Cadmium (Cd) is toxic to blood cells and other tissues of the body. This study examined the influence of Hibiscus sabdarrifa anthocyanins (HSA) pretreatment on selected blood parameters in rats administered Cd.

Forty Wistar rats were randomized into eight groups with five rats in each group. The rats were handled in two experimental periods: a five-day acute study and 15-day chronic toxicity study. The experimental groups were the control, Cd, HSA and HSA+Cd groups.

Compared with the healthy control, Cd administration significantly increased the counts of white blood cells (WBC), but decreased red blood cells (RBC), platelets, packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) in rats (p < 0.05 for all). In contrast, treatment with HSA significantly reduced the hematological toxicity of Cd in rats by decreasing the counts of WBC, but increasing RBC, PCV, Platelets, Hb, MCV, MCHC, and MCH values in rats.

The results indicate that HSA treatment ameliorates the Cd-caused hematological toxicity in rats and may be valuable for intervention of Cd poisoning.

Anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) drug-induced liver injury (AT-DILI) is the most common side effect in patients who received anti-TB therapy. AT-DILI management includes monitoring liver function until symptoms arise in patients without high-risk factors for liver damage. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of liver function test (LFT) abnormal identification on the risk of DILI, including liver failure and anti-TB drug resistance in patients without high-risk factors.

A total of 399 patients without high-risk factors for liver damage at baseline and who experienced LFT abnormal during the 6 months of first-line anti-TB treatment were enrolled. The Roussel Uclaf Causal Relationship Assessment Method (RUCAM, 2016) was applied in suspected DILI. The correlations between the time of LFT abnormal identification and DILI, liver failure, and anti-TB drug resistance were analyzed by smooth curve fitting and multivariable logistic regression models.

Among all study patients, 131 met the criteria for DILI with a mean RUCAM causality score of 8.86±0.63. 26/131 and 105/131 were in the probable grading and highly probable grading, respectively. The time of abnormal LFT identification was an independent predictor of DILI, liver failure, and anti-TB drug resistance in the crude model and after adjusting for other risk patient factors. The time of abnormal LFT identification was positively correlated with DILI, liver failure, and anti-TB drug resistance. The late identification group (>8 weeks) had the highest risk of DILI, followed by liver failure compared with the other two groups.

The time to identification of LFT was positively correlated with DILI, liver failure, and anti-TB drug resistance. The risk of DILI and liver failure was significantly increased in the late identification group with abnormal LFT identified after 8 weeks compared with 4 and 8 weeks. Early monitoring of LFT is recommended for patients without the high-risk factor of DILI after anti-TB treatment is initiated.

The rising global prevalence of metabolic diseases has increased the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), leading to an increase in cases of NAFLD-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To provide an updated literature review detailing epidemiology, risk factors, pathogenic pathways, and treatment strategies linked to NAFLD-related HCC, we conducted a literature search on PubMed from its inception to December 31, 2021. About 25% of the global population suffers from NAFLD. The annual incidence of HCC among NAFLD patients is approximately 1.8 per 1,000 person-years. Older age, male sex, metabolic comorbidities, unhealthy lifestyle habits (such as smoking and alcohol consumption), physical inactivity, genetic susceptibility, liver fibrosis, and degree of cirrhosis in NAFLD patients are important risk factors for NAFLD-related HCC. Therefore, low-calorie diet, moderate-intensity exercise, treatment of metabolic comorbidities, and cessation of smoking and alcohol are the main measures to prevent NAFLD-related HCC. In addition, all patients with advanced NAFLD-related fibrosis or cirrhosis should be screened for HCC. Immune suppression disorders and changes in the liver microenvironment may be the main pathogenesis of NAFLD-related HCC. Hepatic resection, liver transplantation, ablation, transarterial chemoembolization, radiotherapy, targeted drugs, and immune checkpoint inhibitors are used to treat NAFLD-related HCC. Lenvatinib treatment may lead to better overall survival, while immune checkpoint inhibitors may lead to worse overall survival. Given the specific risk factors for NAFLD-related HCC, primary prevention is key. Moreover, the same treatment may differ substantially in efficacy against NAFLD-related HCC than against HCC of other etiologies.

Patients with biliary atresia (BA) are prone to hepatic decompensation, which might eventually lead to death. This study aimed to identify the possible risk factors affecting in-hospital death in BA patients in China.

We collected data from the Hospital Quality Monitoring System, a national inpatient database. All patients aged up to 2 years old with a diagnosis of BA were included. The subjects were divided to three groups, including Kasai portoenterostomy (KP), liver transplantation (LT), and no surgery. Logistic regression with Firth’s method was performed to identify potential influencing variables associated with in-hospital death.

During the year 2013 to 2017, there were 14,038 pediatric admissions with a diagnosis of BA. The proportion of in-hospital death in pediatric BA admissions was 1.08%. Compared with patients under six months, there was a higher risk of in-hospital death for children aged six months to 1 year and 1–2 years old. Clinical signs, including cirrhosis, variceal bleeding, and hepatic encephalopathy, were significantly associated with the risk of in-hospital death. In no surgery group, compared to those in Beijing and Shanghai, BA patients admitted in other districts had a lower risk of in-hospital death (OR=0.39, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.70). However, in the LT group, patients admitted in other districts had a higher risk of in-hospital death (OR=9.13, 95% CI: 3.99, 20.87).

In-hospital survival remains unsatisfactory for pediatric BA patients with severe complications. Furthermore, more resources and training for BA treatment, especially LT, are essential for districts with poor medical care in the future.

Alcoholic liver disease is one of the most common chronic liver diseases in the world. It is a liver disease caused by prolonged heavy drinking and its main clinical features are nausea, vomiting, enlargement of the liver, and jaundice. Recent studies suggest that Kupffer cell-mediated inflammatory response is a core driver in the development of alcoholic steatohepatitis and alcoholic liver fibrosis. As a danger signal, extracellular ATP activates the assembly of NLPR3 inflammasome by acting on purine P2X7 receptor, the activated NLRP3 inflammasome prompts ASC to cleave pro-cCaspase-1 into active caspase-1in KCs. Active caspase-1 promotes the conversion of pro-IL-1β to IL-1β, which further enhances the inflammatory response. Here, we briefly review the role of the P2X7R-NLRP3 inflammasome axis in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease and the evolution of alcoholic steatohepatitis and alcoholic liver fibrosis. Regulation of the inflammasome axis of P2X7R-NLRP3 may be a new approach for the treatment of alcoholic liver disease.

The surfaces of the human body, including those of internal organs, are colonized by diverse commensal microbes. As we expand our understanding of these microbes, these micro-organisms increasingly seem to play important roles in human disease development. The most abundant and functional among these communities is the gut microbes. They not only influence food digestion in native intestinal habitats but also play an essential role in the neurological system. The communication between the gut microbiota and the brain has been partially revealed by new discoveries in the past few years, which has strengthened our knowledge of how the gut microbiota modulates neurological diseases such as ischemic stroke. Ischemic stroke is characterized by poor outcomes, including high disability and fatality rates. Recent investigations among clinical trials and animal experiments have provided some intriguing hints regarding the role of gut microbiota in ischemic stroke outcomes, and a few experimental therapeutic approaches based on gut microbiota have shown promising results. In this review, we discuss the current findings and theories regarding the interaction between gut microbiota and ischemic stroke, and highlight the potential role of gut microbiota in treating ischemic stroke.

The impact of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on the treatment outcome of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is undefined and deserves an in-depth investigation.

Histologically-proven CHB receiving first-line antiviral regimens as initial therapy was enrolled and grouped by the concurrence of NAFLD, and followed up at six monthly intervals. Therapeutic response related data were recorded and compared at multiple time points. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were utilized to estimate the impact of NAFLD on complete virological response (CVR).

We enrolled 267 patients (CHB: 164; CHB with NAFLD: 103) with comparable follow-up durations. They were also comparable in baseline HBV DNA levels and HBeAg positivity. Patients with concomitant NAFLD showed less significant decline in HBV DNA, qHBsAg, pgRNA, and liver enzyme levels over time; moreover, their cumulative incidences of CVR were significantly lower and that of low-level viremia (LLV) were significantly higher at 6, 12, 18, 24 months. First CVR of CHB was delayed with the presence NAFLD (11.0 vs. 7.0 months, p<0.001) and further prolonged with higher grade of liver steatosis (Grade 2–3 vs. 1: 13.0 vs. 9.0 months). On multivariate analysis, HBeAg positivity (HR: 0.650, p=0.036), grade of steatosis (G2 [HR: 0.447, p=0.004]; G3 [HR: 0.085, p=0.002]) and HBV DNA (log10 IU/mL) (HR: 0.687, p<0.001) were significantly associated with delayed CVR, whereas grade of necroinflammation (HR: 1. 758, p<0.001) accelerated the CVR.

In CHB patients receiving initial antiviral therapy, NAFLD was associated with higher levels of HBV DNA, pgRNA, and liver enzymes, and higher incidence of LLV and delayed CVR.

The study established and compared the efficacy of the clinicoradiological model, radiomics model and clinicoradiological-radiomics hybrid model in predicting the microvascular invasion (MVI) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylene triaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) enhanced MRI.

This was a study that enrolled 602 HCC patients from two institutions. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) method was used to screen for the most important clinicoradiological and radiomics features that predict MVI pre-operatively. Three machine learning algorithms were used to establish the clinicoradiological, radiomics, and clinicoradiological-radiomics hybrid models. Area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Delong’s test were used to compare and quantify the predictive performance of the models.

The AUCs of the clinicoradiological model in training and validation cohorts were 0.793 and 0.701, respectively. The radiomics signature of arterial phase (AP) images alone achieved satisfying predictive efficacy for MVI, with AUCs of 0.671 and 0.643 in training and validation cohort, respectively. The combination of clinicoradiological factors and fusion radiomics signature of AP and VP images achieved AUCs of 0.824 and 0.801 in training and validation cohorts, 0.812 and 0.805 in prospective validation and external validation cohorts, respectively. The hybrid model provided the best prediction results. The results of the Delong test revealed that there were statistically significant differences among the clinicoradiological-radiomics hybrid model, clinicoradiological model, and radiomics model (p<0.05).

The combination of clinicoradiological factors and fusion radiomics signature of AP and VP images based on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI can effectively predict MVI.

Urachal carcinoma (UC) cases are rare but aggressive that pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. To summarize the diagnostic features of UC, we report our case findings.

Retrospectively analyzed the clinical features of patients with UC between 2010 and 2020 at our center. Patient demographics, clinical history, treatment, and follow-up information were obtained.

All 11 UC patients with a mean age of 54.2 years, including 8 men and 3 women. The initial symptom in 7 cases was painless gross hematuria, followed by urinary tract irritation and abdominal pain. Pathological findings revealed malignancies in all patients, including three mucinous UC, six moderate differentiated UC, one poorly differentiated UC, and one undifferentiated typed UC. Most of the patients underwent extended partial cystectomy. In addition, the majority of patients (82%) had a short duration of follow-up (2–36 months), and 18% of patients were lost to follow-up. As a result, the average postoperative follow-up time was 19.7 months and the 2-year survival rate was 54.5%.

The incidence of UC is concealed and patients often complain about hematuria and mucinuria. There is a lack of effective systemic treatment, and the prognosis of UC is poor.

Vagal stimulation under general anesthesia can lead to life-threatening bradycardia and cardiac arrest. Here we present two cases of cervical carcinoma and tongue carcinoma, developing intra-operative cardiac arrest due to severe vagal stimulation, treated and resuscitated as per Advanced Cardiac Life Support protocol followed by clinical evaluation along with 12 lead electrocardiogram, arterial blood gases and screening echocardiogram, and completion of surgery. Also, we stress that intra-operative cardiac arrest is a dreadful consequence of severe vagal bradycardia leading to asystole, which needs to be recognized early and treated promptly followed by thorough clinical assessment and a decision regarding whether to proceed or abandon the surgery. This kind of cardiac arrest due to severe vagal stimulation which is resuscitated with minimal intervention may not call for deferring the surgical procedure if the evaluation done clinically together with tools of electrocardiogram, arterial blood gases, and screening echocardiogram are within the normal range.

Severe alcoholic hepatitis (sAH) is defined by a modified discriminant function ≥32 or model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) >20. Patients with sAH are in an immunocompromised state attributed to cirrhosis-related immunoparesis and corticosteroid use. Individuals with sAH often develop severe infections that adversely impact short-term prognosis. Currently, the corticosteroid prednisolone is the only treatment with proven efficacy in sAH; however, the combination of corticosteroid treatment and altered host defense in sAH has been thought to increase the risk of acquiring of bacterial, opportunistic fungal, and viral infections. Newer studies have shown that corticosteroids do not increase occurrence of infections in those with sAH; unfortunately, the lack of response to corticosteroids may instead predispose to infection development. Prompt and appropriate antibiotic treatment is therefore essential to improving patient outcomes. This review highlights common infections and risk factors in patients with sAH. Additionally, current diagnostic, therapeutic, and prophylactic strategies in these patients are discussed.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is emerging globally, while no therapeutic medication has been approved as an effective treatment to date, lifestyle intervention through dietary modification and physical exercise plays a critical role in NAFLD management. In terms of dietary modification, Mediterranean diet is the most studied dietary pattern and is recommended in many guidelines, however, it may not be feasible and affordable for many patients. Recently, a ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting have gained public attention and have been studied in the role of weight management. This article reviews specifically whether these trendy dietary patterns have an effect on NAFLD outcomes regarding intrahepatic fat content, fibrosis, and liver enzymes, the scientific rationales behind these particular dietary patterns, as well as the safety concerns in some certain patient groups.

Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) is an inadequate response to reinfection or vaccination. ADE was described for influenza and dengue fever: patients already exposed are likely to develop a more severe infection when exposed to a virus of another type than the first. Vaccine antibodies also appear to be responsible for an increased risk of severe disease in a naive person. In COVID-19, ADE is likely with antibodies acquired following infection or vaccination. The aggravation of the disease by measles vaccination has been shown for the inactivated virus vaccines. Atypical measles was also described after the live attenuated vaccine (LAV). ADE mechanisms are the penetration into cells of virus-antibody complexes promoted by FcγR or complement receptors and by an imbalance between neutralizing and facilitating antibodies. The role of maternal antibodies in ADE has been suggested after influenza vaccination in piglets. Facilitation of virus entry into the cell by complement fixation and an imbalance between anti-hemagglutinin and anti-fusion protein antibody levels have been suggested as a mechanism for atypical measles after the inactivated vaccine. Antibodies induced by the current LAV can induce ADE in vitro by binding to FcγR and the same imbalance. A recent vaccination campaign during an outbreak and the comparative history of measles before and during the vaccine era may alert to a possible ADE by the current LAV: it could be caused in infants by maternal antibodies and in adults by waning vaccine immunity. Improvement of current LAV or the development of a new type of vaccine could eliminate this phenomenon.

Tabersonine (Tab), an indole alkaloid, is a traditional Chinese medicine that can be used as an anti-inflammatory agent and is mainly isolated from the medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus. This study aims to develop safer and more promising new treatments for arthritis.

We tested the biological activity of Tab against rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA -FLS) and evaluated its effect on the progression of rheumatoid arthritis through animal experiments. The mechanism of Tab in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was further clarified by network prediction and a series of molecular biology experiments.

The results showed that Tab inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and other biological functions of RA-FLS, effectively reducing the expression of inflammatory factors in RA-FLS and the number of vascular loops in 1730 cells in vitro. In vivo, Tab significantly reduced paw and joint swelling and inhibited inflammatory cytokine expression in collagen-induced arthritis model mice. Preliminary mechanistic studies showed that Tab inhibited the expression and activation of key molecules in the PI3K pathway, suggesting that Tab influences the progression of RA disease by inhibiting the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.

In general, Tabersonine can be used as a new potential treatment for RA.

(Pro)renin receptor (PRR), a tissue-specific gene, exhibits hypertensive actions and plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of kidney injuries through the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) -dependent and -independent mechanisms. Saigo et al. recently demonstrated that PRR may be irrelevant to RAS but functions as a vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) in renal tubules using transgenic mice overexpressing the tubular epithelial PRR gene. This may challenge the initial concept that PRR works as a receptor of (pro)renin/renin and the idea that PRR is directly involved in intracellular signaling. This mini-review comments on the report by Saigo et al. and provides several opinions on the roles of PRR. The investigator considers that PRR functions as a V-ATPase that controls the V-ATPase activity, whereas whether the link between PRR and RAS truly occurs in vivo still awaits future investigation.

In 2015, the Chinese Society of Hepatology and the Chinese Society of Gastroenterology issued a consensus statement on the diagnosis and management of cholestatic liver diseases. More clinical data on this topic have appeared during recent years. The Autoimmune Liver Disease Group of the Chinese Society of Hepatology organized an expert group to review recent evidence and provide an update to these previous guidelines. Herein, we provide 22 recommendations as a working reference for the management of cholestatic liver diseases by clinical practitioners.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) dyspnea intensity is strongly correlated with respiratory drive, when assessed in relation to EMGdi activity expressed as a percentage of maximum (EMGdi%max). There is growing evidence that respiratory drive can be improved by exercise. The present systematic review investigates the effects and clinical significance of exercise interventions on respiratory drive in COPD patients.

With the application of PRISMA guidelines, Pubmed, PEDro, Science direct, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception until 25 January 2022.

A total of 14 studies (n = 238) were identified, and 12 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that EMGdi%max was higher during intense exercise, when compared to at rest, with significant heterogeneity (I2 = 89%). However, EMGdi%max significantly decreased after eight weeks of inspiratory muscle training (IMT). Three studies that examined the acute exercise effects revealed that breathlessness is highly correlated to EMGdi%max during aerobic exercise. During constant work rate exercise, EMGdi%max initially increased, and subsequently reached a plateau, while during incremental exercises, this gradually increased without reaching a plateau. This was associated with low ventilatory and neuromuscular efficiency.

Intense (≥75% of peak work rate) exercise induces a higher EMGdi%max, when compared to at rest, in COPD patients, and is highly correlated to dyspnea intensity during exercise. Eight weeks of IMT can reduce the dyspnea intensity and improve exercise tolerance. Measuring EMGdi%max during exercise is a useful clinical approach. This is associated with dyspnea severity, and reduced ventilatory and neuromuscular efficiency, and is sensitive to exercise interventions.

Due to its invasiveness, heterogeneity and multiple-drug resistance, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has been considered as a refractory malignant tumor. Although various studies have been conducted on the potential mechanisms that promote PDAC origination and metastasis, the research results and clinical translation to treat PDAC still need improvement. With the development of individualized medicine and the implementation of gene sequencing, it has been confirmed that myelocytomatosis oncogene (MYC) contributes to poor prognosis in cancer cases. Furthermore, the deregulation of MYC exists in a majority of pancreatic cancer types, and is crucial for tumor cell proliferation and migration. Several recent studies have revealed the specific mechanisms of MYC in affecting PDAC, and clarified suppression of MYC as a promising therapeutic strategy. This review focused on emerging novel therapeutic strategies based on the direct or indirect targeting of MYC to combat PDAC.