The role and impact of macrophages in the pathogenesis of primary biliary cholangitis / 临床肝胆病杂志

Primary biliary cholangitis （PBC） is a chronic autoimmune disease of cholestasis in which immune factors lead to progressive small bile duct destruction， cholestasis， and eventually liver fibrosis， liver cirrhosis， and even liver failure. Macrophages， as a group with functional heterogeneity， play different roles in the whole disease process of PBC. This article summarizes the possible ways by which macrophages are involved in the pathogenesis of PBC and discusses their impact on the disease and the potential therapeutic targets of macrophages. It is pointed out that macrophages are mainly involved in innate immunity in PBC injury and are associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis， and they are also associated with cholestasis， liver fibrosis， and liver cirrhosis in the later stages of the disease.

Research advances in primary biliary cholangitis with dyslipidemia / 临床肝胆病杂志

Primary biliary cholangitis （PBC） is an autoimmune liver disease characterized by progressive and non-purulent inflammation of small- and medium-sized bile ducts in the liver. Recent studies have shown that abnormal lipid metabolism is relatively common in patients with PBC， and 76% of PBC patients have dyslipidemia. The effects and harms of dyslipidemia have attracted much attention. Lipid metabolism disorders play an important role in the progression of PBC. This article mainly reviews the research advances in the manifestation， role， diagnosis， and treatment of lipid metabolism disorders in PBC， so as to provide new ideas for the treatment of PBC.

She Medicine （畲药） Diren Zishen Formula （地稔滋肾方） Combined with Acupuncture as Adjunctive Treatment for 32 Cases of Primary Biliary Cholangitis with Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency Syndrome / 中医杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effectiveness and safety of She medicine （畲药） Diren Zishen Formula（地稔滋肾方） combined with acupuncture as adjunctive treatment for primary biliary cholangitis with liver and kidney yin deficiency syndrome. MethodsSeventy patients of primary biliary cholangitis with liver and kidney yin deficiency syndrome were randomly divided into a control group and a treatment group， with 35 patients in each group. The control group received oral ursodeoxycholic acid capsules （250 mg per dose， three times daily）. The treatment group received She medicine Diren Zishen Formula oral decoction （one dose daily， 200 ml per dose in the morning and evening， served warm） and acupuncture ［bilateral Sanyingjiao （SP6）， Taichong （LR3）， Ganshu （BL18）， Zusanli （ST36）， Fenglong （ST17）， once daily， 5 consecutive days per week］ in addition to the same treatment as the control group. The treatment duration was three months for both groups. Comparisons were made between the two groups before and after treatment for the following parameters， which were four traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptoms scores （skin itching， fatigue， jaundice， and flank pain）， TCM syndrome scores， liver function indicators including aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， alkaline phosphatase （ALP）， gamma-glutamyl transferase （GGT） and total bilirubin （TBiL）， liver fibrosis markers including serum laminin （LN）， serum hyaluronic acid （HA）， serum type Ⅳ collagen （Ⅳ-C） and serum type Ⅲ procollagen （PC-Ⅲ）， and inflammatory factor indicators including serum interleukin-6 （IL-6） and tumor necrosis factor-alpha （TNF-α）. The effectiveness of TCM syndrome between the two groups was compared and safety evaluations were also conducted after treatment. ResultsA total of 32 cases were finally analyzed in the treatment group， while the control group had 31 cases. The total effective rate of TCM syndrome in the treatment group （87.50%， 28/32） was higher than that in the control group （67.74%， 20/31） （P＜0.05）. After treatment， the TCM symptom scores， syndrome scores， liver function， and liver fibrosis markers in both groups signi-ficantly decreased， while in the treatment group， the inflammatory factor indicators decreased after treatment， and more decreases were found than those in the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Both groups had good safety， and no adverse reactions were observed. ConclusionThe combination of She medicine Diren Zishen Formula and acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment for primary biliary cholangitis can significantly improve the clinical effectiveness， improve liver function， reduce inflammatory response， and alleviate liver fibrosis， with good safety.

Concurrencia de síndrome de Guillain-Barré y colangitis biliar primaria no vinculado a SARS-CoV-2: reporte de caso / Concurrence of Guillain-Barré syndrome and primary biliary cholangitis not related to SARS-CoV-2: Case report

Introducción El síndrome de Guillain-Barré es una polirradiculoneuropatia de origen autoinmune, considerada la causa más frecuente de parálisis flácida aguda. Se han reportado diversas asociaciones del síndrome de Guillain-Barré con otras enfermedades autoinmunes no neurológicas, algunas de ellas extremadamente raras, como la que ocurre con la colangitis biliar primaria, una enfermedad crónica de etiología autoinmune cuyo diagnóstico se sustenta, además del cuadro clínico, en la alteración de las enzimas hepáticas y la presencia de anticuerpos anti-mitocondriales. Caso clínico Paciente varón de 38 años, sin antecedente de comorbilidades previas, quien luego de presentar enfermedad diarreica dos semanas antes, desarrolló debilidad ascendente de inicio subagudo asociado a parestesias en cuatro extremidades que progresó hasta generar cuadriplejia y dificultad respiratoria. Se le realizó examen citoquímico de líquido cefalorraquídeo que evidenció disociación albumino-citológica y electromiografía que mostró hallazgos compatibles con neuropatía axonal motora aguda. Recibió tratamiento con inmunoglobulina intravenosa a dosis de 0,4 gramos por kilogramo al día, logrando mejoría del cuadro neurológico. Desde su ingreso y durante la hospitalización, presentó alteración persistente de las enzimas hepáticas que seguía un patrón colestásico. Además, se agregó dolor abdominal de leve intensidad y prurito generalizado, por lo cual fue evaluado por gastroenterología, quienes solicitaron anticuerpos anti-mitocondriales que resultaron positivos. Con esta prueba, se comprobó el diagnóstico de colangitis biliar primaria. Conclusión El presente caso muestra una asociación extremadamente rara de dos enfermedades autoinmunes; síndrome de Guillain-Barré y colangitis biliar primaria, tanto así que representa el primer caso reportado, no vinculado a SARS-CoV-2.

Introduction Guillain-Barré syndrome is a polyradiculoneuropathy of autoimmune origin, considered the most frequent cause of acute flaccid paralysis. Various associations of Guillain-Barré syndrome with other non-neurological autoimmune diseases have been reported, some of them extremely rare, such as that which occurs with primary biliary cholangitis, a chronic disease of autoimmune etiology whose diagnosis is also supported by the clinical picture. , in the alteration of liver enzymes and the presence of anti-mitochondrial antibodies. Clinical case A 38-year-old male patient, with no history of previous comorbidities, who, after presenting with diarrheal disease two weeks prior, developed subacute onset ascending weakness associated with paresthesias in four extremities that progressed to quadriplegia and respiratory distress. Cerebrospinal fluid cytochemistry was performed, which showed albuminocytological dissociation and electromyography, which showed findings compatible with acute motor axonal neuropathy, for which he received treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin at 0.4g/kg/day, achieving improvement in the neurological condition. Since admission and during hospitalization, he presented persistent changes in liver enzymes which followed a cholestatic pattern, in addition to mild abdominal pain and generalized itching, for which he was evaluated by gastroenterology, who requested anti-mitochondrial antibodies that were positive. Concluding in the diagnosis of primary biliary cholangitis. Conclusion The present case shows an extremely rare association of two autoimmune diseases Guillain-Barré syndrome and primary biliary cholangitis, so much so that it represents the first case reported, not linked to SARS-CoV-2.

Values of ATX in predicting disease progression in patients with PBC and PBC related HCC / 中华肝脏病杂志

Objective: To clarify the values of autotaxin (ATX) in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and PBC-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: 179 patients with PBC were selected from prospective cohorts of autoimmune liver diseases at the time of first diagnosis of PBC in Department of Hepatology, the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, from January 2016 to January 2018, all patients with PBC received UDCA therapy, primary endpoint was event of HCC, the follow-up period was censored at the date of HCC. The relationship between level of ATX and clinical features in patients with PBC and its potential value in predicting disease progression and PBC-related HCC were analyzed. Results: The ATX level in the peripheral blood of patients with PBC was significantly higher than that of alcoholic liver cirrhosis(ALC) (t = 3.278, P = 0.001) and healthy controls(HC) (t = 6.594, P < 0.001), however, when comparing PBC to non-PBC related HCC, no significant difference was found between the groups(t=-0.240, P = 0.811). Consistent with peripheral blood levels, histochemical staining indicated that ATX in the liver of patients with PBC was significantly higher than that of HC (Z=-3.633, P < 0.001) and ALC (Z=-3.283, P < 0.001), and the expression of ATX in PBC with advanced histological stage was significantly higher than PBC with early stage (Z=-2.018, P = 0.034). The baseline ATX level in PBC patients without developing to HCC during follow-up had significant difference to patients with developing to HCC (228.451 ± 124.093 ng/ml vs 301.583 ± 100.512 ng/ml, t = 2.339, P = 0.021). The result in multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ATX were independent predictors of PBC related HCC(OR 1.245, 95%CI 1.097-1.413). The optimal critical value of peripheral blood ATX level at baseline for predicting HCC was 235.254 ng/ml, with the cut-off value of 0.714 in AUC of the ROC (95% CI was 0.597~ 0.857), sensitivity and specificity were 84.6% and 59.0%, respectively. Conclusion: ATX level was significantly higher in PBC patients over controls, and it's concentration was correlated with UDCA efficacy and fibrosis stage. ATX has potential values in predicting disease progression and PBC-related HCC.

Clinical features and long-term prognosis of primary biliary cholangitis in patients with past hepatitis B virus infection / 中华肝脏病杂志

Objective: To investigate the clinical features and long-term prognosis of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in patients with past hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Methods: 353 cases with PBC who visited the Liver Disease Center of Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University between January 2000 and January 2018 were retrospectively analyzed and were divided into the past HBV infection group (156 cases) and the no HBV infection group (197 cases). The two groups' baseline clinical features were compared. Ursodeoxycholic acid response rate after one year, GLOBE score, UK-PBC score, and long-term liver transplantation-free survival rate were compared through outpatient and telephone follow-up. Results: PBC with past HBV infection had a significantly reduced female proportion compared to the no HBV infection group (91.9% vs. 79.5%, P = 0.001). However, there were no statistically significant differences in age, biochemical indices, immunological indicators, platelet count, cirrhosis proportion, and others. Ursodeoxycholic acid biochemical response rate was reduced in patients with past HBV infection at the end of one year of treatment, but the difference was not statistically significant (65.8% vs. 78.2%, P = 0.068). In addition, there were no statistically significant differences between the GLOBE score (0.57 vs. 0.59, P = 0.26) and UK-PBC 5-year (2.87% vs. 2.87%, P = 0.38), 10-year (9.29% vs. 8.2%, P = 0.39) and 15-year liver transplantation rates (16.6% vs. 14.73%, P = 0.39). Lastly, the overall 5-year liver transplantation-free survival rate had no statistically significant difference between the two groups of patients (86.4% vs. 87.5%, P = 0.796). Conclusion: Primary biliary cholangitis had no discernible effect in terms of age at onset, biochemical indices, immunological indicators, cirrhosis proportion, ursodeoxycholic acid response rate after one year, GLOBE score, UK-PBC score, or overall liver transplantation-free survival rate in patients with past hepatitis B virus infections.

Prevalence of primary biliary cholangitis in the Chinese general population and its influencing factors: A systematic review / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective To systematically review the epidemiological studies on primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and to investigate the prevalence rate of PBC in the Chinese general population and its influencing factors. Methods PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wanfang Data were searched for articles on the epidemiology of PBC in China published up to 31th March 2022. Two researchers independently performed screening and data extraction, and then related analyses were performed. Results A total of 9 articles were included. The positive rate of AMA was 1 049.05/100 000 (ranging fr om 159.65/100 000 to 2287.40/100 000), and the prevalence rate of PBC was 123.68/100 000 (ranging from 42.70/100 000 to 276.59/100 000). The positive rate of AMA was 636.51/100 000 (ranging from 52.55/100 000 to 1 164.33/100 000) in men and 1 265.47/100 000 (ranging from 225.23/100 000 to 1 704.93/100 000) in women, with a male/female ratio of 1∶1.99 for the prevalence rate of AMA. The prevalence rate of PBC was 40.81/100 000 (ranging from 23.54/100 000 to 75.10/100 000) in men and 148.71/100 000 (ranging from 77.36/100 000 to 214.91/100 000) in women, with a male/female ratio of 1∶3.64 for the prevalence rate of PBC. Conclusion Different studies show great differences in the positive rate of AMA and the prevalence rate of PBC in the Chinese general population, which is mainly affected by sex, age, and region. The positive rate of AMA and the prevalence rate of PBC increase with age, and the patients aged ≥50 years have a significantly higher positive rate of AMA than those aged < 50 years. The positive rate of AMA is significantly higher than the prevalence rate of PBC. There are significantly more women than men in the AMA-positive population and the PBC patients, and the influence of sex on AMA is lower than that on PBC.

Papel del ácido ursodesoxicólico en 40 años de tratamiento para la colangitis biliar primaria / Role of ursodeoxycholic acid in 40 years of treatment for primary biliary cholangitis

La colangitis biliar primaria es una enfermedad hepática autoinmune que conduce a la destrucción progresiva de los conductos biliares intrahepáticos, lo que aumenta el riesgo de desarrollar cirrosis e hipertensión portal. Actualmente, el ácido ursodesoxicólico es el medicamento de primera línea para el tratamiento de esta entidad. Este medicamento desplaza los ácidos biliares hidrofóbicos y aumenta las concentraciones de ácidos biliares hidrofílicos en la bilis, lo cual favorece la integridad de los conductos biliares, adicionalmente, tiene efectos antiinflamatorios y propiedades inmunomo-duladoras y antiapoptóticas. En los últimos 40 años, numerosos ensayos clínicos han respaldado la eficacia clínica del ácido ursodesoxicólico y su seguridad cuando se utiliza en pacientes con colan-gitis biliar primaria. Se realiza una revisión del ácido ursodesoxicólico en el contexto de colangitis biliar primaria, se describe su historia, mecanismos de acción, efectos secundarios y dosificación. Finalmente, se menciona su uso en situaciones especiales como son el embarazo y la lactancia

Primary biliary cholangitis is an autoimmune liver disease that leads to progressive destruction of intrahepatic bile ducts, increasing the risk of developing cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Currently, ursodeoxycholic acid is the first-line drug for the treatment of this condition. This drug displaces hy-drophobic bile acids and increases concentrations of hydrophilic bile acids in the bile, which favors the integrity of the bile ducts, additionally, it has anti-inflammatory effects and immunoprotective and antiapoptotic properties. Over the past 40 years numerous clinical trials have supported the clinical efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid and its safety when used in patients with primary biliary cholangitis. A review of ursodeoxycholic acid in the context of primary biliary cholangitis is carried out, and its history, mechanisms of action, side effects and dosage are described. Finally, its use in special situations such as pregnancy and lactation are discussed.

Respuesta terapéutica al ácido ursodesoxicólico en pacientes cubanos con colangitis biliar primaria

Introducción: La colangitis biliar primaria es una enfermedad hepática, crónica y progresiva. El tratamiento con ácido ursodesoxicólico ha ampliado la esperanza de vida de estos pacientes. Objetivo: Describir la respuesta terapéutica al ácido ursodesoxicólico en pacientes con colangitis biliar primaria. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, longitudinal y ambispectivo en pacientes atendidos en el Instituto de Gastroenterología entre septiembre de 2003 y enero de 2020. Se evaluaron variables clínicas, de laboratorio, histológicas y terapéuticas. El análisis de los resultados se realizó con el paquete SPSS. Resultados: Se incluyeron 45 pacientes. Hubo un predominio del sexo femenino (95,6 %) y una mediana de edad de 54 años. Los niveles bajos de aspartato amino transferasa (p=0,009 HR=0,98) y fosfatasa alcalina (p=0,005, HR=0,99), así como la presencia del síndrome de superposición (p=0,046 HR=3,08) se relacionaron con una buena respuesta al ácido ursodesoxicólico. La mayoría de los que no respondieron al tratamiento tenían cirrosis hepática (68 %). No se observaron diferencias en la supervivencia de los pacientes de acuerdo con su respuesta al tratamiento (p =0,585). Conclusiones: La respuesta terapéutica fue efectiva en menos de la mitad de los tratados con ácido ursodesoxicólico. La cirrosis hepática, el síndrome de superposición y los niveles elevados de aspartato amino transferasa y fosfatasa alcalina se asociaron a la mala respuesta terapéutica.

Introduction: Primary biliary cholangitis is a chronic and progressive liver disease. Treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid has extended the life expectancy of these patients. Objective: To describe the therapeutic response to ursodeoxycholic acid in patients with primary biliary cholangitis. Methods: Descriptive, longitudinal and ambispective study in patients treated at the Institute of Gastroenterology between September 2003 and January 2020. Clinical, laboratory, histological and therapeutic variables were evaluated. The analysis of the results was performed with the SPSS package. Results: Forty-five patients were included, with a predominance of female gender (95.6%) and a average age of 54 years. Low levels of aspartate amino transferase (p=0.009 HR=0.98) and alkaline phosphatase (p=0.005, HR=0.99), as well as the presence of overlap syndrome (p=0.046 HR=3.08) were associated with a better response to ursodeoxycholic acid. Less than half of the patients responded to conventional treatment with UDCA (47.7 %), most of the non-responders suffer from liver cirrhosis (68 %). No differences were observed in patient survival according to their response to treatment (p =0.585). Conclusions: Therapeutic response was effective in less than half of those treated with ursodeoxycholic acid. Liver cirrhosis, overlap syndrome, and elevated aspartate amino transferase and alkaline phosphatase levels were associated with poor therapeutic response.

Clinical research advances in mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of autoimmune liver diseases / 临床肝胆病杂志

Due to limited options and modalities for the etiological treatment of autoimmune liver diseases, it is urgent to seek new therapeutic methods for liver autoimmune diseases. As the most common source of cells for stem cell therapy, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play an important role in regulating innate and adaptive immune responses and have been widely used in clinical trials for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases. Recent experimental and clinical studies have shown that MSCs and MSC-EVs can inhibit the activation and proliferation of a variety of liver proinflammatory cells (such as Th1, Th17, and M1 macrophages), regulate the differentiation of different subsets of T and B cells, reduce the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, and promote the proliferation of anti-inflammatory cells, thereby playing an immunoregulatory role. This article reviews the clinical trials of MSCs and MSC-EVs in the treatment of autoimmune liver diseases and their mechanism in regulating immune function and promoting hepatocyte regeneration and briefly describes the potential application and limitations of MSCs and MSC-EVs in clinical practice.

Effect of depression on response to ursodeoxycholic acid and the occurrence of liver cirrhosis in patients with primary biliary cholangitis / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveDepression is common in patients with primary biliary cholangitis （PBC）， but the role of depression in disease progression remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the association between depression and treatment response and the impact of depression on liver cirrhosis in PBC patients. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 141 patients with PBC who attended the outpatient service of autoimmune liver diseases in General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from January 2018 to December 2020 and received standard ursodeoxycholic acid （UDCA） monotherapy for 1 year， and 170 healthy controls， matched for age and sex， who underwent physical examination in Physical Examination Center were enrolled as healthy control group. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 （PHQ-9） was used to evaluate depressive state in the patients with PBC and the healthy controls. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups； the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The binary logistic regression model and the decision tree model were used to analyze the influencing factors for liver cirrhosis in patients with PBC， as well as the influence of depression and the HLA-DRB1 gene on liver cirrhosis. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve， the area under the ROC curve （AUC）， and goodness of fit were used to evaluate model performance. All 13 variables were used to establish a classification and regression tree （CART） model， i.e.， age， sex， PHQ-9 score， the DRB1*03∶01 gene， and the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase， aspartate aminotransferase， alkaline phosphatase （ALP）， gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase （GGT）， total bilirubin， immunoglobulin G， immunoglobulin M （IgM）， C3， and C4. The indications including AUC， sensitivity， and specificity were used to evaluate the performance of CART model in the model cohort. ResultsCompared with the normal control group， the PBC group had a significantly higher proportion of the patients with depression （53.9% vs 15.3%， χ2=57.836， P<0.001）. Compared with the PBC patients without depression， the PBC patients with depression had a significantly poorer response to UDCA treatment （χ2=7.549， P=0.006） and significant increases in the serum levels of ALP （Z=-2.157， P=0.031）， GGT （Z=-2.180， P=0.029）， and IgM （Z=-2.000， P=0.046）. Compared with the PBC patients without depression， the PBC patients carrying the HLA-DRB1*03∶01 allele had a significant increase in the risk of liver cirrhosis （P<0.001）. The binary logistic regression model analysis showed that PHQ-9 score （OR=1.148， 95%CI： 1.050 — 1.255， P=0.002）， the HLA-DRB1*03∶01 gene （OR=5.150， 95%CI： 1.362 — 19.478， P=0.016）， age （OR=1.057， 95%CI： 1.009 — 1.106， P=0.018）， and serum ALP level （OR=1.009， 95%CI： 1.001 — 1.017， P=0.020） were independent risk factors for liver cirrhosis in patients with PBC. The decision tree analysis showed that PHQ-9 score ≥3.5 was also a risk factor for liver cirrhosis in PBC patients. ConclusionDepression is associated with poor treatment response in patients with PBC， and it is an independent risk factor for liver cirrhosis in patients with PBC. This study highlights the important clinical significance of the identification and early management of depressive state in patients with PBC.

Clinical significance of Autotaxin in primary biliary cholangitis and primary Sjogren′s syndrome / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective:Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and Primary Sj?gren′s syndrome (pSS) are autoimmune epithelial inflammatory diseases that share many common clinical symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences and diagnostic value of Autotaxin (ATX) in PBC and SS.Methods:The clinical data of 237 cases diagnosed with PBC, PBC secondary to SS, pSS and healthy individuals(HC) between September 2020 and September 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The levels of ATX in each group were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the corresponding sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and area under the curve ( AUC), etc were analyzed. Normally distributed data were expressed as mean ±SD and non-normally distributed as median (IQR). The differences and correlations between ATX and the biochemical tests in each group were assessed by applying the Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman correlation analysis, etc. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant difference. Results:The results showed that ATX was positive in 33.9%, 33.3% and 53.3% for PBC, PBC secondary SS, and pSS, respectively, with the specificities of 93.1%, 100% and 93.2%, respectively. The highest accuracy was achieved in pSS and the sensitivity and specificity were 86.5% and 93.2%, which were higher than those in PBC group(56.8%, 93.1%), respectively. Compared with HC [32.6(21.8, 60.5)ng/ml], ATX levels in PBC[59.3(48.6, 86.3)ng/ml, U=1 750.50, P<0.001], PBC-SS [73.6 (53.3,102.4)ng/ml; U=199.00, P<0.001], and pSS [152.6 (97.4,192.1)ng/ml, U=264.00, P<0.001] were elevated with significant difference ( P<0.05). ATX levels showed a decreasing trend from the pSS group to the HC group. ATX in PBC group[AUC(95% CI)= 0.73(0.651,0.812), P<0.001], PBC secondary SS group [AUC(95% CI)=0.82(0.730, 0.912), P<0.001], and pSS group [AUC(95% CI)=0.94(0.898, 0.984), P<0.001] had prediction accuracy. ATX was associated with total protein ( r=-0.31, P=0.041) level and glutaminase (r=-0.26, P=0.024) level. Conclusion:ATX has diagnostic value in both PBC and SS, and with higher sensitivity and specificity for the latter.

New progress in the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis combined with osteoporosis / 中国综合临床

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), also known as primary biliary cirrhosis, is an autoimmune-mediated chronic intrahepatic cholestatic disease, which is more common in middle-aged and elderly women. Cholestasis can be secondary to hepatic osteodystrophy, with osteoporosis (OP) being the most prominent. OP in PBC patients can increase the risk of fracture and seriously affect the survival and quality of life of patients, thus affecting the prognosis of the disease. In recent years, a large number of studies have shown that with the increase of the incidence and prevalence of PBC, the incidence and prevalence of OP are also on the rise. Therefore, in order to improve the survival and quality of life of patients with PBC combined with OP, how to effectively treat it has become the focus of more and more attention and research.

Curso clínico y supervivencia de pacientes cubanos con colangitis biliar primaria. Instituto de Gastroenterología, 2003-2020 / Clinical course and response to treatment of Cuban patients with primary biliary cholangitis. Institute of Gastroenterology, 2003-2020

Introducción: La colangitis biliar primaria es una enfermedad hepática colestásica. La historia natural y el pronóstico de esta enfermedad ha sido difícil de caracterizar. En el área de Latinoamérica y el Caribe son muy escasos los trabajos que investigan el tema. Objetivo: Describir las características clínicas, evolutivas, y supervivencia en pacientes con colangitis biliar primaria. Material y Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, longitudinal y ambispectivo de pacientes mayores de 18 años, con diagnóstico de CBP, atendidos en el Instituto de Gastroenterología entre septiembre de 2003 y enero de 2020; se evaluaron variables demográficas, clínicas, bioquímicas e histológicas a partir de los registros de historias clínicas. Para el procesamiento de los datos se utilizó el paquete estadístico SPSS versión 21.0. Resultados: Se incluyeron 45 pacientes, la mayoría del sexo femenino (95 %) y con forma de presentación sintomática (55,6 %). El 71,1 % de los pacientes presentó alguna complicación, siendo la cirrosis la más frecuente, en 28,8 % de los cirróticos hubo complicaciones secundarias a la lesión hepática predominando la ascitis, seguido del sangrado digestivo variceal, la encefalopatía, el carcinoma hepatocelular (CHC) y las infecciones bacterianas asociadas a la cirrosis. La supervivencia acumulativa superó 95 % a los cinco años. Conclusiones: La supervivencia de los pacientes con CBP fue elevada en el tiempo a pesar del elevado índice de complicaciones.

Introduction: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a cholestatic liver disease. The natural history and prognosis of PBC has been difficult to characterize. In ​​Latin America and the Caribbean, there are very few research works on the subject. Objective: To describe the clinical and developmental characteristics and survival of patients with PBC. Material and Methods: Descriptive, longitudinal and ambispective study of patients older than 18 years with a diagnosis of PBC, treated at the Institute of Gastroenterology between September 2003 and January 2020. Demographic, clinical, biochemical and histological variables were evaluated from the data of medical records. For data processing, the statistical package SPSS version 21,0 was used. Results: A total of 45 patients were included, most of them female (95 %) and with symptomatic presentation (55,6 %). In addition, 71,1 % of the patients presented some complications, cirrhosis being the most frequent; in 28,8 % of the cirrhotic patients, there were complications secondary to liver injury, predominantly ascites, followed by variceal digestive bleeding, encephalopathy, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and bacterial infections associated with cirrhosis. Cumulative survival exceeded 95 % at five years. Conclusions: The survival of patients with PBC was high over time despite the high rate of complications.

Research advances in the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis / 临床肝胆病杂志

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is an autoimmune disease commonly observed in middle-aged women, and it may progress to liver cirrhosis and liver failure. Ursodeoxycholic acid and obeticholic acid are the only first - and second-line drugs approved by the FDA, but about 40% of patients are insensitive to UDCA. Studies are being conducted on a variety of second-line drugs such as fibrates and immunosuppressive drugs, and liver transplantation is the only treatment method for end-stage PBC. This article reviews the research advances in the treatment of PBC and related mechanisms, in order to provide a reference for clinical practice.

Research advances in glucose and lipid metabolism disorders in different types of chronic liver diseases / 临床肝胆病杂志

The liver is an important metabolic organ in the body. Studies have shown that chronic liver disease is closely associated with glucose and lipid metabolism disorders, and different types of liver diseases often show different characteristics of glucose and lipid metabolism. This article reviews the epidemiological characteristics, disease severity, pathogenesis, and treatment methods of glucose and lipid metabolism disorders in different types of chronic liver diseases, so as to improve the awareness among clinicians.

Research advances in exosomes in primary biliary cholangitis / 临床肝胆病杂志

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is an autoimmune liver disease characterized by cholestasis. In recent years, a number of studies in China and globally have shown that exosomes play an important role in the development and progression of PBC, which is currently a hotspot in the field of medical research. This article reviews the role of exosomes in the pathogenesis of PBC and related research advances in the diagnosis and treatment of PBC. It is believed that exosomes have wide application prospect in PBC, and in-depth research on exosomes may bring new opportunities for the diagnosis and treatment of PBC.

Research advances in obeticholic acid and fibrates in treatment of primary biliary cholangitis with poor response or intolerance to ursodeoxycholic acid / 临床肝胆病杂志

Poor response or intolerance to ursodeoxycholic acid may occur in the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and after switch to obeticholic acid or fibrates alone or in combination, poor response or intolerance is also observed in some treatment regimens. Clinical studies on obeticholic acid and fibrates will gradually solve these issues, and obeticholic acid/fibrates combined with ursodeoxycholic acid is safe and effective in PBC patients without advanced liver cirrhosis.

Value of baseline IgM level in predicting the treatment response of primary biliary cholangitis / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective To investigate the association between baseline IgM level and treatment response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 637 PBC patients who were diagnosed and treated with UDCA for the first time in The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2010 to January 2020. The PBC patients were divided into UDCA complete response group with 436 patients and UDCA poor response group with 201 patients, and baseline clinical data were compared between the two groups. According to the optimal cut-off value of IgM determined by the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of baseline indices in predicting the risk of poor treatment response, the patients were divided into IgM ≥1.5×ULN group and IgM < 1.5×ULN group, and baseline parameters, treatment response, and prognostic model score were compared between groups. The t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test was used for subgroup analysis, and forest plots were plotted for related risk values. Results Compared with the UDCA complete response group, the UDCA poor response group had significantly higher proportion of patients with liver cirrhosis, levels of total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bile acid, total cholesterol (TC), IgA, and IgM, and positive rate of anti-Gp210 antibody at baseline ( χ 2 =4.596, Z =-9.932, -8.931, -8.361, -7.836, -4.694, -3.242, and -2.115, χ 2 =15.931, all P < 0.05). The UDCA poor response group had significantly higher Mayo Risk Score, Globe score, and UK-PBC risk score than the UDCA complete response group ( t =4.092, Z =-10.910 and -11.646, all P < 0.001). Compared with the normal IgM group, the elevated IgM group had significantly higher levels of AST, ALP, TC, IgA, and IgG and a significantly higher positive rate of anti-Gp210 antibody ( Z =-3.774, -5.063, -4.344, -2.051, and -6.144, χ 2 =25.180, all P < 0.05). IgM had an AUC of 0.552 in predicting poor treatment response. Compared with the IgM < 1.5×ULN group, the IgM ≥1.5×ULN group had significantly higher levels of AST, ALP, TC, and IgG, a significantly higher positive rate of anti-Gp210 antibody, and a significantly higher poor UDCA response rate ( Z =-4.193, -5.044, -3.250, and -5.465, χ 2 =25.204 and 8.948, all P < 0.05). IgM ≥1.5×ULN had an odds ratio of 1.416 (95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 1.129-1.776, P =0.003) in predicting poor response. The subgroup analysis showed that for patients without liver cirrhosis, IgM ≥1.5×ULN had an odds ratio of 1.821 (95% CI : 1.224-2.711, P =0.003) in predicting poor response. Conclusion Baseline IgM level has an important value in predicting UDCA response. IgM level should be closely monitored during treatment in PBC patients with a high baseline IgM level, and second-line drugs should be given in time if the abnormality persists.

A preliminary study of the role of neutrophil extracellular traps in patients with primary biliary cholangitis / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective To investigate the expression level of neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) in the peripheral blood and liver tissue of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) patients and its correlation with clinical biochemical parameters. Methods A total of 24 PBC patients who were admitted to Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, from August 2016 to August 2020 were enrolled, as well as 8 patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and 19 patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) matched for age, and 19 healthy individuals were enrolled as healthy control group (HC group). The serum level of myeloperoxidase (MPO) was measured, and its correlation with clinical indices were analyzed. Immunofluorescence assay was used to measure the expression of NET in the liver of PBC patients, and an in vitro experiment was to compare the ability of peripheral blood neutrophils to produce NET between PBC patients and healthy controls. Normally distributed continuous data were expressed as mean±standard deviation, and the independent samples t -test was used for comparison between two groups; for the non-normally distributed continuous data expressed as M ( P 25 - P 75 ), the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison between multiple groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison between two groups. A correlation analysis was performed for MPO level and liver-related laboratory markers, and the Spearman's correlation coefficient was calculated. Results The serum level of MPO in the PBC group was increased to 811.21 (450.67-1 216.20) ng/mL, which was significantly higher than that in the AIH group [468.58 (142.63-812.43) ng/mL] and the HC group [357.54 (203.52-811.21) ng/mL] ( P < 0.05), suggesting that there was a significant increase in the production of NET in peripheral blood of PBC patients. The PSC patients had a serum MPO level of 763.56 (489.59-1 633.14) ng/mL, which was significantly higher than that in the HC group ( P < 0.05). MPO level was positively correlated with alkaline phosphatase ( r =0.500, P < 0.05), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase ( r =0.426, P < 0.05), alanine aminotransferase ( r =0.521, P < 0.05), and aspartate aminotransferase ( r =0.547, P < 0.01). Confocal immunofluorescence showed colocalization of H3Cit and MPO in the liver of PBC patients. In vitro experiment showed that compared with the HC group, the PBC group had an increase in NET produced by peripheral blood neutrophils after in vitro stimulation and an increase in spontaneous production of NET. Conclusion There is an increase in NET in peripheral blood and liver of PBC patients, and the content of peripheral blood NET is positively correlated with biochemical parameters of liver function. NET may become a novel biomarker for assessing the severity of PBC.