Clinical significance of expression of leptin in patients with biliary atresia and hepatic fibrosis / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To study the relationship and the role of leptin in children with biliary atresia and hepatic fibrosis to provide a treatment basis for these patients.Methods:The clinical data of children with biliary atresia or congenital biliary dilatation (CBD) who underwent surgical treatment at the Department of General Surgery of Tianjin Children's Hospital from August 2019 to August 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Of 31 children included in this study, there were 14 males and 17 females, with age of 60 (30, 63) d. Children with biliary atresia served as the study group ( n=26) and children with CBD served as the control group ( n=5). Leptin protein, α-smooth muscleactin (α-SMA) and phosphorylation of extracellular-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (p-ERK1/2) in liver tissues were detectd by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The expression level of leptin mRNA in liver tissues were detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results:The average optical density values of leptin protein, α-SMA protein and p-ERK1/2 protein in the liver tissues of children in the study group were significantly higher than the control group ( P<0.05). The expression levels of leptin, α-SMA and p-ERK1/2 in liver tissues of children with biliary atresia significantly increased with increase in fibrosis degree ( P<0.05). The expression level of leptin in liver tissues of children with biliary atresia was positively correlated with the liver fibrosis grade ( rs=0.876), α-SMA ( r=0.723) and p-ERK1/2 ( r=0.725) ( P<0.01). The results of qRT-PCR showed that the content of leptin mRNA in liver tissues of children with biliary atresia was significantly higher than that of children with CBD ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Expressions of leptin increased with aggravation of degrees of hepatic fibrosis in biliary atresia. Leptin may be involved in activation of HSCs through the ERK1/2 signaling pathway in the process of hepatic fibrosis due to biliary atresia.

Research advances on the relationship between age at Kasai portoenterostomy and prognosis for biliary atresia / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Kasai portoenterostomy is the preferred treatment for biliary atresia. Age at Kasai portoenterostomy is an important factor affecting the prognosis of children with biliary atresia and avoiding liver transplantation. Choosing the appropriate surgical age, restoring good bile drainage, improving the native liver survival rate, and avoiding early liver transplantation are the items that clinicians have always been working on. The age at Kasai portoenterostomy was correlated with the jaundice clearance rate, native liver survival rate, and the incidence of postoperative cholangitis. This article systematically reviewed the research advances on the relationship between age at Kasai portoenterostomy and prognosis for biliary atresia, aiming to provide the basis for the ideal surgical age of Kasai.

Development strategies and application of Fc fusion protein / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Monoclonal antibodies ( McAb ) , a rapidly expanding class of therapeutic biological products, have been widely used in the treatment of various diseases. Although antibodies have shown tre-mendous clinical value, the breadth and complexity of human diseases urge researchers to constantly develop new drugs with new modes of action rather than to confine them to monoclonal antibodies alone. Fc fusion proteins are becoming a new research hotspot and have shown great potential in the treatment of many human diseases. At present, Fc fusion proteins on the market usually take the interaction between receptors and lig-ands as the main guiding strategy to develop more safer and effective clinical drugs. This article mainly fo-cused on the ligand-receptor interaction as the drug design strategy and the application. of Fc fusion pro-teins.