Publications by authors named "Emi Sometani"
Aim: Patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remain at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) even with nucleos(t)ide analog therapy. We evaluated risk factors for HCC development, including serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA, hepatitis B core-related antigen level, and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) level, a predictor of HCC development in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Methods: We collected clinical data and stored serum from CHB patients without a history of HCC who were receiving nucleos(t)ide analog treatment for more than 1 year and whose HBV DNA level was less than 3.
Article Synopsis
- Approximately 250 million people globally are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), which is linked to liver cancer but its integration into cancer cells isn't fully understood.
- Researchers aimed to find vulnerability factors related to HBV-infected liver cancer using CRISPR technology, focusing on the differences between normal and HBV-integrated liver cells.
- Four key genes were identified as potential vulnerability factors, with INSIG2 playing a significant role in inhibiting cell growth specifically in HBV-integrated liver cells by causing cell cycle arrest through a CDK2-dependent mechanism.