Radiographic and α-fetoprotein response predict pathologic complete response to immunotherapy plus a TKI in hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicenter study.

Background: Pathologic complete response (pCR) following preoperative systemic therapy is associated with improved outcomes after subsequent liver transplant/resection in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the relationship between radiographic and histopathological response remains unclear.

Methods: We retrospectively examined patients with initially unresectable HCC who received tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) plus anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) therapy before undergoing liver resection between March 2019 and September 2021 across 7 hospitals in China.

Effectiveness and safety of lenvatinib plus anti-programmed death-1 antibodies in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A real-world cohort study.

Objective: Lenvatinib plus anti-programmed death-1 (anti-PD-1) antibody combinations have shown potent anti-tumor effect in phase I/II trials in advanced or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but real-world data are limited.

Methods: To investigate the effectiveness and safety of lenvatinib plus anti-PD-1 antibodies in a real-world cohort, we retrospectively evaluated 210 patients with unresectable or advanced HCC treated with these regimens between October 2018 and February 2022.

Results: The objective response rate and disease control rate per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.

The Safety Profile of Hepatectomy Following Preoperative Systemic Therapy with Lenvatinib Plus Anti-PD-1 Antibodies Versus Hepatectomy Alone in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Objective: To determine the safety of hepatectomy after combined lenvatinib and anti-PD-1 preoperative systemic therapy (PST) in patients with marginally resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Background: PST followed by hepatectomy (PSTH) is an emerging treatment for HCC. However, the impact of PST with lenvatinib plus anti-PD-1 antibodies on surgical safety is unknown.

Downstaging and Resection of Initially Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor and Anti-PD-1 Antibody Combinations.

Background: Combined therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and anti-PD-1 antibodies has shown high tumor response rates for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, using this treatment strategy to convert initially unresectable HCC to resectable HCC was not reported.

Methods: Consecutive patients with unresectable HCC who received first-line therapy with combined TKI/anti-PD-1 antibodies were analyzed.

Organ specific responses to first-line lenvatinib plus anti-PD-1 antibodies in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective analysis.

Background: We evaluated organ-specific response rates (OSRRs) to first-line lenvatinib plus anti-PD-1 antibodies in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: This retrospective analysis included Chinese patients with unresectable/advanced HCC who received first-line lenvatinib (8 mg/day) plus ≥3 infusions of anti-PD-1 antibodies between October 2018 and May 2020. Tumor and macrovascular tumor thrombi (MVTT) treatment responses were evaluated every 2 months using RECIST v1.

An alternative technique of arterial anastomosis in mouse heart transplantation.

Objective: To investigate the characters and feasibility of continuous-interrupted suture (CIS) method for arterial anastomosis in mouse heart transplantation (MHT).

Methods: A MHT model was adopted. End-to-end anastomosis of donor ascending aorta to recipient abdominal aorta was achieved by CIS or continuous suture (CS) method.

Pedigree-based genome re-sequencing reveals genetic variation patterns of elite backbone varieties during modern rice improvement.

Rice breeding has achieved great productivity improvements by semi-dwarf varieties and hybrid vigour. Due to poor understanding of genetic basis of elite backbone varieties, the continuous increasing in rice yield still faces great challenges. Here, 52 elite rice varieties from three historical representative pedigrees were re-sequenced with 10.

Circulating tumor cells are correlated with disease progression and treatment response in an orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma model.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly malignant tumor characterized by rapid progression, poor prognosis, and frequent hematogenous metastasis. A minimally invasive diagnostic biomarker that can predict disease progression and treatment response would be of extraordinary benefit. Therefore, we have investigated whether the number of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is correlated with disease progression and treatment response in HCC.

Tacrolimus promotes hepatocellular carcinoma and enhances CXCR4/SDF‑1α expression in vivo.

The aim of our study was to elucidate the effect of tacrolimus (FK506) and of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4), which is a receptor specific to the stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF‑1α), on growth and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Following treatment with different concentrations of FK506, AMD3100 or normal saline (NS), the proliferation of Morris rat hepatoma 3924A (MH3924A) cells was measured by the MTT assay, the expression of CXCR4 was analyzed with immunohistochemistry, and the morphological changes and the invasiveness of cells were studied with a transwell assay and under a scanning electron microscope, respectively. In addition, August Copenhagen Irish rat models implanted with tumor were used to examine the pathological changes and invasiveness of tumor in vivo, the expression of CXCR4 in tumor tissues and the expression of SDF‑1α in the adjacent tissues to the HCC ones, using immunohistochemistry.

Expression of hemopexin in acute rejection of rat liver allograft identified by serum proteomic analysis.

Acute rejection (AR) and acceptance of allograft after liver transplantation (LTx) remain critical issues that need addressing to improve prognosis. We therefore performed rat orthotopic LTx and proteomic analyses to screen for immune response-related biomarkers in sera. Markers identified were validated at the mRNA and/or protein levels, and the molecules of interest were functionally explored.

MiR-182 is up-regulated and targeting Cebpa in hepatocellular carcinoma.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small non-coding RNAs that repress their targets at post transcriptional level. Existing studies have shown that miRNAs are important regulatory genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as either tumor suppressors or oncogenes. MiR-122 is normally downregulated in HCC and regarded as a tumor suppressor.

Plasma microRNA, a potential biomarker for acute rejection after liver transplantation.

Background: Acute rejection (AR) of an organ transplant is a life-threatening complication. Currently, there are few diagnostic biomarkers suitable for clinical application. We aim to determine the potential of plasma microRNAs as biomarkers for AR.

Sorafenib delays recurrence and metastasis after liver transplantation in a rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma with high expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase.

Liver transplantation (LT) is one of the curative treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, cancer recurrence and metastasis after LT are common in some HCC patients with high-risk factors (even in those within the Milan criteria). It remains unclear whether adjuvant therapy with sorafenib inhibits HCC recurrence and metastasis after LT.

Activation of PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathway through a PDGFRβ-dependent feedback loop is involved in rapamycin resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Rapamycin is an attractive approach for the treatment and prevention of HCC recurrence after liver transplantation. However, the objective response rates of rapamycin achieved with single-agent therapy were modest, supporting that rapamycin resistance is a frequently observed characteristic of many cancers. Some studies have been devoted to understanding the mechanisms of rapamycin resistance, however, the mechanisms are cell-type-dependent and studies on rapamycin resistance in HCC are extremely limited.

Use of multiphoton microscopy to diagnose liver cancer and lung metastasis in an orthotopic rat model.

Liver or lung biopsy for suspicious lesions has several disadvantages such as bleeding, bile leak or pneumothorax, needle track seeding, and time-consuming histopathological procedure. The ability to directly observe cellular and subcellular details and then perform "optical biopsy" is a major goal in the development of new interventional techniques. Multiphoton microscopy (MPM) enables real-time noninvasive visualization of tissue architecture and cell morphology in live tissue.

An investigation of the effect of sorafenib on tumour growth and recurrence after liver cancer resection in nude mice independent of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase levels.

Objective: The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of sorafenib on tumor growth, recurrence and metastasis after curative resection of liver cancer.

Research Methods: SMMC-7721 and HCCLM3 liver tumors, each with different metastatic potential and basal phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK) levels, were orthotopically implanted into 56 nude mice. Mice were divided into a treatment sub study and a prevention sub study.

The dynamic changes of T-bet(+)/GATA-3(+) and RORgammat(+)/FOXP3(+) cells in recipient spleens and grafts after rat orthotopic liver transplantation.

Background: Rejection of transplanted liver occurs when the host generates alloantigen-reactive T cells, and CD4(+) T-cell subsets, including Th1, Th2, T17 and iTreg, could be involved in changing the dynamics of graft rejection onset. In the current immunosuppressive strategies, rejection is treated as an undifferentiated process that is uniform, which results in the failure of tolerance induction. Here, we established a rejection model to observe the reciprocal interaction of CD4(+) T-cell subsets in the complex networks of the immune system.

Oxaliplatin induces apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and inhibits tumor growth.

Objective: The platinum-based chemotherapeutic agent oxaliplatin displays a wide range of antitumor activities. To date, no detailed data are available about the effects of oxaliplatin on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Herein, the anti-proliferation effects of oxaliplatin on HCCLM3 and Hep3B cells in vitro and in vivo are studied.

Capn4 overexpression underlies tumor invasion and metastasis after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Unlabelled: Liver transplantation (LT) is one of the best therapeutic options for nonresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Unfortunately, some HCC patients succumb to the disease after LT, which reduces long- and medium-term survival. To identify the proteins associated with HCC invasion and metastasis, HCC patients undergoing LT with complete follow-up data were included in this study and were categorized into recurrence and nonrecurrence groups.

Sirolimus inhibits the growth and metastatic progression of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: Immunosuppressive therapy after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major contributory factors for HCC recurrence and metastasis. Sirolimus, a potent immunosuppressant, has been reported to be an effective inhibitor in a variety of tumors. The present study is designed to explore whether sirolimus could block the growth and metastatic progression of HCC.

Preventive effects of curcumin and dexamethasone on lung transplantation-associated lung injury in rats.

Objective: To investigate potential effects of curcumin or dexamethasone on lung transplantation-associated lung injury.

Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled study.

Setting: Research laboratory.

Identification and analysis of alpha1,6-fucosylated proteins in human normal liver tissues by a target glycoproteomic approach.

alpha1,6-Fucose residues within the N-glycan core structures were commonly observed in many glycoproteins. Our previous studies showed that aberrantly alpha1,6-fucosylated glycoproteins might be associated with metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Little is known about human normal liver tissues (HNLTs) in the literatures.