Covert hepatic encephalopathy is associated with aggressive disease progression and poor survival in patients with cirrhosis.

Objectives: Covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE) negatively affects the health-related quality of life and increases the risk of overt HE (OHE) in patients with liver cirrhosis. However, the impact of CHE on long-term patient outcomes remains controversial. This study aimed to explore the association between CHE and disease progression and survival among cirrhotic patients.

Skeletal muscle alterations indicate poor prognosis in cirrhotic patients: a multicenter cohort study in China.

Introduction: We aimed to determine the diagnostic criteria of myosteatosis in a Chinese population and investigate the effect of skeletal muscle abnormalities on the outcomes of cirrhotic patients.

Methods: Totally 911 volunteers were recruited to determine the diagnostic criteria and impact factors of myosteatosis, and 480 cirrhotic patients were enrolled to verify the value of muscle alterations for prognosis prediction and establish new noninvasive prognostic strategies.

Results: Multivariate analysis showed age, sex, weight, waist circumference, and biceps circumference had a remarkable influence on the L3 skeletal muscle density (L3-SMD).

Biocompatibility and Safety Assessment of Combined Topical Ozone and Antibiotics for Treatment of Infected Wounds.

Wound infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, particularly the Gram-negative strains, pose a substantial health risk for patients with limited treatment options. Recently topical administration of gaseous ozone and its combination with antibiotics through portable systems has been demonstrated to be a promising approach to eradicate commonly found Gram-negative strains of bacteria in wound infections. However, despite the significant impact of ozone in treating the growing number of antibiotic-resistant infections, uncontrolled and high concentrations of ozone can cause damage to the surrounding tissue.

Differentiation therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting the activity of AKT/GSK-3β/β-catenin axis and TGF-β induced EMT with sophocarpine.

Hepatocellular carcinoma progression is thought to be driven by cancer stem cells (CSCs). No clinical trial has, as yet, shown convincing long-term disease free survival results for the majority of patients in HCC. So it is important to discover new anti-cancer agents.

[Mechanism of sophocarpine in treating experimental colitis in mice].

To study the preventive effect of sophocarpine (Soc) on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice, in order to analyze the influence of Soc on toll like receptor 4 (TLR4)/mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and janus tyrosine kinase 2 signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) signal pathways in mice intestinal tissues. The mice was given 2.5% DSS for 6 days to induce the acute colitis model.

Does low-dose rifaximin ameliorate endotoxemia in patients with liver cirrhosis: a prospective study.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of different doses of rifaximin in Chinese patients with liver cirrhosis.

Methods: This random prospective study included a screening visit, a 2-week treatment period and a subsequent 4-week observation phase. Patients with liver cirrhosis were randomly assigned to a low-dose rifaximin group, a high-dose rifaximin group and the control group in a ratio of 1:1:1.

An HNF1α-regulated feedback circuit modulates hepatic fibrogenesis via the crosstalk between hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells.

Hepatocytes are critical for the maintenance of liver homeostasis, but its involvement in hepatic fibrogenesis remains elusive. Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1α (HNF1α) is a liver-enriched transcription factor that plays a key role in hepatocyte function. Our previous study revealed a significant inhibitory effect of HNF1α on hepatocellular carcinoma.

Sophocarpine attenuates toll-like receptor 4 in steatotic hepatocytes to suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines synthesis.

Background And Aim: Sophocarpine, a tetracyclic quinolizidine alkaloid derived from Sophora alopecuroides L., has been documented that it can suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines synthesis in alleviating nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in vivo. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is a pattern recognition receptor whose activation results in the production of several pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Evaluation and clinical significance of the stomach age model for evaluating aging of the stomach-a multicenter study in China.

Background: A higher prevalence of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) occurs in younger adults in Asia. We used Stomach Age to examine the different mechanisms of CAG between younger adults and elderly individuals, and established a simple model of cancer risk that can be applied to CAG surveillance.

Methods: Stomach Age was determined by FISH examination of telomere length in stomach biopsies.

Sophocarpine attenuates liver fibrosis by inhibiting the TLR4 signaling pathway in rats.

Aim: To explore the effect of sophocarpine on experimental liver fibrosis and the potential mechanism involved.

Methods: Sophocarpine was injected intraperitoneally in two distinct rat hepatic fibrosis models induced either by dimethylnitrosamine or bile duct ligation. Masson's trichrome staining, Sirius red staining and hepatic hydroxyproline level were used for collagen determination.

Perturbation of MicroRNA-370/Lin-28 homolog A/nuclear factor kappa B regulatory circuit contributes to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Unlabelled: MicroRNA 370 (miR-370) is located within the DLK1/DIO3 imprinting region on human chromosome 14, which has been identified as a cancer-associated genomic region. However, the role of miR-370 in malignances remains controversial. Here, we report that miR-370 was repressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and hepatoma cell lines.

Sophocarpine alleviates hepatocyte steatosis through activating AMPK signaling pathway.

Sophocarpine, an effective compound derived from foxtail-like sophora herb and seed, has been reported that it can alleviate non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in rats and affect adipocytokine synthesis. Meanwhile, adipocytokines could adjust hepatic lipid metabolism through AMPK signaling pathway. In the work presented here, primary hepatocytes were isolated from specific pathogen-free male SD rats and incubated with 200 μmol/L oleic acid for 24h to induce steatotic model, then treated with sophocarpine for 72 h.

Regression effect of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α on liver cirrhosis in rats.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether cirrhosis could be reversed after treated with hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α), a key transcriptional regulator of hepatocyte differentiation and function.

Methods: Early and advanced stages of liver cirrhosis were induced by thioacetamide (TAA) administration. The adenovirus carrying HNF4α gene was injected into cirrhotic rats via the tail vein.

Recombinant adenovirus carrying the hepatocyte nuclear factor-1alpha gene inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft growth in mice.

Unlabelled: Hepatocyte nuclear factor-1alpha (HNF1α) is one of the key transcription factors of the HNF family, which plays a critical role in hepatocyte differentiation. Substantial evidence has suggested that down-regulation of HNF1α may contribute to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Herein, human cancer cells and tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAFs) were isolated from human HCC tissues, respectively.

Self-expanding metallic stent as a bridge to surgery versus emergency surgery for obstructive colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis.

Background: The use of a colonic stent as a bridge to surgery aims to provide patients with elective one-stage surgical resection while reducing stoma creation and postoperative complications. This study used meta-analytic techniques to compare the outcomes of stent use as a bridge to surgery and emergency surgery in the management of obstructive colorectal cancer.

Methods: A literature search of Medline, Embase, Cochrane controlled trials registry, and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database was performed on all studies comparing stent as a bridge to surgery and emergency surgery for obstructive colorectal cancer.

Gemcitabine in the chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer: a meta-analysis.

Aims: Whether gemcitabine based chemoradiotherapy (GEM-based CRT) is superior to 5-fluorouracil based chemoradiotherapy (5-FU-based CRT) for locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) remains uncertain. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of GEM-based CRT compared with 5-FU-based CRT.

Methods: Electronic database including Medline, Embase, Cochrane controlled trials register, PubMed (update to December 2010) and manual bibliography searches were carried out.

Sophocarpine alleviates non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in rats.

Background And Aim: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one entity in the spectrum of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to explore the prevention and therapeutic effect of sophocarpine on experimental rat NASH.

Methods: Sophocarpine with the dosage of 20 mg/kg/day was injected into NASH rats.

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha suppresses the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) is a transcription factor that plays a key role in hepatocyte differentiation and the maintenance of hepatic function, but its role in hepatocarcinogenesis has yet to be examined. Here, we report evidence of a suppressor role for HNF4α in liver cancer. HNF4α expression was progressively decreased in the diethylinitrosamine-induced rat model of liver carcinogenesis.

Inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 by adenovirus mediated small interfering RNA attenuates hepatic fibrosis in rats.

Unlabelled: Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) is a critical part of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signal transduction pathway, which is involved in hepatic fibrosis. However, the effect of down-regulation of ERK1 on hepatic fibrosis has not been reported. Here, we induced hepatic fibrosis in rats with dimethylnitrosamine administration or bile duct ligation.

Drug-induced liver disease: an 8-year study of patients from one gastroenterological department.

Objective: To analyze drug-induced liver disease over an 8-year period from January 2000 to December 2007 in one gastroenterological department.

Methods: International consensus of standard definitions and criteria for assessing causality of adverse drug reactions were applied to all patients with abnormal hepatic test results.

Results: Drugs were implicated in hepatic injury in 30 patients (15 men and 15 women) in whom there was a causal or highly probable relationship between drug use and liver disease.

Milder liver cirrhosis and loss of serum HBeAg do not imply lower risk for hepatocellular carcinoma development in HBV-related cirrhosis.

Background: Serum HBeAg status and liver cirrhosis severity at the time of diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related cirrhosis remain inconclusive. The aim was to investigate the status of HBeAg and cirrhosis severity at the time of HCC development in the natural history of HBV-related cirrhosis in mainland China.

Material/methods: In a retrospective cross-sectional hospital-based setting, HBeAg status and severity of underlying cirrhosis, estimated by MELD (model for end-stage liver disease) scores and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)--to-platelet ratio index (APRI), were comprehensively compared in 377 HBsAg-positive compensated and decompensated liver cirrhosis and 434 with HCC patients to clarify the independent and joint effects of the factors.

Adenovirus-mediated transfer of siRNA against PAI-1 mRNA ameliorates hepatic fibrosis in rats.

Background/aims: Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is a potential profibrotic molecule. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of PAI-1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) on experimental hepatic fibrosis and investigate the intrinsic mechanisms.

Methods: Hepatic fibrosis in rats was induced by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) administration or bile duct ligation (BDL).

Hepatitis B virus DNA in patients with hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis with or without hepatocellular carcinomas: a matched case-control study.

Objective: The relationship between serum viremia and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related cirrhosis remains unclear. We aimed at calculating odds ratios (OR) for the presence of HCC over a range of HBV DNA levels in these patients.

Methods: Patients were identified retrospectively and 155 pairs of matched, treatment-naive HBV-related cirrhotic patients with and without HCC were recruited.

A minimally invasive alternative for managing large pancreatic duct stones using a modified expandable metal mesh stent.

Background And Aim: Endoscopic clearance of large or impacted stones in the main pancreatic duct (MPD) remains a clinical challenge. In this study, we attempted to technically modify the metallic stent to facilitate the clearance of large pancreatic stones in 4 patients, hoping to lower the operative risks and shorten hospital stay.

Patients And Methods: Four patients with chronic pancreatitis and large stones in the MPD received endoscopic treatment.

Differentiation therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma in mice with recombinant adenovirus carrying hepatocyte nuclear factor-4alpha gene.

Unlabelled: Previous studies have shown that hepatocyte nuclear factor-4alpha (HNF4alpha) is a central regulator of differentiated hepatocyte phenotype and forced expression of HNF4alpha could promote reversion of tumors toward a less invasive phenotype. However, the effect of HNF4alpha on cancer stem cells (CSCs) and the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with HNF4alpha have not been reported. In this study, an adenovirus-mediated gene delivery system, which could efficiently transfer and express HNF4alpha, was generated to determine its effect on hepatoma cells (Hep3B and HepG2) in vitro and investigate the anti-tumor effect of HNF4alpha in mice.