Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains the number one risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), accounting for more than 600 000 deaths/year. Despite highly effective antiviral treatment options, chronic hepatitis B (CHB), subsequent end-stage liver disease and HCC development remain a major challenge worldwide. In CHB, liver damage is mainly caused by the influx of immune cells and destruction of infected hepatocytes, causing necro-inflammation. Treatment with nucleoside/nucleotide analogues can effectively suppress HBV replication in patients with CHB and thus decrease the risk for HCC development. Nevertheless, the risk of HCC in treated patients showing sufficient suppression of HBV DNA replication is significantly higher than in patients with inactive CHB, regardless of the presence of baseline liver cirrhosis, suggesting direct, long-lasting, predisposing effects of HBV. Direct oncogenic effects of HBV include integration in the host genome, leading to deletions, cis/trans-activation, translocations, the production of fusion transcripts and generalized genomic instability, as well as pleiotropic effects of viral transcripts (HBsAg and HBx). Analysis of these viral factors in active surveillance may allow early identification of high-risk patients, and their integration into a molecular classification of HCC subtypes might help in the development of novel therapeutic approaches.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/path.4434 | DOI Listing |
PLoS Pathog
January 2025
Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) X protein (HBx) is a key factor for regulating viral transcription and replication. We recently characterized homeobox protein MSX-1 (MSX1) as a host restriction factor that inhibits HBV gene expression and genome replication by directly binding to HBV enhancer II/core promoter (EnII/Cp) and suppressing its promoter and enhancer activities. Notably, HBx expression was observed to be repressed more drastically by MSX1 compared to other viral antigens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Med (Lausanne)
January 2025
Department of Pathology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, United States.
Background: Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir is an effective antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus infection and is generally regarded safe in patients with renal impairment. However, renal complications are a notable, albeit rare, concern.
Case Presentation: We report a case of acute kidney injury in a man in his 50s with chronic hepatitis C virus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, morbid obesity, a history of heroin dependence, and untreated type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Front Immunol
January 2025
Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm U 1209, CNRS UMR 5309, Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Grenoble, France.
Background: Patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are characterized by impaired immune response that fails to eliminate HBV. Immune checkpoint molecules (ICMs) control the amplitude of the activation and function of immune cells, which makes them the key regulators of immune response.
Methods: We performed a multiparametric flow cytometry analysis of ICMs and determined their expression on intrahepatic lymphocyte subsets in untreated and treated patients with HBV in comparison with non-pathological liver tissue.
Acad Radiol
January 2025
Department of Medical Imaging, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (T.W.L., C.H.W.); Center of Minimal-Invasive Interventional Radiology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (C.H.W.); Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (C.H.W.). Electronic address:
Rationale And Objectives: Individuals with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) can present with diverse renal and extra-renal manifestations. Large vessel anomalies, such as cerebral aneurysms, are potentially fatal extra-renal manifestations. However, limited research has been conducted on cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aim: There is paucity of data about the prevalence of cirrhosis and portal hypertension in the US general population.
Methods: We used National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES 2017-2020) to estimate the prevalence of cirrhosis and clinically significant (CS)-portal hypertension in alcoholic liver disease (ALD), MetALD, viral hepatitis (VH) to include chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC), and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Cirrhosis was evaluated using liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by transient elastography or FIB-4 score; CS-portal hypertension was defined via LSM and platelet count or the use of non-selective beta-blockers in the presence of cirrhosis.
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