Tityus: A forgotten myth of liver regeneration

Tiniakos, Dina; Kandilis, A.; Geller, Stephen A.

doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2010.02.032

Cited by 32 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The remarkable ability of the liver to regenerate has intrigued humankind ever since the dawn of civilization, as exemplified by Greek mythology[14]. However, it was the work of Higgins and Anderson[15], describing the surgical procedure to perform PH, that set the stage for a detailed analysis of the process.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hyperplasiavshypertrophy in tissue regeneration after extensive liver resection

Marongiu

Contini

et al. 2017

WJG

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

AIMTo address to what extent hypertrophy and hyperplasia contribute to liver mass restoration after major tissue loss.METHODSThe ability of the liver to regenerate is remarkable on both clinical and biological grounds. Basic mechanisms underlying this process have been intensively investigated. However, it is still debated to what extent hypertrophy and hyperplasia contribute to liver mass restoration after major tissue loss. We addressed this issue using a genetically tagged system. We were able to follow the fate of single transplanted hepatocytes during the regenerative response elicited by 2/3 partial surgical hepatectomy (PH) in rats. Clusters of transplanted cells were 3D reconstructed and their size distribution was evaluated over time after PH.RESULTSLiver size and liver DNA content were largely recovered 10 d post-PH, as expected (e.g., total DNA/liver/100 g b.w. was 6.37 ± 0.21 before PH and returned to 6.10 ± 0.36 10 d after PH). Data indicated that about 2/3 of the original residual hepatocytes entered S-phase in response to PH. Analysis of cluster size distribution at 24, 48, 96 h and 10 d after PH revealed that about half of the remnant hepatocytes completed at least 2 cell cycles. Average size of hepatocytes increased at 24 h (248.50 μm2 ± 7.82 μm2, P = 0.0015), but returned to control values throughout the regenerative process (up to 10 d post-PH, 197.9 μm2 ± 6.44 μm2, P = 0.11). A sizeable fraction of the remnant hepatocyte population does not participate actively in tissue mass restoration.CONCLUSIONHyperplasia stands as the major mechanism contributing to liver mass restoration after PH, with hypertrophy playing a transient role in the process.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hyperplasiavshypertrophy in tissue regeneration after extensive liver resection

Marongiu

Contini

et al. 2017

WJG

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…"Myths and tradition, literature and fine arts… can provide valuable information on medical knowledge in the ancient ages, sometimes more useful than the writings of ancient physicians" (Tiniakos et al, 2010). Inferno, canto XXX, may be an appropriate example of it.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

DANTE’s Medical Knowledge: The Case of INFERNO, Canto XXX

Roffi¹

2018

AHS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri, describes an imaginative journey in afterlife. In Hell, canto XXX, Dante meets the falsifiers and sees a man who has the shape of a lute, a rotting face, and an abdomen bloated by "dropsy". This horribly deformed sinner is Master Adam, who counterfeited Florentine money, and for this crime was burned at the stake. Previous critics had ascribed Master Adam's punishment to various real or imaginary diseases, but an alternative possibility is that it may represent one of the most ancient, yet accurate, descriptions of tense ascites in the literature.

show abstract

“…As he was immortal, Zeus was summoned to impose a punishment. Zeus was then compelled to have him bound in Hades (Greek: Άδης, the ancient kingdom of the dead), where every new moon two vultures had been feeding on his liver, which of course was capable of regeneration, enforcing an eternal torture [1,14,15]. …”

Section: Promethean and Titian Mythsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some scholars believe that the word was also spelled as "hedar", the same root of "hedon" (Greek: ηδονή, pleasure). Some ancient Greeks medico-philosophers believed that hepar was the centre of the soul, most probably driven by the understanding of its significant role for the human body to preserve its homeostasis [1][2][3][4]. Hippocrates (ca 460-370 BC) was the first physician to describe hepatitis, and to operate hepatic abscesses [5], while Aretaeus (ca 1 st century BC, or 4 th century AD) was operating hepatic malignancies [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promethean and Tityean hepatic regeneration, unveiling hepar's myth. Post mortem observation, surgical ascertainment, or just fiction?

Tsoucalas¹,

Kapsoritakis²,

Potamianos³

et al. 2017

J Univer Surg

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Two ancient Greek myths, the sad stories of Prometheus and Tityus, suggest that ancient Greek medico-philosophers observed hepar's ability to regenerate after a partial excision. For some, hepar was the centre of the soul and an important visceral organ for human's body homeostasis. Although facts such as war surgery, dissections, both human and animal, autopsies and abdominal surgery (hepatic abscesses and malignancies) testify that ancient Greeks had some knowledge on hepar's anatomy and physiology, there is no clear reference that they did witness the hepatic regeneration.

show abstract

Tityus: A forgotten myth of liver regeneration

Cited by 32 publications

References 16 publications

Hyperplasiavshypertrophy in tissue regeneration after extensive liver resection

Hyperplasiavshypertrophy in tissue regeneration after extensive liver resection

DANTE’s Medical Knowledge: The Case of INFERNO, Canto XXX

Promethean and Tityean hepatic regeneration, unveiling hepar's myth. Post mortem observation, surgical ascertainment, or just fiction?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About