Prednisolone administration attenuated ConA- and α-GalCer-induced hepatitis and systemic inflammatory responses. Treating mice with prednisolone also see more suppressed inflammatory responses in a model of hepatotoxin (CCl4)-induced hepatitis, but surprisingly exacerbated

liver injury and delayed liver repair. In addition, administration of prednisolone also enhanced acetaminophen-, ethanol-, or ethanol plus CCl4-induced liver injury. Immunohistochemical and flow cytometric analyses demonstrated that prednisolone treatment inhibited hepatic macrophage and neutrophil infiltration in CCl4-induced hepatitis and suppressed their phagocytic activities in vivo and in vitro. Macrophage and/or neutrophil depletion aggravated CCl4-induced liver injury and impeded liver regeneration. Finally, conditional disruption of glucocorticoid receptor in macrophages and neutrophils abolished prednisolone-mediated exacerbation of hepatotoxin-induced liver injury. Conclusion: Prednisolone treatment prevents T/NKT cell hepatitis but exacerbates hepatotoxin-induced liver injury by inhibiting macrophage- and neutrophil-mediated phagocytic and hepatic regenerative

functions. These findings may not only increase our understanding of LY2157299 mouse the steroid treatment mechanism but also help us to better manage steroid therapy in liver diseases. (Hepatology 2014;59:1094–1106) “
“The efficacy of treatment with multispecies probiotics on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms and the alterations of gut microbiota in patients who have taken probiotics were investigated. This randomized, double-blind,

placebo-controlled trial involved 49 IBS patients (probiotics: 25, placebo: 24) diagnosed according to the Rome III criteria. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: either to receive multispecies probiotics (a mixture of Bifidobacterium longum, B. bifidum, B. lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, and Streptococcus thermophilus) twice a day for 4 weeks or to receive a placebo twice a day for 4 weeks. The primary efficacy end-point was the proportion of participants whose IBS symptoms were substantially relieved at week 4. Secondary end-points were the intensity of abdominal click here pain/discomfort, bloating, stool frequency/consistency, alterations in fecal microflora over the 4 weeks. Fecal microflora were analyzed in 34 patients (probiotics: 17, placebo: 17) by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assays. The proportion of patients whose IBS symptoms were substantially relieved at week 4 was significantly higher in the probiotics group than in the placebo group: 68.0% (17/25) versus 37.5% (9/24) (P < 0.05). Secondary end-points such as improvement in abdominal pain/discomfort and bloating occurred in the probiotics group but not in the placebo group. Fecal analysis revealed that B. lactis, L.