OBJECTIVES: The increasing incidence of nonalcoholic (NASH) and alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH), associated with lack of effective treatment, has prompted intensive studies on disease pathogenesis. Apoptosis is recognized as common in liver injury and may
Background: The pathogenic mechanism of homocysteine's effect on cardiovascular risk is poorly understood. Recent studies show that DNA hypomethylation induced by increases in S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy), an intermediate of Hcy metabolism and a potent
Background: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is one of the main regulatory enzymes of homocysteine metabolism. Elevated plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) is a major risk for cardiovascular disease. A common 677C--T mutation in the MTHFR gene re
Background and aim: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the association of steatosis with an inflammatory response, is a novel liver disease of unknown pathogenesis and prognosis. Triacylglycerols and their precursors, the fatty acids, are the likely ca