Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Surg Res 2019 Feb 13;238:127-136. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Cancer Surgery and Metabolism Research Group, University of Sydney, Kolling Institute of Medical Research, St Leonards, NSW, Australia; Upper GI Surgical Unit, Royal North Shore Hospital and North Shore Private Hospital, St Leonards, NSW, Australia; Discipline of Surgery, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cause of cancer death worldwide. Resection offers the best chance of long-term survival, but a consistent adverse prognostic factor is the presence of microvascular invasion (MVI). In this study, surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS), a high throughput method of analyzing complex samples, was used to explore differentially expressed proteins between HCC and adjacent nontumour liver tissue (ANLT). Read More

Eur J Med Chem 2019 Feb 7;167:187-199. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

School of Pharmacy, The Key Laboratory of Prescription Effect and Clinical Evaluation of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of China, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, PR China. Electronic address:

To get new anti-hepatoma agents with anti-inflammatory activity and hypotoxicity, a series of dissymmetric pyridyl-substituted 3,5-bis(arylidene)-4-piperidones (BAPs, 25-82) were designed and synthesized. Many of them exhibited potential anti-hepatoma properties against human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HepG2, QGY-7703, SMMC-7721) and hypotoxicity for human normal heptical cell line (HHL-5, LO2), and prominently inhibited lipopolysaccharides (LPS) induced IL-6, TNF-α secretion to exert its anti-inflammatory effect. Combining the data of cytotoxicity, cytocompatibility and anti-inflammatory activity, 3-pyridyl and -CF substituted 67 may be the potential anti-hepatoma agent. Read More

Cancer Lett 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Cell Biology, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, 52 Fucheng Road, Beijing, 100142, China. Electronic address:

Tumor-initiating cells (TICs), which are responsible for sustaining tumor growth and recurrence, rely on several regulatory factors. However, the mechanism of inflammation-related molecules in the acquisition and maintenance of TIC properties in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains elusive. We previously demonstrated that the voltage-gated calcium channel α2δ1 subunit is a functional surface marker of HCC TICs. Read More

Antiviral Res 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laval, Canada. Electronic address:

More than 290 million people have chronic HBV infection and are at risk of developing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV subviral particles are produced in large excess over virions in infected patients and are the primary source of HBsAg, which is postulated to be important in allowing HBV to chronically persist by interfering with immune function. Nucleic acid polymers (NAPs) have been shown to result in clearance of HBsAg from the blood in pre-clinical and clinical studies. Read More

Eur J Pharmacol 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Pharmaceutical Sciences, Poona College of Pharmacy, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pune, Maharashtra 411038, India.

Currently cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and worldwide incidence and mortality rates of all cancers of males and females are rising tremendously. In spite of advances in chemotherapy and radiation, metastasis and recurrence are considered as the major causes of cancer related deaths. Hence there is a mounting need to develop new therapeutic modalities to treat metastasis and recurrence in cancers. Read More

J Gastrointest Surg 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.

Background: In predicting the risk for posthepatectomy complications, hepatectomy is traditionally classified into minor or major resection based on the number of resected segments. Recently, a new hepatectomy complexity classification was proposed. This study aimed to compare the value of the traditional and that of the new classification in perioperative outcomes prediction. Read More

Eur Radiol 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

Objectives: To develop and validate a radiomics nomogram for preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion (MVI) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: The study included 157 patients with histologically confirmed HCC with or without MVI, and 110 patients were allocated to the training dataset and 47 to the validation dataset. Baseline clinical factor (CF) data were collected from our medical records, and radiomics features were extracted from the artery phase (AP), portal venous phase (PVP) and delay phase (DP) of preoperatively acquired CT in all patients. Read More

Eur Radiol 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.

Objectives: To evaluate and compare clinical outcomes of two different radiofrequency ablation (RFA) methods for locally recurred hepatocellular carcinoma (LrHCC) after locoregional treatment.

Methods: Our institutional review board approved this study with a waiver of informed consent. A total of 313 patients previously treated with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) (n = 167) and RFA (n = 146) with a single LrHCC ≤ 3 cm was included from five tertiary referral hospitals. Read More

Carcinogenesis 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen Pauwelsstrasse, Germany.

In Western countries, a rising incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes correlates with an increase of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-a major risk factor for liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). NASH is associated with chronic liver injury, triggering hepatocyte death and enhanced translocation of intestinal bacteria, leading to persistent liver inflammation through activation of Toll-like receptors and their adapter protein myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88). Therefore, we investigated the role of MyD88 during progression from NASH to HCC using a mouse model of chronic liver injury (hepatocyte-specific deletion of nuclear factor κB essential modulator, Nemo; NemoΔhepa). Read More

J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2019 Feb 15;38(1):83. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

CAS Key Laboratory of Separation Science for Analytical Chemistry, Scientific Research Center for Translational Medicine, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, China.

Background: The bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) inhibitor is a type of anti-tumor agent, currently being evaluated in phase I and II clinical trials for cancer therapy. It can decrease MYC expression levels and cause effective anti-tumor effects in diverse human cancers. However, its cytotoxic effect and related mechanisms of drug resistance are poorly understood in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). Read More

J Cell Physiol 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Engineering Research Center of Bio-process, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, China.

The antimetabolite 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is a widely used antitumor agent, however the overall response rate to 5-FU as a single agent is usually limited. Herein, how Lachnum expolysaccharide (LEP-2a), a type of active polysaccharide isolated from Lachnum sp., acted synergistically with 5-FU on HepG2 cells was investigated. Read More

Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2019 Feb 1. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, United States. Electronic address:

Nutrient-deprivation autophagy factor-1 (NAF-1, miner1; gene cisd2) is part of the [2Fe-2S]-containing protein family which includes mitoNEET (gene cisd1) and MiNT (miner2; gene cisd3). These proteins are redox active and are thought to play an important role in cellular energy homeostasis with NAF-1 playing a critical role in calcium regulation and aging. To date, no studies have investigated potential ligand interaction with NAF-1. Read More

Genes (Basel) 2019 Feb 14;10(2). Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Control Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, Shandong, China.

Network biology and medicine provide unprecedented opportunities and challenges for deciphering disease mechanisms from integrative viewpoints. The disease genes and their products perform their dysfunctions via physical and biochemical interactions in the form of a molecular network. The topological parameters of these disease genes in the interactome are of prominent interest to the understanding of their functionality from a systematic perspective. Read More

Gastroenterology 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

AP-HP, Hôpital Jean Verdier, Service d'Hépatologie, Bondy, Université Paris 13, Bobigny et INSERM U1162, Université Paris 5, Paris.

Background & Aims: Management of patients with cirrhosis includes endoscopic screening and surveillance to detect esophageal varices (EV) and prevent bleeding. However, the Baveno VI guidelines recommend avoiding endoscopies for patients with liver stiffness measurements below 20 kPa and platelet counts above 150,000 (favorable Baveno VI status) and endoscopic assessment of patients with higher levels of liver stiffness and platelet counts (unfavorable Baveno VI status). We aimed to validate the Baveno VI guidelines, evaluating outcomes of patients in the ANRS-CO12 CirVir cohort with compensated cirrhosis associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with or without a sustained response to antiviral therapy. Read More

Gastroenterology 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Medicine II, University Hospital Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. Electronic address:

Background & Aims: Hepatitis D virus (HDV) super-infection in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is associated with rapid progression to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Treatment options are limited, and no vaccine is available. Although HDV-specific CD8+ T cells are thought to control the virus, little is known about which HDV epitopes are targeted by virus-specific CD8+ T cells or why these cells ultimately fail to control the infection. Read More

Exp Mol Pathol 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, No. 6 Shuangyong Road, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 530021, PR China. Electronic address:

Objective: To explore the clinical significance and potential molecular mechanism of endothelin receptor type B (EDNRB) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect EDNRB protein expression level in 67 HCC paraffin embedded tissues and adjacent tissues. Correlations between EDNRB expression level and clinicopathologic parameters were analyzed in our study. Read More

Pancreas 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Internal Medicine, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea.

Objectives: We analyzed the incidence and mortality rates of second pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) among survivors of digestive cancers in South Korea.

Methods: We evaluated data from the Korea National Health Insurance to identify individuals with digestive cancers in 2005 to 2015. The standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of second PDACs and survival rates were evaluated. Read More

Sante Publique 2018 September October;30(5):679-687

Objective: To determine if the density of general practitioners (GPs) had an impact on overall survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and stage of HCC at initial diagnosis in a North-Eastern region of France.

Methods: This retrospective study was performed with 246 consecutive HCC patients referred to a multidisciplinary meeting dedicated to hepatobiliary tumors in the Reims University Hospital from 2012 to 2016. The following data were collected: clinico-biological and radiological data, GP density in patient residence area, stage of HCC at diagnosis, treatment. Read More

J Cell Physiol 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Cell Biology, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.

Milk fat globule-EGF factor 8 (MFGE8) has been reported to play various roles in acute injury and inflammation response. However, the role of MFGE8 in liver injury is poorly investigated. The present research was designed to clarify the expression and function of MFGE8 in carbon tetrachloride (CCl )-induced liver injury. Read More

Ann Surg Oncol 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Hepatic Surgery VI, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.

Background: Vascular invasion is a major determinant of survival outcomes after curative resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of postoperative adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (PA-TACE) in patients with HCC with hepatic vein tumor thrombus (HVTT).

Methods: Data from patients who underwent LR for HCC with HVTT at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Read More

Target Oncol 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Springer, Private Bag 65901, Mairangi Bay, Auckland, 0754, New Zealand.

Cabozantinib is an inhibitor of multiple receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) with roles in cancer pathogenesis. This review focuses on data relevant to the use of cabozantinib tablets (Cabometyx) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients who have been previously treated with the multi-RTK inhibitor sorafenib, an indication for which cabozantinib tablets are approved in the EU and USA. Approval of cabozantinib in this setting was based largely on the findings of CELESTIAL, a phase 3 trial in adults with advanced HCC who had previously received sorafenib, had progressive disease after at least one systemic therapy and had received up to two systemic treatments for their advanced disease. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2019 15;2019:1621854. Epub 2019 Jan 15.

Department of Hepatic Surgery and Liver transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital, Organ Transplantation Institute, Sun Yat-sen University and Organ Transplantation Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510630, China.

Background: Inflammation is the major risk factor for the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and the nuclear factor-B (NF-B) signaling plays the central role in the inflammation process. However, the activated mechanism of NF-B signaling in HCC is unclear.

Methods: The expression of PHF5A is examined by qPCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay. Read More

Cancer Biol Med 2018 Nov;15(4):425-433

Department of Hepatobiliary Cancer, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300060, China.

Objective: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy associated with high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Early diagnosis plays an important role in the improvement of HCC prognosis.

Methods: In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of HCC DNA methylation and gene expression datasets in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), to identify a prognostic signature for HCC diagnosis and survival prediction. Read More

Cancer Biol Med 2018 Nov;15(4):415-424

Department of Hepatic Surgery Center.

Objective: Spontaneous hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) rupture can be fatal, and hepatic resection could achieve a favorable long-term survival among all strategies of tumor rupture. However, there is no available prognostic scoring system for patients with ruptured HCC who underwent partial hepatectomy.

Methods: From January 2005 to May 2015, 129 patients with spontaneous HCC rupture underwent partial hepatectomy. Read More

Afr Health Sci 2018 Dec;18(4):1117-1133

Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia.

Background: Hepatitis B virus co-infection with other strains of viral hepatitis is associated with increased risk of liver cirrhosis and hepatic decompensation.

Objectives: This is a prevalence study that assessed the genetic diversity of chronic hepatitis B patients and coinfection.

Methods: Chronic hepatitis B patients enrolled in this study were tested for antibodies of other hepatitis viruses using ELISA kits. Read More

J Clin Exp Hepatol 2019 Jan-Feb;9(1):74-98. Epub 2018 Sep 3.

Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Liver GI and Nutrition Center and Mowat Labs, King's College Hospital, London, UK.

Clinical practice guidelines for Wilson's disease (WD) have been published by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and European Association for the Study of the Liver in 2008 and 2012, respectively. Their focus was on the hepatic aspects of the disease. Recently, a position paper on pediatric WD was published by the European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition. Read More

J Clin Exp Hepatol 2019 Jan-Feb;9(1):56-61. Epub 2018 Mar 1.

Consultant, Department of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore.

Background: There has been significant improvement in understanding the etiology and management of Budd-Chiari Syndrome (BCS). Patients with chronic or acute-on-chronic BCS need radiological interventions in the form of angioplasty, hepatic vein/inferior vena cava stenting or Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS). Data regarding the long term follow up of patients undergoing TIPS is limited. Read More

J Clin Exp Hepatol 2019 Jan-Feb;9(1):50-55. Epub 2018 Feb 16.

Rush University Medical Center, 1653 W Congress Parkway, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.

Background/objectives: The purpose of this research is to analyze the past and forecast the future prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and their respective contribution to Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) incidence in the setting of novel anti-viral agents and rising obesity rates in the United States.

Methods: Existing data of HCV and NASH prevalence in the United States utilizing the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) was collected and analyzed to project future prevalence trends.

Results: Prevalence of NASH and HCV are expected to increase and decline respectively over the next two decades with alcoholic cirrhosis expected to stay relatively unchanged. Read More

J Clin Exp Hepatol 2019 Jan-Feb;9(1):43-49. Epub 2018 Feb 16.

HOPE (Health Oriented Programs and Education) Initiative, 422, Aradhana, Eldeco 2, Rae Bareli Road, Lucknow 226025, UP, India.

Background: In a developing country like India with intermediate level of prevalence of hepatitis B, most of the patients remain undiagnosed as they are asymptomatic. The purpose of the study was to diagnose asymptomatic HBsAg positive patients from the general population and evaluate further the potential clinical implications of IDAHS.

Methods: Asymptomatic subjects with unknown HBV status were screened free of cost for hepatitis-B surface antigen. Read More

J Clin Exp Hepatol 2019 Jan-Feb;9(1):34-42. Epub 2018 Feb 16.

Section of Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.

Background/aims: Whether the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects normal hepatic stem/progenitor cells (NSCs) and if so, whether such infections play a role in the pathogenesis of HBV-induced chronic liver disease (CLD) and/or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be determined. The objectives of this study were to determine whether HBV infects NSCs and whether such infections alter NSC activity in a manner likely to contribute to the development of CLD and/or HCC.

Methods: Liver biopsies from five hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive patients were co-stained for HBcAg and HBx and the stem cell markers EpCAM, Oct-4 and Nanog. Read More

J Clin Exp Hepatol 2019 Jan-Feb;9(1):22-28. Epub 2017 Dec 30.

Department of Hepatology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India.

Background And Aims: There is sparse data on the prevalence of renal dysfunction in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of renal dysfunction in patients with NAFLD and correlate it with the severity of liver disease.

Methods: One hundred nonalcoholic patients with ultrasound showing hepatic steatosis were enrolled into the study after exclusion of other causes. Read More

J Clin Exp Hepatol 2019 Jan-Feb;9(1):4-12. Epub 2018 Mar 6.

Institute of Liver, Gastroenterology, & Panceatico-Biliary Sciences, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India.

Background: Sofosbuvir (SOF), a direct acting antiviral, has revolutionized the treatment of chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection. However, data is scarce about efficacy of SOF plus Ribavarin (RBV) in Indian patients with decompensated cirrhosis. We evaluated the efficacy of SOF plus RBV in decompensated cirrhosis, and compared the outcome with compensated cirrhosis and non-cirrhotics. Read More

Br J Cancer 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Center for Applied Biomedical Research (CRBA), S.Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.

Background: Sorafenib is the first targeted agent proven to improve survival of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and it has been used in first line treatments with heterogeneous response across patients. Most of the promising agents evaluated in first-line or second-line phase III trials for HCC failed to improve patient survival. The absence of molecular characterisation, including the identification of pathways driving resistance might be responsible for these disappointing results. Read More

Br J Cancer 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.

Background: Aberrant activation of Axl is implicated in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We explored the biologic significance and preclinical efficacy of Axl inhibition as a therapeutic strategy in sorafenib-naive and resistant HCC.

Methods: We evaluated Axl expression in sorafenib-naive and resistant (SR) clones of epithelial (HuH7) and mesenchymal origin (SKHep-1) using antibody arrays and confirmed tissue expression. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Feb 14;9(1):2032. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, Jilin, China.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver cancer and has a poor prognosis. miR-302a is an important regulator of tumor occurrence and deterioration, while MAP3K2 and PBX3 genes are involved in cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. In this study, the expression of miR-302a and MAP3K2/PBX3 were evaluated by qPCR in liver cancer cell lines. Read More

Biosci Rep 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Faculty of Optometry, Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand

Background And Objective: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is able to cause a life-threatening disease relating to lethal hepatocellular carcinoma. Previous, Toll-like receptor polymorphisms were proposed as promising biomarker for HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma and disease progression. This study aimed to summarize the association of TLR4 polymorphisms and HCV infection through meta-analysis. Read More

Dig Liver Dis 2019 Jan 26. Epub 2019 Jan 26.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address:

Background: The Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) score was developed to predict the long-term prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients. We aimed to investigate the performance of ALBI for predicting severity and long-term prognosis of chronic hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis (CHB-LC).

Methods: CHB-LC patients were enrolled from two medical centers between 2011 and 2017. Read More

HPB (Oxford) 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Nutrition, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, 613, Taiwan.

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the nutritional risk factors for postoperative complications following hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: The preoperative nutritional status of patients with HCC who underwent hepatic resection was evaluated using the scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA). The perioperative variables were compared between well-nourished and malnourished patients. Read More

HPB (Oxford) 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Surgery - Transplant Division, University of Kentucky, College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, USA. Electronic address:

Background: We aimed to study outcomes in HIV + patients with HCC in the US following Liver Transplantation (LT) using the UNOS dataset.

Methods: The database was queried from 2003 to 2016 for patients undergoing LT with HCC, HIV+, and HCC/HIV+.

Results: Out of 17,397 LT performed for HCC during the study period, 113 were transplanted for HCC with HIV infection (91 isolated livers). Read More

Lancet 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

AP-HP, Hôpital Cochin, Unité d'Hépatologie, Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, INSERM U1223 and USM-20, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.

Background: Although direct-acting antivirals have been used extensively to treat patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, their clinical effectiveness has not been well reported. We compared the incidence of death, hepatocellular carcinoma, and decompensated cirrhosis between patients treated with direct-acting antivirals and those untreated, in the French ANRS CO22 Hepather cohort.

Methods: We did a prospective study in adult patients with chronic HCV infection enrolled from 32 expert hepatology centres in France. Read More

Oncol Res 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jiaozhou People's Hospital, Jiaozhou, Shandong Province, China, 266300.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has high morbidity and mortality rates, and the number of new cases and deaths from liver cancer are increasing. However, the details of the regulation in HCC remain largely unknown. Plant Homeodomain Finger protein 8 (PHF8) is a JmjC domain-containing protein. Read More

RNA Biol 2019 Feb 14:1-13. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

a Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding and Key Lab of Chicken Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture , College of Animal Science of South China Agricultural University , Guangzhou , P.R. China.

Natural antisense transcripts (NATs) are widely present in mammalian genomes and act as pivotal regulator molecules of gene expression. However, studies on NATs in the chicken are relatively rare. We identified a novel antisense transcript in the chicken, designated GHR-AS-EST, transcribed from the growth hormone receptor (GHR) locus, which encodes a well-known regulatory molecule of muscle development and fat deposition. Read More

PLoS One 2019 14;14(2):e0210786. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Faculty of Information Technology, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau.

For studying cancer and genetic diseases, the issue of identifying high correlation genes from high-dimensional data is an important problem. It is a great challenge to select relevant biomarkers from gene expression data that contains some important correlation structures, and some of the genes can be divided into different groups with a common biological function, chromosomal location or regulation. In this paper, we propose a penalized accelerated failure time model CHR-DE using a non-convex regularization (local search) with differential evolution (global search) in a wrapper-embedded memetic framework. Read More

Hepatology 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Medicine, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, 10032, USA.

Nearly 25% of the world's population is suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is closely associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. NAFLD may progress to the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). With efficient medical therapies lacking, modifications of life style and diet are considered the best options for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Feb;98(7):e14368

Rationale: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Nasopharyngeal metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma is very rare. This is the first report of posttransplantation nasopharyngeal metastasis. Read More

J Clin Gastroenterol 2019 Feb 12. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Alameda Health System, Highland Hospital, Oakland, CA.

Goal: To evaluate the impact of Karnofsky Performance Status score (KPSS) at the time of liver transplantation (LT) on post-LT survival.

Background: While the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score is used to prioritize individuals for LT, it does not specifically incorporate functional status into patient assessment for LT.

Methods: Using 2005 to 2016 United Network for Organ Sharing data, all adults (age 18 y and above) undergoing LT were identified. Read More

Integr Cancer Ther 2019 Jan-Dec;18:1534735418824408

1 School of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.

Normalizing the disordered tumor vasculature, rather than blocking it, is a novel method for anticancer therapy. Astragali polysaccharide (APS) and curcumin were reported to be active against carcinomas. However, the effect and mechanism of the combination of APS and curcumin on vascular normalization in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was not clear. Read More

J Med Virol 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt.

Background And Aim: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play a pivotal role in tumor immunity and induction of immune tolerance to a variety of antitumor effectors, including T-lymphocytes. Herein, we tried to evaluate the frequency and clinical significance of MDSCs and different lymphocyte subsets in HCV- related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Four groups were enrolled; chronic HCV (CHC, n=40), HCV related liver cirrhosis (HCV-LC, n= 40), HCV related HCC (HCV-HCC, n=75) and healthy control group (n=20). Read More

Dig Dis Sci 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.

Background: Excess consumption of alcohol can lead to cirrhosis, but it is unclear whether the type of alcohol and pattern of consumption affects this risk.

Aims: We aimed to investigate whether type and pattern of alcohol consumption early in life could predict development of severe liver disease.

Methods: We examined 43,242 adolescent men conscribed to military service in Sweden in 1970. Read More

Heliyon 2018 Nov 30;4(11):e00987. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Institute of Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Purpose: To find potentially diagnostic texture analysis (TA) features and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of two-dimensional (2D) magnetic resonance (MR) TA for differentiation between hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and benign hepatocellular tumors in the non-cirrhotic liver in an exploratory MR-study.

Materials And Methods: 108 non-cirrhotic patients (62 female; 41.5 ± 18. Read More