Depression and the risk of non-alcohol fatty liver disease: Results from a cross-sectional study and a Mendelian randomization analysis.

Background: Previous studies have suggested that psychiatric factors may be pathogenic for NAFLD. However, the association between depression and NAFLD is not been consistent, and whether depression plays a causal role in the development of NAFLD remains unclear.

Methods: We extracted data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2018 to assess the correlation between depression and NAFLD risk.

Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Patients with HBV-Related Acute on Chronic Liver Failure.

Background: We aim to investigate the characteristics of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in patients with HBV-related acute on chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF).

Methods: A total of 44 patients with probable IPA were selected as the case group, and another 88 patients without lung infections were chosen as the control group.

Results: HBV-ACLF patients with probable IPA had more significant 90-day mortality (38.

Liver cancer stem cell dissemination and metastasis: uncovering the role of NRCAM in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs) play an important role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the mechanisms that link LCSCs to HCC metastasis remain largely unknown. This study aims to reveal the contributions of NRCAM to LCSC function and HCC metastasis, and further explore its mechanism in detail.

Methods: 117 HCC and 29 non-HCC patients with focal liver lesions were collected and analyzed to assess the association between NRCAM and HCC metastasis.

Emerging Regulatory Mechanisms Involved in Liver Cancer Stem Cell Properties in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the predominant form of primary liver cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. A growing body of evidence supports the hypothesis that HCC is driven by a population of cells called liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs). LCSCs have been proposed to contribute to malignant HCC progression, including promoting tumor occurrence and growth, mediating tumor metastasis, and treatment resistance, but the regulatory mechanism of LCSCs in HCC remains unclear.

Emerging role and therapeutic application of exosome in hepatitis virus infection and associated diseases.

Hepatitis viruses are chief pathogens of hepatitis and end-stage liver diseases. Their replication and related pathogenic process highly rely on the host micro-environment and multiple cellular elements, including exosomes. Representing with a sort of cell-derived vesicle structure, exosomes were considered to be dispensable cellular components, even wastes.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 for physicians: Molecular characteristics and host immunity (Review).

Recently, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV) 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2)‑causing CoV disease 2019 (COVID‑19) emerged in China and has become a global pandemic. SARS‑CoV‑2 is a novel CoV originating from β‑CoVs. Major distinctions in the gene sequences between SARS‑CoV and SARS‑CoV‑2 include the spike gene, open reading frame (ORF) 3b and ORF 8.

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α and cancer-related cell signaling pathways: a promising insight into cancer treatment.

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is described as a protein that binds to the promoters of specific genes. It controls the expression of functional genes and is also involved in the regulation of numerous cellular processes. A large number of studies have demonstrated that HNF4α is involved in many human malignancies.

Effect of silibinin capsules combined with lifestyle modification on hepatic steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

The coexistence of HBV infection and hepatic steatosis is a novel characteristic of liver disease. Silibinin capsules (SC) is a silybin-phospholipid complex containing silybin as the bioactive component, which exerts a remarkable biological effect on various liver diseases, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The purpose of this study was to investigate (1) the prevalence of hepatic steatosis in the general population and patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and (2) to evaluate the effect of SC combined with therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) compared with TLC alone on hepatic steatosis in patients with CHB.

Hepatitis B Virus Infection: Overview.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a DNA virus, belonging to the Hepadnaviridae family. It is a partially double-stranded DNA virus with a small viral genome (3.2 kb).

Exosome-mediated communication in the tumor microenvironment contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma development and progression.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is an essential intrinsic portion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for the regulation of its origination, development, invasion, and metastasis. As emerging components of the tumor-host interaction, exosomes are increasingly recognized as professional carriers of information in TME and as pivotal molecular entities involved in tumorigenic microenvironment setup. However, much remains unknown about the role of the exosome communication system within TME in the development and progression of HCC.

Exosomal Interferon-Induced Transmembrane Protein 2 Transmitted to Dendritic Cells Inhibits Interferon Alpha Pathway Activation and Blocks Anti-Hepatitis B Virus Efficacy of Exogenous Interferon Alpha.

The negative regulators in the interferon (IFN) signaling pathway inhibit intrahepatic immune response, resulting in suboptimal therapeutic response to IFNα treatment in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Identifying the key negative factors and elucidating the regulating mechanism are essential for improving anti-HBV (hepatitis B virus) efficacy of IFNα. From the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, we downloaded and analyzed gene expression profiles of CHB patients with different responses to IFNα (GSE54747), and found that innate immune status was associated with the IFNα-based therapeutic response in CHB patients.

A retrospective study of the efficacy of sofosbuvir plus NS5A inhibitors for patients with hepatitis C virus genotype-2 chronic infection.

Background: A combination of sofosbuvir (SOF)+NS5A inhibitor therapies is the main treatment for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype-2 (GT-2) chronic infection, but the data are rarely reported in China. This study aimed to investigate the virological response and liver fibrosis improvement among GT-2 patients receiving SOF+NS5A inhibitors.

Patients And Methods: In this retrospective study, patients who received SOF+NS5A inhibitors between March 2016 and July 2017 were recruited.

Satisfactory virological response and fibrosis improvement of sofosbuvir-based regimens for Chinese patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 3 infection: results of a real-world cohort study.

Background: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype (GT) 3 infection with advanced liver disease has emerged as a challenging to treat by direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), but the efficacy of DAAs in Chinese HCV-GT3 patients is rarely reported. This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of sofosbuvir (SOF)-based regimens in Chinese patients with HCV-GT3 and compensated liver disease.

Methods: This was a registered retrospective study.