As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements. The 2.0 Consensus was aimed to update the original consensus with the latest available studies, and provide a comprehensive overview of the current relevant scientific literatures regarding functional cure of hepatitis B, with a particular focus on issues that are not yet fully clarified. These cover the definition of functional cure of hepatitis B, its mechanisms and barriers, the effective strategies and treatment roadmap to achieve this endpoint, in particular new surrogate biomarkers used to measure efficacy or to predict response, and the appropriate approach to pursuing a functional cure in special populations, the development of emerging antivirals and immunomodulators with potential for curing hepatitis B. The statements are primarily intended to offer international guidance for clinicians in their practice to enhance the functional cure rate of chronic hepatitis B.

As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements. The 2.0 Consensus was aimed to update the original consensus with the latest available studies, and provide a comprehensive overview of the current relevant scientific literatures regarding functional cure of hepatitis B, with a particular focus on issues that are not yet fully clarified. These cover the definition of functional cure of hepatitis B, its mechanisms and barriers, the effective strategies and treatment roadmap to achieve this endpoint, in particular new surrogate biomarkers used to measure efficacy or to predict response, and the appropriate approach to pursuing a functional cure in special populations, the development of emerging antivirals and immunomodulators with potential for curing hepatitis B. The statements are primarily intended to offer international guidance for clinicians in their practice to enhance the functional cure rate of chronic hepatitis B.

As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements. The 2.0 Consensus was aimed to update the original consensus with the latest available studies, and provide a comprehensive overview of the current relevant scientific literatures regarding functional cure of hepatitis B, with a particular focus on issues that are not yet fully clarified. These cover the definition of functional cure of hepatitis B, its mechanisms and barriers, the effective strategies and treatment roadmap to achieve this endpoint, in particular new surrogate biomarkers used to measure efficacy or to predict response, and the appropriate approach to pursuing a functional cure in special populations, the development of emerging antivirals and immunomodulators with potential for curing hepatitis B. The statements are primarily intended to offer international guidance for clinicians in their practice to enhance the functional cure rate of chronic hepatitis B.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of serum uric acid/albumin ratio (sUAR) for acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac valve surgery.Methods:The clinical data of adult patients undergoing cardiac valve surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass from January 2021 to December 2021 from the Heart Center of Henan Provincial People's Hospital were collected retrospectively, and the sUAR was calculated. All patients were divided into AKI group and non-AKI group according to whether AKI occurred within 7 days after cardiac valve surgery, and the differences of clinical data between the two groups were compared. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the independent correlation factors of AKI after cardiac valve surgery. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the performance of relevant indicators.Results:A total of 422 patients were enrolled, including 194 females (46.0%), 141 hypertension patients (33.4%) and 172 atrial fibrillation patients (40.8%). They were 57 (50, 65) years old. Their sUAR was 8.13 (6.57, 9.54) μmol/g, and hemoglobin was 135 (125, 145) g/L. There were 142 cases in AKI group and 280 cases in non-AKI group, and the incidence of AKI after cardiac valve surgery was 33.6%. Age, atrial fibrillation rate, baseline serum creatinine, N terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide, serum urea,serum uric acid, blood glucose and sUAR were higher in the AKI group than those in the non-AKI group (all P<0.05), and estimated glomerular filtration rate, lymphocyte count,hemoglobin and serum albumin were lower in the AKI group than those in the non-AKI group (all P<0.05). The median cardiopulmonary bypass time of patients in the AKI group was slightly longer than that in the non-AKI group, but the difference was not statistically significant [159 (125, 192) min vs. 151 (122, 193) min, Z=-0.797, P=0.426], and there were no statistically significant differences in other indicators between the two groups. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that sUAR ( OR=1.467, 95% CI 1.308-1.645, P<0.001), age ( OR=1.045, 95% CI 1.020-1.072, P<0.001), atrial fibrillation ( OR=2.520, 95% CI 1.580-4.020, P<0.001), hemoglobin ( OR=0.984, 95% CI 0.971-0.997, P=0.015) were the independent correlation factors. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve ( AUC) of sUAR predicting AKI after cardiac valve surgery was 0.710 (95% CI 0.659-0.760, P<0.001) with a sensitivity of 85.2% and specificity of 45.0% for the sUAR cut-off point of 7.28 μmol/g. The AUC for the diagnosis of AKI after cardiac valve surgery was 0.780 (95% CI 0.734-0.825, P<0.001) with a sensitivity of 72.5% and specificity of 71.8% for the combination of sUAR with age, hemoglobin and atrial fibrillation. Conclusions:For patients undergoing cardiac valve surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass, preoperative high sUAR is an independent risk factor for postoperative AKI, and sUAR has a certain predictive value for postoperative AKI.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is the DNA fragment existing in human extracellular fluid. In specific physiological process (such as pregnancy) or pathological conditions (such as human malignancies), the contents of cfDNA in extracellular fluid will abnormally change. The contents and molecular characteristics of cfDNA make it have the potential as a kind of biomarker for diseases′ diagnosis. With the development of cfDNA detection technology such as sequencing and mass spectrometry, liquid biopsy based on cfDNA detection has been widely used in clinical tumor diagnosis, tumor treatment, prenatal examination, and research in autoimmune diseases. A systematic summary of the latest research progress in the development of cfDNA detection technology and the clinical application of liquid biopsy, as well as the research progress of cfDNA in the diagnosis and treatment of related diseases is summarized in this review.

Diabetic nephropathy(DN)is one of the most important complications of diabetes.Its pathogenesis is com-plex and has not been fully elucidated.Epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)plays an important role in the development of DN.Relevant data show that glycogen synthesis kinase-3β(GSK-3β)participates in the process of EMT through multiple sig-naling pathways and affects the occurrence and progression of DN.This article reviews the research progress of GSK-3β in-volved in EMT in DN.

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect of Huangqin Decoction(HQD)on ulcerative colitis(UC)in mice and explore its mechanism.Methods Male Balb/c mice were randomly divided into normal control group,model group,mesalazine group(5-ASA,200 mg/kg),and low-,medium-and high-dose HQD groups(2.275,4.55 and 9.1 g/kg,respectively).With the exception of those in the normal control group,all the mice were exposed to 3%DSS solution in drinking water for 7 days to establish UC models.After treatment with the indicated drugs,the mice were assessed for colon injury and apoptosis using HE,AB-PAS and TUNEL staining,and the expression levels of inflammatory factors were detected with ELISA.Western blotting,immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR were used to detect the changes in protein expressions associated with the intestinal chemical barrier,mechanical barrier and endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS).Results HQD treatment significantly reduced DAI score and macro score of UC mice,decreased colonic epithelial cell apoptosis,lowered expressions of IL-6,TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-8,and enhanced the expressions of MUC2 and TFF3.HQD treatment also upregulated the protein expressions of claudin-1,occludin and E-cadherin,reduced the expressions of GRP78,CHOP,caspase-12 and caspase-3,decreased the phosphorylation levels of PERK,eIF2α and IRE1α,and increased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio in the colon tissues of UC mice.Conclusion HQD inhibits colonic epithelial cell apoptosis and improves intestinal barrier function in UC mice possibly by reducing ERS mediated by the PERK and IRE1α signaling pathways.

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect of Huangqin Decoction(HQD)on ulcerative colitis(UC)in mice and explore its mechanism.Methods Male Balb/c mice were randomly divided into normal control group,model group,mesalazine group(5-ASA,200 mg/kg),and low-,medium-and high-dose HQD groups(2.275,4.55 and 9.1 g/kg,respectively).With the exception of those in the normal control group,all the mice were exposed to 3%DSS solution in drinking water for 7 days to establish UC models.After treatment with the indicated drugs,the mice were assessed for colon injury and apoptosis using HE,AB-PAS and TUNEL staining,and the expression levels of inflammatory factors were detected with ELISA.Western blotting,immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR were used to detect the changes in protein expressions associated with the intestinal chemical barrier,mechanical barrier and endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS).Results HQD treatment significantly reduced DAI score and macro score of UC mice,decreased colonic epithelial cell apoptosis,lowered expressions of IL-6,TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-8,and enhanced the expressions of MUC2 and TFF3.HQD treatment also upregulated the protein expressions of claudin-1,occludin and E-cadherin,reduced the expressions of GRP78,CHOP,caspase-12 and caspase-3,decreased the phosphorylation levels of PERK,eIF2α and IRE1α,and increased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio in the colon tissues of UC mice.Conclusion HQD inhibits colonic epithelial cell apoptosis and improves intestinal barrier function in UC mice possibly by reducing ERS mediated by the PERK and IRE1α signaling pathways.

Objective To investigate the role of phospholipase A2 Group Ⅳ C(PLA2G4C)in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL)and its possible regulatory mechanism.Methods The protein expression of PLA2G4C in DLBCL tissues and cells was detected by Western blot.DLBCL cell lines with PLA2G4C overexpression or knockdown expression were constructed,and the cells were treated with autophagy inhibitor Chloroquine(CQ)or p38 inhibitor SB203580 for 24 h.Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the transfection efficiency of PLA2G4C;Western blot analysis was performed to detect the expression levels of PLA2G4C protein,mitochondrial autophagy related protein[microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3-Ⅱ/Ⅰ(LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ),Beclin1,p62,PTEN induced putative kinase 1(PINK1)and Parkin]and p38/mitogen activated protein kinases(MAPK)pathway-related protein[Phosphorylated p38/MAPK(p-p38/MAPK)];Cell proliferation,invasion and apoptosis were detected with CCK8,Transwell assay and the flow cytometry,respectively.The effects of PLA2G4C on tumor growth and mitochondrial autophagy in nude mice were further established.Results The PLA2G4C protein expression in lymphoma tissues of DLBCL patients was significantly higher than that in lymph nodes with reactive hyperplasia(3.47±0.42 vs 1.01±0.02),and the difference was statistically significant(t=-37.002,P<0.001).The PLA2G4C protein level in DLBCL cells was significantly higher than that in human lymphoblast-like cell lines and B-cell lymphoma cell lines,and the difference was statistically significant(F=73.771,P<0.001).Silencing PLA2G4C significantly decreased the viability and invasion ability of DLBCL cells,and induced apoptosis,with statistical significance(t=6.909～11.390),Overexpression of PLA2G4C gave the opposite result(t=2.392～19.778),and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.001).PLA2G4C overexpression significantly promoted the occurrence of mitochondrial autophagy,while CQ or SB203580 treatment could significantly reverse the effects of PLA2G4C overexpression on the biological behavior of DLBCL cells and mitochondrial autophagy.In vivo nude mice experiments showed that PLA2G4C knockdown significantly inhibited tumor growth and mitochondrial autophagy related protein expression in transplanted nude mice,and the differences were statistically significant(t=13.816～25.926,all P<0.001).Conclusion PLA2G4C is up-regulated in DLBCL,which may promote tumor cell proliferation and invasion,inhibit cell apoptosis,and participate in the occurrence and development of DLBCL by promoting mitochondrial autophagy mediated by p38/MAPK signaling pathway.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the major public health issues of ongoing global concern. Due to inadequate understanding of the HBV life cycle, there is a lack of effective drugs to cure chronic hepatitis B. During HBV replication, covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) serves as the template for viral replication and can be transcribed to produce five viral RNAs of 3.5, 2.4, 2.1 kb and 0.7 kb in length, which are translated to produce HBeAg, core protein, polymerase (P) protein, HBsAg and HBx proteins, respectively. Among them, the 3.5 kb pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) is also the template for viral reverse transcription. Polymerase protein recognizes and binds to the capsid assembly signal on the pgRNA to initiate capsid assembly and reverse transcription. Recent studies have revealed that the processes of splicing, nuclear export, stability, translation, and pgRNA encapsidation of HBV RNAs are regulated by a post-transcriptional regulatory network within the host cell and depend on unique post-transcriptional regulatory elements in the HBV RNA structure. The aim of this review is to overview the post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of HBV RNA and their applications in the study of HBV antiviral therapeutics, with the aim of providing new ideas for the development of new drugs targeting HBV RNA.