Spontaneously hypertensive rats receiving CD diet showed severe hepatic steatosis associated with reduction of hepatic anti-oxidant capacity, leading to increased hepatic oxidative stress and tissue damage. Accordingly, hypertension might have a potential effect on the progression of NASH.

Hypertension precipitated hepatic steatosis, and further, acts as an enhancer in NAFLD progression to liver fibrosis through oxidative stress.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common genetic autoinflammatory disease, but it has been considered a rare disease in Japan. We herein describe five patients with FMF who were diagnosed both clinically and genetically at a single Japanese institute. A genetic investigation of Mediterranean fever (MEFV) detected heterozygosity for the compound mutations L110P/E148Q (n=2) and L110P/148Q/P369S/R406Q (n=1), and heterozygosity for M694I (n=1) and S503C (n=1). Colchicine prevented febrile attacks and accompanying symptoms in four patients. One patient with an S503C mutation showed resistance. Physicians should be aware of the characteristic symptoms, as well as the more unusual symptoms such as headache, when diagnosing FMF.

No abstract