ace and HCC

Artificial sweeteners, which contain no or few calories, have been widely used in various foods and beverages, and are regarded as safe alternatives to sugar by the Food and Drug Administration. While several studies suggest that artificial sweeteners are not related to cancer development, some research has reported their potential association with the risk of cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we investigated whether acesulfame potassium (Ace K), a commonly used artificial sweetener, induces immune evasion of HCC cells by upregulating programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)...

Hepatorenal tyrosinemia type 1 (HT-1) is a rare autosomal recessive disease that results from a deficiency of fumaryl acetoacetate hydrolase (FAH), a critical enzyme in the catabolic pathway for tyrosine. This leads to the accumulation of toxic metabolites such as fumaryl and maleylacetoacetate, which can damage the liver, kidneys, and nervous system. The discovery of 2-[2-nitro-4-trifluoromethylbenzoyl]-1,3-cyclohexanedione (NTBC or nitisinone) has significantly improved the management of HT-1, particularly when initiated before the onset of symptoms...

The molecular mechanisms underlying the transition from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are incompletely understood. During the development of NAFLD, Perilipin 5 (PLIN5) can regulate lipid metabolism by suppressing lipolysis and preventing lipotoxicity. Other reports suggest that the lack of PLIN5 decreases hepatic injury, indicating a protective role in NAFLD pathology. To better understand the role of PLIN5 in liver disease, we established mouse models of NAFLD and NAFLD-induced HCC, in which wild-type and Plin5 null mice were exposed to a single dose of acetone or 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) in acetone, followed by a 30-week high-fat diet supplemented with glucose/fructose...

BACKGROUND: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been shown as promising biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis. We aimed to investigate the performance of VOCs for diagnosing early-stage HCC in patients at-risk for HCC. METHODS: VOCs were identified in exhaled breath samples collected from 87 early-stage HCC patients, 90 cirrhotic patients, and 72 HBV-infected patients using thermal desorption-gas chromatography/field-asymmetric ion mobility spectrometry...

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) continues to pose a significant health challenge and is often diagnosed at advanced stages. Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of many cancer types, including HCC and it involves alterations in various metabolic or nutrient-sensing pathways within liver cells to facilitate the rapid growth and progression of tumours. However, the role of STAT3-NFκB in metabolic reprogramming is still not clear. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) administered animals showed decreased body weight and elevated level of serum enzymes...

Gas sensors are used to detect gas components in human breath to diagnose diseases, such as cancers. However, choosing suitable two-dimensional materials for gas sensors is a challenge. Germanene can be a good candidate because of its outstanding electronic and structural properties. Based on the density functional theory calculations with various schemes, such as PBE + vdW-DF2, HSE06 + PBE, and HSE06 + vdW-DF2, we elucidated the structural and electronic properties of germanene substrates (perfect, vacancy-1, and vacancy-2) while adsorbing hepatocellular carcinoma-related volatile organic compounds (VOCs), i...

L-asparaginase (L-ASNase) is a versatile anticancer and acrylamide reduction enzyme predominantly used in medical and food industries. However, the high specificity of L-asparaginase formulations for glutamine, low thermostability, and blood clearance are the major disadvantages. Present study describes production, characterization, and applications of glutaminase free extracellular L-asparaginase from indigenous Bacillus halotolerans ASN9 isolated from soil sample. L-asparaginase production was optimized in M9 medium (containing 0...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), stemming from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has had a profound global impact. This highly contagious pneumonia remains a significant ongoing threat. Uncertainties persist about the virus's effects on human health, underscoring the need for treatments and prevention. Current research highlights angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) as key targets against SARS-CoV-2. The virus relies on ACE2 to enter cells and TMPRSS2 to activate its spike protein...

Nowadays, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have become the cornerstone of treatment for many tumors, either as monotherapy or in combination with other therapies. However, these drugs are associated with several new side effects that need early detection. We present the case of a 41-year-old male patient who has been diagnosed with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with metastatic retroperitoneal lymph nodes and a subdiaphragmatic metastatic lesion, undergoing second-line treatment with a combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: While renin-angiotensin system inhibition lowers the hepatic venous gradient, the effect on more clinically meaningful endpoints is less studied. We aimed to quantify the relationship between renin-angiotensin system inhibition and liver-related events (LREs) among adults with compensated cirrhosis. METHODS: In this national cohort study using the Optum database, we quantified the association between angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) use and LREs (hepatocellular carcinoma, liver transplantation, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, or variceal bleeding) among patients with cirrhosis between 2009 and 2019...

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary tumor of the liver. The majority of HCCs are associated most frequently with chronic B or C viral hepatitis, alcohol intake or aflatoxin exposure. Cirrhosis is a strong risk factor associated with HCC. The causes of liver cirrhosis are chronic viral hepatitis, alcohol intake, metabolic diseases (NAFLD), hemocromathosis, alfa 1 antitrypsisn deficiency. All aetiologic forms of cirrhosis are at risk to be complicated by HCC development, but the risk is higher for patients diagnosed with chronic viral hepatitis...

Genome-wide association studies demonstrated that the chromosome 3p31.21 locus was linked to the severity of COVID-19 disease. The SLC6A20 gene was reported to be one of the critical causal genes regulated by this locus. Various studies focused on demonstrating the severity of COVID-19 in cancer patients and reported that elevated SARS-CoV-2-associated gene expression might contribute to increased susceptibility for COVID-19 in cancer patients. Given that pan-cancer association for the COVID-19 causal gene SLC6A20 is lacking, we aimed to perform systematic profiling of SLC6A20 in different malignancies...

Low activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) has been found in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The condition may be related to the reduced attention regulation capacity and/or to comorbid oppositional defiant or conduct disorder (ODD/CD). Sex differences are probable but not sufficiently studied. We analyzed the HPAA activity and sympathetic nervous system reactivity (SR) in children with ADHD while accounting for ADHD symptom presentation, comorbidity, and sex differences...

A growing body of evidence from multiple areas proposes that periodontal disease, accompanied by oral inflammation and pathological changes in the microbiome, induces gut dysbiosis and is involved in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A subgroup of NAFLD patients have a severely progressive form, namely nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is characterized by histological findings that include inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis. NASH has a high risk of further progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma...

As the outbreak evolves, our understanding of the consequences of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and the resulting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the liver has grown. In this review, we discussed the hepatotropic nature of SARS-CoV-2 and described the distribution of receptors for SARS-CoV-2 ( e.g., angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) in the vascular endothelium and cholangiocytes of the liver. Also, we proposed mechanisms for possible viral entry that mediate liver injury, such as liver fibrosis...

The delayed healing of wounds among people with diabetes is a severe problem worldwide. Hyperglycemia and increased levels of free radicals are the major inhibiting factors of wound healing in diabetic patients. Plant extracts are a rich source of polyphenols, allowing them to be an effective agent for wound healing. Drying temperature and extraction solvent highly affect the stability of polyphenols in plant materials. However, there is a need to optimize the extraction protocol to ensure the efficacy of the final product...

BACKGROUND: Volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles as biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are understudied. We aimed to identify VOCs from the exhaled breath for HCC diagnosis and compare the performance of VOCs to alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). The performance of VOCs for predicting treatment response and the association between VOCs level and survival of HCC patients were also determined. METHODS: VOCs from 124 HCC patients and 219 controls were identified using the XGBoost algorithm...

Cirrhosis predisposes to abnormalities in energy, hormonal, and immunological homeostasis. Disturbances in these metabolic processes create susceptibility to sarcopenia or pathological muscle wasting. Sarcopenia is prevalent in cirrhosis and its presence portends significant adverse outcomes including the length of hospital stay, infectious complications, and mortality. This highlights the importance of identification of at-risk individuals with early nutritional, therapeutic and physical therapy intervention...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: How to best monitor Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) remains unclear. We describe results from a prospective liver care pathway in adults (n=84) with a Fontan circulation. METHODS: Routine assessment of the liver, by acoustic radiation force frequency and ultrasound was undertaken. Results, including liver biochemistry, systemic ventricular function (echocardiography), functional class, medication use and clinical endpoints (varices, hepatocellular carcinoma, heart transplantation and death) were collated...

MTHFR (Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) is a pivotal enzyme involved in one-carbon metabolism, which is critical for the proliferation of cancer cells. In line with this, published literature showed that MTHFR knockdown caused impaired growth of multiple types of cancer cells. Moreover, higher MTHFR expression levels were linked to shorter overall survival in hepatocellular carcinoma, adrenocortical carcinoma, and low-grade glioma, bringing the need to design MTHFR inhibitors as a possible treatment option...