Finite versus Indefinite Nucleos(t)ide Analogue Therapy of Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Exhibiting Negative HBsAg Levels after Treatment.

Aim: To determine whether a decrease in HBsAg to <0.05 IU/mL could be a criterion for cessation of finite nucleos(t)ide analogue (NUC) therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 6715 patients with CHB between January 1998 and May 2016.

Analgesic and neuroprotective effects of Baimai Ointment on diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Ethnopharmacology Relevance: Baimai (BM) ointment, a traditional Tibetan medicine, has been widely used to treat "white vein" disease, paralysis, hemiplegia and claudication caused by trauma, because of its great effects on muscle stretching and collateral activation. As one of the most terrible complications in diabetes patients, diabetes peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is mainly manifested as abnormal pain or numbness in extremities. However, whether BM ointment is a potential drug for DPN treatment is unclear.

Activated Hepatic Stellate Cells Induce Infiltration and Formation of CD163 Macrophages CCL2/CCR2 Pathway.

Activated hepatic stellate cells (aHSCs) regulate the function of immune cells during liver fibrosis. As major innate cells in the liver, macrophages have inducible plasticity. Nevertheless, the mechanisms through which aHSCs regulate macrophages' phenotype and function during liver fibrosis and cirrhosis remain unclear.

Association between Circulating Growth Differentiation Factor 15 and Cirrhotic Primary Biliary Cholangitis.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a common condition that usually shows a progressive course towards cirrhosis without adequate treatment. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) plays multiple roles in various pathological conditions. The overall role of circulating GDF15 in cirrhotic PBC requires further investigation.

Dysregulation of Circulating FGF19 and Bile Acids in Primary Biliary Cholangitis-Autoimmune Hepatitis Overlap Syndrome.

Background: Primary biliary cholangitis-autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome (PBC-AIH OS), which exhibits features between autoimmune hepatitis and cholestasis, is a common condition and usually shows a progressive course toward cirrhosis and liver failure without adequate treatment. Synthesis of bile acids (BAs) plays an important role in liver injury in cholestasis, and the process is regulated by fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19). The overall role of circulating FGF19 in BA synthesis and PBC-AIH OS requires further investigation.

UV-Induced Photodegradation of Naproxen Using a Nano γ-FeOOH Composite: Degradation Kinetics and Photocatalytic Mechanism.

Naproxen (NPX) is one of the most common pharmaceutical and personal care products found in surface water, which is recalcitrant to degradation by biological treatment or complete removal via traditional sewage treatment processes. In this study, nanoscale γ-FeOOH was synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, surface analysis, and analysis of the forbidden bandwidth. Under UV irradiation, γ-FeOOH had the capacity to rapidly photodegrade NPX.

Efficacy of long-term treatment with tenofovir in Chinese nucleos(t)ide-naïve chronic hepatitis B patients regardless of baseline viral load.

The aim of the present study was to analyze the efficacy and safety of tenofovir (TDF) treatment for up to 5 years in nucleos(t)ide-naïve chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, particularly those with a high viral load, a in real-life scenario. A total of 144 nucleos(t)ide-naïve CHB patients who received TDF monotherapy for at least 3 months were retrospectively analyzed. The primary endpoint measure was the achievement of virological response (VR; undetectable serum HBV DNA, <100 IU/ml).

Fluconazole plus flucytosine is a good alternative therapy for non-HIV and non-transplant-associated cryptococcal meningitis: A retrospective cohort study.

Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) carries a high risk of mortality with increasing incidences in immune competent hosts. Current treatments are not well tolerated, and evaluation of other treatments is needed. Fluconazole and 5-flucytosine in treating immune competent hosts have not been characterised.

Efficacy of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate switch therapy in chronic hepatitis B patients with suboptimal response to adefovir-based combination therapy.

In the present study, the efficacy and safety of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) switch therapy were assessed in patients with chronic hepatitis B exhibiting a suboptimal response to adefovir (ADV)-based combination therapy. First, the efficacy of the TDF switch therapy was retrospectively evaluated in 50 patients with chronic hepatitis B who failed to respond to ADV-based combination treatment. Among those, 48 patients with a median age of 35 years were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive and 17, 14 and 19 patients were previously treated with lamivudine (LAM) plus ADV, telbivudine plus ADV and entecavir (ETV) plus ADV, respectively.

Association of Low Zinc Finger Antiviral Protein Expression with Progression and Poor Survival of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background/aims: Zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP) has been reported to be expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and ZAP expression is associated with apoptotic signaling in cancer cells. This study aimed at investigating the expression of ZAP in HCC cells and its significance in clinical pathology.

Methods: Real-time quantitative PCR and western blot assays were employed to detect ZAP RNA and protein expression in normal human hepatocytes, HCC cells, and five primary HCC cell lines.

Naturally Occurring Resistance-Associated Variants to Hepatitis C Virus Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents in Treatment-Naive HCV Genotype 6a-Infected Patients.

Background And Objective: The direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) antiviral therapy has drastically improved the prognosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients. However, the viral drug resistance-associated variants (RAVs) can limit the efficacy of DAAs. For the HCV-6a is not the predominant prevalent genotype; the data on the prevalence of naturally occurring RAVs in it is scarce.

Liver toxicity of chemotherapy and targeted therapy for breast cancer patients with hepatitis virus infection.

Background: Chemotherapy has greatly improved the prognosis of breast cancer patients. However, it may also result in undesirable side effects such as hepatitis virus reactivation. Little information is available on the liver toxicity of chemotherapy and targeted therapy for breast cancer patients with hepatitis virus (HBV/HCV) infection.

A genome-wide association study of 23 agronomic traits in Chinese wheat landraces.

Uncovering the genetic basis of agronomic traits in wheat landraces is important for ensuring global food security via the development of improved varieties. Here, 723 wheat landraces from 10 Chinese agro-ecological zones were evaluated for 23 agronomic traits in six environments. All accessions could be clustered into five subgroups based on phenotypic data via discriminant function analysis, which was highly consistent with genotypic classification.

Circulating FGF19 closely correlates with bile acid synthesis and cholestasis in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.

Background And Aim: Bile acid (BA) synthesis in the liver is regulated by Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 (FGF19) secreted from the ileum as an enterohepatic feedback mechanism. Although FGF19 mRNA is absent in normal liver, FGF19 gene expression was reported to increase in response to both extrahepatic and intrahepatic cholestasis. The impact of upregulated FGF19 expression on BA synthesis is unclear and the overall role of circulating FGF19 and BA synthesis under cholestatic conditions needs to be further investigated.

Naturally occurring drug resistance associated variants to hepatitis C virus direct-acting antiviral agents in treatment-naive HCV genotype 1b-infected patients in China.

The direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) have drastically improved the prognosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients. However, the resistance-associated variants (RAVs) to DAAs may hamper treatment. There was a lack of data on the prevalence of pre-exist RAVs in Chinese HCV-infected patients.

Effects of hepatitis C virus infection on the safety of chemotherapy for breast cancer patients.

Purpose: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the major pathogens of chronic viral hepatitis, and approximately 38 million patients are infected with HCV in China. However, little information is available on the effect of HCV infection during chemotherapy for breast cancer and the impact of HCV infection on the toxicity of chemotherapy and targeted therapy.

Methods: We performed a retrospective survey of 835 patients who were diagnosed with breast cancer between January 2010 and December 2015 at our institution.

β-Functionalization of Indolin-2-one-Derived Aliphatic Acids for the Divergent Synthesis of Spirooxindole γ-Butyrolactones.

β-Functionalization of indolin-2-one-derived aliphatic acids has been applied in formal [3 + 2] annualtions for catalyst-free and divergent synthesis of two series of structurally interesting 3,3'-spirooxindole γ-butyrolactones that may be attractive for potential drug discovery. These findings also pave the way for further diversity-oriented synthesis of spirooxindoles starting from indolin-2-one-derived aliphatic acids or their derivatives.

Genome-wide association study of drought-related resistance traits in Aegilops tauschii.

The D-genome progenitor of wheat (Triticum aestivum), Aegilops tauschii, possesses numerous genes for resistance to abiotic stresses, including drought. Therefore, information on the genetic architecture of A. tauschii can aid the development of drought-resistant wheat varieties.

[Naturally occurring NS5B variants resistant to non-nucleoside or nucleoside polymerase inhibitors among treatment-naïve hepatitis C patients in south China].

Objective: To determine the prevalence of mutations in the non-structural protein 5B (NS5B) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV),which are associated with natural resistance to non-nucleoside and nucleoside polymerase inhibitors (PIs),in treatment-naive hepatitis C patients in south China.

Methods: A nested PCR protocol that amplified three different regions of NS5B was used to detect the naturally occurring drag-resistant substitutions.Direct PCR sequencing was performed to analyze the sequences.

Genome-wide association study of phosphorus-deficiency-tolerance traits in Aegilops tauschii.

Using GWAS, 13 significant SNPs distributed on six of the seven Aegilops tauschii chromosomes (all but 5D) were identified, and several candidate P-deficiency-responsive genes were proposed from searches of public databases. Aegilops tauschii, the wheat (Triticum aestivum) D-genome progenitor, possesses numerous genes for stress resistance, including genes for tolerance of phosphorus (P) deficiency. Investigation of the genetic architecture of A.

Entecavir Combined With Adefovir Ameliorates Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B Who Fail to Respond to Nucleotide (Acid) Analog Monotherapy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of entecavir (ETV) combined treatment with adefovir (ADV) on chronic hepatitic B (CHB) patients who failed to respond to nucleotide (acid) analog (NA) treatment. On this basis, the possible factors in the combined treatment of these patients will be analyzed. The safety, biochemical index, and the possible factors that might affect the ETV and ADV combined treatment at different points in time were retrospectively analyzed.

Effect of drug resistance mutations on antiviral agents in HCV patients.

Background: Gene polymorphism of HCV is an important cause of drug resistance to direct-acting antivirals (DAAs).

Methods: Nested PCR assays were performed to amplify the HCV viral regions of NS3, NS5A and NS5B.

Results: Major resistant mutation A156S was found in 18.

Mitotic arrest deficient protein MAD2B is overexpressed in human glioma, with depletion enhancing sensitivity to ionizing radiation.

Mitotic arrest deficient protein MAD2B, an enzyme involved in translesion DNA synthesis, has been implicated in several cancers. However, its role in human glioma has not been defined. In the present study, we investigated the expression levels of MAD2B in human gliomas and normal brain tissues, and determined whether depletion of MAD2B enhanced the sensitivity of glioma cells to ionizing radiation.