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The incidence rate of drug-induced liver injury （DILI） is increasing year by year with unknown mechanisms， and the treatment methods for DILI mainly include drugs， liver support systems， and liver transplantation， all of which have certain limitations. Therefore， the search for safer and more effective treatment methods has become a research hotspot at present. Studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells and their exosomes can alleviate liver injury by reducing liver inflammation， promoting hepatocyte proliferation and regeneration， inhibiting the apoptosis of hepatocytes， improving oxidative stress， and regulating immunity. This article briefly reviews the role of mesenchymal stem cells and their exosomes in the treatment of DILI， so as to provide a reference for further research.
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In recent years, monotherapy and combination therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have achieved good efficacy in a variety of malignancies from solid tumors to lymphomas and have become a standardized and systematic treatment modality for many cancers. However, there is still a lack of studies on the safety of ICIs in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients with malignancies, and early studies have reported HBV reactivation due to ICI antitumor therapy in clinical practice. With reference to related literature, this article reviews the recent clinical trials and application of ICIs in cancer patients with chronic viral infection and clarifies the efficacy and safety of ICIs in this special population, in order to provide a reference for clinical medication.
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Persistent HBV infection alters the expression of receptors on the surface of innate and acquired immune cells, which may cause a variety of immune disorders and finally lead to immune escape and disease chronicity. Studies have shown that the upregulation of inhibitory receptors is the main cause of immune disorders in patients, and blocking inhibitory receptors can restore immune function to a certain extent. T-cell immunoglobulin and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif domain (TIGIT) is a new type of inhibitory receptor attracting much attention at present, and it is highly expressed in NK cells and T cells. It has been found that TIGIT plays an important role in chronic viral infection, and this article briefly reviews the research advances in the association between TIGIT and immune disorders in chronic HBV infection.
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Monkeypox (MPX) is a zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV) and its re-emergence is a potential global threat. The number of human MPX-positive cases reported by some coutries was increasing since it was detected in the UK on May 7, 2022, which has become a public health emergency and attracted global attention. Understanding the virological characteristics, route of transmission, pathogenic mechanism, vaccines and antiviral drugs of MPX is of great significance for the prevention and control of monkeypox. This paper briefly described the etiological characteristics and the prevention and control measures for MPX.
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N7-methylguanosine （m7G） is one of the most popular RNA modifications at present and has attracted wide attention from researchers in China and globally. By influencing the metabolism of various RNA molecules （including messenger RNA， ribosomal RNA， microRNA， and transfer RNA）， m7G modification actively participates in many biological processes such as cell proliferation， differentiation， and apoptosis. More and more evidence has shown that m7G plays a key role in the development of cancer， and abnormal m7G levels are closely associated with the development and progression of cancer by regulating the expression of multiple oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common gastrointestinal tumor in China， and current treatment methods tend to have an unsatisfactory therapeutic effect. At present， the potential molecular mechanism of m7G modification in hepatocellular carcinoma remains unclear. This article reviews the potential mechanism of action of m7G modification in hepatocellular carcinoma and the m7G-related diagnosis and treatment strategies.
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Autoimmune hepatitis （AIH） is a type of chronic hepatitis caused by the autoimmune system attacking hepatocytes， and its chronic progression may lead to liver cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently， pharmacotherapy and liver transplantation are the main treatment methods for AIH， but both methods have their own limitations， which limits the clinical benefits of patients. Therefore， it is a critical issue to search for new therapeutic agents and methods. Recent studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells （MSC） and their exosomes can improve the symptoms of patients with AIH by suppressing inflammatory response， enhancing the regeneration of hepatocytes， and regulating the immune system and thus have wide application prospects in the treatment of AIH. By summarizing related articles， this article reviews the possible mechanisms and application of MSC and their exosomes in the treatment of AIH， in order to provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of AIH.
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Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of acteoside (ACT) in inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in human hepatoma HCCLM3 cells by regulating the ERK1/2 pathway. Methods CCK-8 assay was used to detect the effect of hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation. The invasion and migration of HCC cells were detected by scratch and Transwell tests. The mRNA and protein expression levels of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway and EMT-related genes (E-cadherin and N-cadherin) were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot analyses. Results ACT reduced the activity of HCCLM3 cells and inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells, and the effects had certain correlation with drug concentration and time. ACT inhibited the migration and invasion process of HCCLM3 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. ACT downregulated the mRNA and protein expression of genes related to the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. It increased the mRNA and protein expression levels of the EMT-related gene E-cadherin but decreased those of N-cadherin. Conclusion ACT could inhibit EMT and the invasion and migration of HCCLM3 cells in human hepatoma, and the underlying mechanism is closely related to the downregulation of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway.
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Liver transplantation, as one of the radical treatment strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma, has a good clinical effect in patients meeting the Milan criteria; however, the high recurrence rate and metastasis rate after surgery bring great challenges to the long-term survival of such patients. Therefore, how to improve long-term survival rate and reduce postoperative tumor metastasis has become a key problem that needs to be solved urgently. In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), with their good safety and objective reactivity, have provided a new opportunity for the treatment of patients with advanced liver cancer and have become potential candidates for improving the therapeutic effect of liver transplantation. At present, early clinical studies have reported the unique advantages of ICIs used alone or in combination in downstaging or bridging therapy before liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma and adjuvant therapy after liver transplantation. Therefore, this article reviews the clinical trials of ICIs in liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma and the advances in the application of ICIs in recent years and discuss its safety and efficacy, in order to provide a certain reference for clinical medication.
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Objective To investigate the expression of Sema4D in peripheral blood T cells and serum of patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis and its correlation with clinical indicators. Methods A total of 20 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 68 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis, and 20 healthy controls who attended The 940 th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force of Chinese People's Liberation Army from October 2020 to November 2021 were enrolled. According to Child-Pugh class, the patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis were divided into Child-Pugh class A group with 24 patients, Child-Pugh class B group with 24 patients, and Child-Pugh class C group with 20 patients. After peripheral blood samples were collected to isolate serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), flow cytometry was used to measure the expression of membrane-bound Sema4D (mSema4D) + CD4 + T cells and mSema4D + CD8 + T cells in PBMCs, and ELISA was used to measure the expression of soluble Sema4D (sSema4D) in serum; their correlation with viral replication and liver inflammation markers was analyzed. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t -test was used for further comparison between two groups; the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for further comparison between two groups; a Spearman correlation analysis was also performed. Results There were significant differences in the expression of mSema4D + CD4 + T cells and mSema4D + CD8 + T cells between the CHB group, the hepatitis B cirrhosis group, and the control group ( F =43.092 and 13.344, both P < 0.001), while there were significant differences between any two groups ( P < 0.05). The expression levels of mSema4D + CD4 + T cells and mSema4D + CD8 + T cells gradually decreased with increasing Child-Pugh class ( F =14.093 and 17.154, both P < 0.05), and there were significant differences between any two groups ( P < 0.05). The content of sSema4D was 1.54(1.42-1.71) ng/mL in the control group, 1.08(1.07-1.38) ng/mL in the CHB group, and 4.87(2.13-14.97) ng/mL in the hepatitis B cirrhosis group, with a significant difference between the three groups ( H =32.366, P < 0.001) and between any two groups ( P < 0.05). The content of sSema4D was 2.42(0.59-5.65) ng/mL in the Child-Pugh class A group, 4.92(2.75-12.73) ng/mL in the Child-Pugh class B group, and 14.18(4.59-18.43) ng/mL in the Child-Pugh class C group, with a significant difference between the three groups ( H =11.889, P =0.003) and between any two groups ( P < 0.05). In patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis, the level of sSema4D was positively correlated with the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and HBV DNA quantification ( r =0.294 and 0.430, both P < 0.05). Conclusion Sema4D is lowly expressed on T cell membrane and highly expressed in serum of patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis, and sSema4D may be involved in the development and progression of hepatitis B cirrhosis by affecting the levels of ALT and HBV DNA.
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Objective:To investigate the expression of Macrophage migration-inhibitory factors (MIF) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and its interaction with ERK1/2 signaling pathway, so as to establish a theoretical basis for further studying the molecular mechanism of MIF promoting HCC.Methods:From February 2020 to August 2021, 52 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues based on hepatitis B cirrhosis (HBV-LC) and 52 cases of adjacent tissues in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital and 940th Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force of PLA were collected as the experimental group, including 39 males and 13 females, aged 35-65 years. And 20 cases of normal liver tissue were selected as the control group. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of MIF, ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 proteins in liver tissues of the two groups, and in situ hybridization was used to detect the expression of ERK1/2 nucleic acid in liver tissues of the two groups.HepG2 HCC cells and L-02 normal hepatocytes were co-cultured with different concentrations of rMIF, the expression and phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 and JNK1 proteins in the two kinds of liver cells were detected by Western-blot, and the expression levels of ERK1/2 nucleic acids in the two kinds of liver cells were detected by RT-PCR. One-way ANOVA was used for measurement data and χ 2 test was used for counting data. Results:The expressions of MIF, ERK1/2, p-ERK1/2 and ERK1/2 mRNA were significantly increased in HCC and para-cancer tissues (the expression of MIF in HCC group was 78.8%, and that in adjacent group was 75.0%; ERK1/2 80.8% in HCC group and ERK1/2 71.8% in paracancerous group. The expression of p-ERK1/2 75.0 % in HCC group and 46.2% in paracancerous group were respectively detected. ERK1/2 mRNA was expressed in HCC group 76.9%, ERK1/2 mRNA expression in paracancerous group 78.8%), and the differences were statistically significant compared with normal liver tissues ( P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between HCC and para-cancer tissues ( P>0.05). The expressions of ERK1/2, p-ERK1/2 and ERK1/2 mRNA in HepG2 HCC cells were significantly increased with the increase of rMIF concentration, and the increase was most obvious when rMIF concentration was 200 ng/ml, and the difference was statistically significant compared with L-02 normal hepatocytes ( P<0.05). Conclusion:MIF, ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 are highly expressed in HCC tissues and HepG2 HCC cells, suggesting that MIF promotes the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma through ERK1/2 signaling pathway.
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Objective: To research the effect of matrine on the proliferation and migration of HepG2 cells through extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) signaling pathway. Methods: HepG2 cell was selected and divided into blank control group, experimental group (matrine 1, 2, and 4 mg/mL), and positive control group (PD98059, ERK1/2 inhibitor). MTT measure was used to detect the effective time and concentration which matrine inhibits HepG2 cells. After 24 h, the effect of effective concentration of matrine on the of morphological changing HepG2 cells was observed. The invasion ability was assayed by transwell method, the expression of ERK1/2 and pERK1/2 were detected through Western blot, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to test the expression level of ERK1/2 mRNA. Results: With the increase of matrine concentration, the number of adherent HepG2 cells gradually decreased, the morphologic changes gradually became spherical, some cell morphology was incomplete, and even cell fragments appeared. The proliferation and invasion ability of HepG2 cells decreased. The expression of ERK1/2, pERK1/2, and ERK1/2 mRNA downregulated with the increase of matrine concentration (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Matrine inhibits the proliferation and migration of HepG2 cells by downregulating the ERK1/2 signaling pathway.
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Objective To investigate the efficacy of thymosin alpha-1(T?_1,Zadaxin)monotherapy for chronic HBV infection by a meta-analysis of the published data. Methods Randomized controlled trials on thymosin alpha-1 monotherapy in chronic HBV infection were searched from electronic databases such as MEDLINE、PUBMED and Blackwell. Results Meta-analysis of 7 randomized controlled studies investigating the safety and efficacy of thymosin alpha-1 monotherapy for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B showed that 6 months treatment with thymosin alpha-1(1.6 mg twice weekly)almost tripled the sustained response rate(38%)compared with controls(13%).Conclusion These results suggest that a 6-month course of thymosin alpha-1 therapy is effective and safe in patients with chronic hepatitis B;thymosin alpha-1 can effectively reduce HBV replication in CHB with patients. Compared with IFN-?,thymosin alpha-1 which has less side effects is better tolerated and seems to induce a gradual and more sustained normalization of ALT and loss of HBV DNA.