background: human embryonic stem cells (hesc), which are derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocysts, have been considered to be pluripotent cells. in this study we examine the differentiating potential of hesc into hepatocytes by characterization of the expression of endoderm and liver-specific genes. methods: hesc were cultivated in suspension to form aggregates, the embryoid bodies. ...

background : human wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells (hwjmscs) express liver-specific markers such as albumin, alpha-fetoprotein, cytokeratin-19, cytokeratin-18, and glucose-6-phosphatase. therefore, they can be considered as a good source for cell replacement therapy for liver diseases. this study aimed to evaluate the effects of various culture systems on the hepatocyte-specific gene exp...

Mutations affecting phosphorylation sites in the beta-catenin gene have been implicated in the development of human and rodent hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). To further investigate the involvement of this gene in hepatocarcinogenesis, we used several transgenic mouse models of hepatic tumors induced by overexpression of c-myc in the liver either alone or in combination with transforming grow...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this review to collate current leading scientific advances of molecular mechanisms in alcoholic liver diseases and to propose a working "hypothesis of seven balances" in relation to peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha), which has important roles in fatty acid oxidation, oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and possibly liver fibrosis. MET...

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a problem of profound clinical significance and growing magnitude. Alarmingly, even moderate noise levels, previously assumed to cause only temporary shifts in auditory thresholds ("temporary" NIHL), are now known to cause cochlear synaptopathy and subsequent neuropathy. To uncover molecular mechanisms of this neuropathy, a network analysis of genes reported...