Gastrointestinal disease burden and mortality: A public hospital-based study from 2005 to 2014.

Background And Aim: Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases account for substantial morbidity, mortality, and health care utilization. This public hospital-based study assessed the incidence and time trend of hospitalization and mortality of major GI diseases over one decade.

Methods: We conducted an observational study using population-wide database managed by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority with a principal diagnosis of GI diseases defined by International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification coding.

Anti-CD47 antibody suppresses tumour growth and augments the effect of chemotherapy treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is often associated with metastasis and recurrence leading to a poor prognosis. Therefore, development of novel treatment regimens is urgently needed to improve the survival of HCC patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the in vitro and in vivo effects of anti-CD47 antibody alone and in combination with chemotherapy in HCC.

Blockade of CD47-mediated cathepsin S/protease-activated receptor 2 signaling provides a therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Unlabelled: Identification of therapeutic targets against tumor-initiating cells (TICs) is a priority in the development of new therapeutic paradigms against cancer. We enriched a TIC population capable of tumor initiation and self-renewal by serial passages of hepatospheres with chemotherapeutic agents. In chemoresistant hepatospheres, CD47 was found to be up-regulated, when compared with differentiated progenies.

Liver tumor-initiating cells as a therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy worldwide and has poor prognosis. Existing treatment modalities, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiofrequency ablation, which target tumor bulk, have demonstrated limited therapeutic efficacy. In the past 10years, accumulating evidence has supported the existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor initiating cells (T-ICs) within tumors including HCC.

CD24(+) liver tumor-initiating cells drive self-renewal and tumor initiation through STAT3-mediated NANOG regulation.

Tumor-initiating cells (T-ICs) are a subpopulation of chemoresistant tumor cells that have been shown to cause tumor recurrence upon chemotherapy. Identification of T-ICs and their related pathways are therefore priorities for the development of new therapeutic paradigms. We established chemoresistant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) xenograft tumors in immunocompromised mice in which an enriched T-IC population was capable of tumor initiation and self-renewal.

Lupeol targets liver tumor-initiating cells through phosphatase and tensin homolog modulation.

Unlabelled: Liver tumor-initiating cells (T-ICs) are capable of self-renewal and tumor initiation and are more chemoresistant to chemotherapeutic drugs. The current therapeutic strategies for targeting stem cell self-renewal pathways therefore represent rational approaches for cancer prevention and treatment. In the present study, we found that Lup-20(29)-en-3β-ol (lupeol), a triterpene found in fruits and vegetables, inhibited the self-renewal ability of liver T-ICs present in both hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines and clinical HCC samples, as reflected by hepatosphere formation.