Combined immunotherapy with dendritic cells and cytokine-induced killer cells for solid tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Immunotherapy utilizing dendritic cells (DCs) and cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells is a promising treatment approach for solid tumors. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DC-CIK immunotherapy by assessing overall survival, progression-free survival, overall response rate, disease control rate, and adverse events in relevant randomized controlled trials. The results of this analysis will contribute to optimizing treatment strategies and improving cancer immunotherapy outcomes.

HDAC inhibitors support long-term expansion of porcine hepatocytes in vitro.

Hepatocyte transplantation is an effective treatment for end-stage liver disease. However, due to the limited supply of human hepatocytes, porcine hepatocytes have garnered attention as a potential alternative source. Nonetheless, traditional primary porcine hepatocytes exhibit certain limitations in function maintenance and in vitro proliferation.

Survival analysis and prognostic model establishment of secondary osteosarcoma: a SEER-based study.

Background: Surgical excision is considered one of the most effective treatments for secondary osteosarcoma (SO). It remains unclear whether the survival of patients with secondary osteosarcoma (SO) could be associated with their surgical willingness.

Materials And Methods: The statistics of the patients diagnosed with SO between 1975 and 2008 were gathered from the surveillance epidemiology and end results (SEER) database.

scRNA-seq of colorectal cancer shows regional immune atlas with the function of CD20 B cells.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) from different regions exhibits different histological, genetic characteristics, and molecular subtypes, even in response to conventional chemotherapies and immunotherapies. To characterize the immune landscape in different regions of CRC and search for potential therapeutic targets, we analyzed 39,484 single-cell transcription data from 19 samples of CRC and paired normal tissues from four regions to identify the immune characteristics of CRC among anatomic locations, especially in B cells. We discovered that immune cell infiltration in tumors significantly varied among different regions of CRC.

Unveiling the immunogenomic landscape of cholangiocarcinoma: Identifying new prognostic markers and therapeutic targets based on CCL5 expression.

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) stands as an aggressive malignancy of the biliary tract. The interplay between the tumor and immune system plays a pivotal role in disease progression and treatment outcomes. Hence, the present study aimed to extensively explore the immunogenomic landscape of CCA, with the objective of unveiling unique molecular and immunological signatures that could guide personalized therapeutic approaches.

CD24LCN2 liver progenitor cells in ductular reaction contributed to macrophage inflammatory responses in chronic liver injury.

Background: CD24CK19/CD24SOX9 resident liver cells are activated and expanded after chronic liver injury in a ductular reaction. However, the sources and functions of these cells in liver damage remain disputed.

Results: The current study combined genetic lineage tracing with in vitro small-molecule-based reprogramming to define liver progenitor cells (LPCs) derived from hepatic parenchymal and non-parenchymal tissues.

Organoids and organs-on-chips: insights into predicting the efficacy of systemic treatment in colorectal cancer.

Cancer heterogeneity has posed a great challenge to traditional cancer treatment, with the reappearance of cancer heterogeneity of inter and intra patients being especially critical. Based on this, personalized therapy has emerged as significant research focus in recent and even future years. Cancer-related therapeutic models are developing, including cell lines, patient-derived xenografts, organoids, etc.

A DNA-Methylation-Driven Genes Based Prognostic Signature Reveals Immune Microenvironment in Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic cancer (PACA), which is characterized by an immunosuppressive nature, remains one of the deadliest malignancies worldwide. Aberrant DNA methylation (DNAm) reportedly influences tumor immune microenvironment. Here, we evaluated the role of DNA methylation driven genes (MDGs) in PACA through integrative analyses of epigenomic, transcriptomic, genomic and clinicopathological data obtained from TCGA, ICGC, ArrayExpress and GEO databases.

Targeting mTORC2/HDAC3 Inhibits Stemness of Liver Cancer Cells Against Glutamine Starvation.

Cancer cells are addicted to glutamine. However, cancer cells often suffer from glutamine starvation, which largely results from the fast growth of cancer cells and the insufficient vascularization in the interior of cancer tissues. Herein, based on clinical samples, patient-derived cells (PDCs), and cell lines, it is found that liver cancer cells display stem-like characteristics upon glutamine shortage due to maintaining the stemness of tumor initiating cells (TICs) and even promoting transformation of non-TICs into stem-like cells by glutamine starvation.

The incidence of second primary cancer in male and female patients with initial colorectal cancer: a SEER population-based study.

Background: Second primary cancer (SPC) after primary colorectal cancer (CRC), emerges as a novel challenge for cancer prevention with pronounced differences between female and male patients.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of 140 907 CRC survivors from the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results program database. Competing risk models and nomograms were constructed to predict the risk of SPCs, which were assessed with the C-Index, calibration and decision curve analysis.

Lymph node status and its impact on the prognosis of left-sided and right-sided colon cancer: A SEER population-based study.

Background: Some significant differences exist between the outcomes of left- and right-sided colon cancer patients. The presence of nodal metastases is a critical prognostic factor, especially in the absence of distant metastasis. Our research studied the lymph nodes status of left- and right-sided colon cancer patients to determine the influence of this factor on prognosis.

Fiber scaffold bioartificial liver therapy relieves acute liver failure and extrahepatic organ injury in pigs.

Acute liver failure (ALF) causes severe liver injury and a systemic inflammatory response, leading to multiorgan failure with a high short-term mortality. Bioartificial liver (BAL) therapy is a promising approach that is hampered by the lack of appropriate bioreactors and carriers to retain hepatic cell function and poor understanding of BAL treatment mechanisms in ALF and extrahepatic organ injury. Recently, we used a fiber scaffold bioreactor (FSB) for the high-density, three-dimensional (3D) culture of primary porcine hepatocytes (PPHs) combined with an absorption component to construct a BAL and verified its function in a D-galactosamine (D-gal)-induced ALF porcine model to evaluate its protective effects on the liver and extrahepatic organs.

Alternative splicing of mRNA in colorectal cancer: new strategies for tumor diagnosis and treatment.

Alternative splicing (AS) is an important event that contributes to posttranscriptional gene regulation. This process leads to several mature transcript variants with diverse physiological functions. Indeed, disruption of various aspects of this multistep process, such as cis- or trans- factor alteration, promotes the progression of colorectal cancer.

A narrative review of the roles of muscle segment homeobox transcription factor family in cancer.

Deregulation of many homeobox genes has been observed in various cancers and has caused functional implications in the tumor progression. In this review, we will focus on the roles of the human muscle segment homeobox (MSX) transcription factor family in the process of tumorigenesis. The MSX transcription factors, through complex downstream regulation mechanisms, are promoters or inhibitors of diverse cancers by participating in cell proliferation, cell invasion, cell metastasis, cell apoptosis, cell differentiation, drug resistance of tumors, maintenance of tumor stemness, and tumor angiogenesis.

The combined induction of liver progenitor cells and the suppression of stellate cells by small molecules reverts chronic hepatic dysfunction.

We developed a cocktail of soluble molecules mimicking the milieu supporting liver regeneration that could convert mature hepatocytes to expandable liver progenitor-like cells . This study aimed to induce endogenous liver progenitor cells by the administration of the soluble molecules to provide an alternative approach for the resolution of liver fibrosis. cultured hepatocyte-derived liver progenitor-like cells (HepLPCs) were transplanted into CCL4-treated mice to investigate the therapeutic effect against liver fibrosis.

Risk of Second Primary Malignancies Based on the Histological Subtypes of Colorectal Cancer.

Previous studies have revealed an increased risk of second primary malignancies (SPMs) after colorectal cancer (CRC); however, no previous investigation has quantified differences in the risk of SPMs based on the histological subtypes of first primary CRC. Patients diagnosed with first primary CRC between 2000 and 2011 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registries. The patients were divided into three cohorts: classical adenocarcinoma (CA), mucinous adenocarcinoma (MA), and signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC).

An extracorporeal bioartificial liver embedded with 3D-layered human liver progenitor-like cells relieves acute liver failure in pigs.

Clinical advancement of the bioartificial liver is hampered by the lack of expandable human hepatocytes and appropriate bioreactors and carriers to encourage hepatic cells to function during extracorporeal circulation. We have recently developed an efficient approach for derivation of expandable liver progenitor-like cells from human primary hepatocytes (HepLPCs). Here, we generated immortalized and functionally enhanced HepLPCs by introducing , a hepatocyte nuclear factor that enables potentially complete hepatic function.

Generation of hepatic spheroids using human hepatocyte-derived liver progenitor-like cells for hepatotoxicity screening.

: The idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (iDILI) is a major cause of acute liver injury and a key challenge in late-stage drug development. Individual heterogeneity is considered to be an essential factor of iDILI. However, few model can predict heterogeneity in iDILI.

mTOR direct crosstalk with STAT5 promotes de novo lipid synthesis and induces hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be the last step of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) evolution, and the main characteristic of NAFLD is alteration in lipid metabolism. However, the mechanisms of abnormal lipid metabolism in NAFLD and HCC progression are yet to be identified. Here, we demonstrate that liver-specific activation of mTORC1 promoted the expression of lipid synthesis genes and lead to the development of spontaneous HCC.

A DMSO-free hepatocyte maturation medium accelerates hepatic differentiation of HepaRG cells in vitro.

The most essential tools for studying drug hepatotoxicity, liver diseases, and bioartificial livers have always been models that can recapitulate liver physiology in vitro. The liver progenitor cell line HepaRG represents an effective surrogate of the primary hepatocyte. However, the differentiation of HepaRG relies on long-term induction using a high concentration of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), which may compromise the research of drug metabolism and restrict the applicability of this hepatic model.

Oncofetal HLF transactivates c-Jun to promote hepatocellular carcinoma development and sorafenib resistance.

Background And Aims: The unique expression pattern makes oncofetal proteins ideal diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cancer. However, few oncofetal proteins have been identified and entered clinical practice.

Methods: Fetal liver, adult liver and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues were employed to assess the expression of hepatic leukaemia factor (HLF).

Conversion of hepatoma cells to hepatocyte-like cells by defined hepatocyte nuclear factors.

Normal cells become cancer cells after a malignant transformation, but whether cancer cells can be reversed to normal status remains elusive. Here, we report that the combination of hepatocyte nuclear factor 1A (HNF1A), HNF4A and forkhead box protein A3 (FOXA3) synergistically reprograms hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells to hepatocyte-like cells (reprogrammed hepatocytes, rHeps). Our results show that rHeps lose the malignant phenotypes of cancer cells and retrieve hepatocyte-specific characteristics including hepatocyte-like morphology; global expression pattern of genes and specific biomarkers of hepatocytes; and the unique hepatic functions of albumin (ALB) secretion, glycogen synthesis, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) uptake, urea production, cytochrome P450 enzymes induction and drug metabolism.