Background Mortality from chronic liver disease is rising exponentially. The liver is intimately
linked to the gut via the portal vein, and exposure to gut microbiota and their metabolites …

The syndrome we refer to as Hepatic Encephalopathy (HE) was first characterized by a team
of Nobel Prize winning physiologists led by Pavlov and Nencki at the Imperial Institute of …

Hyperammonemia can be caused by various acquired or inherited disorders such as urea
cycle defects. The brain is much more susceptible to the deleterious effects of ammonium in …

Mechanisms involved in hepatic encephalopathy still remain to be defined. Nonetheless, it is
well recognized that ammonia is a major factor in its pathogenesis, and that the astrocyte …

Portal hypertension is a clinical syndrome defined by a portal venous pressure gradient
exceeding 5 mm Hg. 1 Cirrhosis is the most common cause of portal hypertension in the …

Pathogenetic mechanisms of hepatic encephalopathy Page 1 Pathogenetic mechanisms of
hepatic encephalopathy D Häussinger, F Schliess c Competing interests: Declared. The …

Glutamine is an essential cerebral metabolite. Several critical brain processes are directly
linked to glutamine, including ammonia homeostasis, energy metabolism and …

Autophagy is a tightly regulated catabolic process that plays key roles in normal cellular
homeostasis and survival during periods of extracellular nutrient limitation and stress. The …

Astrocytes assume multiple roles in maintaining an optimally suited milieu for neuronal
function. Select astrocytic functions include the maintenance of redox potential, the …

Cerebral oedema is a devastating consequence of acute liver failure (ALF) and may be
associated with the development of intracranial hypertension and death. In ALF, some …