Approximately half of the patients with positive polysomy develop CCA, but not all do. Follow-up testing with ERCP should depend on occurrence of mass on MRI, stricture development on MRC, presence of prominent CA 19-9 elevation, and whether other clinical symptoms that might be associated with CCA are present. In conclusion, the results of FISH tests need to be interpreted with caution in PSC patients. FISH trisomy/tetrasomy-positive results have very limited implications in PSC patients. A positive FISH polysomy test result does enhance the sensitivity of cytology testing for CCA, especially

if a dominant stricture is present. Results of FISH should be interpreted in association BVD-523 with patient’s clinical, laboratory, and cholangiographic signaling pathway features. “
“NorUDCA (24-norursodeoxycholic acid), the C23-homolog of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), showed remarkable therapeutic effects

in cholestatic Mdr2 (Abcb4) (multidrug resistance protein 2/ATP-binding cassette b4) knockout mice with sclerosing/fibrosing cholangitis. In contrast to UDCA, norUDCA is inefficiently conjugated in human and rodent liver, and conjugation has been discussed as a key step for the anticholestatic action of UDCA in cholestasis. We compared the choleretic, anticholestatic, and antiapoptotic properties of unconjugated and taurine-conjugated UDCA (C24) and norUDCA (C23) in isolated perfused rat liver (IPRL) and in natrium/taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (Ntcp)-transfected human hepatoma (HepG2) cells. Taurolithocholic acid (TLCA) was used to induce a predominantly hepatocellular cholestasis in IPRL. Bile flow was determined gravimetrically; bile acids determined by gas chromatography and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry; the Mrp2 model substrate, 2,4-dinitrophenyl-S-glutathione

(GS-DNP) was determined spectrophotometrically; and apoptosis was determined immunocytochemically. The choleretic effect of C23-bile acids was comparable to their C24-homologs in IPRL. In contrast, TnorUDCA, but not norUDCA antagonized the cholestatic effect of TLCA. Bile flow (percent of controls) was 8% with TLCA-induced cholestasis, and unchanged by coinfusion selleck chemicals of norUDCA (14%). However, it was increased by TnorUDCA (83%), UDCA (73%) and TUDCA (136%). Secretion of GS-DNP was markedly reduced by TLCA (5%), unimproved by norUDCA (4%) or UDCA (17%), but was improved modestly by TnorUDCA (26%) or TUDCA (58%). No apoptosis was observed in IPRL exposed to low micromolar TLCA, but equivalent antiapoptotic effects of TUDCA and TnorUDCA were observed in Ntcp-HepG2 cells exposed to TLCA. Conclusion: Conjugation is essential for the anticholestatic effect of norUDCA in a model of hepatocellular cholestasis.