Renovation of Annals of Hepatology’s scientific scope:

towards preventing rather than treating end-stage liver disease 

Autores: Panduro Cerda Arturo, Tiribelli Claudio, Chavez Tapia Norberto Carlos, Arrese Jiménez Marco, Uribe Misael

Fragmento

Based on how disease processes are understood, treatment is established accordingly; this has been the core viewpoint of traditional and contemporary medicine. Cirrhosis, an illness acknowledged for more than 2000 years, has been the cornerstone of Hepatology. However, science and technology changes what we conceive as health and disease. Our knowledge of liver cirrhosis has grown and evolved over time. In the mid-20th century, biochemistry and immunology scientists began developing novel tools aimed to provide practical liver function tests. By using half-life data of proteins synthesized and secreted by the liver, such proteins turned out to be the ideal candidates to evaluate liver functionality. Albumin, a serum protein with a long half-life was then used to assess chronic liver damage, while clotting factors with a short half-life lead to the development of prothrombin time tests as a marker of acute liver damage. Beside other biomarkers of liver injury, such as ALT and AST enzymes, alpha-fetoprotein as a marker of hepatocellular carcinoma also emerged. To date, all these biomarkers are still very useful in the clinical practice. On the other hand, the understanding of energy metabolism integrated by Krebs and Erlenmeyer would be the basis to initiate plausible treatment strategies by indicating “sweets” to patients with acute viral hepatitis.

Palabras clave:

2018-06-28   |   433 visitas   |   Evalua este artículo 0 valoraciones

Vol. 17 Núm.4. Julio-Agosto 2018 Pags. 539-540 Ann Hepatol 2018; 17(4)