PTTG1 Reprograms Asparagine Metabolism to Promote Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression.

Unlabelled: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer and has a poor prognosis. Pituitary tumor transforming gene 1 (PTTG1) is highly expressed in HCC, suggesting it could play an important role in hepatocellular carcinogenesis. Here, we evaluated the impact of PTTG1 deficiency on HCC development using a diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced HCC mouse model and a hepatitis B virus (HBV) regulatory X protein (HBx)-induced spontaneous HCC mouse model.

Hepatitis B virus X protein induces ALDH2 ubiquitin-dependent degradation to enhance alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Background: Excessive alcohol intake with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection accelerates chronic liver disease progression and patients with HBV infection are more susceptible to alcohol-induced liver disease. Hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) plays a crucial role in disease pathogenesis, while its specific role in alcoholic liver disease (ALD) progression has not yet been elucidated. Here, we studied the role of HBx on the development of ALD.

PTTG1 alleviates acute alcoholic liver injury by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced hepatocyte pyroptosis.

Background & Aims: Heavy drinking is a primary cause of alcoholic liver injury (ALI). Pituitary tumour transforming gene 1 (PTTG1) is involved in the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is a well-known inflammation-related cancer with various aetiologies, including alcohol consumption. However, the role of PTTG1 in alcohol-induced liver injury and inflammation is not clear.

Integrated systemic analysis of FAM72A to identify its clinical relevance, biological function, and relationship to drug sensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: The family with sequence similarity 72 member A (FAM72A) protein has been identified as an effector of multiple pathological processes in many cancers. The value of FAM72A in HCC remains largely unknown.

Methods: Data from TCGA-LIHC, ICGC-LIRI-JP, IMvigor210, cBioPortal, GeneMANIA, and TIMER were processed and visualized to explore the association between FAM72A and the prognosis, stemness phenotype, mutational burden, immune cell infiltration, and drug sensitivity in HCC patients.

Effect of alcohol on clinical complications of hepatitis virus-induced liver cirrhosis: a consecutive ten-year study.

Background And Aims: Although coexisting alcohol-induced liver disease and hepatitis B or C virus-induced liver cirrhosis (ALD + HBV or ALD + HCV) has been the center of recent hepatology researches, numerous controversies still persist. This study aimed to showcase the influence of alcohol on the laboratory values and on the clinical outcomes of patients with hepatitis B and C virus-induced liver cirrhosis.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis (n = 22,287) from January 2010 to December 2019 were enrolled, and divided into five groups according to the etiology: alcohol-induced liver disease (ALD, 1652 cases), hepatitis B virus (HBV, 18,079 cases), hepatitis C virus (HCV, 682 cases), ALD + HBV (1594 cases) and ALD + HCV (280 cases).

FcGBP and VCAM-1 are ponderable biomarkers for differential diagnosis of alcoholic liver cirrhosis.

Background/ Aims: Early diagnosis of alcoholic liver cirrhosis (ALD) and coexisting ALD and hepatitis B virus-induced cirrhosis (ALD+HBV) is primordial for an optimal management of these conditions. However, the lack of specific noninvasive biomarkers coupled with the inaccuracy of self-reported alcohol consumption make the early diagnosis of these pathologies difficult. This study aimed to identify biomarkers to diagnose ALD and differentiate ALD+HBV from HBV.

Clinical presentation of gastric Burkitt lymphoma presenting with paraplegia and acute pancreatitis: A case report.

Background: The incidence of gastric Burkitt lymphoma (BL), presenting as paraplegia and acute pancreatitis, is extremely low. BL is a great masquerader that presents in varied forms and in atypical locations, and it is prone to misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis. The prognosis of BL remains poor because of the difficulty in early diagnosis and the limited advances in chemotherapy.

Sodium butyrate protects against lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury partially via the GPR43/ β-arrestin-2/NF-κB network.

Background: Butyrate acts as a regulator in multiple inflammatory organ injuries. However, the role of butyrate in acute liver injury has not yet been fully explored. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the association between butyrate and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute liver injury and the signaling pathways involved.

Impact of variceal eradication on rebleeding and prognosis in cirrhotic patients undergoing secondary prophylaxis.

Background: Endoscopic therapy has been widely applied to prevent variceal rebleeding, but data addressing the effect of endoscopic variceal eradication (VE) are lacking. We aimed to clarify the clinical impact of VE and reveal the long-term incidence and mortality of gastrointestinal rebleeding.

Methods: This prospective study included 228 cirrhotic patients who underwent secondary prophylaxis for variceal bleeding and achieved VE through a systematic procedure we proposed as endoscopic sequential therapy (EST).

NF- B/HDAC1/SREBP1c pathway mediates the inflammation signal in progression of hepatic steatosis.

The transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NF-B) is activated in hepatocytes in the pathogenesis of hepatic steatosis. However, the action mechanism of NF-B remains to be established in the hepatic steatosis. In this study, the subunit of NF-B was found to promote the hepatic steatosis through regulation of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) in hepatocytes.

β-Arrestin1 is involved in hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis via extracellular signal-regulated kinase-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Background And Aim: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant disease worldwide. It is implicated in high cancer-related mortality rates in humans. β-Arrestin1 (ARRB1) has been demonstrated to be related to the development of several cancers, while the relationship between ARRB1 and metastasis in HCC is unknown.

PTTG1 is involved in TNF-α-related hepatocellular carcinoma via the induction of c-myc.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant disease caused by a variety of factors. However, the genomic and molecular aberrations in HCC are largely unknown. Herein, pituitary tumor transforming gene 1 (PTTG1) was discovered as a potential inflammation-related oncogene in HCC, and its functions and molecular mechanisms were investigated.

Endoscopic Variceal Sequential Ligation Does Not Increase Risk of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Cirrhosis Patients.

Background: Endoscopic variceal sequential ligation (EVSL) is currently endorsed in our hospital, as the preferred endoscopic treatment for prevention of variceal rebleeding and achieving adequate hemostasis. There is currently a lack of consensus surrounding EVSL-induced changes in esophageal motor function and abnormal reflux.

Aims: To explore alterations in esophageal motor function and risk of abnormal gastroesophageal reflux in liver cirrhosis patients with esophageal varices, after EVSL.

Recurrent esophagogastric variceal bleeding due to portal vein thrombosis caused by protein S deficiency.

Esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB) is common in patients with portal vein thrombosis (PVT). Hereditary deficiencies in natural anticoagulant proteins, such as protein S, might contribute to PVT. However, recurrent EGVB caused by PVT in patients with protein S deficiency is seldom reported.

Atypical Presentation of Adrenocortical Insufficiency with Anorexia and Jaundice.

BACKGROUND Adrenal insufficiency is mainly due to insufficient adrenal corticosteroid hormones secretion by the adrenal cortex, which leads to clinical manifestations such as weakness, weight loss, hyperpigmentation, hypotension, and vomiting. However, the clinical manifestations of adrenocortical insufficiency may be atypical: anorexia, ascites, impaired liver function, and alacrima have been reported. Jaundice and anorexia presenting together in the same patient as the main symptoms are rare.

β-arrestin 2 attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced liver injury inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway-mediated inflammation in mice.

Aim: To study the role and the possible mechanism of β-arrestin 2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced liver injury and .

Methods: Male β-arrestin 2 and β-arrestin 2 C57BL/6J mice were used for experiments, and the mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 was used for experiments.

Procedure-related complications in gastric variceal obturation with tissue glue.

Aim: To focus on procedure-related complications, evaluate their incidence, analyze the reasons and discuss the solutions.

Methods: Overall, 628 endoscopic gastric variceal obturation (EGVO) procedures (case-times) with NBC were performed in 519 patients in the Department of Endoscopy of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University from January 2011 to December 2016. The clinical data of patients and procedure-related complications of EGVO were retrospectively analyzed.

Diagnosis of eosinophilic gastroenteritis is easily missed.

Aim: To analyze the clinical characteristics of eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) and to investigate the situations of missed diagnosis of EGE.

Methods: First, the clinical characteristics of 20 EGE patients who were treated at our hospital were retrospectively summarized. Second, 159 patients who underwent gastroscopy and 211 patients who underwent colonoscopy were enrolled.

Successful treatment of ileal ulcers caused by immunosuppressants in two organ transplant recipients.

Although gastroduodenal ulcers are common in solid organ transplant patients, there are few reports on multiple giant ulcers in the distal ileum and ileocecal valve caused by immunosuppressants Herein, we report on a liver transplant recipient and a renal transplant recipient with multiple large ulcers in the distal ileum and ileocecal valve who rapidly achieved ulcer healing upon withdrawal of sirolimus or tacrolimus and administration of thalidomide. In case 1, a 56-year-old man with primary hepatocellular carcinoma had received a liver transplantation. Tacrolimus combined with sirolimus and prednisolone was used as the anti-rejection regimen.

Salivary HOTAIR and PVT1 as novel biomarkers for early pancreatic cancer.

Sensitive and non-invasive biomarkers for pancreatic cancer (PC) are lacking. We aimed to identify salivary long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as biomarkers in diagnosis of resectable PC. Five well-documented lncRNAs: H19, HOTAIR, HOTTIP, MALAT1, PVT1, which are most closely associated with pancreatic cancer from previous studies were selected as putative lncRNA biomarkers.

β-Arrestin1 enhances hepatocellular carcinogenesis through inflammation-mediated Akt signalling.

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) constitute the largest known superfamily for signal transduction and transmission, and they control a variety of physiological and pathological processes. GPCR adaptor β-arrestins (ARRBs) play a role in cancerous proliferation. However, the effect of ARRBs in inflammation-mediated hepatocellular carcinogenesis is unknown.

Full-length hepatitis B virus sequences from naïve patients with fluctuation of viral load during ADV monotherapy.

The reasons for adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) treatment failures appear diverse. Few studies have reported full-length hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome in patients with ADV treatment failures. The patients were from a phase III clinical trial that investigated the antiviral response to ADV in China.

[Shikonin down-regulates CXCR4 expression and inhibits CXCL12-induced migratory responses in colorectal carcinoma cell line SW480].

Objective: To investigate the effects of shikonin on the proliferation, expression of CXCR4 and the migratory responses to CXCL12 in colorectal carcinoma cell line SW480.

Methods: The proliferation of SW480 cells was assessed by MTT assay. Cell surface expression of CXCR4 was determined by flow cytometry.

Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma induces apoptosis on acute promyelocytic leukemia cells via downregulation of XIAP.

In the present study we investigated the in vitro apoptosis inducing effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) ligand ciglitazone (CGZ) on acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) NB4 cells and its mechanisms of action. The results revealed that CGZ (10-50 micromol/l) inhibited the growth of leukemia NB4 cells and caused apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Apoptosis was observed clearly by flow cytometry (FCM) and DNA fragmentation analysis.