الفهرس 
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Abstract
Stem cell factor (SCF) is an important signal transduction factor implicated in survival, proliferation and differentiation of stem cells in hemotopoiesis. It is produced by fibroblasts, liver cells, sertoli cells, bone marrow stromal cells and spleen cells. Chronic liver disease is a major health problem in Egypt and it causes morbidity and mortality of a large number of patients. Theses chronic liver diseases include chronic hepatitis and bilharzial hepatic fibrosis. In the present study, serum SCF level has been studied in 60 patients with chronic liver diseases; (24) patients with chronic viral hepatitis, (25) patients with bilharzial hepatic fibrosis and (11) bilharzial hepatic patients to uncover any role SCF in liver fibrosis. Patients with chronic liver disease showed marked anemia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia compared with the control group. Our study showed also impaired liver function tests; elevated liver enzymes, decreased serum albumin level and increased serum bilirubin level, in patients with chronic liver diseases. Increased serum level of SCF was observed in patients with chronic liver diseases compared with the control group. SCF was more increased in patients with bilharzial hepatitic when compared with bilharzial non-hepatitic and hepatitic non-bilharzial patients. This increased SCF was negatively correlated with hemoglobin concentration, red blood corpuscular count, platelet count and serum albumin level and positively correlated with abnormal liver function tests suggesting the strong relation between SCF and degree of liver damage and degree of liver fibrosis occurring in chronic liver disease. This elevated SCF can be explained by proliferation and increased stellate cells in liver cirrhosis which is established source of SCF. Increased level of SCF may be the cause of mast cell recruitment, proliferation and release of fibrinogenic factors which are involved in pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.