Adjuvant sintilimab in resected high-risk hepatocellular carcinoma: a randomized, controlled, phase 2 trial.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), particularly when accompanied by microvascular invasion (MVI), has a markedly high risk of recurrence after liver resection. Adjuvant immunotherapy is considered a promising avenue. This multicenter, open-label, randomized, controlled, phase 2 trial was conducted at six hospitals in China to assess the efficacy and safety of adjuvant sintilimab, a programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor, in these patients. Eligible patients with HCC with MVI were randomized (1:1) into the sintilimab or active surveillance group. The sintilimab group received intravenous injections every 3 weeks for a total of eight cycles. The primary endpoint was recurrence-free survival (RFS) in the intention-to-treat population. Key secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS) and safety. From September 1, 2020, to April 23, 2022, a total of 198 eligible patients were randomly allocated to receive adjuvant sintilimab (n = 99) or undergo active surveillance (n = 99). After a median follow-up of 23.3 months, the trial met the prespecified endpoints. Sintilimab significantly prolonged RFS compared to active surveillance (median RFS, 27.7 versus 15.5 months; hazard ratio 0.534, 95% confidence interval 0.360-0.792; P = 0.002). Further follow-up is needed to confirm the difference in OS. In the sintilimab group, 12.4% of patients experienced grade 3 or 4 treatment-related adverse events, the most common of which were elevated alanine aminotransferase levels (5.2%) and anemia (4.1%). These findings support the potential of immune checkpoint inhibitors as effective adjuvant therapy for these high-risk patients. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry identifier: ChiCTR2000037655 .

Babesia gibsoni Whole-Genome Sequencing, Assembling, Annotation, and Comparative Analysis.

The intracellular protozoan parasite Babesia gibsoni infects canine erythrocytes and causes babesiosis. The hazards to animal health have increased due to the rise of B. gibsoni infections and medication resistance. However, the lack of high-quality full-genome sequencing sets has expanded the obstacles to the development of pathogeneses, drugs, and vaccines. In this study, the whole genome of B. gibsoni was sequenced, assembled, and annotated. The genomic size of B. gibsoni was 7.94 Mbp in total. Four chromosomes with the size of 0.69 Mb, 2.10 Mb, 2.77 Mb, and 2.38 Mb, respectively, 1 apicoplast (28.4 Kb), and 1 mitochondrion (5.9 Kb) were confirmed. KEGG analysis revealed 2,641 putative proteins enriched on 316 pathways, and GO analysis showed 7,571 annotations of the nuclear genome in total. Synteny analysis showed a high correlation between B. gibsoni and B. bovis. A new divergent point of B. gibsoni occurred around 297.7 million years ago, which was earlier than that of B. bovis, B. ovata, and B. bigemina. Orthology analysis revealed 22 and 32 unique genes compared to several Babesia spp. and apicomplexan species. The metabolic pathways of B.gibsoni were characterized, pointing to a minimal size of the genome. A species-specific secretory protein SA1 and 19 homologous genes were identified. Selected specific proteins, including apetala 2 (AP2) factor, invasion-related proteins BgAMA-1 and BgRON2, and rhoptry function proteins BgWH_04g00700 were predicted, visualized, and modeled. Overall, whole-genome sequencing provided molecular-level support for the diagnosis, prevention, clinical treatment, and further research of B. gibsoni. IMPORTANCE The whole genome of B. gibsoni was first sequenced, annotated, and disclosed. The key part of genome composition, four chromosomes, was comparatively analyzed for the first time. A full-scale phylogeny evolution analysis based on the whole-genome-wide data of B. gibsoni was performed, and a new divergent point on the evolutionary path was revealed. In previous reports, molecular studies were often limited by incomplete genomic data, especially in key areas like life cycle regulation, metabolism, and host-pathogen interaction. With the whole-genome sequencing of B. gibsoni, we provide useful genetic data to encourage the exploration of new terrain and make it feasible to resolve the theoretical and practical problems of babesiosis.

The Attenuation of Insulin/IGF-1 Signaling Pathway Plays a Crucial Role in the Myo-Inositol-Alleviated Aging in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Myo-Inositol (MI) has been shown to alleviate aging in Caenorhabditis (C). elegans. However, the mechanism by which MI alleviates aging remains unclear. In this study, we investigate whether MI can modulate the PI3K so as to attenuate the insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway and exert the longevity effect. The wild-type C. elegans and two mutants of AKT-1 and DAF-16 were used to explore the mechanism of MI so as to extend the lifespan, as well as to improve the health indexes of pharyngeal pumping and body bend, and an aging marker of autofluorescence in the C. elegans. We confirmed that MI could significantly extend the lifespan of C. elegans. MI also ameliorated the pharyngeal pumping and body bend and decreased autofluorescence. We further adopted the approach to reveal the loss-of-function mutants to find the signaling mechanism of MI. The functions of the lifespan-extending, health-improving, and autofluorescence-decreasing effects of MI disappeared in the AKT-1 and DAF-16 mutants. MI could also induce the nuclear localization of the DAF-16. Importantly, we found that MI could dramatically inhibit the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activity in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 of 90.2 µM for the p110α isoform of the PI3K and 21.7 µM for the p110ß. In addition, the downregulation of the PI3K expression and the inhibition of the AKT phosphorylation by MI was also obtained. All these results demonstrate that MI can inhibit the PI3K activity and downregulate the PI3K expression, and the attenuation of the IIS pathway plays a crucial role for MI in alleviating aging in C. elegans.

[Recent research on cytokines associated with anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis]. / 抗N-甲基-D-å¤©å†¬æ°¨é ¸å—ä½“è„‘ç‚Žç›¸å ³ç»†èƒžå› å­çš„ç ”ç©¶è¿›å±•.

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, and little is known about its immune mechanism at present. There is a lack of disease-related biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid except anti-NMDAR antibody, which leads to delayed diagnosis and treatment in some patients. Therefore, there has been an increasing number of studies on related cytokines in recent years to assess whether they can be used as new biomarkers for evaluating disease conditions and assisting diagnosis and treatment. Current studies have shown that some cytokines may be associated with the progression of anti-NMDAR encephalitis, and this article reviews the research advances in such cytokines associated with anti-NMDAR encephalitis.

Schisantherin D from Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. exhibits anti-liver fibrosis capacity via modulating ETBR involved signaling, an in vitro and in vivo study.

Excess levels of chemical hepatotoxicants (alcohol, aflatoxin B1), oxidative drugs (acetaminophen) and some cytokines (ET-1, TGF-ß1) can induce chronic or acute liver injury. After these, the severe hepatic disease, especially the liver fibrosis (LF) occurs without taking measures, which brings threat to human health. The dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans of S. chinensis (SCDLs) were found to act as the hepatoprotective components via blocking endothelin B receptor (ETBR). While study on its anti-LF mechanisms especially for its refined compound of schisantherin D (SC-D) is still a lack. So this study aims to investigate the anti-fibrosis effect of SC-D with in vitro and in vivo assays. Bioinformatics analysis revealed the close relations of ETBR to Smad2, Smad3, Nrf2, etc. in LF-related signaling pathways (such as TGF-ß/Smad and Nrf2/ARE). Histopathological staining on livers showed the recovery trend in SC-D treated LF mice. SC-D also modulated expressions of ETBR and fibrosis or anti-oxidative related proteins (such as TIMP1, p-Smad2/3, Nrf2, Smad7, etc.) in LF mice livers. Serum levels of TNF-α, COLI, ALT, AST and LDH in SC-D treated mice were also downregulated compared with LF mice, and upregulated expression of GSH. In vitro studies, SC-D also modulated expressions of LF-related proteins to the normal tendency in LX-2 cell, while weakened its anti- LX-2 proliferation effect by transfections of si-Smad7 or si-Nrf2. Accordingly the anti-LF approach of SC-D showed relations with modulating ETBR linked fibrosis and anti-oxidative related signaling. Also, Smad7 and Nrf2 might be the key factors for SC-D mediated anti-LF effect.

Application and Evaluation of the Flipped Classroom Based on Micro-Video Class in Pharmacology Teaching.

With the continuous development of information technology, new teaching resources "micro-video class" and teaching model "flipped classroom" have gradually attracted the attention of teachers. Whether and how they can be applied in pharmacology teaching has already become the focus of medical education research in recent years. This paper explores the application and evaluation of the flipped classroom based on micro-video class in pharmacology teaching in our college. Students in Class 1 and Class 2 majoring in clinical medicine of 2018 in Chengdu Medical College were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. The teaching model of flipped classroom based on micro-video class was used in the experimental group, while the traditional teaching model was used in the control group. Theory tests and questionnaires were carried out at the end of the course. The average scores of theoretical knowledge in experimental group were significantly higher than those in control group (P < 0.05). In addition, the results of the feedback questionnaire showed that the overall satisfaction of students participating in flipped classroom based on micro-video class was higher (P < 0.05), and students thought that their learning enthusiasm, learning efficiency, and abilities of autonomous learning and problem-solving were greatly improved compared with those of students taught applying the traditional teaching model. Flipped classroom based on micro-video class model successfully improved the outcome of pharmacology teaching. It is supposed to provide reference for the reform of pharmacology teaching in medical college.

[Effect of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells on the Proliferation and Apoptosis of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of acute myeloid leukemia cells in leukemia-microenvironment on proliferation and apoptosis of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSC). METHODS: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) murine models overexpressing MLL-AF9 were established. The number of BM-MSC of wild type (WT) and AML-derived mice were analyzed by flow cytometry. Morphology and growth differences between WT and AML-derived BM-MSC were analyzed by inverted fluorescence microscope. Proliferation and apoptosis of BM-MSC between these two groups were detected by Brdu and Annexin V/PI. RESULTS: Compared with WT-derived BM-MSC, the number and proliferation rate of AML-derived BM-MSC significantly increased (P<0.01, P<0.001), while apoptosis rate decreased (P<0.05). When cultured in vitro, BM-MSC grew faster under conditional medium. CONCLUSION: AML cells can promote proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of BM-MSC.

[Research Advances of Immunotherapy for Follicular Lymphoma --Review].

Follicular lymphoma is an indolent malignant tumor originating from lymph nodes and lymphoid tissues, which may affect the patients' quality of survival due to the recurrence and progression. In recent years, with the deepening understand of the molecular biology and signaling pathways, many new targeted drugs for follicular lymphoma have been discovered, such as monoclonal antibodies, checkpoint inhibitors, epigenetic regulation related targeted therapies and signaling pathway inhibitors. In this review, the new progress of immunotherapy for follicular lymphoma is summarized briefly.

[Clinical Significance of EBV-DNA Copy Number in EBV Positive Lymphoma Patients].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of EBV-DNA copy number on the prognosis of patients with EBV positive lymphoma. METHODS: Clinical data of 109 patients diagnosed as EBV positive lymphoma in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from January 2010 to January 2020 were enrolled and analyzed retrospectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for survival analysis, Log-rank was used to compare the clinical characteristics between the patients in different groups, and Cox regression was used for multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Among the 109 patients with EBV-positive lymphoma, the medium age were 56 (range 15 to 83) years old. 29 patients at Ann Arbor stage I-II while 80 patients at stage III-IV. The average value of EBV-DNA was 1 023 510 IU/ml, 7 patients were higher than the average value, while 102 patients were lower. KM survival analysis showed that OS and PFS in patients with EBV-DNA above average level were shorter than those in patients with EBV-DNA below average level (OS: P=0.048, PFS: P=0.001), EBV-DNA copy number was a factor affecting the prognosis of patients. In addition, LDH level showed positive correlation with EBV-DNA copy number (r=0.650), which was also one of the factors affecting OS (P=0.053). CONCLUSION: EBV-DNA copy number and LDH level can influence the prognosis of EBV positive lymphoma patients. Therefore, detection of EBV-DNA copy number in peripheral blood is important for evaluate the prognosis the patients.

Corrigendum: Combination Treatment of Icariin and L-DOPA Against 6-OHDA-Lesioned Dopamine Neurotoxicity.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00155.].

Lignans from Schisandra chinensis ameliorate alcohol and CCl4-induced long-term liver injury and reduce hepatocellular degeneration via blocking ETBR.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Chemical hepatotoxicity, especially alcoholic liver injury (ALI), commonly occurs in young and middle-aged people who drink heavily. ALI is extremely harmful and can induce severe disease states, such as hepatitis, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, or liver cancer, which are similar to CCl4-induced liver disease states in animals. In recent studies, the pathological changes of hepatocytes and the hepatic stellate cell have shown a significant connection between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and the development of liver pathology in patients. However, the detailed pathological mechanism needs to be further studied. Schisandra chinensis, (S. chinensis), a fruit-bearing vine used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been used to treat chronic or acute diseases, including liver disease. S. chinensis-derived lignans (SCDLs) in particular have been shown to alleviate liver pathological changes. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study sought to elucidate the mechanisms underlying SCDL-mediated hepatoprotection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We first used in silico target prediction and computational simulation methods to identify putative lignan-binding targets relative to the hepatoprotective effect. A gene microarray analysis was performed to identify differently expressed genes that might have significance in the disease pathological process. We then used histological analyses in a mice hepatotoxicity model to test the effectiveness of SCDLs in vivo, and a hepatocellular toxicity model to analyze the candidate-compound-mediated hepatoprotection and expression states of the key targets in vitro. RESULTS: The in silico analysis results indicated that endothelin receptor B (ETBR/EDNRB) is likely a significant node during the liver pathological change process and a promising key target for the SCDL compound schisantherin D on the hepatoprotective effect; experimental studies showed that schisantherin D alleviated the EtOH- and ET-1-induced HL-7702 cell (belongs to liver parenchymal cell lines) injury ratio, decreased the expression of ETBR, and inhibited ECMs and ET-1 secretion in LX-2 cells (one form of hepatic stellate cells). SCDLs ameliorated EtOH- and CCl4-induced fibrosis formation in mice liver tissue. Liver tissue western blots of SCDL-treated mice showed downregulated α-SMA, ETBR, PLCß, CHOP, Bax, and the apoptotic factors of cleaved-caspase 12, cleaved-caspase 9, and cleaved-caspase 3 hinted at an anti-apoptosis and hepatoprotective effect. The SCDL treatment also elevated serum glutathione (GSH) and reduced the serum-transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) level. CONCLUSION: The findings indicated that SCDLs prevent hepatotoxicity via their anti-fibrotic, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptosis properties. ETBR may be the key factor in promoting chemical hepatotoxicity.

Combination Treatment of Icariin and L-DOPA Against 6-OHDA-Lesioned Dopamine Neurotoxicity.

Until now, the dopamine (DA) precursor, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), remains the gold standard effective drug therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Nevertheless, long-term chronic L-DOPA administration leads to the drug efficacy loss and severe adverse effects, such as L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID). Icariin (ICA), a flavonoid that is extracted from Epimedium, has been proved to evoke neuroprotection against DA neuronal loss in PD animal models. Here, the present study detected the effects of ICA combined with L-DOPA on 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-elicited DA neurotoxicity and L-DOPA-induced motor dysfunction as well. PC12 cells were applied to investigate the combination treatment of ICA and L-DOPA against 6-OHDA-lesioned neurotoxicity. In addition, rat substantia nigral stereotaxic injection of 6-OHDA-induced DA neuronal injury was performed to explore the neuroprotective effects mediated by ICA combined with L-DOPA. The pathological movement triggered by L-DOPA was determined by the abnormal involuntary movements (AIM) scores analysis. In PC12 cells, ICA combined with L-DOPA produced better neuroprotection from 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity than ICA or L-DOPA alone treatment. In parkinsonian 6-OHDA lesioned rats, ICA conferred DA neuroprotection as monotherapy and an enhancement benefit of L-DOPA treatment after daily administration of L-DOPA and ICA for 21 days. Moreover, ICA ameliorated the development of LID as evidenced by the lowered AIM scores without affecting L-DOPA-mediated efficacy. Furtherly, ICA attenuated neuroinflammation in 6-OHDA-induced DA neuronal loss and the development of LID in vivo. In conclusion, these findings suggest ICA might be a potential promising adjuvant to enhance L-DOPA efficacy and attenuate L-DOPA-produced adverse effects in PD.

In Silico Analysis and Experimental Validation of Active Compounds from Cichorium intybus L. Ameliorating Liver Injury.

This study aimed at investigating the possible mechanisms of hepatic protective activity of Cichorium intybus L. (chicory) in acute liver injury. Pathological observation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection and measurements of biochemical indexes on mouse models proved hepatic protective effect of Cichorium intybus L. Identification of active compounds in Cichorium intybus L. was executed through several methods including ultra performance liquid chromatography/time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-TOF-MS). Similarity ensemble approach (SEA) docking, molecular modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation were applied in this study to explore possible mechanisms of the hepato-protective potential of Cichorium intybus L. We then analyzed the chemical composition of Cichorium intybus L., and found their key targets. Furthermore, in vitro cytological examination and western blot were used for validating the efficacy of the selected compounds. In silico analysis and western blot together demonstrated that selected compound 10 in Cichorium intybus L. targeted Akt-1 in hepatocytes. Besides, compound 13 targeted both caspase-1 and Akt-1. These small compounds may ameliorate liver injury by acting on their targets, which are related to apoptosis or autophagy. The conclusions above may shed light on the complex molecular mechanisms of Cichorium intybus L. acting on hepatocytes and ameliorating liver injury.

Wnt-induced secreted protein 1/CCN4 in liver fibrosis both in vitro and in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Wnt-induced secreted protein-1 (WISP-1/CCN4) is a member of the CCN family growth factors, and its role in liver fibrosis is largely unknown. METHODS: For in vitro, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats. Expression of WISP-1 during progressive activation of cultured rat HSCs was analyzed by qRT-PCR. The effects of TNF-a and TGF-beta1 on WISP-1 expression were analyzed in stellate cell lines HSC-T6 and LX-2. The effect of exogenous WISP-1 protein on LX-2 proliferation was examined. For in vivo, expressions of WISP-1 in fibrotic liver of a carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced fibrosis rat model were analyzed by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In vitro, WISP-1 was increasingly expressed during progressive activation of cultured rat HSCs. WISP-1 was significantly induced in HSC-T6 cells by TNF-a and in LX-2 cells by TGF-beta1. Recombinant WISP-1 protein promoted LX-2 proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo, both mRNA and protein expression levels of WISP-1 were increased significantly in experimental hepatic fibrosis model. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed the upregulation of WISP-1 in both in vitro and in vivo liver fibrosis models, and WISP-1 stimulated the proliferation of HSCs in vitro. These results may be helpful to elucidate the exact role of WISP-1 in liver fibrogenesis.

A new flavanol from Cynomorium songaricum.

A new flavanol, named songarin A (1), was isolated from Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. The structure was established on the basis of spectroscopic methods including 2D NMR techniques. Compound 1 displayed the protective effect against d-galactosamine-induced HepG2 damage and reduced the damage from 58.64% to 22.26%.

RNAi silencing of c-Myc inhibits cell migration, invasion, and proliferation in HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line: c-Myc silencing in hepatocellular carcinoma cell.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer. Although much is known about both the cellular changes that lead to HCC and the etiological agents responsible for the majority of HCC cases, the molecule pathogenesis of HCC is still not well understood. We aimed to determine the effect of c-Myc gene expression on the proliferative, invasive, and migrative capabilities of hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. METHODS: A plasmid- based polymerase III promoter system was used to deliver and express short interfering RNA targeting c-Myc to reduce its expression in HepG2 cells. Western blot analysis was used to measure the protein level of c-Myc in HepG2 cells. The effects of c-Myc silencing on the invasion, motility, and proliferation of HepG2 cells were assessed using a Transwell chamber cell migration assay system and a growth curve assay, respectively. RESULTS: The data showed that plasmids expressing siRNA against c-Myc significantly decreased its expression in HepG2 cells by up to 85%. Importantly, pSilencer-c-Myc transfected cells showed a significantly reduced potential in migration, invasion, and proliferation. CONCLUSION: C-Myc plays an important role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. The data show that down-regulating the c-Myc protein level in HepG2 cells by RNAi could significantly inhibit migration, invasion and proliferation of HepG2 cells. Thus, c-Myc might be a potential therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Focal peliosis hepatis in a colon cancer patient resembling metastatic liver tumor.

Peliosis hepatis (PH) is a rare benign condition characterized by the presence of multiple, randomly distributed, blood filled cystic areas of variable size within the liver parenchyma. PH is difficult to recognize and may be mistaken for neoplasm, metastases or multiple abscesses. A 75-year-old female with a previous history of colon cancer was admitted when a liver mass in the right liver lobe was found 11 mo after surgery during the follow-up period. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scan of the abdomen were performed. The initial possible diagnosis was metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient underwent excision of the hepatic segment where the nodule was located. The pathological diagnosis of the surgical specimen was PH. PH should be considered in the differential diagnosis of new liver lesions in patients whose clinical settings do not clearly favor metastasization. Clinicians and radiologists must recognize these lesions to minimize the probability of misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.

Interferon-α enhances antitumor activities of oncolytic adenovirus-mediated IL-24 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a dismal 5-year-survival rate of 10%, so novel strategies are warranted. IL-24 mediates anti-tumor activity reducing STAT3 expression, which suggests that interferon (IFN) alpha may augment tumor cell lysis and reduce angiogenesis. We investigated the antitumor activity of treatment with IFN-α, with the oncolytic adenovirus SG600-IL-24, or the combination of both in HCC in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: RT-PCR, ELISA assay and Western-blot confirmed that the exogenous IL-24 gene was highly expressed in HCC cells infected with SG600-IL-24. Treatment with combined IFN-α and SG600-IL-24 suppressed growth and promoted apoptosis of the HepG2, MHCC97L, and HCCLM3 cell lines compared with the normal cell line L02. The combined therapy increased STAT1 and SOCS1 and apoptosis, but decreased the expression of the metastatic and angiogenic proteins MMP-2, XIAP, OPN, and VEGF, which are regulated by STAT3 in HCC cells in vitro. To assess the effects in vivo, the HCC cell line HCCLM3 was transplanted subcutaneously into the right flanks of nude mice. Mice in the IFN-α group, the SG600-IL-24 group, or the combined therapy group had significantly suppressed growth of the HCC xenografted tumors compared to the PBS control group of mice. Among the mice treated with the combination of IFN-α and SG600-IL-24, three of those eight mice had long-term survival and no evidence of a tumor. These mice also had decreased expression of the metastatic and angiogenic proteins MMP-2, XIAP, OPN, and VEGF. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated for the first time the potential antitumor activity of IFN-α combined with the oncolytic adenovirus SG600-IL-24 in HCC both in vitro and in vivo, and suggests its further development as a potential candidate for HCC cancer gene therapy.