LIVER TRANSPLANTATION FOR BILE DUCT INJURY AFTER CHOLECYSTECTOMY.

BACKGROUND: Bile duct injury is a life-threatening complication that requires proper management to prevent the onset of negative outcomes. Patients may experience repeated episodes of cholangitis, secondary biliary cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease and death. OBJECTIVE: To report a single center experience in iatrogenic secondary liver transplantation after cholecystectomy and review the literature. METHODS: This was a retrospective single center study. Of the 1662 liver transplantation realized, 10 (0.60 %) were secondary to iatrogenic bile ducts injuries due cholecystectomies. Medical records of these patients were reviewed in this study. RESULTS: Nine of 10 patients were women; the median time in waiting list and between cholecystectomy and inclusion in waiting list was of 222 days and of 139.9 months, respectively. Cholecystectomy was performed by open approach in eight (80%) cases and by laparoscopic approach in two (20%) cases. The patients underwent an average of 3.5 surgeries and procedures before liver transplantation. Biliary reconstruction was realized with a Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy in nine (90%) cases. Mean operative time was 447.2 minutes and the median red blood cell transfusion was 3.4 units per patient. Mortality in the first month was of 30%. CONCLUSION: Although the liver transplantation is an extreme treatment for an initially benign disease, it has its well-defined indications in treatment of bile duct injuries after cholecystectomy, either in acute or chronic scenario.

Transplante de fígado para tratamento de lesão de via biliar após colecistectomia / Liver transplantation for bile duct injury after cholecystectomy

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Bile duct injury is a life-threatening complication that requires proper management to prevent the onset of negative outcomes. Patients may experience repeated episodes of cholangitis, secondary biliary cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease and death. OBJECTIVE: To report a single center experience in iatrogenic secondary liver transplantation after cholecystectomy and review the literature. METHODS: This was a retrospective single center study. Of the 1662 liver transplantation realized, 10 (0.60 %) were secondary to iatrogenic bile ducts injuries due cholecystectomies. Medical records of these patients were reviewed in this study. RESULTS: Nine of 10 patients were women; the median time in waiting list and between cholecystectomy and inclusion in waiting list was of 222 days and of 139.9 months, respectively. Cholecystectomy was performed by open approach in eight (80%) cases and by laparoscopic approach in two (20%) cases. The patients underwent an average of 3.5 surgeries and procedures before liver transplantation. Biliary reconstruction was realized with a Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy in nine (90%) cases. Mean operative time was 447.2 minutes and the median red blood cell transfusion was 3.4 units per patient. Mortality in the first month was of 30%. CONCLUSION: Although the liver transplantation is an extreme treatment for an initially benign disease, it has its well-defined indications in treatment of bile duct injuries after cholecystectomy, either in acute or chronic scenario.

RESUMO CONTEXTO: A lesão da via biliar é uma complicação que pode ameaçar a vida e que requer manejo adequado para prevenir o aparecimento de desfechos negativos. Os pacientes podem apresentar episódios repetidos de colangite, cirrose biliar secundária, doença hepática terminal e até mesmo morte. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a experiência de um único centro em transplante hepático secundário a lesão iatrogênica de via biliar pós-colecistectomia e fazer uma revisão de literatura. MÉTODOS: Este foi um estudo retrospectivo de um único centro. Dos 1662 transplantes de fígado, 10 (0,60%) foram secundários a lesões iatrogênicas das vias biliares devido à colecistectomias. Os prontuários médicos desses pacientes foram revisados neste estudo. RESULTADOS: Nove dos dez pacientes eram mulheres; o tempo médio em lista de espera de transplante e entre colecistectomia e inclusão na lista de espera foi de 222 dias e de 139,9 meses, respectivamente. A colecistectomia foi realizada por abordagem aberta em oito (80%) casos e por abordagem laparoscópica em dois (20%) casos. Os pacientes foram submetidos a uma média de 3,5 cirurgias e procedimentos antes do transplante de fígado e a reconstrução biliar foi realizada com hepaticojejunostomia em Y-de-Roux em nove (90%) casos. O tempo operatório médio foi de 447,2 minutos e a média de transfusão de concentrados de hemácias foi de 3,4 unidades por paciente. Mortalidade no primeiro mês foi de 30%. CONCLUSÃO: Embora o transplante de fígado seja um tratamento extremo para uma doença inicialmente benigna, ele tem suas indicações bem definidas no tratamento de lesões biliares após colecistectomia, seja em um cenário agudo ou crônico.

Treatment response in primary biliary cholangitis: The role of autoimmune hepatitis features.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Primary biliary cholangitis is a rare disease with scarce epidemiological data in Southern Europe. The authors aimed to evaluate treatment response in a cohort of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective observational single-centre study included patients with diagnostic criteria of primary biliary cholangitis. Data on disease presentation, laboratory results, treatment and clinical endpoints were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients were included, 89% women, with mean age of 62±15 years at diagnosis. The majority was asymptomatic (49%), tested positive for antimitochondrial antibodies (96%) and had increased alkaline phosphatase (median=214U/L). 75% of the patients had liver histology and the majority were in Ludwig's stage I (42%). Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) features were found in seven patients (13%). All were treated with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and 56% achieved biochemical response at one year; patients with AIH features exhibited steeper decreases in alkaline phosphatase (p=0.007) and reached the endpoint of 40% decrease in alkaline phosphatase more frequently (p=0.017). CONCLUSION: In conclusion a significant proportion of patients failed to achieve an adequate response to UDCA treatment. The response rate of patients with AIH features was better, which could be related to a different phenotype or to the potential impact of immunosuppressive agents.

Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection is not associated with primary biliary cholangitis / La infección por Chlamydophila pneumoniae no está asociada con colangitis biliar primaria

ANTECEDENTES: La colangitis biliar primaria (CBP) es una enfermedad hepática inflamatoria crónica colestásica de causa desconocida. Varios patógenos virales y bacterianos han sido propuestos como factores que podrían gatillar una respuesta inmune por mimetismo molecular, o directamente estar relacionados en la persistencia del daño biliar. Existen reportes controversiales respecto al rol de en la patogenia de CBP. OBJETIVOS: Investigar marcadores de infección de séricos y en hígado de pacientes con CBP. PACIENTES Y MÉTODOS: Veinte pacientes diagnosticados con CBP y 20 pacientes control con otras enfermedades hepáticas crónicas no colestásicas fueron estudiados. Se determinaron anticuerpos séricos anti- (IgG). Se realizó detección inmunohistoquímica de antígenos de en hígado. Se extrajo DNA de hígado para amplificación de la secuencia específica de rRNA 16S de por PCR. Fueron usados controles de amplificación de DNA bacteriano y humano. Los pacientes firmaron consentimiento informado. Se realizó un metaanálisis de la diferencia de riesgo de CBP en pacientes infectados por y en un grupo control. RESULTADOS: Los anticuerpos séricos fueron positivos en 30% de los pacientes con CBP y 50% de los controles (p = NS). Antígenos de no fueron detectados en tejido hepático de pacientes con CBP ni de controles. No se amplificó ADN bacteriano en ninguna de las muestras. El metaanálisis de la diferencia de riesgo mostró gran heterogeneidad de los estudios, por lo que no se realizó una estimación de diferencia de riesgo agrupada. DISCUSIÓN: No encontramos asociación entre infección por y CBP. En la evidencia actual, un estudio presenta resultados a favor de la asociación entre y CBP y tres estudios resultados en contra.,

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic inflammatory liver disease of unknown cause. Several viral and bacterial pathogens have been proposed as factors that could either trigger an immune response by molecular mimicry or directly be involved in the persistence of biliary damage. There are conflicting reports respecting the role of in the pathogenesis of PBC. To investigate markers of infection in serum and liver tissue from patients with PBC. Twenty patients with diagnosis of PBC and 20 control patients with other non-cholestatic chronic liver diseases were studied. Serum anti- antibodies (IgG) were determined. Liver tissue was available for immunohistochemistry detection of antigens. DNA was extracted from liver tissue and a specific sequence of 16S rRNA gene was amplified by CPR. Adequate controls of bacterial and human DNA amplification were used. Informed consent was obtained from patients. A meta-analysis of risk difference of PBC in Chlamydophila pneumoniae infected patients and in the control groupwas performed. Serum antibodies were positive in 30% of patients with PBC and 50% of controls (p = NS). antigens were not detected in liver tissue neither of patients with PBC nor controls. Bacterial DNA did not amplify in any of the samples, despite good amplification of internal and external controls. Risk difference meta-analysis showed high heterogeneity between studies. Therefore, we did not estimate a pooled risk difference. Our results do not support the association between infection and PBC. In the current literature only one study shows an association between and PBC, but other three studies do not support it.

Colangitis biliar primaria. Parte 1. Actualización: generalidades, epidemiología, factores involucrados, fisiopatología y manifestaciones clínicas / Primary biliary cholangitis. Part 1. State of the art, epidemiology, physiopathology and clinical manifestations

La colangitis biliar primaria (CBP), es una colangiopatía crónica caracterizada por la destrucción selectiva de las células epiteliales biliares de conductos hepáticos de pequeño y mediano calibre, que afecta principalmente a mujeres. Los principales síntomas son la fatiga y el prurito, sin embargo, gran porcentaje de los pacientes pueden ser asintomáticos. El diagnóstico se basa en anticuerpos antimitocondriales (AMA) con títulos >1:40, fosfatasa alcalina >1,5 veces del límite superior normal por más de 24 semanas e histología hepática compatible con la patología. Se asocia con múltiples enfermedades principalmente de carácter autoinmune extra hepáticas, enfermedades tiroideas, óseas, entre otras. El tratamiento de primera línea es el ácido ursodesoxicólico (AUDC) que a pesar que no cura la enfermedad, mejora las pruebas del perfil hepático, así como el retraso en la progresión a cirrosis. Actualmente se encuentran en estudio nuevos tratamientos y terapias adyuvantes. El propósito de esta revisión es ofrecer una actualización de este tema que se presenta en los servicios de medicina interna y gastroenterología; para su realización se conformó un equipo interdisciplinario que desarrolló una búsqueda en la base Medline a través de PubMed con las palabras claves correspondientes y se procedió a una lectura crítica y analítica de títulos, resúmenes y textos completos para el filtro, extracción y síntesis de la información encontrada

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune cholangiopathy characterized by a selective destruction of biliary epithelial cells of small and medium caliber hepatic ducts, which mainly affects women. The main symptoms are fatigue and pruritus, however, a large proportion of patients may be asymptomatic. The diagnosis is based on AMA titers >1:40, alkaline phosphatase >1.5 times the upper limit for more than 24 weeks and compatible liver histology. It is associated with multiple autoimmune diseases mainly extrahepatic, thyroid diseases, bone diseases, among others. The first line treatment is ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), that improves liver function tests and delay the progression to cirrhosis. Currently, there are new treatments and adjuvant therapies on study. The purpose of this review is to offer an update in this topic, which is very important in gastroenterology and internal medicine. We formed an interdisciplinary team to search in the database Medline thorough PubMed with the key words describe below, we made a critical lecture of the titles and abstracts of each article to write this paper

Fístula biliopleurobronquial: reporte de un caso / Bronchobiliary fistula: Report of a case

La fístula biliopleurobronquial (FBB) es una comunicación anormal entre la vía biliar y el árbol bronquial. Es una condición infrecuente, generalmente secundaria a un proceso infeccioso local o a un evento traumático. La bilioptisis es patognomónica. Presentamos el caso de una mujer de 37 años con historia de cirrosis biliar secundaria, en lista para trasplante hepático, con múltiples episodios de colangitis previos y usuaria de derivación biliar externa, quien curso con bilioptisis y mediante gammagrafía HIDA con SPECT se confirmó fistula biliopleurobronquial. Éste caso se resolvió con derivación percutánea de la vía biliar

Bronchobiliary fistula (BBF) is an abnormal communication between the biliary tract and the bronchial tree. Is an infrequent condition, usually secondary to a local infectious process or a traumatic event. Bilioptisis is pathognomonic. We present the case of a 37 year old woman with secondary biliary cirrhosis, in list for liver transplantation, with several episodes of cholangitis and carrier of external biliary diverivation, who presented bilioptisis and HIDA scintigraphy with SPECT confirmed BBF. This case was resolved with percutaneous derivation of the biliary tract

[Primary biliary cholangitis. Part 1. State of the art, epidemiology, physiopathology and clinical manifestations]. / Colangitis biliar primaria. Parte 1. Actualización: generalidades,epidemiología, factores involucrados, fisiopatología y manifestaciones clínicas.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune cholangiopathy characterized by a selective destruction of biliary epithelial cells of small and medium caliber hepatic ducts, which mainly affects women. The main symptoms are fatigue and pruritus, however, a large proportion of patients may be asymptomatic. The diagnosis is based on AMA titers >1:40, alkaline phosphatase >1.5 times the upper limit for more than 24 weeks and compatible liver histology. It is associated with multiple autoimmune diseases mainly extrahepatic, thyroid diseases, bone diseases, among others. The first line treatment is ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), that improves liver function tests and delay the progression to cirrhosis. Currently, there are new treatments and adjuvant therapies on study. The purpose of this review is to offer an update in this topic, which is very important in gastroenterology and internal medicine. We formed an interdisciplinary team to search in the database Medline thorough PubMed with the key words describe below, we made a critical lecture of the titles and abstracts of each article to write this paper.

[Bronchobiliary fistula. Report of a case]. / Fístula biliopleurobronquial: reporte de un caso.

Bronchobiliary fistula (BBF) is an abnormal communication between the biliary tract and the bronchial tree. Is an infrequent condition, usually secondary to a local infectious process or a traumatic event. Bilioptisis is pathognomonic. We present the case of a 37 year old woman with secondary biliary cirrhosis, in list for liver transplantation, with several episodes of cholangitis and carrier of external biliary diverivation, who presented bilioptisis and HIDA scintigraphy with SPECT confirmed BBF. This case was resolved with percutaneous derivation of the biliary tract.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action of melatonin in an experimental model of secondary biliary cirrhosis induced by bile duct ligation.

AIM: To evaluate the effects of melatonin (Mel) on oxidative stress in an experimental model of bile duct ligation (BDL). METHODS: Male Wistar rats (n = 32, weight ± 300 g) were allocated across four groups: CO (sham BDL), BDL (BDL surgery), CO + Mel (sham BDL and Mel administration) and BDL + Mel (BDL surgery and Mel administration). Mel was administered intraperitoneally for 2 wk, starting on postoperative day 15, at a dose of 20 mg/kg. RESULTS: Mel was effective at the different standards, reestablishing normal liver enzyme levels, reducing the hepatosomatic and splenosomatic indices, restoring lipoperoxidation and antioxidant enzyme concentrations, reducing fibrosis and inflammation, and thereby reducing liver tissue injury in the treated animals. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest a protective effect of Mel when administered to rats with secondary biliary cirrhosis induced by BDL.

Secondary biliary cirrhosis due to a rare choledochal cyst type II complicated with portal hypertension and pancytopenia in a young female patient.

Choledochal cyst type II, is an extremely rare cause of portal hypertension, severe pancytopenia in an adult patient, and a complication of long-standing disease. We present an uncommon cause of portal hypertension in a young female patient secondary to an obstructive choledochal cyst type II provoking massive splenomegaly and severe pancytopenia. A high level of clinical suspicion is important due to its high mortality rate if it remains undiagnosed. To our knowledge there are few publications describing this rare type of choledochal cyst in a Hispanic adult.

Effects of selective bile duct ligation on liver parenchyma in young animals: histologic and molecular evaluations.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The mechanisms of increased collagen production and liver parenchyma fibrosis are poorly understood. These phenomena are observed mainly in children with biliary obstruction (BO), and in a great number of patients, the evolution to biliary cirrhosis and hepatic failure leads to the need for liver transplantation before adolescence. However, pediatric liver transplantation presents with biliary complications in 20% to 30% of cases in the postoperative period. Intra- or extrahepatic stenosis of bile ducts is frequent and may lead to secondary biliary cirrhosis and the need for retransplantation. It is unknown whether biliary stenosis involving isolated segments or lobes may affect the adjacent nonobstructed lobes by paracrine or endocrine means, leading to fibrosis in this parenchyma. Therefore, the present study aimed to create an experimental model of selective biliary duct ligation in young animals with a subsequent evaluation of the histologic and molecular alterations in liver parenchyma of the obstructed and nonobstructed lobes. METHODS: After a pilot study to standardize the surgical procedures, weaning rats underwent ligation of the bile ducts of the median, left lateral, and caudate liver lobes. The bile duct of the right lateral lobe was kept intact. To avoid intrahepatic biliary duct collaterals neoformation, the parenchymal connection between the right lateral and median lobes was clamped. The animals were divided into groups according to the time of death: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 weeks after surgical procedure. After death, the median and left lateral lobes (with BO) and the right lateral lobe (without BO [NBO]) were harvested separately. A group of 8 healthy nonoperated on animals served as controls. Liver tissues were subjected to histologic evaluation and quantification of the ductular proliferation and of the portal fibrosis. The expressions of smooth muscle α-actin (α-SMA), desmin, and transforming growth factor ß1 genes were studied by molecular analyses (semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and real-time polymerase chain reaction, a quantitative method). RESULTS: Histologic analyses revealed the occurrence of ductular proliferation and collagen formation in the portal spaces of both BO and NBO lobes. These phenomena were observed later in NBO than BO. Bile duct density significantly increased 1 week after duct ligation; it decreased after 2 and 3 weeks and then increased again after 4 and 8 weeks in both BO and NBO lobes. The portal space collagen area increased after 2 weeks in both BO and NBO lobes. After 3 weeks, collagen deposition in BO was even higher, and in NBO, the collagen area started decreasing after 2 weeks. Molecular analyses revealed increased expression of the α-SMA gene in both BO and NBO lobes. The semiquantitative and quantitative methods showed concordant results. CONCLUSIONS: The ligation of a duct responsible for biliary drainage of the liver lobe promoted alterations in the parenchyma and in the adjacent nonobstructed parenchyma by paracrine and/or endocrine means. This was supported by histologic findings and increased expression of α-SMA, a protein related to hepatic fibrogenesis.

Evaluation of the protective effects of quercetin in the hepatopulmonary syndrome.

The hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) occurs when intrapulmonary dilatation causes hypoxemia in cirrhosis. The free radicals may play a significant contributory role in the progression of HPS, and flavonoid agents could protect against deleterious effects of free radicals. The flavonoid quercetin was evaluated in an experimental model of biliary cirrhosis induced by bile duct ligation (BDL) in rats. Quercetin was administered at 50mg/kg for 14 days to cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic rats. Bone marrow was extracted from animals to analyze micronuclei. Lung, liver and blood were extracted to detect DNA damage using the comet assay. The results showed that the micronuclei and DNA damages to lung and liver were increased in BDL rats. Quercetin caused no damage to the DNA while decreasing the occurrence of micronucleated cells in bone marrow as well as DNA damage to lung and liver in cirrhotic rats. Quercetin showed antimutagenic activity against hydroperoxides as evaluated by the oxidative stress sensitive bacterial strains TA102 Salmonella typhimurium and IC203 Escherichia coli, suggesting protection by free radical scavenging. In Saccharomyces cerevisie yeast strains lacking mitochondrial or cytosolic superoxide dismutase, these results indicate that quercetin protects cells by induction of antioxidant enzymes. The present study is the first report of genotoxic/antigenotoxic effects of quercetin in a model of animal cirrhosis. In this model, quercetin was not able to induce genotoxicity and, conversely, it increased the genomic stability in the cirrhotic rats, suggesting beneficial effects, probably by its antioxidant properties.

Current concepts in the pathogenesis of primary biliary cirrhosis.

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease that predominantly affects women and is characterized by chronic, progressive destruction of small intrahepatic bile duct with portal inflammation and ultimately fibrosis, leading to liver failure in the absence of treatment. The serologic hallmark of PBC is the presence of autoantibodies to mitochondria, especially to the E2 component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). Current theories on the pathogenesis of PBC favor the hypothesis that the disease develops as a result of an inappropriate immune response following stimulation by an environmental or infectious agent. Like other better characterized autoimmune diseases, there appears to be a genetic susceptibility and a triggering event that initiates the autoimmune attack on bile duct cells. DRB1*0801 and DRB1*0803 are the major susceptibility alleles among Northern European and Japanese populations, respectively. The generation of immune responsiveness to self-antigen can result in pathogenic autoimmune damage of the intrahepatic biliary epithelial cells mediated by both humoral and cellular immune responses. The pathogenetic mechanism is believed to be caused by a defect in immunologic tolerance, resulting in the activation and expansion of self-antigen specific T and B lymphocyte clones and the production of circulating autoantibodies in addition to a myriad of cytokines and other inflammatory mediators. Human and animal studies have suggested that the induction of an antibody response reactive with self-antigen may result from a number of different priming events. Among the events demonstrated to induce an antibody response cross-reactive with self-PDC are exposures to bacterial PDC or retroviral proteins or xenobiotics or microchimerism. The diversity of the potential events giving rise to antibody responses cross-reactive with PDC, which could promote subsequent T-cell tolerance breakdown, suggests the intriguing possibility that PBC could represent a condition with a common final pathway but with multiple triggers able to induce a B-cell response cross-reactive with self-PDC. There are important questions about the pathogenesis of PBC which remain unanswered.

Cirrosis biliar primaria / Primary biliary cirrhosis

La cirrosis Biliar Primaria, es una enfermedad crónica, colestásica del higado, caracterizada por la destrucción inmunoinflamatoria de ductos biliares intrahepáticos. Es de curso progresivo y evoluciona a cirrosis, produciendo muerte por insuficiencia hepática o por hemorragia secundaria a ruptura de várices esófago-gástricas.

Uso de quercetina a longo prazo em ratos cirróticos / Long term use of quercetin in cirrhotic rats

OBJETIVO: Avaliar o uso a longo prazo do flavonóide quercetina em ratos cirróticos por ligadura de ducto biliar comum (LDB). MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados 32 ratos machos Wistar, sendo submetidos à LDB ou simulação, e distribuídos em 4 grupos: 1) controle, 2) cirróticos, 3) cirróticos tratados com quercetina 50mg/kg, intraperitonealmente, desde o segundo dia após o procedimento cirúrgico; e 4) cirróticos tratados após o décimo quarto dia do procedimento cirúrgico. Analisou-se a função hepática por meio de testes bioquímicos (BT e BD) e atividade enzimática (ALT, AST, FA e GGT). Na análise anatomopatológica, utilizou-se a coloração de Hematoxilina & Eosina (H&E) e de Picrosírius para fibrose. A análise estatística para avaliação de sobrevivência foi realizada pelo teste Kaplan-Meier. RESULTADOS: Os resultados de sobrevivência dos oito animais de cada grupo foram: Grupo 1 = 200 dias de sobrevivência; Grupo 2 = 46 dias; Grupo 3 = 71 dias; e o Grupo 4 = 90 dias. Nos animais com ligadura de ducto biliar comum houve aumento das provas de função hepática e enzimáticas que se reduziu hipoteticamente com o tratamento com quercetina. Foram identificadas cirrose, congestão vascular porta e centrolobular na análise histopatológica por H&E e Picrosírius. CONCLUSÃO: O uso da quercetina diminuiu de maneira significante as alterações bioquímicas provocadas pela cirrose, aumentando o tempo de sobrevivência dos animais com cirrose biliar secundária à LDB, como verificado pelo teste de análise de sobrevivência.

A method to induce manganese accumulation in the brain of the cirrhotic rat and its evaluation.

Cirrhotic patients tend to accumulate manganese in their brain, especially in basal ganglia. Manganese is a well-known neurotoxic metal, however, its effect in a condition such as liver damage has not been explored deeply due to the lack of a suitable experimental model. A method to induce manganese accumulation in the brain of the cirrhotic rat is described. Cirrhosis was induced by obstruction of biliary duct and simultaneous treatment with manganese in the drinking water (0.5 or 1 mg/ml) during 4 weeks. Metal brain accumulation was low in sham-operated rats with both of the Mn concentrations used. In contrast, manganese treatment to bile obstructed rats resulted in fourfold and eightfold metal increments in the 0.5 and 1 mg/ml Mn2+ concentrations, respectively. This method is useful to induce brain manganese deposition and to study its consequences.

Fasciolosis hepatobiliar masiva / Massive hepatobiliary fasciolosis

mediante la exploración quirúrgica e identificación de los distomas adultos. El primer caso falleció por insuficiencia hepática y el segundo, recibió tratamiento con prazicuantel y se encuentra estable. Conclusiones: existen al menos cincuenta casos En México, la fasciolosis hepática es la parasitosis más común de la vía biliar. La infestación masiva es común en el ganado vacuno o bovino y en el hombre se presenta rara vez. Sólo existen dos informes previos de este evento y nosotros contribuimos con dos casos más. Presentación de casos. Ambos ocurrieron en pacientes cirróticos por alcohol, con historia de ingesta de berros (Nasturium officinalis) y se manifestaron con ictericia, dolor abdominal y dilatación coledociana. El diagnóstico se estableció de fasciolosis en México desde 1935, la mayoría de los cuales ha sido diagnosticada preoperatoriamente como colelitiasis, a pesar que en la mayoría había historia de ingesta de berros.