title: The distribution of secretory immunoglobulin A in the liver of patients with hepatolithiasis.
abstract: Patients with hepatolithiasis are known to be complicated with bile stasis and bacterial infections in the stone-containing ducts. It has been suspected that a decrease in portal venous flow is important in the progression of hepatolithiasis. This study was done to find if the affected liver in hepatolithiasis is inflamed or has lowered local immunity by an examination of the distribution of secretory immunoglobulin A and proliferating cell nuclear antigen in the intrahepatic biliary tracts in operative specimens of 36 patients with hepatolithiasis. The number of biliary epithelia stained for the immunoglobulin was greater when the cholangitis was more severe up to a point; in advanced cholangitis, with severe parenchymal atrophy or proliferating epithelia, there were fewer cells stained for the immunoglobulin than in mild cholangitis. In hepatolithiasis, secretory immunoglobulin A decreases when inflammatory changes become severe and there is parenchymal atrophy caused by stenosis or obstruction of portal branch.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Japan. m8565682@msic.med.osaka-cu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamba
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirohashi
authors.forename: Shoji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: Nagahisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujio
authors.forename: Hiromu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
mesh_terms: D002137:Calculi / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / Q000032:analysis*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D012635:Secretory Component / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D012635:Secretory Component