Hepatocellular carcinoma hosts cholinergic neural cells and tumoral hepatocytes harboring targetable muscarinic receptors.

Background & Aims: Owing to unexplained interpatient variation and treatment failure in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), novel therapeutic approaches remain an urgent clinical need. Hepatic neurons, belonging to the autonomic nervous system (ANS), mediate liver/whole body crosstalk. Pathological innervation of the ANS has been identified in cancer, nurturing tumor stroma and conferring stronger carcinogenic properties.

The dual-specificity kinase DYRK1A interacts with the Hepatitis B virus genome and regulates the production of viral RNA.

The genome of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) persists in infected hepatocytes as a nuclear episome (cccDNA) that is responsible for the transcription of viral genes and viral rebound, following antiviral treatment arrest in chronically infected patients. There is currently no clinically approved therapeutic strategy able to efficiently target cccDNA (Lucifora J 2016). The development of alternative strategies aiming at permanently abrogating HBV RNA production requires a thorough understanding of cccDNA transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation.

Parastomal hernia after ileal conduit: Incidence, natural history and risk factors.

Introduction: Parastomal hernias are a challenging complication of digestive ostomies. Ileal-conduit parastomal hernias after cystectomy have specific aspects. The aim of this study was to describe the incidence and natural history of ileal-conduit parastomal hernias in order to guide their management, as well as to identify risk factors to prevent them.