herpes simplex virus [HSV], Epstein-Barr virus [EBV], varicella zoster virus [VZV], cytomegalovirus [CMV], adenovirus, parvovirus B19 and polyoma BK) and RNA viruses (enteroviruses, rotavirus and reovirus 3). Mx protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Virus DNA/RNA was found in less than half of the biopsies (8/74 CMV, 1/74 adenovirus; 21/64 reovirus, 1/64 enterovirus). A limited number presented with double infection. Patients that had detectable viral RNA/DNA in their liver biopsies were significantly older than virus-free patients (P = 0.037). The majority (54/59) of the liver biopsies showed expression of Mx proteins in hepatocytes, bile ducts and epithelium. Our data suggest that the known hepatotropic viruses do not play a major role in the aetiology and progression of BA. Their incidence appears to be, rather, a secondary phenomenon. Nonetheless, the inflammatory response in the livers of BA patients mimics that observed during viral infections.
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28
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Harada K, Sato Y, Isse K, Ikeda H, Nakanuma Y. Induction of innate immune response and absence of subsequent tolerance to dsRNA in biliary epithelial cells relate to the pathogenesis of biliary atresia. Liver Int 2008; 28:614-21. [PMID: 18433391 DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-3231.2008.01740.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS Biliary epithelial cells (BECs) possess negative regulatory mechanisms of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-based tolerance to bacteria (e.g. endotoxin tolerance). Viral infections of the Reoviridae genus with a dsRNA genome are suspected to be part of the aetiology of biliary atresia (BA), but the negative biliary mechanisms remain unexplored. METHODS Cultured human intrahepatic BECs (HIBECs) pretreated with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)] (a synthetic analogue of viral dsRNA) for 24 h were exposed to poly(I:C) in fresh medium. The activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and the expression of myxovirus resistance protein A (MxA) and tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) mRNAs were evaluated. Moreover, after the pretreatment, the transition of these molecules was examined in poly(I:C)-free conditions. RESULTS Treatment with poly(I:C) significantly upregulated NF-kappaB activity in fresh HIBECs, and pretreatment failed to show tolerance to poly(I:C). The production of MxA and TRAIL was also preserved. Moreover, upregulation in the pretreated HIBECs was well preserved in poly(I:C)-free medium for at least 72 h. CONCLUSIONS BECs fail to show tolerance to poly(I:C), and once innate immunity is activated it is sustained in poly(I:C)-free conditions, suggesting that the initiation of the immune response to dsRNA in HIBECs and its presence after the clearance of virus are closely associated with the progression of BA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenichi Harada
- Department of Human Pathology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan
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30
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Harada K, Sato Y, Itatsu K, Isse K, Ikeda H, Yasoshima M, Zen Y, Matsui A, Nakanuma Y. Innate immune response to double-stranded RNA in biliary epithelial cells is associated with the pathogenesis of biliary atresia. Hepatology 2007; 46:1146-54. [PMID: 17661372 DOI: 10.1002/hep.21797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Infections of Reoviridae consisting of a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) genome are a possible cause of biliary atresia (BA). The aim of the present study is to clarify the pathophysiological function of dsRNA viruses in the pathogenesis of BA. The expression of dsRNA pattern-recognizing receptors, Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), retinoic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I), melanoma differentiation-associated gene-5 (MDA-5), and dsRNA-activated protein kinase R (PKR) was constitutively detected in cultured human biliary epithelial cells (BECs). Stimulation with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C), a synthetic analog of viral dsRNA] induced the activation of transcription factors [nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3)] and the production of interferon-beta1 (IFN-beta1) and MxA as potent antiviral responses. Moreover, poly(I:C) up-regulated the expression of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), and both poly(I:C) and TRAIL reduced the viability of cultured human BECs by enhancing apoptosis. Experiments in vivo using tissue sections of extrahepatic bile ducts from patients with BA and controls (choledochal cysts and nonbiliary diseases) showed that the activation of NF-kappaB, interferon regulatory factor-3 (IRF-3), and PKR, and the enhancement of TRAIL and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-positive apoptosis were significant in BA, although extrahepatic bile ducts diffusely and constantly expressed TLR3 in all diseases. CONCLUSION dsRNA viruses could directly induce the expression of TRAIL and apoptosis in human biliary epithelial cells as a result of the biliary innate immune response, supporting the notion that Reoviridae infections are directly associated with the pathogenesis of cholangiopathies in cases of BA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenichi Harada
- Department of Human Pathology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan
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31
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Angel J, Franco MA, Greenberg HB. Rotavirus vaccines: recent developments and future considerations. Nat Rev Microbiol 2007; 5:529-39. [PMID: 17571094 DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro1692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Two new vaccines have recently been shown to be safe and effective in protecting young children against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis. Although both vaccines are now marketed worldwide, it is likely that improvements to these vaccines and/or the development of future generations of rotavirus vaccines will be desirable. This Review addresses recent advances in our knowledge of rotavirus, the host immune response to rotavirus infection and the efficacy and safety of the new vaccines that will be helpful for improving the existing rotavirus vaccines, or developing new rotavirus vaccines in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juana Angel
- Instituto de Genética Humana, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Carrera 7, 40-62, Bogotá, Colombia.
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32
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Abstract
Biliary atresia is a mystifying cause of neonatal cholestasis, manifested by progressive inflammation and fibrosis of both the extrahepatic and intrahepatic bile ducts. It is a devastating disease that leads to cirrhosis and the need for liver transplantation in the majority of children. The etiology is unknown, and one theory is that it may involve a primary perinatal hepatobiliary viral infection and a secondary generation of an autoimmune-mediated bile duct injury. This review will outline the evidence from both human and murine studies supporting a potential cholangiotropic viral infection as the initiator of bile duct injury in biliary atresia and the role of the adaptive immune response and autoimmunity in progression of disease. Delineating the pathways of immune and autoimmune-mediated bile duct injury within biliary atresia could stimulate development of new medical interventions aimed at suppressing the specific immune response, decreasing the inflammatory damage to bile ducts, and delaying or negating the need for liver transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara L Mack
- Pediatric Liver Center and Liver Transplant Program, Section of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The Children's Hospital, University of Colorado at Denver-Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado 80218, USA
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33
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Sokol RJ, Shepherd RW, Superina R, Bezerra JA, Robuck P, Hoofnagle JH. Screening and outcomes in biliary atresia: summary of a National Institutes of Health workshop. Hepatology 2007; 46:566-81. [PMID: 17661405 PMCID: PMC3888317 DOI: 10.1002/hep.21790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Biliary atresia is the most common cause of end-stage liver disease in the infant and is the leading pediatric indication for liver transplantation in the United States. Earlier diagnosis (<30-45 days of life) is associated with improved outcomes following the Kasai portoenterostomy and longer survival with the native liver. However, establishing this diagnosis is problematic because of its rarity, the much more common indirect hyperbilirubinemia that occurs in the newborn period, and the schedule for routine infant health care visits in the United States. The pathogenesis of biliary atresia appears to involve immune-mediated fibro-obliteration of the extrahepatic and intrahepatic biliary tree in most patients and defective morphogenesis of the biliary system in the remainder. The determinants of the outcome of portoenterostomy include the age at surgery, the center's experience, the presence of associated congenital anomalies, and the postoperative occurrence of cholangitis. A number of screening strategies in infants have been studied. The most promising are early measurements of serum conjugated bilirubin and a stool color card given to new parents that alerts them and their primary care provider to alcholic stools. This report summarizes a National Institutes of Health workshop held on September 12 and 13, 2006, in Bethesda, MD, that addressed the issues of outcomes, screening, and pathogenesis of biliary atresia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald J Sokol
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, The Children's Hospital, Denver, CO, USA.
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Abe K, Kiuchi T, Tanaka K, Edamoto Y, Aiba N, Sata T. Characterization of erythrovirus B19 genomes isolated in liver tissues from patients with fulminant hepatitis and biliary atresia who underwent liver transplantation. Int J Med Sci 2007; 4:105-9. [PMID: 17479159 PMCID: PMC1852398 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.4.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2007] [Accepted: 04/05/2007] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fulminant hepatitis and biliary atresia are serious problems and their causes have not been explained well. We investigated whether or not erythrovirus B19 is a candidate etiologic agent in such liver disease patients who had undergone liver transplantation. METHODS Liver tissues from 47 patients consisted of 28 fulminant hepatitis and 19 biliary atresia were examined to detect B19 genes by PCR and further analyzed their genomic characterization. RESULTS B19 DNA was detected by nested PCR in 10 of 28 cases (35.7%) livers in the fulminant hepatitis group and 7 of 19 (36.8%) livers in the biliary atresia group, respectively (statistically not significant). Importantly, among the 8 hepatic B19 DNA-positive patients who had paired samples of liver and serum, the serum B19 genome was detectable in only one case. B19 mRNA was identified in all of 10 fulminant hepatitis cases with hepatic B19 DNA, but only 1 out of 7 (14.3%) cases in biliary atresia tested. Furthermore, we obtained ten isolates having the B19 genome with nearly full-length sequences. Interestingly, phylogenetic analysis based on the NS1 gene revealed three different clusters: two for isolates from fulminant hepatitis and the other for isolates from biliary atresia. CONCLUSIONS Our results presented here suggested that B19 may be an etiologic agent of fulminant hepatitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Abe
- Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
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Huang YH, Chou MH, Du YY, Huang CC, Wu CL, Chen CL, Chuang JH. Expression of toll-like receptors and type 1 interferon specific protein MxA in biliary atresia. J Transl Med 2007; 87:66-74. [PMID: 17075576 DOI: 10.1038/labinvest.3700490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Viral infection and type I interferon have been implicated in the pathogenesis of biliary atresia (BA), but the expression of toll-like receptors (TLRs) that recognize viruses, as well as of type 1 interferon specific signaling molecules are still unknown in BA. Fresh liver tissues were obtained from patients in early and late stage of BA and from patients with choledochal cyst (CC), as well as from normal controls receiving liver resection for benign lesion other than cholestasis or fibrosis. Archived liver tissues from patients with neonatal hepatitis (NH) were obtained for immunohistochemical studies. TLR2, 3, 4, 7 and 9 that recognized Gram-positive bacteria, double-stranded RNA virus, lipopolysaccharide, single-stranded RNA virus and DNA virus, respectively, were studied. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) was used to quantitate TLR, type I interferon specific molecule MxA, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 mRNA expression and immunohistochemistry for TLR 7 and MxA protein staining. These results show that there were significantly higher TLR7 and lower TLR3 and TLR9 mRNA expression in early stage of BA than in CC. MxA mRNA expression was also significantly higher in early stage of BA and in CC than in late stage of BA. Immunoreactive TLR7 and MxA staining was higher in early stage of BA than in late stage of BA, NH and CC, which was associated with significantly higher IL-8 mRNA expression in BA than in CC. The results implicate involvement of TLRs, particularly TLR7, and type 1 specific interferon signaling in the pathogenesis of BA, especially in early stage, which is associated with upregulation of inflammatory cytokines IL-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Hsien Huang
- Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Kaohsiung Medical Center and the Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC
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The NS, Honein MA, Caton AR, Moore CA, Siega-Riz AM, Druschel CM. Risk factors for isolated biliary atresia, National Birth Defects Prevention Study, 1997–2002. Am J Med Genet A 2007; 143A:2274-84. [PMID: 17726689 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.31926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Biliary atresia is a rare birth defect that affects 1 in 12,000 to 1 in 19,500 live births. We used data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, a multistate case-control study, to identify potential risk factors for isolated biliary atresia (no additional unrelated major birth defects diagnosed). Infants were identified from eight states from 1997 to 2002, with clinical information abstracted from medical records. Potential risk factors assessed include: demographic factors, seasonality, preterm birth, maternal smoking, maternal alcohol use, maternal illicit drug use, maternal health, maternal medication use, maternal vitamin use, and maternal nutrition. Infants of non-Hispanic black mothers were more likely to have biliary atresia than infants of non-Hispanic white mothers (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-4.93) and infants conceived during the spring season were more likely to have biliary atresia than infants conceived in winter (aOR = 2.33, 95%CI 1.05-5.16). Low intakes of vitamin E, copper, phosphorus, and beta tocopherol were associated with the occurrence of isolated biliary atresia (borderline significance). Low iron intake had a borderline inverse association with biliary atresia. While this analysis provides support for previous reports of a possible association between seasonal variation and the occurrence of biliary atresia, more data are needed to evaluate whether the seasonal variation is related to infectious agents. The role of nutrients in the development of biliary atresia remains unclear. Further studies of genetic, infectious, and nutrient exposures and the association of biliary atresia are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie S The
- National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA
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Allen SR, Jafri M, Donnelly B, McNeal M, Witte D, Bezerra J, Ward R, Tiao GM. Effect of rotavirus strain on the murine model of biliary atresia. J Virol 2006; 81:1671-9. [PMID: 17121809 PMCID: PMC1797562 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02094-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Biliary atresia is a devastating disorder of the newborn in which afflicted infants develop inflammation and fibrosis of the extrahepatic biliary tract, resulting in cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. Infection with a virus is thought to be a contributing factor in the etiology of biliary atresia. In the murine model of biliary atresia, perinatal exposure to rhesus rotavirus (RRV) results in biliary epithelial cell infection causing bile duct obstruction. The purpose of this study was to determine if tropism for the biliary epithelial cell was unique to RRV. Newborn mice underwent intraperitoneal injection with five strains of rotavirus: RRV (simian), SA11-FM (simian/bovine), SA11-SM (simian), EDIM (murine), and Wa (human). RRV and SA11-FM caused clinical manifestations of bile duct obstruction and high mortality. SA11-SM caused clinical signs of hepatobiliary injury but the mortality was markedly reduced. EDIM and Wa caused no sign of hepatobiliary disease. The systemic and temporal distribution of viral protein and live virus varied according to the injected strain. Immunohistochemistry revealed that RRV and SA11-FM targeted the biliary epithelial cells. In contrast, SA11-SM was found in the liver but in not in the biliary epithelium. These results indicate that strain-specific characteristics dictate tropism for cells of hepatobiliary origin which in turn impact the ability to induce the murine model of biliary atresia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven R Allen
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 2923, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
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Abstract
Biliary atresia (BA) is a rare disease characterised by a biliary obstruction of unknown origin that presents in the neonatal period. It is the most frequent surgical cause of cholestatic jaundice in this age group. BA occurs in approximately 1/18,000 live births in Western Europe. In the world, the reported incidence varies from 5/100,000 to 32/100,000 live births, and is highest in Asia and the Pacific region. Females are affected slightly more often than males. The common histopathological picture is one of inflammatory damage to the intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts with sclerosis and narrowing or even obliteration of the biliary tree. Untreated, this condition leads to cirrhosis and death within the first years of life. BA is not known to be a hereditary condition. No primary medical treatment is relevant for the management of BA. Once BA suspected, surgical intervention (Kasai portoenterostomy) should be performed as soon as possible as operations performed early in life is more likely to be successful. Liver transplantation may be needed later if the Kasai operation fails to restore the biliary flow or if cirrhotic complications occur. At present, approximately 90% of BA patients survive and the majority have normal quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Chardot
- Service de chirurgie pédiatrique, Hôpital Cantonal Universitaire de Genève, Rue Willi Donzé 6, CH 1205 Geneve, Switzerland.
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Al-Masri AN, Flemming P, Rodeck B, Melter M, Leonhardt J, Petersen C. Expression of the interferon-induced Mx proteins in biliary atresia. J Pediatr Surg 2006; 41:1139-43. [PMID: 16769349 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2006.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Biliary atresia (BA) is a rare disease of the newborn for which the Kasai procedure is curative only for a few of the patients. The dilemma is that all therapeutic attempts to cure the disease are symptomatic because the etiology is still unclear. One theory suggests a progressive inflammatory process, possibly induced by a viral infection. The aim of the present study was to investigate the activity of type I interferons (IFNs) in the livers of patients with BA. Mx proteins, which mediate an early innate immune response, are a very sensitive marker for type I IFN activity (eg, to viral infection). Liver biopsies were taken during the Kasai procedure from 13 newborns with BA who were serologically negative for hepatotropic viruses. Age-matched controls originated from 7 patients with neonatal cholestasis (eg, inspissated bile syndrome), 3 aborted fetuses, and a 10-year-old child. The immunostaining procedure (alkaline phosphatase anti-alkaline phosphatase) was performed with Mx-specific monoclonal antibody. Immunostaining for Mx proteins was positive in the hepatocytes of all newborns with BA, whereas the intrahepatic bile ducts were positive in all but one. In the control group, 8 of 11 liver samples were Mx-negative. This is the first study dealing with the detection of type I IFN activity in the liver of patients with BA. This observation supports the etiologic consideration of type I IFN-mediated immune response. Although positive findings of viruses in patients with BA are still inconsistent, the present study retraces the progressive inflammatory process in BA one more step toward its beginning.
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Huang YH, Yu-Hsieh H, Huang CC, Shin-Mu VT, Tai MH, Chen CL, Chuang JH. Liver hepcidin and stainable iron expression in biliary atresia. Pediatr Res 2006; 59:662-6. [PMID: 16627878 DOI: 10.1203/01.pdr.0000214974.55049.f1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Hepcidin is a proposed mammalian host defense peptide that was identified on the basis of its antimicrobial activity, but it was later shown to be a crucial regulator of iron homeostasis and a mediator of the anemia of chronic inflammation. Hepcidin and stainable iron expression in biliary atresia (BA) were investigated in this study. Fresh liver tissues were obtained from 10 patients in the early stage of BA when they underwent Kasai's procedure, 9 in the late stage of BA when they received liver transplantation and 5 controls receiving liver resection for benign lesions other than cholestasis or fibrosis. Real-time quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (QRT-PCR), immunohistochemical staining and ELISA were performed to gauge hepcidin mRNA and protein expression in liver and plasma. Archival liver specimens from patients in the early and late stages of BA were treated with Perls' acid ferrocyanide technique for hepatic stainable iron. The results demonstrated that liver hepcidin mRNA expression was 100-fold lower in late-stage BA than in the early stage by QRT-PCR. Significantly weaker liver hepcidin immunostaining and lower plasma hepcidin levels were found in late-stage BA than in the early stage. There was also significantly lower stainable iron in the liver of late-stage BA. The major site of stainable iron was in Kupffer cells. The results support a role for hepcidin as a key regulator of mammalian iron metabolism and chronic inflammation, whose expression correlates with the degree of stainable iron in BA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Hsien Huang
- Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 833, ROC
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De Tommaso AMA, Andrade PD, Costa SCB, Escanhoela CAF, Hessel G. High frequency of human cytomegalovirus DNA in the liver of infants with extrahepatic neonatal cholestasis. BMC Infect Dis 2005; 5:108. [PMID: 16321152 PMCID: PMC1315325 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-5-108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2005] [Accepted: 12/01/2005] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Biliary atresia (BA) is the most severe hepatic disorder in newborns and its etiopathogenesis remains unknown. Viral involvement has been proposed, including the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). The aims of the study were to use the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to screen the liver tissue of infants with extrahepatic cholestasis for HCMV and to correlate the results with serological antibodies against HCMV and histological findings. Methods A retrospective study in a tertiary care setting included 35 patients (31 BA, 1 BA associated with a choledochal cyst, 2 congenital stenosis of the distal common bile duct and 1 hepatic cyst). HCMV serology was determined by ELISA. Liver and porta hepatis were examined histologically. Liver samples from infants and a control group were screened for HCMV DNA. Results Twelve patients had HCMV negative serology, 9 were positive for IgG antibodies and 14 were positive for IgG and IgM. Nine liver and seven porta hepatis samples were positive for HCMV DNA but none of the control group were positive (general frequency of positivity was 34.3% – 12/35). There was no correlation between HCMV positivity by PCR and the histological findings. The accuracy of serology for detecting HCMV antibodies was low. Conclusion These results indicate an elevated frequency of HCMV in pediatric patients with extrahepatic neonatal cholestasis. They also show the low accuracy of serological tests for detecting active HCMV infection and the lack of correlation between HCMV positivity by PCR and the histopathological changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana MA De Tommaso
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas-SP, Brazil
| | - Paula D Andrade
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas-SP, Brazil
| | - Sandra CB Costa
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas-SP, Brazil
| | - Cecília AF Escanhoela
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas-SP, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Hessel
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas-SP, Brazil
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Abstract
Biliary atresia is the most common cause of neonatal cholestasis and the leading indication for pediatric liver transplantation worldwide. The disease is caused by a progressive inflammatory and fibrosing obliteration of the extrahepatic bile ducts. Although the cause of this obstruction is largely unknown, patient-based studies have identified environmental and genetic factors that may interact and orchestrate disease pathogenesis. Chief among these factors are infectious and immunologic processes. While infectious agents have varied in different patient populations, studies of liver specimens at different phases of disease point to a pro-inflammatory commitment of lymphocytes at the time of diagnosis, and to their potential role in regulating bile duct obstruction. A review of these studies is the focus of this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge A Bezerra
- Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, OH 45229, USA.
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Shih HH, Lin TM, Chuang JH, Eng HL, Juo SHH, Huang FC, Chen CL, Chen HL. Promoter polymorphism of the CD14 endotoxin receptor gene is associated with biliary atresia and idiopathic neonatal cholestasis. Pediatrics 2005; 116:437-41. [PMID: 16061600 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2004-1900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter regions of endotoxin-responsive genes CD14 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are associated with biliary atresia (BA) and idiopathic neonatal cholestasis (INC). METHODS We obtained genomic DNA from 90 patients with established diagnosis of BA and 28 patients with INC. Forty-two adult patients with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis and 143 healthy children served as control populations. The genotypes of CD14/C(-159)T and TNF-alpha/G(-308)A (G allele, TNF*1; A allele, TNF*2) were determined by using a restriction enzyme-based assay. Plasma soluble CD14 levels were determined in different disease stages and genotypes of BA. RESULTS The frequencies of T allele and T/T homozygosity of the CD14/-159 promoter polymorphism were significantly higher in patients with BA (T allele: 61.7%; T/T genotype: 42.2%) and in patients with INC (T allele: 67.9%; T/T genotype: 53.6%) but not in control populations. Decrease of plasma soluble CD14 from the early stage of BA when the patients received a Kasai operation to the late stage of liver cirrhosis was observed in carriers of the T/T and T/C genotypes but not in carriers of the C/C genotype. The TNF-alpha/-308 promoter polymorphisms (TNF*1 and TNF*2) were not associated with BA. CONCLUSION These findings show that the single-nucleotide polymorphism at CD14/-159 is associated with the development of BA and INC. Endotoxin susceptibility may play a role in the pathogenesis of infantile cholestasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiang-Hung Shih
- Department of Pediatrics, Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital at Chiayi, Pu-Tz City, Chiayi Hsien, Taiwan
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Mack CL, Tucker RM, Sokol RJ, Kotzin BL. Armed CD4+ Th1 effector cells and activated macrophages participate in bile duct injury in murine biliary atresia. Clin Immunol 2005; 115:200-9. [PMID: 15885644 PMCID: PMC1950158 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2005.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2004] [Revised: 01/11/2005] [Accepted: 01/27/2005] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Biliary atresia (BA) is an inflammatory cholangiopathy of infancy. A proposed mechanism regarding the pathogenesis of BA is that of a virus-induced, immune-mediated injury to bile ducts. The rotavirus (RRV)-induced murine model of BA was utilized to determine the hepatic inflammatory response related to ductal obstruction and if the immune response recapitulated human BA. One week after infection, there was a significant increase in liver CD4(+) T cells producing IFN-gamma and in macrophages producing TNF-alpha. The intrahepatic pattern of inflammation evolved rapidly from an initial predominant CD4(+) Th1 cellular response to a subsequent influx of activated macrophages producing TNF-alpha and iNOS. This immune response persisted despite viral clearance and was representative of the hepatic immune profile present in human BA. Utilization of the murine model of BA yielded mechanistic data that can provide much needed insight into the role played by different arms of the immune system related to the pathogenesis of human BA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara L Mack
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, The Children's Hospital, 1056 East 19th Avenue B290, Denver, CO 80218, USA.
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Abstract
Biliary atresia (BA) is the most common and important neonatal hepatobiliary disorder. Because current treatment is inadequate, there is an urgent need to better understand the etiology and pathogenesis of BA. Two major forms of BA are recognized: an embryonic form associated with other congenital anomalies and a perinatal form in which bile ducts were presumably formed normally but underwent fibro-obliteration in the perinatal period. There are currently several proposed pathogenic pathways leading to the phenotype of BA, including an immune or autoimmune response to a perinatal insult (e.g. cholangiotropic viral infection) and dysregulated embryonic development of the extra- or intrahepatic biliary system. Recent advances in developmental biology, genomics and genetics, and cell immunology and biology, coupled with the development of appropriate animal models, have provided support for these postulated mechanisms. Future investigations combining animal model work and evaluation of clinical specimens holds the promise of identifying the etiology of BA and providing a scientific basis for treatment and preventative interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara L Mack
- Pediatric Liver Center and Liver Transplantation Program, Section of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine and The Children's Hospital, Denver 80218, USA
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Davenport M. A challenge on the use of the words embryonic and perinatal in the context of biliary atresia. Hepatology 2005; 41:403-4; author reply 404-5. [PMID: 15660430 DOI: 10.1002/hep.20549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
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Mack CL, Tucker RM, Sokol RJ, Karrer FM, Kotzin BL, Whitington PF, Miller SD. Biliary atresia is associated with CD4+ Th1 cell-mediated portal tract inflammation. Pediatr Res 2004; 56:79-87. [PMID: 15128911 PMCID: PMC1948976 DOI: 10.1203/01.pdr.0000130480.51066.fb] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
A proposed mechanism in the pathogenesis of biliary atresia involves an initial virus-induced, progressive T cell-mediated inflammatory obliteration of bile ducts. The aim of this study was to characterize the inflammatory environment present within the liver of infants with biliary atresia to gain insight into the role of a primary immune-mediated process versus a nonspecific secondary response to biliary obstruction. Frozen liver tissue obtained from patients with biliary atresia, neonatal giant cell hepatitis, total parenteral nutrition (TPN)-related cholestasis, choledochal cysts, and normal control subjects was used for fluorescent immunohistochemistry studies of cellular infiltrates, cytokine mRNA expression, and in situ hybridization for localization of cytokine-producing cells. Immunohistochemistry revealed increases in CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cells and Kupffer cells (CD68(+)) in the portal tracts of biliary atresia. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis of biliary atresia tissue showed a Th1-type cytokine profile with expression of IL-2, interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and IL-12. This profile was not seen in normal, neonatal hepatitis or choledochal cyst livers but was present in TPN-related cholestasis. In situ hybridization revealed that the Th1 cytokine-producing cells were located in the portal tracts in biliary atresia and in the parenchyma of TPN-related cholestasis. A distinctive portal tract inflammatory environment is present in biliary atresia, involving CD4(+) Th1 cell-mediated immunity. The absence of similar inflammation in other pediatric cholestatic conditions suggests that the portal tract inflammation in biliary atresia is not a secondary response to cholestasis but rather indicates a specific immune response involved in the pathogenesis of biliary atresia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara L Mack
- Department of Pediatric, The Children's Hospital, University of Colorado Health Science Center, Denver, CO 80218, USA.
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Abstract
Conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia in an infant indicates neonatal liver disease. This neonatal hepatitis syndrome has numerous possible causes, classified as infective, anatomic/structural, metabolic, genetic, neoplastic, vascular, toxic, immune and idiopathic. Any infant who is jaundiced at 2-4 weeks old needs to have the serum conjugated bilirubin measured, even if he/she looks otherwise well. If conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia is present, a methodical and comprehensive diagnostic investigation should be performed. Early diagnosis is critical for the best outcome. In particular, palliative surgery for extrahepatic biliary atresia has the best chance of success if performed before the infant is 8 weeks old. Definitive treatments available for many causes of neonatal hepatitis syndrome should be started as soon as possible. Alternatively, liver transplantation may be life saving. Supportive care, especially with attention to nutritional needs, is important for all infants with neonatal hepatitis syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve A Roberts
- Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Room 8267, Black Wing, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Caton AR, Druschel CM, McNutt LA. The epidemiology of extrahepatic biliary atresia in New York State, 1983-98. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2004; 18:97-105. [PMID: 14996248 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3016.2003.00536.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The aetiology of biliary atresia, the leading cause of neonatal extrahepatic jaundice and the main indication for liver transplantation in children, is unknown. Recent research has focused on an infectious aetiology and the development of viral models in animals. The few published epidemiological studies report conflicting results for seasonal, geographical, and racial variations in incidence. In this study, New York State (NYS) Congenital Malformations Registry data from 1983 to 1998 were compared with resident live birth certificate data. County of residence, birth date, gestational age, birthweight, gender, maternal race and maternal age were extracted from the birth certificate data. Isolated and sequence cases were combined for analysis. Observed and expected numbers of cases were calculated by NYS region. Overall, 369 biliary atresia cases were reported in the 16-year study period, a rate of 0.85 [95% CI 0.76, 0.93] per 10,000 live births. Of these, 249 isolated/sequence cases were ascertained, a rate of 0.57 [95% CI 0.50, 0.64] per 10,000 live births. The rate ratio of biliary atresia in New York City (NYC) compared with other NYS was 2.19 [95% CI 1.69, 2.84]. Seasonal patterns varied by region with spring births at highest risk in NYC and September to November births at highest risk in other NYS. The rate ratio in black vs. white mothers was 1.94 [95% CI 1.48, 2.54]. Birthweight and gestational age were associated with biliary atresia with preterm low-birthweight infants at highest risk [RR 3.24, 95% CI 2.20, 4.76]. The association of isolated/sequence biliary atresia with season, preterm birth, and low birthweight in our study supports an infectious disease hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alissa R Caton
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University at Albany, NY 12144, USA.
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