Liver resection versus interventional treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma patients with hypohepatia: a multicenter study.

Background: Hypohepatia limits the feasibility of therapeutic options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), negatively affecting patient prognosis. Established guidelines for the treatment strategies of HCC patients with hypohepatia are lacking. This study was performed to evaluate therapeutic benefits between liver resection (LR) and interventional treatments using ablation or transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in such population.

Phytic acid-based nanomedicine against mTOR represses lipogenesis and immune response for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis therapy.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases and is mainly caused by metabolic disorders and systemic inflammatory responses. Recent studies have indicated that the activation of the mammalian (or mechanistic) target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling participates in MASH progression by facilitating lipogenesis and regulating the immune microenvironment. Although several molecular medicines have been demonstrated to inhibit the phosphorylation or activation of mTOR, their poor specificity and side effects limit their clinical application in MASH treatment.

Cold to Hot: Tumor Immunotherapy by Promoting Vascular Normalization Based on PDGFB Nanocomposites.

Immunotherapy is a promising cancer therapeutic strategy. However, the "cold" tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), characterized by insufficient immune cell infiltration and immunosuppressive status, limits the efficacy of immunotherapy. Tumor vascular abnormalities due to defective pericyte coverage are gradually recognized as a profound determinant in "cold" TIME establishment by hindering immune cell trafficking.

Bioinspired porous three-coordinated single-atom Fe nanozyme with oxidase-like activity for tumor visual identification via glutathione.

Inspired by structures of natural metalloenzymes, a biomimetic synthetic strategy is developed for scalable synthesis of porous Fe-N single atom nanozymes (pFeSAN) using hemoglobin as Fe-source and template. pFeSAN delivers 3.3- and 8791-fold higher oxidase-like activity than Fe-N and FeO nanozymes.

Evaluating Tislelizumab, Lenvatinib, and FOLFOX4-HAIC as a Conversion Therapy for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background And Aims: Conversion therapy downstages tumors and renders patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) eligible for radical resection. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tislelizumab plus lenvatinib and hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy with oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin (FOLFOX4-HAIC) as a first-line conversion therapy.

Methods: Clinical data from HCC patients who were treated with the triple therapy between April 2021 and April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.

Potential candidates for liver resection in liver-confined advanced HCC: a Chinese multicenter observational study.

Background: Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized as symptomatic tumors [performance status (PS) score of 1-2], vascular invasion and extrahepatic spread, but patients with PS1 alone may be eliminated from this stage. Although liver resection is used for liver-confined HCC, its role in patients with PS1 alone remains controversial. Therefore, we aimed to explore its application in such patients and identify potential candidates.

CRP‑1 promotes the malignant behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via activating epithelial‑mesenchymal transition and Wnt/β‑catenin signaling.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. It has been reported that cysteine rich protein 1 (CRP-1) is dysregulated in several types of human cancer; however, its role in HCC is poorly understood. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the role of CRP-1 in HCC.

Identify optimal HAP series scores for unresectable HCC patients undergoing TACE plus sorafenib: A Chinese multicenter observational study.

Background: Hepatoma arterial-embolization prognostic (HAP) series scores have been proposed for prognostic prediction in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC) undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). However, their prognostic value in TACE plus sorafenib (TACE-S) remains unknown. Here, we aim to evaluate their prognostic performance in such conditions and identify the best model for this combination therapy.

Insights into the Effect of Catalytic Intratumoral Lactate Depletion on Metabolic Reprogramming and Immune Activation for Antitumoral Activity.

Lactate, a characteristic metabolite of the tumor microenvironment (TME), drives immunosuppression and promotes tumor progression. Material-engineered strategies for intratumoral lactate modulations demonstrate their promise for tumor immunotherapy. However, understanding of the inherent interconnections of material-enabled lactate regulation, metabolism, and immunity in the TME is scarce.

Computational Characterizing Necroptosis Reveals Implications for Immune Infiltration and Immunotherapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Necroptosis is a programmed form of necrotic cell death in regulating cancer ontogenesis, progression, and tumor microenvironment (TME) and could drive tumor-infiltrating cells to release pro-inflammatory cytokines, incurring strong immune responses. Nowadays, there are few identified biomarkers applied in clinical immunotherapy, and it is increasingly recognized that high levels of tumor necroptosis could enhance the response to immunotherapy. However, comprehensive characterization of necroptosis associated with TME and immunotherapy in Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unexplored.

Phytic acid-modified CeO as Ca inhibitor for a security reversal of tumor drug resistance.

Unlabelled: Ca plays critical roles in the development of diseases, whereas existing various Ca regulation methods have been greatly restricted in their clinical applications due to their high toxicity and inefficiency. To solve this issue, with the help of Ca overexpressed tumor drug resistance model, the phytic acid (PA)-modified CeO nano-inhibitors have been rationally designed as an unprecedentedly safe and efficient Ca inhibitor to successfully reverse tumor drug resistance through Ca negative regulation strategy. Using doxorubicin (Dox) as a model chemotherapeutic drug, the Ca nano-inhibitors efficiently deprived intracellular excessive free Ca, suppressed P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression and significantly enhanced intracellular drug accumulation in Dox-resistant tumor cells.

Clinical course and outcomes of COVID-19 patients with a history of cerebrovascular disease: a retrospective study in Wuhan.

Background: Data on patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who have pre-existing cerebrovascular disease (CVD) are scarce. This study set out to describe the clinical course and outcomes of these patients.

Methods: This single-center retrospective study was performed at Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, China.

Implications of Laboratory Tests in Disease Grading and Death Risk Stratification of COVID-19: A Retrospective Study in Wuhan, China.

Although laboratory tests have become an indispensable part in clinical practice, its application in severity classification and death risk stratification of COVID-19 remains unvalidated. This study aims to explore the significance of laboratory tests in the management of COVID-19. In 3,342 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, those of mild or moderate subtype were categorized into the non-severe group, while those of severe or critical subtype were categorized into the severe group.

Epigenetic silencing of miR-144/451a cluster contributes to HCC progression via paracrine HGF/MIF-mediated TAM remodeling.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the malignancies with the highest mortality. The key regulators and their interactive network in HCC pathogenesis remain unclear. Along with genetic mutations, aberrant epigenetic paradigms, including deregulated microRNAs (miRNAs), exert profound impacts on hepatocyte transformation and tumor microenvironment remodeling; however, the underlying mechanisms are largely uncharacterized.

Identifying optimal candidates of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) sorafenib in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Sorafenib has been recommended as the first-line treatment and shown to prolong median overall survival (OS) of patients with advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, a growing amount of research has supported the application of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with advanced-stage HCC. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of TACE and sorafenib and identify the prognostic factors related to OS for Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C patients with PS 1 but without vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread.

Identifying optimal candidates for liver resection or transarterial chemoembolisation in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Recommended as the first-line treatment for advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), sorafenib has been shown to prolong median overall survival (OS) for patients. However, advanced HCC sees high heterogeneity across patient groups. Recently, a growing number of studies have indicated surgical resection and transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) to perform well in patients with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT).

Comparison of radiofrequency ablation combined with sorafenib or sorafenib alone in patients with ECOG performance score 1: identifying optimal candidates.

Background: Sorafenib has been recommended as the first-line treatment and shown to prolong the median overall survival (OS) of patients with advanced unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, a growing number of earlier studies showed the application of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) plus sorafenib in patients diagnosed at the advanced-stage HCC. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of RFA plus sorafenib versus sorafenib alone and identify prognostic factors related to OS for BCLC stage C patients with PS 1 but without vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread.

Prognostic value of the albumin-bilirubin grade in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and other liver diseases.

One of the most commonly used systems for grading liver function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients is the Child-Pugh (CP) score. However, the CP scoring system is not without its shortcomings: for example, the cut-off values for the parameters are calculated arbitrarily and the assessment of ascites and hepatic encephalopathy is subjective. More recently, an alternative to traditional CP grade has emerged in the form of albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade.

A comparison of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization used with and without apatinib for intermediate- to advanced-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer worldwide and prognosis for patients with the disease remains poor. Most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage and are only eligible for palliative therapy. As a novel vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGFR2-TKI), apatinib has a certain antitumor effect for a variety of solid tumors.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is a predictive factor for the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing transarterial chemoembolization.

Background: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is considered as a prognostic predictor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its prognostic ability is still controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of NLR changes in HCC patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).

Efficacy evaluation of the combination therapy of sorafenib and transarterial chemoembolization for unresectable HCC: a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative studies.

Background: Sorafenib and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) are the standard treatments recommended by guidelines for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although previous studies have shown the combination therapy of sorafenib and TACE to be safe, there is no consensus regarding its efficacy. This systematic review and meta-analysis, which was based on the findings of comparative clinical trials, was conducted to provide up-to-date and comprehensive information about the efficacy of combination therapy versus TACE monotherapy in unresectable HCC.

Comparison between Child-Pugh score and Albumin-Bilirubin grade in the prognosis of patients with HCC after liver resection using time-dependent ROC.

Backgrounds: The Child-Pugh score is a scoring system used to measure liver function and predict postoperative outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, the Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) grade has been proposed for the evaluation of hepatic reserve function in HCC. This study aimed to assess and compare the capability of ALBI grade and Child-Pugh score in predicting overall survival (OS).

Comparison of albumin-bilirubin grade versus Child-Pugh score in predicting the outcome of transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma using time-dependent ROC.

Background: The Child-Pugh score has been used extensively to assess hepatic function and predict post-treatment outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade has been put forward as an objective method of evaluating liver function and predicting overall survival (OS) in HCC patients. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is considered to be effective in prolonging OS among intermediate-stage HCC patients.

The diagnostic value of the combination of Golgi protein 73, glypican-3 and alpha-fetoprotein in hepatocellular carcinoma: a diagnostic meta-analysis.

Background: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) has been extensively applied in clinical practice to detect and predict postoperative outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, due to its low sensitivity and specificity, its efficacy has been questioned. Recently, novel serum biomarkers including Golgi protein 73 (GP73) and glypican-3 (GPC-3) have shown a better discriminatory ability than AFP in detecting early HCC.