[Corrosive sclerosing cholangitis after surgical treatment of hepatic cystic echinococcosis: a case report]

Corrosive sclerosing cholangitis is a rare postoperative complication of hepatic cystic echinococcosis. Although corrosive sclerosing cholangitis is rare, it progresses rapidly and lacks effective treatments, which usually results in a poor prognosis. This case report retrospectively analyzed the treatment and diagnosis of a case with corrosive sclerosing cholangitis following surgical treatment of hepatic cystic echinococcosis, so as to provide insights into the diagnosis and treatment of corrosive sclerosing cholangitis.

Recent advances in ultrasound in the diagnosis and evaluation of the activity of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis

Echinococcosis is a worldwide neglected zoonotic disease. Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) poses a more serious threat to life and health than cystic echinococcosis, and has been one of the world's most lethal chronic parasitosis. Assessment of metacestode activity status is essential for individual treatment strategy design for a given AE patient, and fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET) has been the gold standard. In this study, we reviewed previous evidence on AE activity assessment using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), and its comparison with FDG-PET. The results showed good consistency between them, indicating CEUS as a suitable substitute for FDG-PET. With its advantage as being readily portable, widely available, and not costly, CEUS is more suitable for use in the developing countries and rural areas.

A case report of mesenteric panniculitis

A 65-year-old man had intermittent abdominal pain for the previous 2 years. This pain suddenly became worse with a fever and elevated inflammatory markers. We took a while to diagnose the patient with mesenteric panniculitis (MP). Although imaging findings suggested MP, we needed to rule out other diseases. Choosing a treatment for the patient also took some time and we finally used glucocorticoid to cure the patient.

Effects of hydrogen sulfide on the expression of glutathione and malondialdehyde in culture supernatant of rat hepatic stellate cells during oxidative stress

AIM: To investigate the effects of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) on the contents of glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in culture supernatant of rat hepatic stellate cell (HSC) during oxidative stress.

METHODS: HSC-T6 cells were divided into four groups: normal control group (untreated cells), ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA) treatment group (treated with 500 μmol/L of Fe-NTA), sodium hydrosulphide (NaHS) treatment group (treated with 500 μmol/L of Fe-NTA and NaHS at a concentration of 20, 100 or 200 μmol/L), and glibenclamide (GLBN) treatment group (treated with 500 μmol/L of Fe-NTA and GLBN at a concentration of 20, 200 or 700 μmol/L). The contents of MDA and GSH in culture supernatant of HSC-T6 cells were detected using the MDA kit and GSH kit, respectively.

RESULTS: After HSC-T6 cells were incubated with Fe-NTA for 24 h, the content of MDA in culture supernatant increased significantly (P < 0.05), while the content of GSH in culture supernatant was reduced significantly in cells incubated with Fe-NTA (both P < 0.05). Compared with Fe-NTA-treated cells, the contents of MDA in culture supernatant of cells treated with both Fe-NTA and NaHS for 24 h were reduced significantly (100 μmol/L: 4.48 ± 0.07 nmol/mg prot vs 5.05 ± 0.07; 200 μmol/L: 3.58 ± 0.02 nmol/mg prot vs 5.05 ± 0.07 nmol/mg prot; both P < 0.05), and the contents of GSH in supernatant of cells treated with both Fe-NTA and NaHS for 12 and 24 h increased significantly (100 μmol/L: 35.57 ± 2.02 mg/g prot vs 33.64 ± 2.95 mg/g prot; 36.49 ± 2.08 mg/g prot vs 31.06 ± 3.08 mg/g prot; 200 μmol/L: 36.92 ± 2.30 mg/g prot vs 33.64 ± 2.95 mg/g prot; 37.59 ± 2.03 mg/g prot vs 31.06 ± 3.08 mg/g prot; all P < 0.05). In contrast, GLBN treatment induced opposite effects on the contents of MDA and GSH in Fe-NTA-treated cells when compared with NaHS (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: H₂S may be an antioxidant that can exert protective effects on the liver by inhibiting the development and progression of hepatic fibrosis.