Tandem Nitrate-to-Ammonia Conversion on Atomically Precise Silver Nanocluster/MXene Electrocatalyst.

Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate (NO3 RR) to synthesize ammonia (NH3 ) provides a competitive manner for carbon neutrality and decentralized NH3 synthesis. Atomically precise nanoclusters, as an advantageous platform for investigating the NO3 RR mechanisms and actual active sites, remain largely underexplored due to the poor stability. Herein, we report a (NH4 )9 [Ag9 (mba)9 ] nanoclusters (Ag9 NCs) loaded on Ti3 C2 MXene (Ag9 /MXene) for highly efficient NO3 RR performance towards ambient NH3 synthesis with improved stability in neutral medium. The composite structure of MXene and Ag9 NCs enables a tandem catalysis process for nitrate reduction, significantly increasing the selectivity and FE of NH3 . Besides, compared with individual Ag9 NCs, Ag9 /MXene has better stability with the current density performed no decay after 108 hours of reaction. This work provides a strategy for improving the catalytic activity and stability of atomically precise metal NCs, expanding the mechanism research and application of metal NCs.

Association of HSD17B13 rs72613567: TA allelic variant with liver disease: review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To assess the association of HSD17B13 rs72613567:TA allelic variant with liver disease, we performed the current review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Seven studies were identified by a search of CNKI,CBM,MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases from inception to November 2021. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using random effects model or fixed effects model based on the between-study heterogeneity. The Stata 14.0 software was employed for data analysis. RESULTS: Statistical analysis showed that the HSD17B13 rs72613567:TA allelic variant can decrease the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients, alcoholic fatty liver disease (ALD) patients and viral hepatitis patients (TA vs T OR = 0.766, 95% CI = 0.682-0.860, P = 0.000; TATA + TAT vs TT OR = 0.755, 95% CI = 0.645-0.885, P = 0.001) or healthy controls(TA vs T OR = 0.649, 95% CI = 0.431-0.977, P = 0.038). Besides, the HSD17B13 rs72613567:TA allelic variant can also provide protection from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) not only in entire population (TA vs T OR = 0.669, 95% CI = 0.524-0.856, P = 0.001) but also in healthy people (TA vs T OR = 0.600, 95% CI = 0.464-0.777, P = 0.000). No significant publication bias found in this airticle. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest HSD17B13 rs72613567:TA allelic variant can reduce the risk of HCC and NAFLD in the entire population studied.

Serum Total Bile Acid is Closely Related to the Significant Liver Injury in Patients with Non-Cholestatic Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: a Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between non-cholestatic liver disease and total bile acid (TBA) remains obscure. The present study aimed to verify this relationship in patients with non-cholestatic chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. METHODS: A total of 922 consecutive chronic HBV infected patients with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) ≤ 1.5 upper limit of normal (ULN) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) ≤ 3 ULN were rigorously included in this cross-sectional study. Liver biopsy was performed in 53 patients and Scheuer scoring system was used to evaluate inflammation grade. G3/G4 or Child-Pugh B/C were considered to be significant liver injury. RESULTS: Compared to Child-Pugh A, TBA, total bilirubin (TBIL), ALP, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and AST to ALT ratio (AST/ALT) were significantly higher in Child-Pugh B/C, while TBIL to TBA ratio (TBIL/TBA) was significantly lower (all p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, TBA and AST/ALT were independently correlated with Child-Pugh B/C [odds ratio (OR) = 1.04, p < 0.001; OR = 1.79, p < 0.001, respectively]. The area under the curve (AUC) of TBA (0.82) was significantly higher than that of AST (0.73, p < 0.001) and ALT (0.63, p < 0.001). Furthermore, in patients with liver biopsy, TBA was also significantly higher in G3/G4 while TBIL/TBA was significantly lower (p < 0.05). After adjusting the factors related to bile excretion, TBIL/TBA was independently associated with G3/G4 (OR = 0.89, p = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: Serum TBA shows a close relationship with significant liver injury in chronic HBV infected patients without cholestasis. Assessment of TBA, especially in combination with TBIL/TBA, may serve as a non-invasive marker for the diagnosis of non-cholestatic hepatic damage.

Prevalence of Major Depression and Its Associations With Demographic and Clinical Characteristics and Quality of Life in Chinese Patients With HBV-related Liver Diseases.

BACKGROUND: There are no data about the frequency of major depression in patients with liver disease related to Hepatitis B virus (HBV) in China. This study examined the prevalence of major depression and its clinical correlates and association with quality of life (QOL) in patients with HBV-related liver diseases. METHOD: Altogether 634 patients with HBV-related liver diseases met study entry criteria and completed the survey. The diagnosis of major depression was established with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and QOL were measured. RESULTS: The prevalence of major depression was 6.4%. Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed that insomnia (P=0.01, OR=5.5, 95%CI=1.4-21.6) and global functioning (P<0.001, OR=0.6, 95% CI=0.5-0.7) were independently associated with major depression. Major depression was associated with both poor physical (F (1, 634)=4.0, P=0.04) and mental QOL (F (1, 634)=26.2, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Given the negative impact of depression on patients' QOL, more attempts should be made to identify and treat it in HBV-related diseases.

A cancer-related protein 14-3-3ζ is a potential tumor-associated antigen in immunodiagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the conventional biomarker currently used in clinical diagnosis of this malignancy. However, AFP is not reliable for early diagnosis, and especially the sensitivity and specificity of AFP in HCC diagnosis are not optimal. Early detection of HCC is an important issue because of the very poor prognosis and usually no more than 6 months survival after diagnosis. Therefore, there is a need for the development of more sensitive and specific methods that can supplement AFP in the early detection of this cancer. In this study, autoantibody responses to 14-3-3ζ in HCC were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blot, and indirect immunofluorescence assay. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) with tissue array slides was also performed to analyze protein expression of 14-3-3ζ in HCC and control tissues. The prevalence of autoantibodies against 14-3-3ζ was 16.7% (28/168) in HCC, which was significantly higher than that in liver cirrhosis (LC), chronic hepatitis (CH), and normal human sera (NHS) (P < 0.01). The average titer of autoantibodies against 14-3-3ζ in HCC sera was higher compared to that in LC, CH, and NHS (P < 0.01). In the further study, anti-14-3-3ζ antibodies have been detected in the sera from several HCC patients with serial bleeding samples. A stronger reactive band with 14-3-3ζ in western blot can be seen in sera at 9 months before the clinical diagnosis of HCC. Our preliminary data indicate that anti-14-3-3ζ autoantibodies may be potential biomarkers for early-stage HCC screening and diagnosis.

Lipidomic profiling of plasma in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a global health issue. Although its progression is reported to be closely associated with lipids, the way in which the plasma lipidome changes during the development of chronic HCV infection in humans is currently unknown. Using an improved quantitative high-throughput lipidomic platform, we profiled 284 lipids in human plasma samples obtained from healthy controls (n = 11) and patients with chronic HCV infection (n = 113). The intrahepatic inflammation grade (IG) of liver tissue was determined by biopsy. Two types of mass spectrometers were integrated into a single lipidomic platform with a wide dynamic range. Compared with previous methods, the performance of this method was significantly improved in terms of both the number of target sphingolipids identified and the specificity of the high-resolution mass spectrometer. As a result, 44 sphingolipids, one diacylglycerol, 43 triglycerides, 24 glycerophosphocholines, and 5 glycerophospho-ethanolamines were successfully identified and quantified. The lipid profiles of individuals with chronic HCV infection were significantly different from those of healthy individuals. Several lipids showed significant differences between mild and severe intrahepatic inflammation grades, indicating that they could be utilized as novel noninvasive indicators of intrahepatic IG. Using multivariate analysis, healthy controls could be discriminated from HCV patients based on their plasma lipidome; however, patients with different IGs were not well discriminated. Based on these results, we speculate that variations in lipid composition arise as a result of HCV infection, and are caused by HCV-related digestive system disorders rather than progression of the disease.

Electrocatalytic Nitrate Reduction on Metallic CoNi-Terminated Catalyst with Industrial-Level Current Density in Neutral Medium.

Green ammonia synthesis through electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (eNO3RR) can serve as an effective alternative to the traditional energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process. However, achieving high Faradaic efficiency (FE) at industrially relevant current density in neutral medium poses significant challenges in eNO3RR. Herein, with the guidance of theoretical calculation, a metallic CoNi-terminated catalyst is successfully designed and constructed on copper foam, which achieves an ammonia FE of up to 100% under industrial-level current density and very low overpotential (-0.15 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode) in a neutral medium. Multiple characterization results have confirmed that the maintained metal atom-terminated surface through interaction with copper atoms plays a crucial role in reducing overpotential and achieving high current density. By constructing a homemade gas stripping and absorption device, the complete conversion process for high-purity ammonium nitrate products is demonstrated, displaying the potential for practical application. This work suggests a sustainable and promising process toward directly converting nitrate-containing pollutant solutions into practical nitrogen fertilizers.

Stepwise structural evolution toward robust carboranealkynyl-protected copper nanocluster catalysts for nitrate electroreduction.

Atomically precise metal nanoclusters (NCs) are emerging as idealized model catalysts for imprecise metal nanoparticles to unveil their structure-activity relationship. However, the directional synthesis of robust metal NCs with accessible catalytic active sites remains a great challenge. In this work, we achieved bulky carboranealkynyl-protected copper NCs, the monomer Cu13·3PF6 and nido-carboranealkynyl bridged dimer Cu26·4PF6, with fair stability as well as accessible open metal sites step by step through external ligand shell modification and metal-core evolution. Both Cu13·3PF6 and Cu26·4PF6 demonstrate remarkable catalytic activity and selectivity in electrocatalytic nitrate (NO3-) reduction to NH3 reaction, with the dimer Cu26·4PF6 displaying superior performance. The mechanism of this catalytic reaction was elucidated through theoretical computations in conjunction with in situ FTIR spectra. This study not only provides strategies for accessing desired copper NC catalysts but also establishes a platform to uncover the structure-activity relationship of copper NCs.

[Inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3b activity regulates Toll-like receptor 4-mediated liver inflammation].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the mechanism underlying the therapeutic activities of glycogen synthase kinase 3b (GSK3b) against hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (H-IR) injury by investigating the inhibitive effects of GSK3b on inflammation mediated by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). METHODS: C57BL/6 male mice were subjected to 90 min of warm liver cephalad lobe ischemia, followed by reperfusion for various lengths of time. The mice were divided into three groups: the H-IR untreated model (control group), and the H-IR inflammation-induced models that received an intraperitoneal injection of purified lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin alone (inflammation group) or with pretreatment of the SB216763 GSK3b-specific inhibitor (intervention group). To create a parallel isolated cell system for detailed investigations of macrophages, marrow-derived stem cells were isolated from femurs of the H-IR control group of mice and used to derive primary macrophages. The cells were then divided into the same three groups as the whole mouse system: control, LPS-induced inflammation model, and inflammation model with SB216763 intervention. Differential expressions of inflammation-related proteins and genes were detected by Western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR, respectively. RESULTS: The phosphorylation levels of ERK, JNK and p38 MAPK were induced in liver at 1 h after reperfusion, but then steadily decreased and returned to baseline levels by 4 h after reperfusion. In addition, the phosphorylation levels of ERK and JNK were induced in macrophages at 15 min after LPS stimulation, while the phosphorylation level of p38 MAPK was induced at 1 h; SB216763 pretreatment suppressed the LPS-stimulated ERK, JNK and p38 phosphorylation in macrophages. In the mouse model, GSK3b activity was found to promote the gene expression of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (control: 0.21 ± 0.08, inflammation: 0.83 ± 0.21, intervention: 1.76 ± 0.67; F = 3.16, P = 0.027) but to significantly inhibit the gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-12 (control: 0.11 ± 0.05, inflammation: 0.85 ± 0.11, intervention: 0.43 ± 0.10; F = 2.67, P = 0.038), TNF-a, (control: 0.052 ± 0.012, inflammation: 8.11 ± 0.98, intervention: 3.9 ± 0.82; F = 4.13, P = 0.016), IL-6 (control: 0.22 ± 0.08, inflammation: 6.37 ± 0.81, intervention: 2.11 ± 0.63; F = 3.21, P = 0.024), and IL-1b (control: 0.12 ± 0.07, inflammation: 2.51 ± 0.62, and intervention: 1.28 ± 0.33; F = 2.22, P = 0.030). CONCLUSION: Inhibition of GSK3b selectively regulates the expression of anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines in liver Kupffer cells (liver macrophages). This process may be one of the mechanisms underlying the ability of GSK3b to ameliorate hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury, possibly because inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines may indirectly mediate liver cell apoptosis.

Gender differences in demographic and clinical characteristics in patients with HBV-related liver diseases in China.

Background: The gender differences in demographic and clinical characteristics were examined in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver diseases. Methods: Overall, 634 patients (44.7 ± 13.8 years) were consecutively included. Data of demographic and clinical characteristics were collected during an assessment interview. Comparisons between male and female patients in terms of demographic and clinical data were carried out using univariate analyses. The independent associations between the demographic and clinical variables and gender were examined with either logistic regression or analysis of covariance as appropriate. Results: The study sample consisted of 452 male and 182 female patients. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that being employed (OR = 3.4), personal monthly income <3,000 yuan (OR = 0.3), being current alcohol users (OR = 6.4), Cirrhosis (OR = 5.9), Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) (OR = 8.5) and having less severe insomnia (OR = 0.6) were independently associated with male gender. The analysis of covariance revealed that after controlling for other potential confounding variables, later onset of HBV-related diseases (F = 4.5, p = 0.03) and older age (F = 6.7, p = 0.009) were independently associated with male gender. Conclusions: Given the significant clinical differences in male and female patients with HBV-related liver diseases, more attention should be given to gender-specific treatment and prevention for this population.

[The role of glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta in the pathogenesis of liver ischemia reperfusion injury].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of the key intracellular signaling molecule glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta in the mechanism of liver ischemia reperfusion (IR). METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were subjected to 90 min warm liver cephalad lobe ischemia, followed by various length of reperfusion. Experiment groups included sham control group, liver IRI model group and glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta inhibitor-treated group (SB216763 in DMSO, 25 g/kg, i.p, 2 hour prior to the onset of liver ischemia). The expression of glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta protein was analysed by Western blotting. The serum ALT levels were determined to reflect the function of liver. The affected liver lobes were harvested for histology analysis. The inflammatory gene expression was detected by Quantitative PCR. RESULTS: By western blot analysis, we found that ischemia itself activated glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta by a significant decrease of its phosphorylation. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta inhibitor SB216763-pretreatment ameliorated the liver damages significantly as compared to the controls (sALT: 2046+/-513 U/L vs 5809+/-1689 U/L, P = 0.0153), and suppressed the gene expressions of IL-12, TNFa, IL-1b and IL-6. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that the ischemia process modulated liver innate immune activation via a GSK-3-dependent mechanism which favored the development of a pro-inflammation response and lead to liver tissue damages. GSK-3b may be a new therapeutic target to ameliorate liver IRI in transplant patients.

Invariant natural killer T cells: Not to be ignored in liver disease.

The liver is an important immune organ. Hepatocellular injury can be caused by many factors, which further leads to chronic liver diseases by activating the immune system. Multiple immune cells, such as T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, natural killer cells (NKs), natural killer T cells (NKTs), and γδT cells, accumulate and participate in the immune regulation of the liver. NKTs are an indispensable component of immune cells in the liver, and invariant natural killer T cells (iNKTs) are the main subpopulation of NKTs. iNKTs activated by glycolipid antigen presented on CD1d secrete a series of cytokines and also act on other immune cells through cell-to-cell contact. Studies on the relationship between iNKTs and liver immunity have provided clues to uncover the pathogenesis of liver diseases and develop a promising strategy for the diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases.

Serum Anti-14-3-3 Zeta Autoantibody as a Biomarker for Predicting Hepatocarcinogenesis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy worldwide. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is still the only serum biomarker widely used in clinical settings. However, approximately 40% of HCC patients exhibit normal AFP levels, including very early HCC and AFP-negative HCC; for these patients, serum AFP is not applicable as a biomarker of early detection. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify novel biomarkers for patients for whom disease cannot be diagnosed early. In this study, we screened and identified novel proteins in AFP-negative HCC and evaluated the feasibility of using autoantibodies to those protein to predict hepatocarcinogenesis. First, we screened and identified differentially expressed proteins between AFP-negative HCC tissue and adjacent non-tumor liver tissue using SWATH-MS proteome technology. In total, 2,506 proteins were identified with a global false discovery rate of 1%, of which 592 proteins were expressed differentially with 175 upregulated and 417 downregulated (adjusted p-value <0.05, fold-change FC ≥1.5 or ≤0.67) between the tumor and matched benign samples, including 14-3-3 zeta protein. For further serological verification, autoantibodies against 14-3-3 zeta in serum were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent, Western blotting, and indirect immunofluorescence assays. Five serial serum samples from one patient with AFP-negative HCC showed anti-14-3-3 zeta autoantibody in sera 9 months before the diagnosis of HCC, which gradually increased with an increase in the size of the nodule. Based on these findings, we detected the prevalence of serum anti-14-3-3 zeta autoantibody in liver cirrhosis (LC) patients, which is commonly considered a premalignant liver disease of HCC. We found that the prevalence of autoantibodies against 14-3-3 zeta protein was 16.1% (15/93) in LC patient sera, which was significantly higher than that in patients with chronic hepatitis (0/75, p = 0.000) and normal human sera (1/60, 1.7%, p = 0.01). Therefore, we suggest that anti-14-3-3 zeta autoantibody might be a biomarker for predicting hepatocarcinogenesis. Further follow-up and research of patients with positive autoantibodies will be continued to confirm the relationship between anti-14-3-3 zeta autoantibody and hepatocarcinogenesis.

Prevalence and clinical correlates of insomnia symptoms and their association with quality of life in Chinese patients with HBV-related liver disease.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the one-month prevalence of insomnia symptoms (insomnia hereafter) and the demographic and clinical correlates, and its association with quality of life (QOL) in Chinese patients with HBV-related liver disease. METHOD: A total of 689 patients with HBV-related liver disease in Beijing, China formed the study sample. Three forms of insomnia including difficulty initiating sleep (DIS), difficulty maintaining sleep (DMS) and early morning awakening (EMA) were assessed using standardized questions. QOL was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 12 (SF-12). RESULTS: The one-month prevalence of at least one type of insomnia was 69.5%, while DIS, DMS and EMA were 60.4%, 54.7% and 50.9%, respectively. Only 4.8% of patients suffering from insomnia received treatment. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that pre-existing medical conditions were positively associated with DIS and EMA; patients with more severe depressive symptoms were more likely to have DIS, DMS and EMA; local residents were less likely to have DIS; and those who were married and older were more likely to have DMS. Insomnia was not independently associated with QOL. CONCLUSIONS: Insomnia is common in Chinese patients with HBV-related liver disease with a very low rate of treatment. Greater attention should be given to identify and treat insomnia in this patient population.

[A retrospective study of clinical and pathological spectrum in 91 patients with chronic severe hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: In China, liver failure is also termed as severe hepatitis in whom chronic severe hepatitis B (CSHB) is most common. The aim of this study was to assess whether CSHB based on different liver injury extent can meet the international definition of acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF)criteria, according by their clinical and pathological feature. METHODS: A total of 91 patients with CSHB were involved in the study. The clinical findings, laboratory data and liver pathology features were retrospectively analyzed and grouped by hepatitis virus B carrier state (HBC), chronic hepatitis B (CHB) or liver cirrhosis (LC) before they started liver failure. RESULTS: 74 out of the 91 patients were male and 17 were female, the mean age was 40.6+/-11.2 years. 9.9%, 7.7% and 82.4% of the patients were based on HBC, CHB and LC respectively. The ages of HBC group were youngest. The mean age of HBC group (years) (25.8+/-6.6) was significantly lower than that of CHB group (36.9+/-9.0) and LC group (42.0+/-10.5)with P values of 0.032 and 0.001 respectively. Most cases presented with sub-acute liver failure characterized by high icterus and ascites. Predisposing factors included exertion, superinfection, virus variation, drugs or alcoholic injury. No difference found between PTA (F = 0.906, P = 0.408) and TBil (F = 0.839, P = 0.436) among the above three groups. The Alb and CHE levels in LC group were (30.3+/-5.1) g/L and (2926.8+/-1471.1) U/L respectively, which were lower than both HBC group [Alb (35.6+/-5.1) g/L, CHE (4363.5+/-2063.2) U/L] and CHB group [Alb (37.4+/-5.0) g/L, CHE (5167.1+/-1522.1) U/L] (F = 9.450; F = 9.297; P value less than 0.01).The level of CHO (1.8+/-1.0) mmol/L in LC group was lower than that of HBC group (2.9+/-1.0mmol/L, P = 0.034), while serum HBV DNA level of HBC group [(6.8+/-1.7) log10copies/ml] was higher than that of LC group [(4.2+/-2.6) log10copies/ml]. The liver tissue in HBC and CHB group showed massive or submassive necrosis which distribute evenly in different parts of liver and similarly in slides, most like acute/subacute severe hepatitis. The chronic lesion was easily covered by extensive necrosis in CSHB based on CHB, with portal fibrosis can be seen by masson stain. Characteristic picture of LC group were massive or submassive necrosis with some nodules were intact or only patchy necrosis of the parenchyma, disparity of extent and stage of necrosis existed in slides, which were the major difference in histopathological change in HBC and CHB group. CONCLUSION: Most of CSHB cases were based on liver cirrhosis, which match with the international definition of ACLF, while small part of CSHB cases based on HBC and CHB are identical to acute/subacute liver failure.

[The changes of interdigestive migrating motor complex in rats with acute liver failure].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the changes and characteristics of interdigestive migrating motor complex (MMC) in rat models of acute liver failure. METHODS: 30 rat models with acute liver failure were induced with D-galactosamine and another 30 normal rats were used as controls. The indexes of MMC recorded by multi-channel physiological recorder were compared. RESULTS: No significant differences found between the two groups in antral and duodenal MMC cycles and frequencies of duodenal and jejunal MMC III phase. Compared with normal controls, the MMC II phase in the acute liver failure rats was significantly prolonged (t=-3.97, -3.85, P<0.05), the MMC III duration of antrum and duodenum (u=-4.99, t=4.66, P<0.05) was shorter and the MMC III frequency of antrum (u=-4.73, P<0.05) was faster. In addition, the MMC cycle and MMC III phase of jejunum were significantly prolonged (u=-1.63, t=-4.94, P<0.05) and the MMC III phase duration was significantly shorter in the acute liver failure rats (t=5.10, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Significantly prolonged MMC II phase characterized by migrating clustered contraction, shortened MMC III phase and extended jejunal MMC cycles were probably the major contributors to the gastrointestinal motility disorders in the rats with acute liver failure.

The role of glucosylceramide and glucosylceramide synthase in liver disease: from bench to bedside - Review.

The cell membrane, which is lipid-rich, is not only a simple mechanical barrier but also an important and complex component of the cell. It also communicates with the external environment. Sphingomyelin is an important class of phospholipids in the membrane that performs many functions. Interest in sphingomyelin-based liposomes, which are a critical component of cell membranes, have become the focus of intense study in recent years. Through additional research, the function of sphingomyelin and its derivatives in diseases can be gradually elucidated. Sphingomyelin consists of ceramide and its derivatives including ceramide-1-phosphate glucosylceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate. The metabolism of glucosylceramide is regulated by glucosylceramide synthase (EC: 2.4.1.80) which is the key enzyme in the glycosylation of ceramide. The activity of glucosylceramide synthase directly affects the level of glucosylceramide in cells which in turn affects the function of cells and may eventually lead to diseases. Recently, the relationship between glucosylceramide and its metabolic enzymes, with diseases has become a relatively new area of study. The purpose of this paper is to address the relationship between glucosylceramide, glucosylceramide synthase, and their possible association with liver diseases at the theoretical level.

Platelet count is closely associated with the severity of liver injury in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection: A cross-sectional study.

Although the platelet count may provide clues regarding the severity of liver disease, there are currently no available data supporting the utility of the platelet count to evaluate the degree of liver injury in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The present study aimed to determine the association between the platelet count and the severity of liver injury in patients with chronic HBV infection. A total of 941 patients were included and were stratified into a Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) class A group and a CTP class B/C group using the CTP scoring system. A total of 53 patients underwent liver biopsy. The pathological stage F4 was defined as cirrhosis based on the METAVIR scoring system. Compared with that in patients with CTP class A, the platelet count in patients with CTP class B/C was lower (P<0.001). Similarly, for patients with normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, the platelet count was significantly different between the CTP class B/C and A groups (P<0.001). The platelet count was inversely correlated with the CTP score (r=-0.420, P<0.001) and independently associated with CTP grade B/C [odds ratio (OR), 0.994; 95% CI, 0.990-0.999; P=0.009]. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the platelet count to distinguish CTP grade B/C from A was 0.712 and 0.791, respectively, in all patients with HBV infection and the subset with normal ALT levels. In addition, compared to patients with chronic hepatitis B, patients with cirrhosis had a lower platelet count and higher aspartate transaminase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis index based on four factors (FIB-4) (P<0.001). The platelet count was inversely correlated with FIB-4 (r=-0.855, P<0.001) and APRI (r=-0.741, P<0.001). The AUC for the platelet count to distinguish cirrhosis from chronic hepatitis B was 0.927 (sensitivity, 78.76%; specificity, 92.22%). Among patients who underwent liver biopsy, the platelet count in those with F4 was lower compared with that in patients with ≤F3 (P=0.013). The platelet count was inversely correlated with the pathological stage (r=-0.295, P=0.032) and was independently associated with F4 (OR, 0.978; 95% CI, 0.960-0.997; P=0.026). The AUC of the platelet count to distinguish F4 from patients with ≤F3 was 0.761. In conclusion, the platelet count may be used as a non-invasive marker to assess the severity of liver injury and of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic HBV infection.

Idiopathic portal hypertension presenting with hepatic nodular regenerative hyperplasia after splenectomy: a case report.

Idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH) is a rare disease, and its etiology and pathogenesis have not yet been fully clarified. The main clinical manifestations are non-cirrhotic intrahepatic portal hypertension, accompanied by splenomegaly, thrombocytopenia, and recurrent upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The liver histopathologic changes are diverse. Splenectomy is considered an effective treatment for hypersplenism. We report a patient who presented with splenomegaly, then underwent splenectomy to relieve thrombocytopenia based on routine treatment strategies. However, multiple space-occupying lesions were found in the liver about one year later. Thereafter, the lesions were confirmed as nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH) by liver biopsy, the patient was finally diagnosed with IPH. We consider that although splenectomy is generally recommended for IPH, under certain circumstances splenectomy may disturb blood flow in the liver, leading to the formation of NRH. Therefore, splenectomy in IPH patients should be chosen carefully.