The macrophage activation marker sCD163 combined with markers of the Enhanced Liver Fibrosis (ELF) score predicts clinically significant portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive identification of significant portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis is needed in hepatology practice. AIM: To investigate whether the combination of sCD163 as a hepatic inflammation marker and the fibrosis markers of the Enhanced Liver Fibrosis score (ELF) can predict portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis. METHODS: We measured sCD163 and the ELF components (hyaluronic acid, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 and procollagen-III aminopeptide) in two separate cohorts of cirrhosis patients that underwent hepatic vein catheterisation. To test the predictive accuracy we developed a CD163-fibrosis portal hypertension score in an estimation cohort (n = 80) and validated the score in an independent cohort (n = 80). A HVPG ≥10 mmHg was considered clinically significant. RESULTS: Both sCD163 and the ELF components increased in a stepwise manner with the patients' Child-Pugh score (P < 0.001, all), and also with increasing HVPG (P < 0.001). receiver operator characteristics (ROC) analyses showed that each one of the individual components predicted a HVPG >10 mmHg with AUROC's of approximately 0.80. The combined score optimised by logistic regression analyses improved the AUROC to 0.91 in the estimation cohort and 0.90 in the validation cohort. Furthermore, a high value of the combined score was associated with a high short-term mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of the macrophage activation marker sCD163 and the fibrosis markers predicted significant portal hypertension in patients with cirrhosis. This score may prove useful for screening purposes and highlights the importance of both the inflammatory and the fibrotic components of cirrhotic portal hypertension.

Acyl migration incidence on accuracy of a triacylglycerol regioanalysis--a theoretical evaluation.

We will consider the Grignard chemical deacylation to study the regioanalysis of triacylglycerols (TAGs). Using a given TAG structure, a cross-contamination model is developed and used for evaluating the incidence of the acyl migration and its influence on the accuracy of a regiospecific analysis of the molecule. Despite unavoidable isomerization, the newly formed alpha,beta-diacylglycerols are considered as most representative of the original TAG composition. In this paper, we present evidence that in conditions of limited acyl migration, the regiospecific distribution could more accurately be determined from the alpha-monoacylglycerol rather than through calculations based on the alpha,beta-diacylglycerols fraction.

A direct method for regiospecific analysis of TAG using alpha-MAG.

An analytical procedure was developed for regiodistribution analysis of TAG using alpha-MAG prepared by an ethyl magnesium bromide deacylation. In the present communication, the deacylation procedure is shown to lead to representative alpha-MAG, allowing the composition of the native TAG in the alpha-position to be determined directly. The composition in the beta-position can then be estimated from the composition of the alpha-MAG and TAG according to the formula 3 x TAG - 2 x alpha-MAG. The estimates are superior to those obtained using the alpha,beta-DAG and Brockerhoff calculations as they come closer to the theoretical value and have smaller SD. The present procedure, first demonstrated on a synthetic TAG, was then successfully applied to the analysis of borage oil, milkfat, and tuna oil.

Characterization of typo-, regio-, and stereo-selectivities of babaco latex lipase in aqueous and organic media.

The unripe fruit of babaco (Vasconcellea x heilbornii; syn. Carica pentagona) contains a latex, similar to that in Carica papaya, which exhibits lipolytic activity. Herein, the regioselectivity, stereoselectivity and typoselectivity in both hydrolysis and acyltransfer reactions of babaco latex lipases were studied and compared to those of Carica papaya latex. In hydrolysis, both biocatalysts are 1,3-regioselective with ratios for 1,2-2,3-diacylglycerols/1,3-diacylglycerol of 6.5 and 21 for babaco and papaya, respectively. In contrast, papaya latex had a slight sn-3 stereopreference. Babaco latex displayed a higher activity on triacylglycerols with short chain and unsaturated fatty acids.

Pattern recognition with quantized computer-generated filters.

The influence of the quantization levels used in the computer-generated filter on the correlation is studied. Two types of objects, binary characters and gray-tone objects, are used in the scene and in the test. The filters are codified by the method proposed by Burckhardt. Three different filters (a classical matched filter, a high-frequency-enhanced filter, and an amplitude-encoded phase-only filter) are generated, and the influence of the quantization levels in such cases is studied. Numerical and experimental results are obtained.

Nonlinearity effects in the pure phase correlation method in multiobject scenes.

The nonlinearity used in the pure phase correlation method can improve pattern recognition, but it causes high-order harmonics in the correlation plane in the case of multiobject scenes. High-order harmonics and the presence of aliasing may cause false alarms. We show that these effects are strongly diminished when the periodicity in the scene is broken (by different objects, random distribution, etc.).

Toward the synthesis of pyroglutamate lauroyl ester: biocatalysis versus chemical catalysis.

The synthesis of dodecyl pyroglutamate (or pyroglutamate lauroyl ester) was achieved in a two-step process involving a pyroglutamic acid alkyl ester intermediate. The reaction was carried out either by lipase or by chemical catalysis using ion exchange resin. Among the various tested lipases, the one from Candida antarctica B gave the best results allowing 73% formation of the desired ester after 6 h. Comparing the efficiency of this latter lipase with the one of Amberlyst IR120H resin in catalyzing this reaction, the biocatalyst gave a molar yield of pyroglutamate lauroyl ester of 79% compared to 69% when using the ion exchange resin starting with 1.04 mmol substrate in each case.