Spleen-dedicated stiffness measurement performed well to rule out high-risk varices in HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma: Screening for high-risk varices in HCC.

BACKGROUND: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is required to screen for high-risk varices (HRV) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), especially since overall survival rates have dramatically improved with new systemic therapies. AIM: To assess the Baveno VI and Baveno VII algorithms' ability to rule out HRV in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC METHODS: We prospectively enrolled consecutive patients with HBV related, compensated cirrhosis and newly diagnosed HCC who underwent liver stiffness measurement, spleen stiffness measurement (SSM) using a 100-Hz shear wave frequency, and EGD. RESULTS: From September 2021 to August 2023, we enrolled 219 patients with HCC, with 107 (48.9%) Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) A, 28 (12.8%) BCLC B and 84 (38.3%) BCLC C, respectively. HRV prevalence was 28.8% (63/219). Baveno VI criteria safely (HRV missing rate, 3.2%) avoided 27.4% unnecessary EGDs, while the Baveno VII algorithm avoided 49.3% with HRV missing rate at 7.9% (5/63). The SSM ≤40 kPa avoided 47.5% of EGDs safely (HRV missing rate, 4.8%), significantly better than the Baveno VI criteria (p < 0.001) and comparable to the Baveno VII algorithm (p = 0.390). The SSM ≤40 kPa safely avoided EGDs in patient subgroups within Milan criteria, with portal vein tumour thrombosis or BCLC B/C or candidates for systemic therapy. CONCLUSIONS: We validated that the SSM ≤40 kPa using a 100-Hz probe could safely eliminate more unnecessary EGDs than the Baveno VI criteria in patients with HBV-related HCC. However, the efficacy of the Baveno VII algorithm in patients with HCC requires further investigation.

Characterization of a Deep-Sea Actinobacterium Strain Uncovers Its Prominent Capability of Utilizing Taurine and Polyvinyl Alcohol.

Actinobacteria represent a large group of important prokaryotes with great application potentials and widely distribute in diverse natural environments including the ocean. However, compared to their terrestrial cultured members, there are much less available marine Actinobacteria, especially deep-sea counterparts. Here, we cultured a bacterial strain of deep-sea actinobacterium, Marmoricola sp. TYQ2, by using a basal medium supplemented with taurine. Consistently, the growth of strain TYQ2 was significantly promoted by the supplement of taurine. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the expressions of genes encoding proteins associated with taurine metabolization and utilization as well as energy generation were evidently up-regulated when taurine was added. Moreover, strain TYQ2 was demonstrated to degrade polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with the involvement of the redox cycle of extracellular quinol and quinone and the reduction of iron to ferrous, and strain TYQ2 could utilize the degradation products for energy production, thereby supporting bacterial growth. Overall, our experimental results demonstrate the prominent degradation capabilities of Marmoricola sp. TYQ2 toward the organics taurine and PVA.