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Hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (HAE) is a parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus multilocularis infection and has wide distribution and great harm in China. At present, ultrasound, CT, and MRI are the main radiological examination methods for HAE, with certain limitations in preoperative diagnosis and evaluation. This article introduces the guiding effect of three-dimensional visualization technique and its derivative technologies in the accurate diagnosis and preoperative evaluation of HAE, so as to provide help for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of HAE in the future.
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Helminth infections may trigger host innate and adaptive immune responses. Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) are an important factor involved in type 2 immune responses, and produce a large number of T helper 2 cell (Th2) cytokines following stimulation by interleukin (IL)-25, IL-33 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), which play a critical role in parasite clearance and tissue repair. Following helminth infections, autocrine factors, mast cells, enteric nervous system and Th2 cells have been recently found to be involved in regulation of ILC2. Unraveling the role of ILC2 in immune response against helminth infections is of great value for basic research and drug development. This review summarizes the research progress on ILC2 and its role in helminth infections.
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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has an insidious onset, and most patients are in the advanced stage when attending the hospital and thus lose the opportunity for radical surgical resection, which results in the poor prognosis of patients. With the development of clinical treatment, the treatment of advanced HCC has gradually transitioned from the relatively single and limited treatment options in the past to the new model of comprehensive treatment. In recent years, immunotherapy, represented by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), has become widely used in clinical practice. At present, a number of clinical studies have been conducted for immunotherapy combined with local and targeted antitumor therapy, and in particular, ICIs combined with targeted therapy have become a research hotspot in the field of HCC treatment. This article reviews the research advances in immunotherapy for the treatment of HCC.
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Echinococcosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by infection with Echinococcus species. As the drug of first choice for treatment of echinococcosis, albendazole suffers from problems of large doses and remarkable adverse reactions in clinical therapy. Development of novel drugs against echinococcosis is of urgent need. Recently, great advances have been achieved in the research on traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of echinococcosis. This review summarizes the progress of researches on traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of echinococcosis, aiming to provide insights into development of anti-echinococcosis drugs.
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Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common malignant disease in clinical practice, and portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is one of the important factors affecting the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. PVTT has strong oncologic characteristics and is highly susceptible to extrahepatic metastasis, complicating portal hypertension, leading to gastrointestinal bleeding or liver failure and causing death. In this paper, we review the formation mechanism of hepatocellular carcinoma combined with PVTT in terms of local anatomy, hemodynamics, molecular biology and tumor microenvironment to provide effective reference for clinical treatment.
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Objective To investigate the effect of exosomes derived from Echinococcus multilocularis on macrophage polarization after treatment for different durations and concentrations. Methods A total of 60 BALB/c mice were used for modeling, among which 4 mice were selected to observe the growth of abdominal lesions on 7.0T MRI. The mice for modeling were dissected, and the protoscoleces was taken from the abdominal lesion and cultured in vitro ; ultracentrifugation was used to extract the exosomes from the supernatant, and transmission electron microscopy and Western blotting were used for the characterization of exosomes. The macrophages without exosome treatment were established as control group, and the macrophages co-cultured with different concentrations of exosomes derived from Echinococcus multilocularis were established as experimental group (10 μg/mL group and 50 μg/mL group) and were cultured for 48 and 72 hours. The morphological changes of macrophages were observed under a microscope, and flow cytometry and ELISA were used to observe polarization state. 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. Results The results of 7.0T MRI showed the formation of diffuse lesions with different sizes in the abdominal cavity of mice, and the exosomes derived from Echinococcus multilocularis were approximately 100 nm in diameter and were cup-shaped or saucer-shaped, with the positive expression of the surface markers CD9, TSG101, and CD63. After co-culture, most of the cells in the experimental group were elongated with an irregular and polygonal shape. Flow cytometry showed that after 48 hours of co-culture, the positive rates of CD16/32, CD206, and CD369 in the control group were 99.53%±0.06%, 90.27%±0.21%, and 2.40%±0.20%, respectively; compared with the control group, except that the 10 μg/mL exosome group had a significant reduction in the positive rate of CD369 (0.80%±0.00%) ( P < 0.05), all the other groups had a significant increase in the positive rates of CD16/32, CD206, and CD369 (all P < 0.000 1); after 72 hours of co-culture, the positive rates of CD16/32, CD206, and CD369 in the control group were 99.67%±0.06%, 85.47%±0.55%, and 6.60%±0.20%, respectively, and compared with the control group, the experimental group had significant increases in the positive rates of CD16/32, CD206, and CD369 (all P < 0.05). ELISA showed that after 48 hours of co-culture, the levels of IL-6 and TNFα in the control group were 58.53±15.52 pg/mL and 320.70±5.30 pg/mL, respectively, and when the exosome concentration was 50 μg/mL, the level of IL-6 in the experimental group was 98.81±15.55 pg/mL, which was higher than that in the control group ( P < 0.05); after 72 hours of co-culture, the levels of IL-6 and TNFα in the control group were 76.22±9.68 pg/mL and 323.90±87.37 pg/mL, respectively, and when the exosome concentration was 10 μg/mL, the level of TNFα was 164.20±14.17 pg/mL, which was significantly lower than that in the control group ( P < 0.05); when the exosome concentration was 50 μg/mL, the level of IL-6 was 99.52±8.35 pg/mL, which was significantly higher than that in the control group ( P < 0.05). Conclusion Exosomes derived from Echinococcus multilocularis can regulate macrophage polarization and induce M2-like polarization of macrophages after co-culture at a concentration of 10 μg /mL for 72 hours, and further studies are needed to clarify the specific method.
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Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the common malignant tumors in China, which seriously threatens the life and health of the nation. Hepatic vein tumor thrombosis (HVTT) is one of the common clinical manifestations. The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma combined with HVTT is extremely poor, and there is no unanimous opinion on its treatment in China and abroad. Currently, Asian guidelines recommend multidisciplinary treatment for patients with vascular invasion. This article reviewed the current progress in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma combined with HVTT.
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Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of ex vivo liver resection and autotransplantation (ELRA) by using a Bayesian single-arm Meta-analysis.Methods:Databases of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang were searched from January 1, 1990 to December 30, 2021 on ELRA studies. The Bayesian one-arm Meta-analysis was performed by using the statistical software of R (V4.1.2) and the Markov chain-Monte Carlo method was used to simulate the posterior distribution. The mortality rate within 30 days after operation, 1-year survival rate, major postoperative complications, R 0 resection rate and other related indexes were analyzed. Results:A total of 20 studies with 436 patients were included. Bayesian single-arm Meta-analysis showed that the 1-year survival rate after ELRA was 83.24% [95% highest posterior density ( HPD): 72.40%-92.05%]. The 1-year survival rates after surgery were 88.66% (95% HPD: 81.52%-94.50%) for patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis and 61.29% (95% HPD: 38.53%-93.68%) for patients with hepatic malignancies, respectively. The mortality rate within 30 d after surgery, the incidence of significant postoperative complications, and the R 0 resection rate were 6.96% (95% HPD: 4.47%-10.15%), 27.91% (95% HPD: 19.00%-38.30%), and 99.84% (95% HPD: 37.61%-100.00%), respectively. Renal failure was the most frequent cause of death after ELRA. Conclusion:ELRA is indicated for hepatic malignancies and hepatic alveolar echinococcosis when intrahepatic resection cannot be accomplished in vivo. The greatest benefit is observed in patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis, while only some patients with hepatic malignancies can benefit. The indications for ELRA for hepatic malignancies need to be further studied to define the subgroup of patients who can benefit from this operation.
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Objective To investigate the effect of different concentrations of Echinococcus multilocularis secretion antigen (Em-sAg) on the phenotype and function of mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Methods The bone marrow precursor cells isolated from the mouse bone marrow cavity were stimulated by mouse recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) to form BMDCs, and then cell morphology was observed under an inverted microscope. After the purity of BMDCs was identified by flow cytometry, BMDCs were divided into control group, positive control group (LPS 1 μg/ml), LPS+3 mg/ml Em-sAg group, LPS+1.5 mg/ml Em-sAg group, LPS+0.75 mg/ml Em-sAg group, and LPS+0.375 mg/ml Em-sAg group. Flow cytometry was used to measure the expression of BMDC surface molecules (CD80, CD86, and MHC-Ⅱ molecules) in each group, and ELISA was used to measure the expression level of the cytokine IL-12p70. 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. Results Observation under an inverted microscope showed that after 8-10 days of culture, the cells had burr-like protrusions and were in a state of complete suspension. Flow cytometry showed that the positive rate of CD11c was above 70% and most of the cultured cells were identified as BMDCs based on this. Flow cytometry further showed that compared with the control group, the LPS group had significant increases in the cell molecules CD80, CD86, and MHC-Ⅱ on surface (all P 0.05). ELISA showed that there was a significant difference in the level of IL-12 p70 between groups ( F =73.140, P < 0.05); compared with the control group, the LPS group had a significant increase in the expression level of IL-12p70 after stimulation ( P < 0.05); compared with the positive control group, the LPS+3 mg/ml Em-sAg group, the LPS+1.5 mg/ml Em-sAg group, the LPS+0.75 mg/ml Em-sAg group, and the LPS+0.375 mg/ml Em-sAg group had a significant reduction in the expression level of IL-12p70 ( P < 0.05), and the degree of reduction in the pro-inflammatory factor IL-12p70 increased with the increase in the concentration of Em-sAg. Conclusion Different concentrations of Em-sAg can inhibit LPS-induced maturity of BMDCs and the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-12p70.
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Hepatic alveolar echinococcosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by echinococcus multilocularis infection. The growth pattern of the lesions of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis is similar to that of liver malignant tumor showing invasive growth. Hepatic alveolar echinococcosis can not only directly invade the adjacent tissue structure, but also metastasize through the lymphatic tracts and blood vessels. Hepatic alveolar echinococcosis with intraperitoneal implantable metastasis is extremely rare. The authors introduce the diagnosis and treatment of 1 patient who had hepatic alveolar echinococcosis with intraperitoneal implantable metastasis.
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Liver biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis stage in patients with chronic hepatitis B, but it has certain limitations due to its invasiveness. At present, elastography and serological examination have the advantages of convenience, good repeatability, and dynamic testing and are thus widely used in clinical practice. The accuracy of testing has been supported by a large number of studies, and they have been gradually recommended by various guidelines and expert consensus. However, the diagnostic accuracy of the two methods is affected by factors such as inflammation, obesity, ascites, eating, and intercostal space stenosis, and elastography combined with serological examination can greatly improve the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of liver fibrosis staging. With reference to related articles in China and globally, this article reviews the problems of the two methods in the staging of chronic hepatitis B liver fibrosis.
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Objective To investigate the association between serum macrophage polarization-related factors and liver fibrosis in patients with alveolar echinococcosis (AE). Methods A total of 120 patients with AE who attended Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery in The Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University from September 2018 to October 2020 were enrolled as AE group, and 33 healthy controls were enrolled as normal control group. The two groups and the patients with varying degrees of liver fibrosis were compared in terms of the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups was made by the independent samples t -test, while comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data was made by the Mann-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis H test. Comparison of categorical data between groups was made by the chi-square test. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the association between serum macrophage polarization-related factors and liver fibrosis in patients with AE, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the value of serological examination in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in patients with AE. A Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation of each index with HAI score and Metavir score. Results Compared with the normal control group, the AE group had significant increases in the serum levels of IL-6 [13.97 (9.64-23.62) pg/mL vs 1.30 (0.35-2.71) pg/mL, Z =-5.980, P < 0.001], TNF-α [2.26 (1.65-4.13) pg/mL vs 1.40 (1.04-2.10) pg/mL, Z =-3.114, P < 0.01], and TGF-β1 [3.64(2.71-5.72) pg/mL vs 2.91(2.20-3.35) pg/mL, Z =-2.594, P < 0.05], and increases in the serum levels of IL-6 (hazard ratio [ HR ]=2.721, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 1.730-4.280, P < 0.05) and TNF-α( HR =3.527, 95% CI : 1.158-10.747, P < 0.05) were independent risk factors for the onset of liver fibrosis in AE patients. The ROC curve analysis showed that hydatid IgG combined with the serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α had a sensitivity of 88.4%, a specificity of 95.8%, and an area under the ROC curve of 0.951(95% CI : 0.937-0.964) in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis, which were significantly higher than those of IL-6, TNF-α, or hydatid IgG alone ( Z =-3.458, -4.011, and 2.379, all P < 0.05). The Spearman analysis showed that the serum levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-β1 were positively correlated with HAI score ( r =0.560, 0.644, and 0.465, all P < 0.001) and Metavir fibrosis score ( r =0.530, 0.758, and 0.567, all P < 0.001), and the serum level of IL-10 was negatively correlated with HAI score ( r =-0.232, P =0.011) and Metavir fibrosis score ( r =-0.288, P =0.001). Conclusion Macrophage polarization is often observed in patients with hepatic AE, and the levels of the macrophage polarization-related factors IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-β1 are associated with the development and progression of liver fibrosis, which can provide certain reference information for predicting the onset of liver fibrosis.
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ObjectiveTo investigate new biomarkers for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis by screening out differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) in the tissues and plasma of patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis, since hepatic alveolar echinococcosis is caused by the infection of multilocular hydatid cyst. MethodsPatients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis diagnosed in Qinghai University Affilrated Hospital from June 2016 to May 2018 were in cluded. Two marginal tissue samples and three adjacent normal tissue samples were collected from patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis, and plasma samples were collected from three patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis and three healthy controls. Agilent Human miRNA microarray was used to obtain the miRNA expression profile in tissue and plasma, and differentially expressed miRNAs were screened out based on fold change (FC＞1.2) and P value (P＜0.05). Plasma miRNAs and tissue miRNAs associated with liver diseases were selected based on target gene prediction of differentially expressed miRNAs and literature reports, and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used for validation. The t-test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups. A spearman analysis was used to investigate correlcction. ResultsThere was a significant difference in microRNA expression profile between the patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis and the health individuals, and qRT-PCR found that three miRNAs (hsa-miR-4644, hsa-miR-136-5p, hsa-miR-483-3p) were significantly differentially expressed in patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (P＜0.05), among which hsa-miR-4644 and hsa-miR-483-3p were significantly upregulated (P＜0.05) and hsa-miR-136-5p was significantly downregulated (P＜0.05) in patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. Target gene prediction was performed for miRNAs based on TargetScan, PITA, and microRNAorg databases, and the intersection of the target genes predicted by these three databases showed that 137 genes were targeted with miRNAs. The differentially expressed miRNA hsa-miR-483-3p was involved in the target regulation of the genes (IL17A, IL5, CD40LG, TAP2, and TNF) associated with immune response and liver diseases. Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome analyses showed that the target genes of hsa-miR-483-3p played an important role in the primary immunodeficiency signaling pathway, the IL-17 signaling pathway, and the TNF signaling pathway. ConclusionHepatic alveolar echinococcosis has a unique microRNA expression profile, among which hsa-miR-483-3p can be used as a new biomarker for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis, and the target genes regulated by this miRNA are mainly involved in the primary immunodeficiency signaling pathway, the IL-17 signaling pathway, and the TNF signaling pathway. However, further studies are needed to verify the regulatory relationship between these miRNAs and hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.
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ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) on some inflammatory mediators during the progression of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (HAE) and its clinical significance. MethodsA total of 15 patients with HAE who underwent partial liver resection in Qinghai University Affiliated Hospital from June 2018 to September 2019 were enrolled, and the marginal zone of HAE lesion was resected as AE group; 15 normal liver tissue samples collected during the same period of time were selected as control group. Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to measure the protein and mRNA expression of protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK), CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP), caspase-12, and glucose-regulated protein-78 (GRP-78), and q-PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups; a Pearson correlation analysis was performed to investigate the correlation between two variables. ResultsCompared with the control group, the AE group had significantly higher protein expression levels of PERK, CHOP, caspase-12, and GRP78 (U=4.165, 3.461, 2.577, and 3.344, all P＜0.001) and their mRNA expression levels (t= 34003, 4.461, 53.573, and 55.224, all P＜0.001). The AE group had significantly higher mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF than the control group (t=6.090, 12.578, and 53.573, all P＜0.001). The protein expression levels of PERK, CHOP, caspase-12, and GRP-78 were positively correlated with the mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF (all r＞0.700, all P≤0.05). ConclusionPositive correlation is observed between the activation of ERS and inflammatory mediators in HAE, and excessive activation of ERS can change the secretion of several inflammatory mediators to exacerbate liver injury, while further studies are needed to clarify the specific mechanism.
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Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is considered as a fatal zoonosis caused by the larvae of Echinococcus multilocularis. The lungs and brain are the most common metastatic organs. We report a human case of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis accompanied by lung and brain metastasis. In particular, the patient had a history of tuberculosis and the lung lesions were easily misdiagnosed as lung abscesses. The lesions of liver and lung underwent radical resection and confirmed as alveolar echinococcosis by pathological examination. The patient had no surgical complications after operation and was discharged after symptomatic treatment. Unfortunately, the patient later developed multiple intracerebral AE metastases. We required the patient to take albendazole orally for life and follow up.
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Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is considered as a fatal zoonosis caused by the larvae of Echinococcus multilocularis. The lungs and brain are the most common metastatic organs. We report a human case of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis accompanied by lung and brain metastasis. In particular, the patient had a history of tuberculosis and the lung lesions were easily misdiagnosed as lung abscesses. The lesions of liver and lung underwent radical resection and confirmed as alveolar echinococcosis by pathological examination. The patient had no surgical complications after operation and was discharged after symptomatic treatment. Unfortunately, the patient later developed multiple intracerebral AE metastases. We required the patient to take albendazole orally for life and follow up.
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Objective:To investigate the prognostic value of preoperative red blood cell distribution width (RDW) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 1 025 HCC patients who were admitted to three medical centers (586 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 248 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University and 191 in the Qinghai University Affiliated Hospital) between April 2002 and August 2017 were collected. There were 809 males and 216 females, aged (54±11)years, with a range from 16 to 83 years. The average coefficient of variation of RDW (RDW-CV) of 1 025 patients was 14.3%. Of 1 025 patients, 347 cases had high RDW of RDW-CV >14.3%, and 678 had low RDW of RDW-CV ≤14.3%. Observation indicators: (1) clinico-pathological data of HCC patients; (2) influencing factors for prognosis of HCC patients; (3) follow-up and survival. (4) stratified analysis of independent influencing factors. Follow-up was performed by outpatient examination, telephone interview or internet interview to detect postoperative survival of patients up to October 2017. Measurment data with normal distribution were represented as Mean±SD, and measurment data with skewed distribution were described as M (range). Count data were described as absolute numbers, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test. The Graphpad Prism 7.0 was used to draw survival curves, and Log-rank test was used for survival analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the COX proportional hazard model. Results:(1) Clinicopathological data of HCC patients: cases with age ≤70 years or >70 years, cases without cirhhosis or with cirhhosis , cases of Child-Pugh grade A or Child-Pugh grade B or C, cases with the level of alpha fetoprotein (AFP) ≤200 μg/L or >200 μg/L, cases with single tumor or multiple tumors were 313, 34, 152, 186, 161, 53, 158, 143, 186, 109 for high RDW patients, versus 641, 37, 359, 310, 415, 48, 367, 227, 547, 131 for low RDW patients, respectively, showing significant differences in above indicators between the two groups ( χ2=6.709, 6.787, 23.906, 7.114, 34.375, P<0.05). (2) Influencing factors for prognosis of HCC patients: results of univariate analysis showed that age, Child-Pugh grade, AFP, RDW-CV, tumor diameter, the number of tumors were related factors for prognosis of patients ( hazard ratio=1.388, 1.432, 1.534, 1.455, 2.813, 1.505, 95% confidence interval as 1.004-1.920, 1.086-1.887, 1.263-1.864, 1.211-1.748, 2.293-3.450, 1.173-1.932, P<0.05 ). Results of multivariate analysis showed that age, RDW-CV, tumor diameter and the number of tumors were independent factors for prognosis of patients ( hazard ratio=1.020, 1.340, 2.427, 1.438, 95% confidence interval as 1.007-1.032, 1.027-1.749, 1.801-3.272, 1.057-1.956, P<0.05). (3) Follow-up and survival: 1 025 patients were followed up for 1-124 months, with a median follow-up time of 25 months. The median survival time was 23 months for high RDW patients, versus 44 months for low RDW patients, showing a significant difference in the overall survival between the two groups ( χ2=11.640, P<0.05). (4) Stratified analysis of independent influencing factors: the results of stratified analysis of 3 independent influencing factors including age, tumor diameter and the number of tumors showed that in the 954 patients with age ≤70 years, the median survival time was 25 months for high RDW patients, versus 48 months for low RDW patients, showing a significant difference in the overall survival between the two groups ( χ2=14.030, P<0.05). In the 71 patients with age >70 years, the median survival time was 11 months for high RDW patients, versus 29 months for low RDW patients, showing no significant difference in the overall survival between the two groups ( χ2=0.933, P>0.05). In the 459 patients with tumor diameter ≤5 cm, the median survival time was 44 months for high RDW patients, versus 76 months for low RDW patients, showing a significant difference in the overall survival between the two groups ( χ2=8.660, P<0.05). In the 487 patients with tumor diameter >5 cm, the median survival time was 14 months for high RDW patients, versus 18 months for low RDW patients, showing no significant difference in the overall survival between the two groups ( χ2=2.950, P>0.05). In the 733 patients with single tumor, the median survival time was 20 months for high RDW patients, versus 48 months for low RDW patients, showing a significant difference in the overall survival between the two groups ( χ2=13.530, P<0.05). In the 240 patients with multiple tumors, the median survival time was 15 months for high RDW patients, versus 20 months for low RDW patients, showing a significant difference in the overall survival between the two groups ( χ2=6.820, P<0.05). Conclusions:Preoperative RDW can be used as a predictive index for prognosis of HCC patients, and patients with high RDW have poorer prognosis. RDW have better predictive value in patients with age ≤70 years or tumor diameter ≤5 cm.
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Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) therapy has shown broad prospects in the treatment of malignant tumors and infectious diseases, but problems encountered during application drive researchers to explore potential immune checkpoints. This article summarizes the research advances in the role of the new immune checkpoint lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3) in liver-related diseases, aiming to provide a reference for subsequent research. LAG-3 is expected to become the classic target of next-generation ICIs therapy and play a key role in immunotherapy for liver-related diseases.
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ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation between systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and prognosis in patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 242 patients who were admitted to Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Qinghai University Affiliated Hospital, from January 2015 to December 2018 and underwent surgery for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis, and SII was calculated. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups, and a Spearman correlation analysis was performed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cut-off value of SII; the Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves and analyze overall survival time in the two groups, and the log-rank test was used for comparison of survival rates between the two groups; univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify the influencing factors for the prognosis of patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. ResultsThe Spearman correlation analysis showed that SII was positively correlated with the postoperative fatality rate of patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (r=0.267, P＜0.001). The ROC curve showed that the optimal cut-off value of SII before surgery was 758.92, and based on this, 242 patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis were divided into low SII (SII ≤758.92) group with 126 patients and high SII (SII ＞758.92) group with 116 patients. The low SII group had 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of 98.20%, 88.47%, and 6610%, respectively, and the high SII group had 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of 90.80%, 53.05%, and 27.40%, respectively. The low SII group had a cumulative survival rate of ＞50% and a mean survival time of 55.584 months (95% confidence interval［CI］: 53550-57.617), while the high SII group had a cumulative survival rate of ＜50%, a mean survival time of 39.384 months (95% CI: 35.070-43.698), and a median survival time of 43 months (95% CI: 34.694-51.306). The low SII group had a significantly better survival rate than the high SII group, and there was a significant difference in overall survival rate between the two groups (χ2=46.979, P＜005). The univariate analysis showed that SII ＞758.92 (hazard ratio ［HR］=5.907, 95% CI: 3.386-10.306, P=0.001) was an influencing factor for the overall survival time of patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis, and the multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that preoperative peripheral blood SII (HR=3.507, 95% CI: 1.911-6.435, P=0.001) was an independent risk factor for the overall survival rate of patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. ConclusionPreoperative SII level is clearly correlated with the prognosis of patients with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis and can thus be used as a clinical indicator to evaluate the prognosis of patients. The higher the peripheral blood SII before surgery, the worse the prognosis of patients.
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Benign biliary stricture (BBS) refers to complete or incomplete stricture of the biliary tract caused by a series of non-malignant diseases. BBS often has complex and diverse etiologies, and severe complications may occur if it is not adequately treated. Diagnostic methods currently used in clinical practice include imaging, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, endoscopic ultrasonography, and choledochoscopy, and treatment methods include balloon dilatation, stent implantation, percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage, and surgical treatment. At present, endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of BBS has become the preferred method. However, there is still no clear classification of BBS, which needs further investigation. By consulting related literature in China and globally, this article summarizes the issues associated with the endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of BBS.