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Front Oncol 2021 21;11:669560. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Department of Pediatric Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common malignant tumor in the liver of infants and young children. The incidence rate varies among different populations. However, genetic differences in HB patients with different epidemiological and ancestral backgrounds have not been found. Read More

Pediatr Neonatol 2021 Apr 27. Epub 2021 Apr 27.

MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, MacKay Children's Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Background: Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common childhood primary hepatic malignancy. The overall survival rate in patients with HB has reached more than 80% over the past decades. The poor prognostic and high-risk HB have been defined, but the treatment and cure of refractory or relapsed HB is still an arduous task. Read More

Case Rep Pathol 2021 19;2021:6674372. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Department of Pathology, Hospital Universitario Austral, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

We report a case of a newborn with two synchronous tumors-sialoblastoma and hepatoblastoma-diagnosed at 20 weeks of gestation by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography (US). The aim of this study was to describe the management of this case together with a review of the literature. Our patient had a large facial tumor associated with extremely high alpha-fetoprotein levels. Read More

Cell Biol Int 2021 May 4. Epub 2021 May 4.

Departments of Pharmacology, Chengde Medical University.

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the predominant hepatic neoplasm in infants and young children. Sorafenib has been used to treat adult and pediatric hepatocellular carcinoma. However, efficacy of monotherapy of sorafenib in HB is not sustained. Read More

Cancer Med 2021 May 3. Epub 2021 May 3.

Divison of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center Children's Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Background: Prognostic factors in hepatoblastoma need to be reevaluated considering the advances in treatment modalities. The study aimed to evaluate current outcomes of hepatoblastoma and reappraise the association of prognostic factors, including pre-treatment extent of tumor (PRETEXT) stage with annotation factors and Children's Hepatic tumors International Collaboration-Hepatoblastoma Stratification (CHIC-HS) system, with survival outcomes.

Methods: We evaluated 103 consecutive patients with hepatoblastoma retrospectively according to the treatment period based on the introduction of a liver transplantation program. Read More

Front Oncol 2021 16;11:644994. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

To explore a CT-based radiomics model for preoperative prediction of event-free survival (EFS) in patients with hepatoblastoma and to compare its performance with that of a clinicopathologic model. Eighty-eight patients with histologically confirmed hepatoblastoma (mean age: 2.28 ± 2. Read More

Hepatology 2021 Apr 30. Epub 2021 Apr 30.

Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan.

Synthetic CDK4/6 inhibitors exert anti-tumor effects by forcing RB1 in unphosphorylated status, causing not only cell cycle arrest but also cellular senescence, apoptosis and increased immunogenicity. These agents currently have an indication in advanced breast cancers, and are in clinical trials for many other solid tumors. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of promising targets of CDK4/6 inhibitors. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2021 Apr 21;13(9). Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Division of Hematology/Oncology, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA.

Hepatoblastoma (HB), the most common childhood liver cancer, is associated with seven distinct histologic subtypes and variable degrees of clinical aggressiveness and presentation. Yet it is among the least genomically altered tumors known, with about half of HBs showing mutation and/or dysregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin and Hippo pathways. This raises the question of how this mutational simplicity can generate such biological and histologic complexity. Read More

Hepatobiliary Surg Nutr 2021 Apr;10(2):210-225

Hepatobiliary Surgery and Organ Transplantation Unit, Department of General Surgery and Organ Transplantation, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

Associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) represents an innovative surgical technique used for the treatment of large hepatic lesions at high risk for post-resection liver failure due to a small future liver remnant. The most significant amount of literature concerns the use of ALPPS for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cholangiocarcinoma (CCC), and colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). On the opposite, few is known about the role of ALPPS for the treatment of uncommon liver pathologies. Read More

Cancer Discov 2021 Apr 23. Epub 2021 Apr 23.

Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Université de Paris

Pediatric liver cancers (PLCs) comprise diverse diseases affecting infants, children and adolescents. Despite overall good prognosis, PLCs display heterogeneous response to chemotherapy. Integrated genomic analysis of 126 pediatric liver tumors showed a continuum of driver mechanisms associated with patient age, including new targetable oncogenes. Read More

Cancer Manag Res 2021 13;13:3201-3208. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Pediatrics, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100176, People's Republic of China.

Objective: The present study aimed to summarize the clinical data of hepatoblastoma (HB) in infants under one year of age and to analyze the factors that affected the prognoses.

Methods: The clinical data of 132 pediatric patients with a pathologically confirmed HB, aged less than one year and who had visited the Pediatric Single Center of Beijing Tongren Hospital from May 2005 to May 2019, were retrospectively analyzed to summarize the clinical outcomes and prognoses.

Results: The male/female ratio was 1. Read More

Curr Med Chem 2021 Apr 19. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Molecular Medicine Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz. Iran.

The liver is one of the significant regenerative organs in the body. Nevertheless, underlying molecular mechanisms regulating liver repair and regeneration following resection or damage remain largely unknown. The Notch signaling pathway is a profoundly evolutionarily well-conserved cell signaling system that plays mostly in multicellular organisms' development. Read More

Pediatr Blood Cancer 2021 Apr 19:e29063. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Deapartment of Radiology, Adana, Turkey.

Front Oncol 2021 1;11:591507. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Department of Pediatric Surgery, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China.

Background: This study aimed to systematically investigate gene signatures for hepatoblastoma (HB) and identify potential biomarkers for its diagnosis and treatment.

Materials And Methods: GSE131329 and GSE81928 were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between hepatoblastoma and normal samples were identified using the Limma package in R. Read More

Cell Biosci 2021 Apr 17;11(1):75. Epub 2021 Apr 17.

School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major health issue worldwide and the leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It has been reported previously that HBV invasion can extensively alter transcriptome, the proteome of exosomes and host cell lipid rafts. The impact of HBV on host proteins through regulating their global post-translational modifications (PTMs), however, is not well studied. Read More

J Vasc Interv Radiol 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Radiology, British Columbia Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Electronic address:

Cancer Gene Ther 2021 Apr 16. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA.

Hepatoblastoma remains one of the most difficult childhood tumors to treat and is alarmingly understudied. We previously demonstrated that Proviral Insertion site in Maloney murine leukemia virus (PIM) kinases, specifically PIM3, are overexpressed in human hepatoblastoma cells and function to promote tumorigenesis. We aimed to use CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing with dual gRNAs to introduce large inactivating deletions in the PIM3 gene and achieve stable PIM3 knockout in the human hepatoblastoma cell line, HuH6. Read More

Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol 2021 Apr 20;45(3):101684. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center, Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Electronic address:

Background: Hepatoblastoma (HB) is a rare embryonal liver tumor of children. Although intrinsic biological differences between tumors can affect prognosis, few groups have studied these differences. Given the recent increased attention to epigenetic mechanisms in the genesis and progression of these tumors, we aimed to classify HB samples according to the stages of liver development and DNA methylation machinery. Read More

Pediatr Radiol 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Liver tumors in children can be benign or malignant. Although several clinical factors are important in the evaluation of these lesions, MRI is particularly important for lesion characterization and tumor staging. In children, use of a hepatobiliary contrast agent is recommended to evaluate a known or suspected liver lesion. Read More

BMC Cancer 2021 Apr 13;21(1):397. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Pediatrics, Beijing Tongren Hospital Capital Medical University, No. 1 Dongjiaominxiang, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100730, China.

Background: This study explores and analyzes the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of hepatoblastoma (HB) in children under 6 years old and establishes a new risk-stratification system for individualized therapy.

Methods: The clinical data of 382 pediatric patients under 6 years old (231 males and 151 females) who had been diagnosed with HB by pathology between May 2005 and May 2019 were collected. By analyzing the risk factors influencing the survival rate of patients with HB, a new risk-stratification system was established, and it was compared with previous risk-stratification systems by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Read More

BMC Pediatr 2021 Apr 13;21(1):170. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Pediatrics, Beijing Tongren Hospital Capital Medical University, No. 1 Dongjiaominxiang Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100730, China.

Background: The aim of the present study was to summarize the clinical characteristics of in children aged under 3 years and analyze the related factors affecting the prognosis.

Methods: The clinical data of 316 children aged under 3 years (192 males and 124 females) who were admitted to Beijing Tongren Hospital with a pathological diagnosis of HB between May 2005 and May 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. The factors influencing the therapeutic effects on and survival of HB in children with HB were analyzed. Read More

Leuk Res 2021 Mar 31;105:106570. Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Department of Pediatrics, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama-ken, Japan.

Transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM) in neonates with Down syndrome, which spontaneously resolves within several weeks or months after birth, may represent a special form of leukemia developing in the fetal liver (FL). To explore the role of hepatoblasts, one of the major constituents of the FL hematopoietic microenvironment, in the pathogenesis of TAM, we investigated the influence of a human hepatoblastoma cell line, HUH-6, on the in vitro growth and differentiation of TAM blasts. In a coculture system with membrane filters, which hinders cell-to-cell contact between TAM blasts and HUH-6 cells, the growth and megakaryocytic differentiation of TAM blast progenitors were increased in the presence of HUH-6 cells. Read More

AJR Am J Roentgenol 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Department of Radiology, Emory University, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta GA 30307.

The three most common pediatric solid tumors of the abdomen are neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, and hepatoblastoma. These embryonal tumors most commonly present in the first decade of life. Each tumor exhibits unique imaging findings, including locoregional presentation and patterns of distant spread. Read More

Foods 2021 Mar 9;10(3). Epub 2021 Mar 9.

Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy.

provides precious products such as polyphenol-rich beans that are useful for nutraceutical purposes. The geographical area may influence the chemical composition of raw cocoa beans in terms of the polyphenols and biological qualities of the products. This work aimed to investigate the biological properties and the chemical composition of two different samples of Criollo var. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2021 Mar 11;22(6). Epub 2021 Mar 11.

Chromosome Engineering Research Center, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago 683-8503, Tottori, Japan.

We sought to develop a cell-based cytotoxicity assay using human hepatocytes, which reflect the effects of drug-metabolizing enzymes on cytotoxicity. In this study, we generated luminescent human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells using the mouse artificial chromosome vector, in which click beetle luciferase alone or luciferase and major drug-metabolizing enzymes (CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4) are expressed, and monitored the time-dependent changes of CYP-mediated cytotoxicity expression by bioluminescence measurement. Real-time bioluminescence measurement revealed that compared with CYP-non-expressing cells, the luminescence intensity of CYP-expressing cells rapidly decreased when the cells were treated with low concentrations of aflatoxin B1 or primaquine, which exhibits cytotoxicity in the presence of CYP3A4 or CYP2D6, respectively. Read More

Am J Cancer Res 2021 1;11(3):849-857. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University Guangzhou 510623, Guangdong, China.

Hepatoblastoma is a rare childhood liver cancer without known explicit etiology. Base excision repair (BER) pathway genes have been implicated in the pathophysiology of cancer, yet the role of BER pathway gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on hepatoblastoma risk still awaits to be explored. This study aims to determine whether hepatoblastoma risk be modulated by polymorphisms in the BER pathway genes based on genotyped data from 313 cases and 1446 controls. Read More

J Oncol 2021 19;2021:6658480. Epub 2021 Mar 19.

Department of Pediatric General Surgery, Hebei Children's Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050031, Hebei, China.

Incidence of hepatoblastoma has been increasing, but the causes of this disease remain unclear. Some studies have suggested that abnormal expressions of gene are associated with multiple cancers. This study aims to test the hypothesis that hepatoblastoma risk may be modulated by genetic polymorphisms in gene based on genotyped data from samples of 328 cases and 1476 controls enrolled from eight hospitals in China. Read More