Unraveling the tumor-initiating cells in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aggressive features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are highly related to liver tumor-initiating cells (TICs), which are heterogeneous and plastic. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Yang et al. reveal the ability of CD49f-high TICs in shaping the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment in HCC.

Short-chain fatty acids in viral infection: the underlying mechanisms, opportunities, and challenges.

Viral infections can cause cellular pathway derangements, cell death, and immunopathological responses, leading to host inflammation. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), produced by the microbiota, have emerged as a potential therapeutic for viral infections due to their ability to modulate these processes. However, SCFAs have been reported to have both beneficial and detrimental effects, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms.

Resolution of Optimal Mitochondrial and Nuclear DNA Enrichment in Target-Panel Sequencing and Physiological Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number Estimation in Liver Cancer and Non-Liver Cancer Subjects.

Mitochondria generate energy to support cells. They are important organelles that engage in key biological pathways. The dysfunction of mitochondria can be linked to hepatocarcinogenesis, which has been actively explored in recent years.

Impact of Prophylactic Antibiotic Use in Ornamental Fish Tanks on Microbial Communities and Pathogen Selection in Carriage Water in Hong Kong Retail Shops.

Antibiotics are routinely added to ornamental fish tanks for treating bacterial infection or as a prophylactic measure. However, the overuse or subtherapeutical application of antibiotics could potentially facilitate the selection of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, yet no studies have investigated antibiotic use in the retail ornamental fish sector and its impact on microbial communities. The present study analyzed the concentrations of twenty antibiotics in the carriage water (which also originates from fish tanks in retail shops) collected monthly from ten local ornamental fish shops over a duration of three months.

Sorted-Cell Sequencing on HCC Specimens Reveals EPS8L3 as a Key Player in CD24/CD13/EpCAM-Triple Positive, Stemness-Related HCC Cells.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous cancer with varying levels of liver tumor initiating or cancer stem cells in the tumors. We aimed to investigate the expression of different liver cancer stem cell (LCSC) markers in human HCCs and identify their regulatory mechanisms in stemness-related cells.

Methods: We used an unbiased, single-marker sorting approach by flow cytometry, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and transcriptomic analyses on HCC patients' resected specimens.

Direct observation of a magnetic-field-induced Wigner crystal.

Wigner predicted that when the Coulomb interactions between electrons become much stronger than their kinetic energy, electrons crystallize into a closely packed lattice. A variety of two-dimensional systems have shown evidence for Wigner crystals (WCs). However, a spontaneously formed classical or quantum WC has never been directly visualized.

Microsurgical Debridement for Persistent Ulcers Due to Rare Fungus Infection: Case Report and Literature Review.

A patient suffered from chronic ulcer due to recalcitrant fungal infection for 3.5 years. Five antifungal agents and 40 times of debridement-all failed.

Reciprocal interactions between malignant cells and macrophages enhance cancer stemness and M2 polarization in HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma.

The tumor microenvironment of cancers has emerged as a crucial component in regulating cancer stemness and plays a pivotal role in cell-cell communication. However, the specific mechanisms underlying these phenomena remain poorly understood. We performed the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on nine HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.

LANCL1, a cell surface protein, promotes liver tumor initiation through FAM49B-Rac1 axis to suppress oxidative stress.

Background And Aims: HCC is an aggressive cancer with a poor clinical outcome. Understanding the mechanisms that drive tumor initiation is important for improving treatment strategy. This study aimed to identify functional cell membrane proteins that promote HCC tumor initiation.

Multi-wavelength multi-direction laser light scattering for cell characterization using machine learning-based methods.

Cell identification and analysis play a crucial role in many biology- and health-related applications. The internal and surface structures of a cell are complex and many of the features are sub-micron in scale. Well-resolved images of these features cannot be obtained using optical microscopy.

Microplastic contamination in edible clams from popular recreational clam-digging sites in Hong Kong and implications for human health.

The ubiquitous presence of microplastics in edible bivalves and the human health risks associated with bivalve consumption have raised public concerns. Farmed and market-sold bivalves have received the most attention, while wild bivalves have received much less scrutiny. In the present study, 249 individuals were examined across six wild clam species from two popular recreational clam-digging sites in Hong Kong.

Fueling HCC Dynamics: Interplay Between Tumor Microenvironment and Tumor Initiating Cells.

Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) is a common cancer worldwide. It is an aggressive cancer, with high rates of tumor relapse and metastasis, high chemoresistance, and poor prognosis. Liver tumor-initiating cells (LTICs) are a distinctive subset of liver cancer cells with self-renewal and differentiation capacities that contribute to intratumoral heterogeneity, tumor recurrence, metastasis, and chemo-drug resistance.

S100A10 promotes HCC development and progression via transfer in extracellular vesicles and regulating their protein cargos.

Objective: Growing evidence indicates that tumour cells exhibit characteristics similar to their lineage progenitor cells. We found that S100 calcium binding protein A10 (S100A10) exhibited an expression pattern similar to that of liver progenitor genes. However, the role of S100A10 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression is unclear.

Patient-Specific 3D-Print Extracranial Vascular Simulators and Infrared Imaging Platform for Diagnostic Cerebral Angiography Training.

Tortuous aortic arch is always challenging for beginner neuro-interventionalists. Herein, we share our experience of using 3D-printed extracranial vascular simulators (VSs) and the infrared imaging platform (IRIP) in two training courses for diagnostic cerebral angiography in the past 4 years. A total of four full-scale patient-specific carotid-aortic-iliac models were fabricated, including one type I arch, one bovine variant, and two type III arches.

Risk of Metachronous Advanced Colorectal Neoplasia After Removal of Diminutive Versus Small Nonadvanced Adenomas: A Multicenter Study.

Background: Current postpolypectomy guidelines treat 1-9 mm nonadvanced adenomas (NAAs) as carrying the same level of risk for metachronous advanced colorectal neoplasia (ACRN).

Aims: To evaluate whether small (6-9 mm) NAAs are associated with a greater risk of metachronous ACRN than diminutive (1-5 mm) NAAs.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 10,060 index colonoscopies performed from July 2011 to June 2019.

Single-Cell Transcriptomics of Liver Cancer: Hype or Insights?

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by its high degrees of both inter- and intratumoral heterogeneity. Its complex tumor microenvironment is also crucial in promoting tumor progression. Recent advances in single-cell RNA sequencing provide an important highway to characterize the underlying pathogenesis and heterogeneity of HCC in an unprecedented degree of resolution.

Ephrin-A3/EphA2 axis regulates cellular metabolic plasticity to enhance cancer stemness in hypoxic hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: The highly proliferative nature of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) frequently results in a hypoxic intratumoural microenvironment, which creates a therapeutic challenge owing to a lack of mechanistic understanding of the phenomenon. We aimed to identify critical drivers of HCC development and progression in the hypoxic microenvironment.

Methods: We performed integrative analysis of multiple transcriptomic and genomic profiles specific for HCC and hypoxia and identified the Ephrin-A3/Eph receptor A2 (EphA2) axis as a clinically relevant and hypoxia-inducible signalling axis in HCC.

Liquid Biopsy Using Cell-Free or Circulating Tumor DNA in the Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]) is a fatal cancer worldwide and often is detected at an advanced stage when treatment options are very limited. This drives the development of techniques and platforms for early detection of HCC. In recent years, liquid biopsy has provided a means of noninvasive detection of cancers.

Integration of a miniaturized DMMB assay with high-throughput screening for identifying regulators of proteoglycan metabolism.

Defective biosynthesis or function of proteoglycans causes pathological conditions in a variety of tissue systems. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disorder characterized by progressive cartilage destruction caused by imbalanced proteoglycan synthesis and degradation. Identifying agents that regulate proteoglycan metabolism may benefit the development of OA-modifying therapeutics.