All articles starting with H

Hepatitis serology

Hepatitis serology is blood-based testing for hepatitis virus antigens and antibodies, used to diagnose infection, stage it as acute or chronic, and establish immunity, complemented by nucleic acid testing.

Hepatobiliary scintigraphy

Hepatobiliary scintigraphy, also called cholescintigraphy or HIDA, is a nuclear medicine scan that tracks an injected radioactive tracer through the liver and bile system, chiefly to diagnose acute cholecystitis.

Oct 20, 2026

Hepatoblast

A hepatoblast is a bipotent progenitor cell of the fetal liver that gives rise to hepatocytes and cholangiocytes, and is distinct from the adult hepatic stem cell.

Hepatoblastoma

Hepatoblastoma (HB), childhood embryonic liver cancer, most common pediatric primary malignant liver tumor, ages 0-4, Wnt/CTNNB1-driven, treated with cisplatin chemotherapy, resection, or liver transplant; survival now about 80%.

Hepatocellular adenoma

Hepatocellular adenoma (HCA, liver cell adenoma) is a rare benign hepatocellular liver tumor of non-cirrhotic liver, mainly in young women on oral contraceptives; molecular subtypes (HNF1A, inflammatory, beta-catenin, sonic hedgehog) determine hemorrhage and HCC transformation risk.

Hepatocellular ballooning

Hepatocellular ballooning is a liver biopsy finding in which injured hepatocytes become markedly swollen with rarefied cytoplasm from keratin 8/18 cytoskeleton collapse, a required feature for diagnosing steatohepatitis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the main primary liver cancer (80-90% of cases), arises mostly in cirrhosis from viral hepatitis, alcohol, or MASLD; treated by resection, transplant, ablation, TACE, and immunotherapy.

Hepatocyte

Hepatocyte: the liver cell, main parenchymal cell of the liver (~80% of liver cells). Multipolar epithelial cell with bile canaliculi, three perfusion zones, plasma protein synthesis, and drug metabolism; isolated by collagenase perfusion since 1967.

Hepatocyte growth factor

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF, hepatotropin, scatter factor) is a 728-amino-acid cytokine ligand of the Met receptor tyrosine kinase, discovered in 1984, essential for liver development and regeneration, and a major target in cancer therapy.

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 (HNF-1, HNF1) is a homeodomain transcription factor that controls liver proteins such as albumin and works in the liver, pancreas, kidney, and intestine.

Hepatoerythropoietic porphyria

Hepatoerythropoietic porphyria (HEP), also called UROD-related hepatoerythropoietic porphyria, is an ultra-rare autosomal recessive porphyria from biallelic UROD variants, causing childhood-onset blistering photosensitivity, hypertrichosis, scarring, red urine, and anemia, with fewer than 100 reported cases.

Hepatology

Hepatology is the medical specialty covering liver, biliary, and pancreatic disease, from viral hepatitis and MASLD to cirrhosis and transplantation. Key facts: AASLD founded 1950; ABIM transplant hepatology certification 2006; liver biopsy still proves NASH.

Hepatomegaly

Hepatomegaly, or enlarged liver, is abnormal liver enlargement from hepatitis, fatty liver disease, alcohol-related disease, heart congestion, or cancer; detected by percussion span or imaging and treated by addressing the cause.

Hepatomegaly or splenomegaly

Hepatomegaly or splenomegaly (hepatosplenomegaly, ICD-11 ME10.0) is abnormal enlargement of the liver or spleen, almost always secondary to liver disease, malignancy, infection, or storage disease, confirmed by ultrasound.

Hepatoportoenterostomy

Hepatoportoenterostomy, also called the Kasai procedure or hepatic portoenterostomy, is an operation that restores bile drainage in infants with biliary atresia by joining a jejunal loop to the liver's porta hepatis.

Hepatopulmonary syndrome

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS): hypoxemia from intrapulmonary vascular dilatations in liver disease or portal hypertension; diagnosed by A-a gradient and contrast echocardiography; cured only by liver transplantation.

Hepatorenal syndrome

Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a form of kidney failure in people with advanced liver disease, most often cirrhosis, in which healthy kidneys stop filtering blood due to severe vessel constriction.

Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma

Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL), historically hepatosplenic gamma/delta T-cell lymphoma, is a rare aggressive peripheral T-cell lymphoma of the spleen, liver, and bone marrow, usually γδ TCR-positive, with isochromosome 7q, STAT/JAK mutations, and median survival near 12 months.

Hepatotoxicity

Hepatotoxicity, or drug-induced liver injury (DILI), is liver damage from drugs, herbals, or supplements; idiosyncratic DILI causes up to 13% of US acute liver failure and is diagnosed by RUCAM, RECAM, and exclusion.

Hepburn romanization

Hepburn romanization (ヘボン式ローマ字), from James Curtis Hepburn's 1886 dictionary, writes Japanese with English-style consonant spellings (shi, chi, tsu, fu, ji); the 2025 Cabinet Notification made it Japan's official single standard, replacing Kunrei-shiki.

Hepcidin

Hepcidin: 25-amino-acid hepatic peptide hormone, the master regulator of iron homeostasis via ferroportin internalization; low in iron deficiency, high in inflammation, key to IRIDA diagnosis and drug targeting.

HEPCPR trial

The HEPCPR trial was a randomized study of peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin in 41 HCV/HIV-coinfected patients who had not responded to prior interferon therapy, reporting an intent-to-treat SVR of 21.9%.

Oct 15, 2026

HEPES buffer

HEPES buffer is a zwitterionic Good's buffer, introduced by Norman Good and colleagues in 1966, that holds aqueous biological solutions near physiological pH and is widely used in cell culture.

Hephaestion (φαιστίων)

Hephaestion (Ἡφαιστίων), c. 357–324 BCE, Macedonian nobleman, son of Amyntor, closest friend, adviser, and chiliarch of Alexander the Great; died at Ecbatana, honored as a hero.

Hephaestus (Ἥφαιστος)

Hephaestus (Ἥφαιστος, Hêphaistos), Greek Olympian god of fire, smiths, and metalworking, later identified with Roman Vulcan; lame from birth, with main cults on Lemnos and Athens, workshop myths, and the Athenian Hephaisteion temple.

Hephaestus Fossae

Hephaestus Fossae is a system of troughs, pits, and channels over 600 km long in Utopia Planitia, Mars, west of Elysium Mons, named for the Greek god of fire; its origin is debated between fluvial, volcanic, tectonic, and impact-melt mechanisms, and its pitted cones favor an igneous origin.