ObjectiveTo evaluate and compare the efficacy and adverse effects of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor receptor Ⅱ : IgG Fc protein for injection (etanercept) and methotrexate ( MTX )regimens for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). MethodsForty-six patients were randomly divided into two groups by stratified sampling method:etanercept group,22 patients were treated with 12.5 mg of etanercept,twice times per week by subcutaneous injection;and MTX group,24 patients were treated with 5-10 mg of MTX,once per week by oral administration. The course of treatment lasted 24 weeks in both groups, so as to observe their ACR20, ACR50, ACR70 and adverse effects of the drugs. ResultsAfter treated for 24 weeks,ACR50,ACR70 respectively achieved 54.5％ (12/22),31.8％ (7/22) in etanercept group,which were significantly higher than those in MTX group[16.7％(4/24),4.2％( 1/24)]. The total efficacy was 86.4％ (19/22) in etanercept group, 20.8％ (5/24) in MTX group, the difference between the two groups was significant (P ＜ 0.05 ). The incidence of adverse effects was not significant between the two groups [22.7％(5/22) vs. 50.0％ (12/24)](P ＞ 0.05). ConclusionEtanercept has a good efficacy and safety for the treatment of active RA.

The development and progression of liver cancer have the stages of hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, precancerous lesion, and liver cancer, among which the malignant transformation of precancerous lesions of liver cancer is closely associated with the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC). By describing the activation of HSC, the generation of precancerous cells of liver cancer, the formation of inflammatory fibrotic microenvironment, and the association between HSC activation and precancerous lesion, this article points out that microRNAs can affect the malignant transformation of precancerous lesion of liver cancer by regulating the expression of related target genes and HSC activation, and the research in this field is expected to provide new ideas and targets for the prevention and treatment of liver cancer.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common pathological type of primary liver cancer, with high fatality rate. The pathogenesis of HCC is complex, and the specific occurrence and development mechanism is still in the exploratory stage. CircRNA is a special endogenous noncoding RNA and mainly participates in the regulation of gene expression at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. By regulating gene transcription, it acts as a molecular sponge of miRNA, participates in protein translation, and interacts with RNA binding protein (RBP). CircRNA is involved in the occurrence and development of HCC. Its abnormal expression in HCC cells is related to the pathological characteristics of HCC tissue, regulates the expression of downstream target genes, miRNA and proteins, participates in the proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of HCC cells, and regulates tumor microenvironment and signal pathways, suggesting that circRNA may be a potential novel biomarker and therapeutic target for the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC. This paper reviews the biological mechanism of circRNA, its role in HCC, and research progress in diagnosis and treatment.

Autophagy can regulate liver physiology and balance liver metabolism. Autophagy activation has a double-sided and complex effect on liver injury, and it is regulated by many factors and is associated with many protein pathways. This article summarizes the role of mTOR in the regulation of autophagy, which can inhibit or enhance autophagy through the PI3K/Akt upstream signaling pathway and participate in the physiological and pathological changes of related liver diseases. Therefore, this article reviews the research advances in the mTOR/PI3K/Akt autophagy pathway in liver injury, in order to provide new therapeutic targets for related liver diseases.

Objective To better understand the infection status of HIV in the patients seeking medical care in Peking Union Medical College Hospital.Methods The HIV detection data of the patients in the hospital from 2003-2014 were collected for a statistical analysis with software SPSS 19.0.Results A total of 715 421 patients were screened,and 1 012 (0.14％) patients were HIV positive,and HIV infection were confirmed in 776 (0.11％) patients by Western Blot testing.The detection rate of HIV infection increased from 0.05％ in 2003 to 0.17％ in 2014 (trend x2=66.83,P=0.000),and the increase during 2012-2014 was obvious.Of the 776 newly diagnosed HIV-infected individuals,631 (81.31％) were men and 145 (18.69％) were women.The percentage of the males infected with HIV increased from 50.00％ to 90.26％ (trend x2=58.41,P=0.000).The median age was 36 years (interquartile range:27-43),and the age group 18-50 years were mostly affected.In the 776 patients infected with HIV,634 (81.70％) were infected through sexual contacts,and the proportion of sexual transmissions increased with year (trend x2=126.38,P=0.000).The proportion of infected men who have sex with men (MSM) increased from 0％ in 2003 to 53.90％ in 2014 (trend X2=11.96,P=0.001),similar to the trend in western countries.The proportion of infected patients who were not married increased from 18.75％ to 42.21％ (trend x2=43.74,P=0.000).The top three source departments of HIV/AIDS cases were internal medicine (51.03％),emergency room (18.30％) and dermatology (13.53％).The proportion of the HIV/AIDS patients from department of gynecology and obstetrics declined from 18.75％ in 2003 to 2.60％ in 2014.No HIV/AIDS patients were detected in department of surgery,department of otorhinolaryngology,department of ophthalmology,department of stomatology and health examination center in 2003,but 14 cases (9.10％),11 cases (7.14％) and 4 cases (2.60％) were detected in these departments respectively in 2014.Conclusion The HIV detection rate increased with year in Peking Union Medical College Hospital,suggesting the necessity of strengthened HIV test in general hospitals.MSM are the population at high risk,to whom more attention should be paid.

Objective To observe the effects of Xiaomudan Granules on cholesterol synthesis in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD);To explore its mechanism on the treatment of NAFLD based on mTORC1/USP20/HMGCR pathway.Methods Totally 60 SD rats were randomly divided into blank group,model group,Western medicine group(polyene phosphatidylcholine)and TCM low-,medium-and high-dosage groups(Xiaomudan Granules).The blank group was fed with ordinary diet,and the other groups were fed with high-fat diet for 12 weeks to establish NAFLD rat model.After successful modeling,each administration group was given the corresponding drug intragastric administration,and the blank group and model group were given aseptic distilled water intragastric administration for 4 weeks.Body mass and liver mass of rats were recorded,liver index was calculated,and serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)contents were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer,the morphological changes of liver tissue were observed by HE staining and oil red O staining,real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot were used to detect ribosome S6 kinase(S6K),ubiquitin specific protease 20(USP20),3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA reduction enzyme(HMGCR)mRNA and p-S6K,S6K,USP20,HMGCR protein expression in liver tissue.Results Compared with the blank group,the body mass,liver mass and liver index of rats in model group significantly increased(P<0.01,P<0.05),the volume of liver lobe increased,the edge was blunted;the contents of serum ALT,AST,TC,TG and LDL-C significantly increased,while HDL-C content significantly decreased(P<0.01);most hepatocytes showed steatosis,significant vacuole and inflammatory infiltration,increased lipid droplets,and significantly increased mRNA expression of USP20 and HMGCR in liver tissue(P<0.01)and protein expressions of p-S6K,USP20 and HMGCR(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,TCM high-dosage group and Western medicine group could significantly decrease body mass,liver mass and liver index of rats(P<0.01,P<0.05),and improve the appearance of liver;decrease the contents of ALT,AST,TC and LDL-C in serum,and increase the content of HDL-C(P<0.01,P<0.05);alleviate hepatocyte steatosis and balloon-like degeneration,reduce lipid droplet deposition,and decrease USP20,HMGCR mRNA and p-S6K,USP20,HMGCR protein expression in liver tissue(P<0.01,P<0.05).Conclusion Xiaomudan Granules may regulate cholesterol synthesis through mTORC1/USP20/HMGCR pathway,and thus play a role in the treatment of NAFLD in rats.

Liver macrophages are important immune cells in the liver,and they express proinflammatory factors and anti-inflammatory factors through polarization into M1 type and M2 type,respectively,thereby playing a role in regulating inflammatory damage response.The malignant transformation of hepatic progenitor cells is the core mechanism of the malignant progression of hepatic precancerous lesions,and its key factor is the continuous stimulation of inflammatory microenvironment,which is closely associated with M1/M2 macrophage polarization.This review mainly focuses on the association between macrophage polarization,chronic inflammation,and malignant transformation of hepatic progenitor cells,so as to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of hepatic precancerous lesions.