[28-30] Park et al.’s group reported that steatohepatitis, a common clinical condition, is a significant risk factor for HCC in a mouse model. In this case, the carcinogenic effect was mediated by interleukin (IL)−6 and TNF-α.[29] Furthermore, TNF-α was previously shown to be a significant contributor to inflammation Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Library screening in Mdr2-KO mice.[15] Considering that both TNF-α and IL-6 are secreted by macrophages, it is likely that these findings are very relevant to our results. The involvement of the CCR5 ligand, RANTES, in cancer has been studied mainly in breast cancer. In this disease, the majority of investigations claim a tumor-promoting role for RANTES.[31] RANTES levels were highly correlated with

advanced and progressed disease in breast cancer, and suggested

that the chemokine is directly involved in disease course. This hypothesis was proven correct in several studies that have manipulated the activities or expression of RANTES in animal model systems of breast cancer in mice. Different approaches—including the use of small iinterfering RNA to RANTES, the CCR5 antagonist, met-RANTES, and maraviroc, expression of the Δ32 CCR5, and overexpression of RANTES—have demonstrated that RANTES promotes tumor growth and disease progression.[32-35] Our results not only bolster the evidence that macrophages are indeed critical in inflammation-induced tumorigenesis, Selleck ABT 263 but also suggest that CCR5/RANTES axis is pivotal in their recruitment to the liver. It is conceivable that CCR5 is involved in several pathways of tumor development, including in both the inflammatory response that

induces oncogenic stress and the recruitment of cells that facilitates tumor progression and selleck products maintenance. Consequently, antagonists for CCR5 and CCR1, currently in clinical development, may prove useful in the prevention and treatment of liver inflammation, fibrosis, and HCC. Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article. “
“Rectal bleeding is a common complaint among adults presenting to doctors and emergency rooms. While the severity of bleeding can range from occult to massive, the patient is always worried. The clinical approach to the patient commences with an assessment of severity and type: occult, external, small volume, melena or maroon stool, large volume, or massive. Each type has a characteristic differential diagnosis. While colonoscopy is the mainstay of diagnosis, other testing that might be appropriate includes upper endoscopy, wireless capsule enteroscopy, push enteroscopy, balloon enteroscopy, red blood cell scintigraphy, and angiography, among others. “
“We read with interest the article by Sebastiani and colleagues regarding the use of SAFE biopsy in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection.1 Despite being a large and well-conducted study, there remain problems with the algorithm that may limit its use.