In order to objectively record the history of the Journal of Xi'an Polytechnic University from 2017 to 2021，and provide reference for the future development of the journal, the achievements of the ...journal in academic and social effect in the past five years were combed, as well as a series of work measurements such as the special topics, service of discipline construction and talent training, optimization of editorial committee, right academic integrity, enhanced publication and editorial team building, etc. It is found in practice that in order to form a good quality rising trend, the first step is to change the self-styled idea of running journal and mobilize the endogenous power; secondly, we should adhere to the principle that “quality is the life of journal innovation and development”, improve the number of high-quality manuscript sources, strengthen the contact with scientific research workers, strengthen the publicity and promotion of academic achievements, and gradually improve the quality and academi
Aim
Microvascular invasion (MVI) is not discussed for solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) up to 2 cm in the 8th Edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual. The present study ...aimed to reappraise the influence of MVI on solitary HCC up to 2 cm in diameter.
Methods
Between January 2010 and December 2012, a retrospective cohort of 496 HCC patients from the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital was analyzed. Propensity score matching was carried out to balance the baseline characteristics. Survival analysis was carried out using the Kaplan–Meier method. Risk factors were evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards model. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors associated with MVI.
Results
All patients were classified into either an MVI‐negative group (n = 332) or an MVI‐positive group (n = 164). The MVI‐positive group had poorer recurrence‐free survival and overall survival before and after propensity score matching. The multivariate analysis showed that MVI; being male; increased total bilirubin levels, alanine transaminase levels and γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase levels; decreased albumin levels; and HBV DNA load >103 IU/mL were risk factors for recurrence‐free survival. MVI, older age, lower albumin levels, and cirrhosis were risk factors for overall survival. Age <50 years, alpha‐fetoprotein >20 ng/mL, and lack of or an incomplete capsule were significantly independent predictors for MVI.
Conclusions
MVI had a negative impact on the prognosis of solitary HCC up to 2 cm after curative hepatectomy. The 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system could be improved by subdividing solitary HCC up to 2 cm according to MVI.
To explore whether plasma circular RNAs (circRNAs) can diagnose hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), microarray and qPCR were used to identify plasma circRNAs that were ...increased in HBV‐related HCC patients compared to controls (including healthy controls, chronic hepatitis B and HBV‐related liver cirrhosis). A logistic regression model was constructed using a training set (n = 313) and then validated using another two independent sets (n = 306 and 526, respectively). Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate diagnostic accuracy. We identified a plasma circRNA panel (CircPanel) containing three circRNAs (hsa_circ_0000976, hsa_circ_0007750 and hsa_circ_0139897) that could detect HCC. CircPanel showed a higher accuracy than AFP (alpha‐fetoprotein) to distinguish individuals with HCC from controls in all three sets (AUC, 0.863 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.819–0.907 vs. 0.790 0.738–0.842, p = 0.036 in training set; 0.843 0.796–0.890 vs. 0.747 0.691–0.804, p = 0.011 in validation set 1 and 0.864 0.830–0.898 vs. 0.769 0.728–0.810, p < 0.001 in validation set 2). CircPanel also performed well in detecting Small‐HCC (solitary, ≤3 cm), AFP‐negative HCC and AFP‐negative Small‐HCC.
What's new?
To date, one limitation in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the lack of serum biomarkers with satisfactory diagnostic accuracy. Here, the authors explored whether plasma circRNAs can be biomarkers to diagnose hepatitis B virus‐related HCC in 1155 participants from three hospitals in China. They identified a plasma circRNA panel (CircPanel, including hsa_circ_0000976, hsa_circ_0007750, and hsa_circ_0139897) that showed higher accuracy than the clinically‐used serum biomarker AFP in distinguishing individuals with HCC or Small‐HCC from controls and performed well in diagnosing AFP‐negative HCC and AFP‐negative Small‐HCC. Altogether, the findings point to CircPanel as a promising potential biomarker in HCC diagnosis.
Flexible transparent supercapacitors (FTSs) have aroused considerable attention. Nonetheless, balancing energy storage capability and transparency remains challenging. Herein, a new type of FTSs with ...both excellent energy storage and superior transparency is developed based on PEDOT:PSS/MXene/Ag grid ternary hybrid electrodes. The hybrid electrodes can synergistically utilize the high optoelectronic properties of Ag grids, the excellent capacitive performance of MXenes, and the superior chemical stability of PEDOT:PSS, thus, simultaneously demonstrating excellent optoelectronic properties (T: ≈89%, Rs: ≈39 Ω sq−1), high areal specific capacitance, superior mechanical softness, and excellent anti‐oxidation capability. Due to the excellent comprehensive performances of the hybrid electrodes, the resulting FTSs exhibit both high optical transparency (≈71% and ≈60%) and large areal specific capacitance (≈3.7 and ≈12 mF cm−2) besides superior energy storage capacity (P: 200.93, E: 0.24 µWh cm−2). Notably, the FTSs show not only excellent energy storage but also exceptional sensing capability, viable for human activity recognition. This is the first time to achieve FTSs that combine high transparency, excellent energy storage and good sensing all‐in‐one, which make them stand out from conventional flexible supercapacitors and promising for next‐generation smart flexible energy storage devices.
A new type of flexible transparent supercapacitors (FTSs) combining high optical transparency, excellent energy storage, and good sensing capability all‐in‐one is developed based on inkjet printed ternary hybrid electrodes of PEDOT:PSS/MXene/Ag grid. The multifunction of the resulting FTSs make them stand out from conventional flexible supercapacitors and feasible for next‐generation smart flexible energy storage devices.
Background and Aims
HBV‐pgRNA (pregenomic RNA) has been proposed for predicting the response of nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) treatment, guiding discontinuation of NA therapy and monitoring the ...emergence of viral mutations. However, the contributions of HBV‐pgRNA to HCC remain open for study.
Approach and Results
Double‐center cohorts of serum samples with undetectable serum HBV‐DNA (below the lower limit of detection) were obtained from long‐term NA‐treated (≥48 weeks) HBV‐related HCC patients. The correlation between serum pgRNA concentration and the prognosis of HCC were analyzed. The role pgRNA played in HCC development was assessed both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings revealed that for patients who underwent long‐term NA therapy with undetectable serum HBV‐DNA, patients with high serum pgRNA expression had a poorer overall survival rate and higher cumulative recurrence rate after hepatectomy. Experiments demonstrated that pgRNA promotes proliferation, stemness, and tumorigenicity of HCC cells. Mechanistically, we found that pgRNA could up‐regulate the expression of insulin‐like growth factor 2 mRNA‐binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3), a well‐proven oncoprotein, at the posttranscriptional level. Furthermore, interferon (IFN)‐α‐2a could degrade the stability of pgRNA through increasing its N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification. Collectively, our findings uncover that serum pgRNA could serve as a potential biomarker for predicting the prognosis and recurrence of HCC in patients who received long‐term NA therapy with undetectable serum HBV‐DNA; and the pgRNA‐IGF2BP3 axis plays an important role in the development of HBV‐related HCC. Moreover, IFN‐α‐2a could reduce the stability of pgRNA by increasing its m6A RNA modification level, thereby suppressing the development of HBV‐related HCC.
Conclusions
In conclusion, our studies reveal a significance and mechanism of HBV‐pgRNA in increasing stemness features and offer a potential prognostic marker and a therapeutic target for HBV‐related HCC.
Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is a significant poor prognostic factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients with PVTT limited to a first‐order branch of the main portal vein (MPV) or above ...could benefit from negative margin (R0) liver resection (LR). An Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital (EHBH)/PVTT scoring system was established to predict the prognosis of HCC patients with PVTT after R0 LR and guide selection of subgroups of patients that could benefit from LR. HCC patients with PVTT limited to a first‐order branch of the MPV or above who underwent R0 LR as an initial therapy were included. The EHBH‐PVTT score was developed from a retrospective cohort in the training cohort using a Cox regression model and validated in a prospective internal validation cohort and three external validation cohorts. There were 432 patients in the training cohort, 285 in the prospective internal validation cohort, and 286, 189, and 135 in three external validation cohorts, respectively. The score was calculated using total bilirubin, α‐fetoprotein (AFP), tumor diameter, and satellite lesions. The EHBH‐PVTT score differentiated two groups of patients (≤/>3 points) with distinct long‐term prognoses (median overall survival OS, 17.0 vs. 7.9 months; P < 0.001). Predictive accuracy, as determined by the area under the time‐dependent receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs; 0.680‐0.721), was greater than that of the other commonly used staging systems for HCC and PVTT. Conclusion: The EHBH‐PVTT scoring system was more accurate in predicting the prognosis of HCC patients with PVTT than other staging systems after LR. It selected appropriate HCC patients with PVTT limited to a first‐order branch of the MPV or above for LR. It can be used to supplement the other HCC staging systems.
Background
Survival after liver resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains poor because of a high incidence of recurrence. We sought to investigate risk factors, patterns, and long‐term ...prognosis among patients with early and late recurrence after liver resection for hepatitis B virus (HBV)–associated HCC.
Methods
Data of consecutive patients undergoing curative resection for HBV‐associated HCC were analyzed. According to the time to recurrence after surgery, recurrence was divided into early (≤2 years) and late recurrence (>2 years). Characteristics, patterns of initial recurrence, and postrecurrence survival (PRS) were compared between patients with early and late recurrence. Risk factors of early and late recurrence and predictors of PRS were identified by univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses.
Results
Among 894 patients, 322 (36.0%) and 282 (31.5%) developed early and late recurrence, respectively. On multivariable analyses, preoperative HBV‐DNA >104 copies/mL was associated with both early and late recurrence, whereas postoperative no/irregular antiviral therapy was associated with late recurrence. Compared with patients with late recurrence, patients with early recurrence had a lower proportion of intrahepatic‐only recurrence (72.0% vs. 91.1%, p < .001), as well as a lower chance of receiving potentially curative treatments for recurrence (33.9% vs. 50.7%, p < .001) and a worse median PRS (19.1 vs. 37.5 months, p < .001). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that early recurrence was independently associated with worse PRS (hazard ratio, 1.361; 95% confidence interval, 1.094–1.692; p = .006).
Conclusion
Although risk factors associated with early recurrence and late recurrence were different, a high preoperative HBV‐DNA load was an independent hepatitis‐related risk for both early and late recurrence. Early recurrence was associated with worse postrecurrence survival among patients with recurrence.
Implications for Practice
Liver resection is the main curative treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but postoperative survival remains poor because of high recurrence rates. This study investigated the risk factors and patterns of early and late recurrence and found that a high preoperative hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA load was an independent hepatitis‐related risk factor for both. Early recurrence was also independently associated with worse postrecurrence survival. These data may provide insights into different biological origin and behavior of early versus late recurrence after resection for HBV‐associated HCC, which could be helpful to make individualized treatment decision for recurrent HCC, as well as strategies for surveillance recurrence after resection.
Worldwide, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the main etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This article defines risk factors and patterns of recurrence after curative resection of HBV‐associated HCC, aiming to provide evidence for appropriate selection of treatment options for recurrent HCC.
Liver cirrhosis is a predominant risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the mechanism underlying the progression from cirrhosis to HCC remains unclear. Herein we report the ...concurrent increase of liver progenitor cells (LPCs) and transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) in diethylnitrosamine (DEN)‐induced rat hepatocarcinogenesis and cirrhotic livers of HCC patients. Using several experimental approaches, including 2‐acetylaminofluorene/partial hepatectomy (2‐AAF/PHx) and 3,5‐diethoxycarbonyl‐1,4‐dihydrocollidine (DDC)‐elicited murine liver regeneration, we found that activation of LPCs in the absence of TGF‐β induction was insufficient to trigger hepatocarcinogenesis. Moreover, a small fraction of LPCs was detected to coexpress tumor initiating cell (T‐IC) markers during rat hepatocarcinogenesis and in human HCCs, and TGF‐β levels were positively correlated with T‐IC marker expression, which indicates a role of TGF‐β in T‐IC generation. Rat pluripotent LPC‐like WB‐F344 cells were exposed to low doses of TGF‐β for 18 weeks imitating the enhanced TGF‐β expression in cirrhotic liver. Interestingly, long‐term treatment of TGF‐β on WB‐F344 cells impaired their LPC potential but granted them T‐IC properties including expression of T‐IC markers, increased self‐renewal capacity, stronger chemoresistance, and tumorigenicity in NOD‐SCID mice. Hyperactivation of Akt but not Notch, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), or mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) was detected in TGF‐β‐treated WB‐F344 cells. Introduction of the dominant‐negative mutant of Akt significantly attenuated T‐IC properties of those transformed WB‐F344 cells, indicating Akt was required in TGF‐β‐mediated‐generation of hepatic T‐ICs. We further demonstrate that TGF‐β‐induced Akt activation and LPC transformation was mediated by microRNA‐216a‐modulated phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) suppression. Conclusion: Hepatoma‐initiating cells may derive from hepatic progenitor cells exposed to chronic and constant TGF‐β stimulation in cirrhotic liver, and pharmaceutical inhibition of microRNA‐216a/PTEN/Akt signaling could be a novel strategy for HCC prevention and therapy targeting hepatic T‐ICs. (HEPATOLOGY 2012;56:2255–2267)
More than two‐thirds of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cannot receive curative therapy and have poor survival due to late diagnosis and few prognostic directions. In our study, ...nontargeted and targeted metabolomics analyses were conducted by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry to characterize metabolic features of HCC and identify diagnostic and prognostic biomarker candidate incorporating liver tissue and serum metabolites. A total of 552 subjects, including 432 with liver tissue and 120 with serum specimens, were recruited in China. In the discovery cohort, a series of 138 metabolites were identified to discriminate HCC tissues from matched nontumor tissues. Retinol presented with the highest area under the curve (AUC) of 0.991 and associated with Edmondson grade. In the validation cohort, all metabolites in retinol metabolism pathway were examined and the levels of retinol and retinal in tumor tissue and serum decreased in the order of normal to cirrhosis to HCC of Edmondson Grades I to IV. Retinol and retinal levels could also differentiate between HCC and cirrhosis, with AUCs of 0.996 and 0.994, respectively, in tissue and 0.812 and 0.744, respectively, in serum. The AUC of the combined retinol and retinal panel in serum was 0.852. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression identified this panel as an independent predictor for HCC and showed that low expression of retinol and retinal correlated with decreased survival time. In conclusion, the retinol metabolic signature had considerable diagnostic and prognostic value for identifying HCC patients who would benefit from prompt therapy and optimal prognostic direction.
What's new?
Currently, α‐fetoprotein (AFP) is the most practical screening biomarker for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) detection and prognostic tool for tumor recurrence and patient survival, but the relatively poor sensitivity and specificity remain unsatisfactory. Here, retinol metabolism was found to be closely associated with the malignant transformation of HCC. Retinol and retinal displayed great diagnostic ability for HCC both in liver tissue and serum samples. The two‐metabolite panel could serve as an independent predictor for HCC; low expression of retinol and retinal correlated with decreased survival time. Retinol metabolism thus hold great promise for clinical application in HCC diagnosis and prognosis.
Background & Aims The aim of this randomized comparative trial (RCT) is to compare partial hepatectomy (PH) with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) to treat patients with resectable ...multiple hepatocellular carcinoma (RMHCC) outside of Milan Criteria. Methods This RCT was conducted on 173 patients with RMHCC outside of Milan Criteria (a solitary tumor up to 5 cm or multiple tumors up to 3 in number and up to 3 cm for each tumor) who were treated in our centre from November 2008 to September 2010. The patients were randomly assigned to the PH group or the TACE group. The primary outcome measure was overall survival (OS) from the date of treatment. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to assess the prognostic risk factors associated with OS. Results The 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates were 76.1%, 63.5%, and 51.5%, respectively, for the PH group compared with 51.8%, 34.8%, and 18.1%, respectively, for the TACE group (Log-rank test, χ2 = 24.246, p <0.001). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed the type of treatment (hazard ratio, 0.434; 95% CI, 0.293 to 0.644, p <0.001), number of tumor (hazard ratio, 1.758; 95% CI, 1.213 to 2.548, p = 0.003) and gender (hazard ratio, 0.451; 95% CI, 0.236 to 0.862, p = 0.016) were significant independent risk factors associated with OS. Conclusions PH provided better OS for patients with RMHCC outside of Milan Criteria than conventional TACE. The number of tumor and gender were also independent risk factors associated with OS for RMHCC.
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