Clinical, Pathological and Genetic Characteristics of Pediatric Hepatocellular Carcinoma Associated with Hepatitis B Virus Infection.

Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains the major challenge in the management of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. To date, limited studies have been done on pediatric HBV-associated HCC specifically.

Methods: Pediatric patients younger than 16 years with HBV-associated HCC were included in the study.

Compromised long-lived memory CD8 T cells are associated with reduced IL-7 responsiveness in HIV-infected immunological nonresponders.

Immune deficiency is one of the hallmarks of HIV infection and a major cause of adverse outcomes in people living with HIV (PLWH). Long-lived memory CD8 T cells (LLMCs) are essential executors of long-term protective immunity; however, the generation and maintenance of LLMCs during chronic HIV infection are not well understood. In the present study, we analyzed circulating LLMCs in healthy controls (HCs) and PLWH with different disease statuses, including treatment naïve patients (TNs), complete responders (CRs), and immunological nonresponders (INRs).

Severe immune-related hyperthermia followed by immune-related pneumonitis with PD-1 inhibitor (sintilimab) in small cell lung cancer: A case report.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have achieved prominent efficacy in the treatment of numerous cancers, which is the most significant breakthrough in cancer therapy in recent years. However, ICIs are associated with a series of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Pneumonitis is an uncommon but potentially fatal irAE.

Bavachin enhances NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by ATP or nigericin and causes idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity.

Psoraleae Fructus (PF) is a well-known traditional herbal medicine in China, and it is widely used for osteoporosis, vitiligo, and other diseases in clinical settings. However, liver injury caused by PF and its preparations has been frequently reported in recent years. Our previous studies have demonstrated that PF could cause idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI), but the mechanism underlying its hepatotoxicity remains unclear.

Brevilin A inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation in vivo and in vitro by acting on the upstream of NLRP3-induced ASC oligomerization.

Brevilin A (BA), is a natural biologically active ingredient derived from Centipeda minima with several reports of anti-cancer, while its anti-inflammatory activity is rarely reported. Current studies have found the dysregulated activation of NLRP3 inflammasome cause a variety of inflammatory diseases. Targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome contributes to the treatment of NLRP3-induced diseases.

A multicenter clinical study: personalized medication for advanced gastrointestinal carcinomas with the guidance of patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDTX).

Background: Establish patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDTX) from advanced GICs and assess the clinical value and applicability of PDTX for the treatment of advanced gastrointestinal cancers.

Methods: Patients with advanced GICs were enrolled in a registered multi-center clinical study (ChiCTR-OOC-17012731). The performance of PDTX was evaluated by analyzing factors that affect the engraftment rate, comparing the histological consistency between primary tumors and tumorgrafts, examining the concordance between the drug effectiveness in PDTXs and clinical responses, and identifying genetic variants and other factors associated with prognosis.

Nasal High-Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation in Preterm Infants with Moderate Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective: To determine whether nasal high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (NHFOV) as a primary mode of respiratory support as compared with nasal continuous airway pressure (NCPAP) will reduce the need for invasive mechanical ventilation in preterm infants (260/7-336/7 weeks of gestational age [GA]) with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

Methods: This multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted in 18 tertiary neonatal intensive care units in China. A total of 302 preterm infants born at a GA of 260/7-336/7 weeks with a diagnosis of RDS were randomly assigned to either the NCPAP (n = 150) or the NHFOV (n = 152) group.

Biopsy-proven liver cirrhosis in young children: A 10-year cohort study.

Young children with liver cirrhosis have a significantly high risk of mortality. However, there are few studies regarding early childhood-onset cirrhosis. This study aims to explore the causes, clinical findings and prognosis of biopsy-proven cirrhosis in infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

Chronic Drug-Induced Liver Injury: Updates and Future Challenges.

Chronic drug-induced liver injury (DILI), defined as DILI with persistent liver injury more than one year after the first onset by the latest European guidelines, is a notable challenge globally with big issues of defining causality and establishing effective treatment. About 20% of patients with DILI develop into chronic DILI. Chronic DILI manifests as persistent or repeated inflammatory or diminishing bile ducts, even progresses to cirrhosis and needs liver transplantation eventually.

Biomechanical influence of the surgical approaches, implant length and density in stabilizing ankylosing spondylitis cervical spine fracture.

Ankylosing spondylitis cervical spine fractures (ASCFs) are particularly unstable and need special consideration when selecting appropriate internal fixation technology. However, there is a lack of related biomechanical studies. This study aimed to investigate the biomechanical influence of the pattern, length, and density of instrumentation for the treatment of ASCF.

Role of ALDH2 in Hepatic Disorders: Gene Polymorphism and Disease Pathogenesis.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is a key enzyme of alcohol metabolism and it is involved in the cellular mechanism of alcohol liver disease. gene mutations exist in about 8% of the world's population, with the incidence reaching 45% in East Asia. The mutations will result in impairment of enzyme activity and accumulation of acetaldehyde, facilitating the progression of other liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases, viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma, through adduct formation and inflammatory responses.

Icariside I specifically facilitates ATP or nigericin-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation and causes idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity.

Background: Epimedii Folium (EF) is commonly used for treating bone fractures and joint diseases, but the potential hepatotoxicity of EF limits its clinical application. Our previous study confirms that EF could lead to idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI) and hepatocyte apoptosis, but the mechanism remains unknown. Studies have shown that NLRP3 inflammasome plays an important role in the development of various inflammatory diseases such as IDILI.

Multiple drug-resistant HBV mutation may contribute to poor response of adefovir + entecavir in entecavir-resistant patients.

Introduction: Adefovir plus entecavir (ADV+ETV) rescue therapy in ETV-resistant patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is suboptimal in some patients. This study aims to elucidate the evolutionary characteristics of drug-resistant HBV mutants and their association with clinical responses in such patients.

Methodology: Thirty-seven ETV-resistant patients were enrolled, among whom twelve had an inadequate virological response to ADV+ETV rescue therapy.

Microarray Data Mining and Preliminary Bioinformatics Analysis of Hepatitis D Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Several studies have demonstrated that chronic hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection is associated with a worsening of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there is limited data on the role of HDV in the oncogenesis of HCC. This study is aimed at assessing the potential mechanisms of HDV-associated hepatocarcinogenesis, especially to screen and identify key genes and pathways possibly involved in the pathogenesis of HCC.

World Gastroenterology Organisation classification and a new type-based prognostic model for hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure.

Background: The acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) classification, proposed by the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO), attempts to cover all ACLF patients diagnosed in the East and West. This study aimed to explore and establish a prognostic model based on this classification.

Methods: A total of 1159 hepatitis B virus-ACLF patients, enrolled with 90-day follow-up data, were divided into three groups (type A, B, and C) according to WGO ACLF classification and analyzed.

Prognostic Significance of End-Stage Liver Diseases, Respiratory Tract Infection, and Chronic Kidney Diseases in Symptomatic Acute Hepatitis E.

Symptomatic hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is sporadic, and usually occurs in a limited number of infected patients, which hinders the investigation of risk factors for clinical outcomes in patients with acute HEV infection. A retrospective cohort study enrolling 1913 patients with symptomatic acute hepatitis E in Beijing 302 Hospital from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2018 was conducted. The baseline characteristics, clinical features and laboratory data of these HEV infection cases were analyzed.

Cryptotanshinone specifically suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation and protects against inflammasome-mediated diseases.

NLRP3 inflammasome activation is implicated in the pathogenesis of a wide range of inflammatory diseases, but medications targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome are not available for clinical use. Here, we demonstrate that cryptotanshinone (CTS), a major component derived from the traditional medicinal herb Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, is a specific inhibitor for the NLRP3 inflammasome. Cryptotanshinone inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages, but has no effects on AIM2 or NLRC4 inflammasome activation.

Efficacy and safety of elbasvir/grazoprevir in treatment-naive Chinese adults with hepatitis C virus infection: A randomized trial.

Background And Aim: In China, clinical experience with direct-acting antiviral treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is still emerging. C-CORAL is a phase 3, multinational, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of elbasvir/grazoprevir (EBR/GZR) in participants with HCV infection from the Asia-Pacific region and Russia. Here, we report the data from participants enrolled in China.

A comparison of the efficacy of antiangiogenic agents combined with chemotherapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer: a network meta-analysis.

Objection: To explore the effects of combinations of antiangiogenic agents and chemotherapy agents on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and indirectly compare the therapeutic effect of Endostar combined with chemotherapy and bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy on NSCLC.

Methods: We searched 3 electronic databases: PubMed, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. The ORRs, HRs and 95% confidence intervals of OS and PFS were used to compare the efficacy of Endostar combined with chemotherapy and bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy.

IL-17 and IL-21 polymorphisms in relation to HBV related hepatocellular carcinoma in Chinese Han population.

Objective: Inflammatory cytokine gene polymorphisms may influence the hepatic and extrahepatic HBV-related disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between polymorphisms of IL-17, IL-21 gene and HBV related hepatocellular carcinoma in Chinese Han population.

Methods: We performed a multi-center study comprised 866 HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and 1086 unrelated patients with a diagnosis of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) as control to evaluate the effects of IL-17 (rs4711998), IL-21 SNPs (rs12508721, rs13143866 and rs2221903) and the susceptibility of HCC.

Neutrophils in liver diseases: pathogenesis and therapeutic targets.

Previously, it was assumed that peripheral neutrophils are a homogeneous population that displays antimicrobial functions. However, recent data have revealed that neutrophils are heterogeneous and are additionally involved in tissue damage and immune regulation. The phenotypic and functional plasticity of neutrophils has been identified in patients with cancer, inflammatory disorders, infections, and other diseases.

Hypoxic targeting and activating TH-302 loaded transcatheter arterial embolization microsphere.

The tumor-derived and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) induced hypoxia microenvironment is closely related to the poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, hypoxia-activated prodrug TH-302 loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-based TACE microspheres were prepared to treat HCC through localized and sustained drug delivery. TH-302 microspheres with three different sizes were fabricated by an oil-in-water emulsion solvent evaporation method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectra (IR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and drug release profiles.

Infection deteriorating hepatitis B virus related acute-on-chronic liver failure: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Infection is common in acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), which may worsen the clinical condition and prognosis. However, the characteristics of infection and its influence on prognosis in hepatitis B virus related ACLF (HBV-ACLF) as defined by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) have not been clarified. We aimed to investigate the characteristics of infection and its influence on mortality in patients with HBV-ACLF defined by EASL in China.