The clinical courses of HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure and a multi-state model to predict disease evolution.

Background And Aims: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a highly dynamic syndrome. The objective of this study was to delineate the clinical course of patients with HBV-ACLF and to develop a model to estimate the temporal evolution of disease severity.

Methods: We enrolled eligible patients from 2 large, multicenter prospective cohorts.

Thalidomide for Recurrent Bleeding Due to Small-Intestinal Angiodysplasia.

Background: Recurrent bleeding from the small intestine accounts for 5 to 10% of cases of gastrointestinal bleeding and remains a therapeutic challenge. Thalidomide has been evaluated for the treatment of recurrent bleeding due to small-intestinal angiodysplasia (SIA), but confirmatory trials are lacking.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of thalidomide for the treatment of recurrent bleeding due to SIA.

New Algorithm Rules Out Acute-on-chronic Liver Failure Development within 28 Days from Acute Decompensation of Cirrhosis.

Background And Aims: Approximately 10% of patients with acute decompensated (AD) cirrhosis develop acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) within 28 days. Such cases have high mortality and are difficult to predict. Therefore, we aimed to establish and validate an algorithm to identify these patients on hospitalization.

A novel prognostic nomogram for older patients with acute-on-chronic liver diseases (AoCLD): a nationwide, multicentre, prospective cohort study.

Background: the incidence of acute-on-chronic liver disease (AoCLD) is increasing.

Objective: to investigate the clinical features and risk factors of AoCLD and construct an effective prognostic nomogram model for older patients with AoCLD.

Methods: data from 3,970 patients included in the CATCH-LIFE study were used, including 2,600 and 1,370 patients in the training and validation sets, respectively.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio represents a systemic inflammation marker and reflects the relationship with 90-day mortality in non-cirrhotic chronic severe hepatitis.

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between systemic inflammatory response and short-term mortality in patients with non-cirrhotic chronic severe hepatitis (CSH) by using several indicators of inflammation including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), neutrophil (NEU), white blood cell (WBC), platelet-to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR).

Methods: Data were collected from two prospectively enrolled CATCH-LIFE noncirrhotic cohorts. Cox regression analysis was used to investigate the association between systemic inflammatory biomarkers and 90-day liver transplant (LT)-free mortality.

MELD score < 18 rule out 28-day ACLF development among inpatients with hepatitis B-related previous compensated liver disease.

The acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) development is highly dynamic. Currently, no satisfactory algorithm identifies patients with HBV at risk of this complication. The aim of the study was to characterize ACLF development in hospitalized HBV-related patients without previous decompensation and to test the performance of traditional prognostic models in ruling out ACLF development within 28 days on admission we conducted a cohort study.

Prevalence and clinical significance of serum sodium variability in patients with acute-on-chronic liver diseases: a prospective multicenter study in China.

Background: No reports exist regarding the prevalence of different Na levels and their relationship with 90-day prognosis in hospitalized patients with acute-on-chronic liver disease (AoCLD) in China. Therefore, the benefit of hyponatremia correction in AoCLD patients remains unclear.

Methods: We prospectively collected the data of 3970 patients with AoCLD from the CATCH-LIFE cohort in China.

Plasma Exchange-Based Non-bioartificial Liver Support System Improves the Short-Term Outcomes of Patients With Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study.

Hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is a complicated syndrome with extremely high short-term mortality. Whether plasma exchange (PE) improves HBV-ACLF outcomes remains controversial. Here, PE-based non-bioartificial liver support system (NB-ALSS) effects on short-term HBV-ACLF patient outcomes were investigated.

Impact of Hepatic Encephalopathy on Clinical Characteristics and Adverse Outcomes in Prospective and Multicenter Cohorts of Patients With Acute-on-Chronic Liver Diseases.

Hepatic encephalopathy is a severe complication, and its contribution to clinical adverse outcomes in patients with acute-on-chronic liver diseases from the East is unclear. We aimed to investigate the impact of hepatic encephalopathy on clinical characteristics and adverse outcomes in prospective and multicenter cohorts of patients with acute-on-chronic liver diseases. We conducted a cohort study of two multicenter prospective cohorts.

Cohort profile: a multicentre prospective validation cohort of the Chinese Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (CATCH-LIFE) study.

Purpose: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a clinical syndrome with high short-term mortality, unclear mechanism and controversial diagnosis criteria. The Chinese Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (CATCH-LIFE) study has been conducted in China to fill the gaps. In the first phase (the CATCH-LIFE investigation cohort), 2600 patients were continuously recruited from 14 national nationwide liver centres from 12 different provinces of China in 2015-2016, and a series of important results were obtained.

Incidence and distribution of advanced colorectal adenomas in patients undergoing colonoscopy for screening, surveillance, and symptoms.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the frequency and distribution of advanced colorectal adenomas (ACAs) in Chinese population.

Methods: The patients who were referred to receive a colonoscopy were divided into three subgroups of screening, surveillance, and symptomatic, and then they were selected based on their indications. The symptomatic subgroup was further broken down into the alarm and non-alarm categories.

Characteristics, Diagnosis and Prognosis of Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure in Cirrhosis Associated to Hepatitis B.

The diagnostic and prognostic criteria of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) were developed in patients with no Hepatitis B virus (HBV) cirrhosis (CANONIC study). The aims of this study were to evaluate whether the diagnostic (CLIF-C organ failure score; CLIF-C OFs) criteria can be used to classify patients; and the prognostic score (CLIF-C ACLF score) could be used to provide prognostic information in HBV cirrhotic patients with ACLF. 890 HBV associated cirrhotic patients with acute decompensation (AD) were enrolled.

A20 Attenuates FFAs-induced Lipid Accumulation in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.

A20 is a ubiquitin-editing enzyme that attenuates the activity of proximal signaling complexes at pro-inflammatory receptors. It has been well documented that A20 protein plays an important role in response to liver injury and hepatocytes apoptosis in pro-inflammatory pathways. However, there was little evidence showing that A20 protein was involving in fatty-acid homeostasis except the up-regulation of two fatty acid metabolism regulatory genes at mRNA level (PPARa and CPT1a) by adenovirus-mediated A20 protein overexpression.

A Potential Profibrogenic Role of Biliary Epithelium-Derived Cardiotrophin-1 in Pediatric Cholestatic Liver Disease.

As a cytokine of the interleukin-6 family, cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) has been shown to be an important endogenous protector in liver injury. Our study aimed to investigate the role of CT-1 in liver fibrosis in pediatric cholestatic liver disease (PCLD). CT-1 mRNA and protein expression levels were upregulated in PCLD liver biopsy tissues compared with controls.

CNTNAP3 associated ATG16L1 expression and Crohn's disease.

Autophagy is a common physiological process in cell homeostasis and regulation. Autophagy-related gene mutations and autophagy disorders are important in Crohn's disease (CD). The nucleotide oligomerization domain 2-autophagy genes autophagy 16-like 1 (NOD2-ATG16L1) signaling axis disorder contributes to the dysfunction of autophagy.

The critical role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and FXR activation in immune-mediated liver injury.

The immunobiology of FXR has attracted significant attention in immune regulation and innate immunity. We have studied the mechanism of action of FXR activation on two models of acute hepatitis, inflammation mediated by Con A and α-GalCer and focused on the interactions of FXR activation and expression of PIR-B, both in vivo and in vitro using luciferase reporter and CHIP assays. In addition, based upon our data, we studied the role of FXR activation on the immunobiology of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs).

CD24 mediates gastric carcinogenesis and promotes gastric cancer progression via STAT3 activation.

The development of gastric cancer (GC) is a complex multistep process, including numerous genetic and epigenetic changes. CD24 is associated with enhanced invasiveness of GC and a poor prognosis. However, the mechanism by which CD24 induces GC progression remains poorly characterized.

Thalidomide-induced angiopoietin 2, Notch1 and Dll4 downregulation under hypoxic condition in tissues with gastrointestinal vascular malformation and human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Objective: To determine the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal vascular malformation (GIVM) and the mechanism of thalidomide in treating GIVM by evaluating the expression of angiopoietin 2 (Ang2), Notch1, delta-like ligand 4 (Dll4) and hypoxia inducible factor 1α (Hif-1α).

Methods: Data of 10 patients with histology-confirmed GIVM were reviewed. Immunohistochemistry of surgically resected GIVM tissues and the adjacent mucosa of the patients and normal tissues from those who had undergone colonoscopy for health examination was performed to examine the expressions of Ang2, Notch1, Dll4 and Hif-1α.

Low-dose azathioprine is effective in maintaining remission among Chinese patients with Crohn's disease.

Background: Azathiopurine (AZA) is efficacious for maintenance remission of Crohn's disease (CD) at the standard dose of 2.0-2.5 mg/kg for Caucasian.

Inhibition of mTOR signalling potentiates the effects of trichostatin A in human gastric cancer cell lines by promoting histone acetylation.

Deregulation of the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway (mTOR pathway) is associated with human cancer. The relationship between mTOR pathway and histone acetylation is still unclear in gastric cancer (GC). Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the phosphorylation of mTOR and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) in GC tissues.

Gene expression of tumor necrosis factor receptor associated-factor (TRAF)-1 and TRAF-2 in inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the expression of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor (TRAF)-1 and TRAF-2 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Methods: Immunostaining, western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to detect the expression of TRAF-1 and TRAF-2 in colonic mucosa of IBD patients and control. Furthermore, serum protein levels of TRAF-1 and TRAF-2 were measured by ELISA and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine their diagnostic value.

Up-regulation and pre-activation of TRAF3 and TRAF5 in inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: TRAF3 and TRAF5 share a common ancestral gene, and interact as essential components of signaling pathways in immunity. TRAF3 and TRAF5 are overexpressed in the colon of rat/mouse models with colitis. However, the expressions of TRAF3 and TRAF5 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease have not been elucidated.