Original Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Apr 7, 2014; 20(13): 3597-3608
Published online Apr 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i13.3597
Clinicopathological study of primary biliary cirrhosis with interface hepatitis compared to autoimmune hepatitis
Mio Kobayashi, Yuko Kakuda, Kenichi Harada, Yasunori Sato, Motoko Sasaki, Hiroko Ikeda, Mitsuhiro Terada, Munenori Mukai, Shuichi Kaneko, Yasuni Nakanuma
Mio Kobayashi, Yuko Kakuda, Kenichi Harada, Yasunori Sato, Motoko Sasaki, Yasuni Nakanuma, Department of Human Pathology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
Hiroko Ikeda, Division of Pathology, Kanazawa University Hospital, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan
Mitsuhiro Terada, Department of Gastroenterology, Kouseiren Takaoka Hospital, Takaoka 933-8555, Japan
Munenori Mukai, Department of Pathology, Kouseiren Takaoka Hospital, Takaoka 933-8555, Japan
Shuichi Kaneko, Department of Gastroenterology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan
Author contributions: Kobayashi M performed the majority of experiments and wrote the manuscript; Kakuda Y analyzed the data; Harada K, Sato Y and Sasaki M contributed to the design of the study; Ikeda H, Terada M, Mukai M and Kaneko S provided the experimental materials; Nakanuma Y organized the study.
Supported by Primary Biliary Cirrhosis Subdivision of Intractable Hepatobiliary Diseases Study Group of Japan (Chairman, Hirohito Tsubouchi; Department of Human and Environmental Sciences, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan)
Correspondence to: Yasuni Nakanuma, MD, Department of Human Pathology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine, Takaramachi 13-1, Kanazawa 920-8640, Japan. nakanuma@staff.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-76-2652197 Fax: +81-76-2344229
Received: May 28, 2013
Revised: July 26, 2013
Accepted: August 17, 2013
Published online: April 7, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) can sometimes present with features of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). Therefore, the clinicopathological features and immunophenotypes of infiltrated mononuclear cells of AIH and PBC with AIH features were examined. Lobular hepatitis, hepatitic rosette formation, and emperipolesis were more frequent in AIH than PBC. The degree of mononuclear cell infiltration correlated well with hepatitis. Furthermore, elevation of aspartate aminotransferase levels correlated well with necroinflammation and infiltration of mononuclear cells in PBC, which tended to be IgM-predominant. These results suggest that hepatocellular injuries in AIH and PBC may not be identical.