In 2025， Severe Liver Disease and Artificial Liver Group and Nutrition and Regeneration in End-Stage Liver Disease Group of Chinese Society of Hepatology， Chinese Medical Association， convened a panel of national experts to jointly develop China’s first guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of acute-on-chronic liver failure （ACLF）. Based on the latest research findings and clinical practice in China and globally， this guideline establishes a standardized definition of ACLF and provide recommendations for its diagnosis， treatment， and clinical management. This article gives an interpretation of the key points in the guideline， in order to provide a reference for standardized diagnosis and treatment of ACLF.

ObjectiveTo establish and validate a new prediction model for the risk of death in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure （ACLF） based on sarcopenia and other clinical indicators， and to improve the accuracy of prognostic assessment for ACLF patients. MethodsA total of 380 patients with ACLF who were admitted to Beijing YouAn Hospital， Capital Medical University， from January 2019 to January 2022 were enrolled， and they were divided into training group with 228 patients and testing group with 152 patients in a ratio of 6∶4 using the stratified random sampling method. For the training group， CT images were used to measure the cross-sectional area of the skeletal muscle at the third lumbar vertebra （L3）， and L3 skeletal muscle index （L3-SMI） was calculated. Sarcopenia was diagnosed based on the previously established L3-SMI reference values for healthy adults in northern China. Univariate and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to establish a sarcopenia-ACLF model which integrated sarcopenia and clinical risk factors， and a nomogram was developed for presentation. The area under the ROC curve （AUC） was used to assess the predictive performance of the model， the calibration curve was used to assess the degree of calibration， and a decision curve analysis was used to investigate the clinical application value of the model. The independent-samples t test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves， and the Log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. The DeLong test was used for comparison of AUC between different models. ResultsThe multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that sarcopenia （hazard ratio ［HR］=1.962， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 1.185‍ ‍—‍ ‍3.250， P=0.009）， total bilirubin （HR=1.003， 95%CI： 1.002‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.005， P<0.001）， international normalized ratio （HR=1.997， 95%CI： 1.674‍ ‍—‍ ‍2.382， P<0.001）， and lactic acid （HR=1.382， 95%CI： 1.170‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.632， P<0.001） were included in the sarcopenia-ACLF model. In the training cohort， the sarcopenia-ACLF model had a larger AUC than MELD-Na score in predicting 90-day mortality in patients with ACLF （0.80 vs 0.73， Z=1.97， P=0.049）. In the test cohort， the sarcopenia-ACLF model had a significantly larger AUC than MELD score （0.79 vs 0.69， Z=2.70， P=0.007） and MELD-Na score （0.79 vs 0.68， Z=2.92， P=0.004）. The calibration curve showed that the model had good calibration ability， with a relatively good consistency between the predicted risk of mortality and the observed results. The DCA results showed that within a reasonable range of threshold probabilities， the sarcopenia-ACLF model showed a greater net benefit than MELD and MELD-Na scores in both the training cohort and the test cohort. ConclusionThe sarcopenia-ACLF model developed in this study provides a more accurate tool for predicting the risk of 90-day mortality in ACLF patients， which provides support for clinical decision-making and helps to optimize treatment strategies.

Objective:To elucidate the epidemiological characteristics and changing trends of liver failure in order to provide evidence-based strategies for prevention and treatment.Methods:The epidemiological information of inpatients with liver failure admitted and treated at Beijing You'an Hospital from 2012 to 2021 was retrospectively collected. The trend test was used to analyze age, gender, as well as the year-by-year changes in the underlying acute and chronic etiology of acute liver failure (ALF), sub-acute liver failure (SALF), acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), and chronic liver failure (CLF).Results:During the study period, information on a total of 8512 inpatients, aged 51.3±13.5 years and mainly male (71.9%) with liver failure, was collected. The highest to lowest proportions of liver failure types were ACLF 4 023 (47.3%), CLF 3 571(42.0%), SALF 670 (7.9%), and ALF 248 (2.9%). The top five causes of liver failure in the overall population, accounting for 87.6% of the total, were hepatitis B 3 199 (37.58%), alcoholic liver disease 2 237 (26.28%), cryptogenic liver disease 906(10.61%), hepatitis B + alcoholic liver disease 603 (7.08%), drugs 488 (5.73%), The top three etiologies of patients with different types of liver failure were acute etiologies for acute liver failure (ALF), followed by drugs 107 (43.1%), hepatitis B 47(19.0%), and unknown etiology 36 (14.5%); sub-acute liver failure (SALF), followed by drugs 381(56.9%), unknown etiology 106 (15.8%), and sepsis 56 (8.4%); and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), followed by drugs 2 092(52.0%), alcoholic liver disease 813(20.2%), and cryptogenic liver disease 398(9.9%); and chronic etiologies for chronic liver failure (CLF), followed by alcoholic liver disease 1 410(39.5%), hepatitis B 1 028(28.8%), and cryptogenic liver disease 364(10.2%). Longitudinal analysis showed that the average age of patients with liver failure increased year by year, but the sex ratio trend did not change significantly, with male patients predominating throughout. The proportion of drug-induced liver failure in patients with ALF and SALF increased year by year, and the difference in the trend test was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). The proportion of patients with chronic etiologies of ACLF and CLF decreased year by year among hepatitis B, while the proportion of alcoholic liver disease, autoimmune liver disease, and cryptogenic liver disease increased year by year (the difference was statistically significant, P < 0.05). Conclusion:The etiological spectrum of liver failure is changing in our country. Although hepatitis B is still the main cause of liver failure, its proportion shows a decreasing trend year by year, with the exception of ACLF, which is no longer the primary etiology of other types of liver failure, while drug-induced liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, autoimmune liver disease, and cryptogenic liver disease are increasing year by year and will become the focus of liver disease prevention and treatment in the future.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are aberrantly expressed in keloids, and some lncRNAs can interact with miRNAs and act as competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) to regulate downstream mRNA expression. These RNA molecules are interconnected to form a complex ceRNA regulatory network, playing an important role in the occurrence and development of keloids. This review summarizes the relationship of lncRNAs and their mediated ceRNA regulatory networks with keloids, in order to further explore the pathogenesis of keloids.

ObjectiveTo investigate the value of MELD 3.0， MELD， and MELD-Na scores in assessing the 90-day prognosis of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure （ACLF） through a comparative study. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 605 patients with ACLF who were treated in Tianjin Third Central Hospital， The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital， and Beijing YouAn Hospital from November 2012 to June 2019， and according to the 90-day follow-up results after admission， they were divided into survival group with 392 patients and death group with 213 patients. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve， the area under the ROC curve （AUC）， net reclassification improvement （NRI）， integrated discrimination improvement （IDI）， and decision curve analysis （DCA） curve were used to investigate the value of MELD 3.0， MELD， and MELD-Na scores at baseline， day 3， week 1， and week 2 in predicting the prognosis of the disease. ResultsAt day 3 and week 1， MELD 3.0 score had an AUC of 0.775 and 0.808， respectively， with a better AUC than MELD score （P<0.05）. At day 3， week 1， and week 2， MELD 3.0 score showed an NRI of 0.125， 0.100， and 0.081， respectively， compared with MELD in predicting the prognosis of ACLF patients， as well as an NRI of 0.093， 0.140， and 0.204， respectively， compared with MELD-Na score in predicting prognosis. At baseline， day 3， week 1， and week 2， MELD 3.0 showed an IDI of 0.011， 0.025， 0.017， and 0.013， respectively， compared with MELD in predicting the prognosis of ACLF patients. At day 3 and week 2， MELD 3.0 showed an IDI of 0.027 and 0.038， respectively， compared with MELD-Na in predicting the prognosis of ACLF patients. All the above NRIs and IDIs were >0， indicating a positive improvement （all P<0.05）. DCA curves showed that MELD 3.0 was superior to MELD at day 3 and was significantly superior to MELD-Na at week 2. There was no significant difference in the ability of the three scores in predicting the prognosis of ACLF patients with different types， and there was also no significant difference in the ability of the three scores in predicting the prognosis of ACLF patients with the etiology of HBV infection， alcohol， or HBV infection combined with alcohol， while MELD 3.0 was superior to MELD for ACLF patients with other etiologies （P<0.05）. ConclusionMELD 3.0 score is better than MELD and MELD-Na scores in predicting the 90-day survival of patients with ACLF， but with limited superiority.

Objective:To explore the effect of emergency rescue ability training of operating room nurses based on video tracking method, and provide reference for improving emergency ability of operating room nurses.Methods:This study was a quasi-experimental study. In March 2021, 85 nurses working in the Department of Anesthesiology and Surgery of the Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University were selected by cluster sampling method. We implemented a training program of rescue emergency ability based on video tracking and adopted the inspection list of rescue emergency ability assessment and doctors′ satisfaction questionnaire of operating room nurses to evaluate the scores of each item in the nurses' rescue emergency ability list and doctors' satisfaction of rescue cooperation of operating room nurses.Results:The scores of the dimensions of recognition of fatal arrhythmias, fatal arrhythmia, several situations that can directly call help, writing of emergency state nursing records and handover of medical records, use of defibrillator, correct use and maintenance of negative pressure attraction, use and management of rescue vehicle and situation disposal in the inspection list of rescue ability after training were 9.80 ± 1.61, 26.06 ± 2.20, 17.34 ± 1.29, 13.00 ± 1.57, 7.35 ± 0.74, 10.24 ± 1.14, 33.89 ± 2.73, which were higher than before training 9.24 ± 1.18, 24.92 ± 2.15, 15.69 ± 1.92, 12.21 ± 1.66, 6.55 ± 0.92, 8.94 ± 1.32, 32.94 ± 2.20. The differences were statistically significant ( t values were -6.83 to -2.51, all P<0.05); after the training, in the questionnaire of doctors' satisfaction with nurses, surgical materials and instruments preparation, first aid skill operating level, attention to surgical progress, active and correct delivery, orderly and busy, coordination and communication ability, professional knowledge, evaluation ability and foresight, ability to deal with emergencies, clear division of labor and good cooperation, and responsibility scores were 4.22 ± 0.58, 4.52 ± 0.54, 4.53 ± 0.47, 4.43 ± 0.58, 4.44 ± 0.44, 4.37 ± 0. 59, 4.45 ± 0.51, 4.51 ± 0.53, 4.51 ± 0.57, 4.17 ± 0.63, which were higher than the pre-training 4.05 ± 0.58, 4.38 ± 0.56, 4.26 ± 0.76, 4.04 ± 0.67, 4.25 ± 0.62, 4.19 ± 0.74, 4.25 ± 0.74, 4.34 ± 0.67, 4.21 ± 0.84 and 3.56 ± 0.58. All differences were statistically significant ( t values were -8.22 to -2.10, all P<0.05). Conclusions:The training method based on video tracking method improved the emergency rescue ability of operating room nurses and the doctor's satisfaction with rescue cooperation, and provided a reference for the training of operating room nurses.

Objective To explore the predictive value of the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, energy metabolism and serum thyroid hormone levels on the severity and prognosis of patients with liver failure and their correlation. Methods This study collected clinicopathological data from 60 liver failure patients, e.g., end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, energy metabolism, and serum thyroid hormone levels. The χ 2 test was performed to analyze the categorical variables, while the Mann-Whitney U test and independent sample t test were performed to assess the continuous variables between the two groups. Spearman correlation coefficient test was used to evaluate correlation of each index. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the optimal cut-off points of serum total triiodothyronine (TT3) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) levels in predicting prognosis of the patients. Results The rates of low TT3 and FT3 levels in liver failure patients were 78.2% and 69.1%, respectively, whereas the low TT3 rates were 95.2% and 67.6% and the low FT3 rates were 90.5% and 55.9% in survival and non-survival groups of patients, respectively (both P < 0.05). Moreover, the MELD score was significantly higher in the non-survival patients than in survival patients [26.0(21.0-29.0) vs 21.0 (19.0-24.0), Z =-3.396, P =0.001], while TT3 and FT3 levels were significantly lower in the non-survival patients than in the survival patients [0.69(0.62-0.73) vs 0.83(0.69-0.94) and 2.17(1.99-2.31) vs 2.54(2.12-2.86), respectively; Z =-2.884、-2.876, all P < 0.01]. The MELD score was negatively associated with serum TT3, FT3, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and the respiratory quotient (RQ) ( r =-0.487、-0.329、-0.422、-0.350, all P < 0.01), whereas the RQ was associated with serum TT3 and FT3 levels ( r =0.271、0.265, all P < 0.05). The optimal cutoff values in predicting the severity and survival of patients was 0.75 nmol/L and 2.37pmol/L with the sensitivity values of 67.6% and 64.7% and the specificity of 90.5% and 81.0%, respectively. Conclusion Abnormal thyroid hormone levels and low respiratory quotient could be used to predict the severity and prognosis of patients with liver failure.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for liver cirrhosis after hepatocyte necrosis in acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) patients without liver cirrhosis in the convalescence stage. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of ACLF patients who were treated in Beijing YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 2015 to June 2019. A total of 57 ACLF patients without liver cirrhosis who had a survival time of > 48 weeks and complete clinical data were enrolled, and according to the presence or absence of liver cirrhosis at week 48 of follow-up, they were divided into non-cirrhosis group and cirrhosis group. The two groups were compared in terms of clinical indices, noninvasive liver fibrosis scores, and prognostic scores to screen out independent influencing factors for progression to liver cirrhosis. The t -test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were used to investigate the risk factors for progression to liver cirrhosis within 48 weeks, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive efficiency of independent risk factors. Results Among the 57 patients, 9(15.8%) developed liver cirrhosis within 4 weeks of follow-up and showed disappearance of liver cirrhosis at week 48 of follow-up; at week 48 of follow-up, 26 patients (45.6%) developed liver cirrhosis, and the patients were divided into non-cirrhosis group with 31 patients and cirrhosis group with 26 patients. Compared with the non-cirrhosis group, the cirrhosis group had significantly lower levels of cholinesterase (ChE) (2844.32±961.05 U/L vs 4137.59±1604.83 U/L, t =3.177, P =0.003) and platelet count (PLT) [(100.04±57.28)×10 9 /L vs (138.84±56.46)×10 9 /L, t =2.564, P =0.013] and a significantly higher fibrosis-4 score [7.81 (3.92-11.36) vs 4.45 (2.14-7.80), Z =258.0, P =0.030]. The above indices were included in the univariate and multivariate logistic analyses, and the results showed that low levels of ChE (odds ratio [ OR ]=1.001, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 1.000-1.002, P =0.010) and PLT( OR =1.015, 95% CI : 1.002-1.028, P =0.027) were independent risk factors for liver cirrhosis in ACLF patients without liver cirrhosis in the convalescence stage. The ROC curve analysis showed that the combination of ChE and PLT had a greater value in predicting the onset of liver cirrhosis in ACLF patients without liver cirrhosis in the convalescence stage. Conclusion Low levels of ChE and PLT are independent risk factors for liver cirrhosis in ACLF patients without liver cirrhosis in the convalescence stage, and the combination of ChE and PLT has certain advantages.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics among types of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and explore the new classification criteria for judging the prognosis of acute-on-chronic liver failure, so as to provide a basis for the formulation of more precise therapeutic schedule.Methods:388 cases with ACLF diagnosed in two tertiary level hospitals were included. Patients demographic characteristics, clinical examination information, diagnostic and treatment process information were collected. Laboratory examination data of day 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and of week 12 or prior to discharge after improvement and at 24 h prior to liver transplantation or death from the diagnosis of ACLF were collected. According to the change trend of the patient's prothrombin activity (PTA), the changes within 4 weeks and 12 weeks were divided into: increased to > 40 %, increase but still ≤ 40%, progressively decreasing or not continuously rising. Moreover, the change trend of total bilirubin (TBil) was divided into: decreasing degree≥50%, decreasing degree < 50%, progressively increasing or not decreasing. Patients meeting the requirements of dynamic classification were screened. PTA and TBil variation tendency of each patient at week 4 and 12 was synthesized, and prognostic condition for dynamic classification was formulated. The clinical characteristics of ACLF patients were analyzed by χ2 test. Results:A total of 262 screened cases were enrolled. At the 4th week of the course of disease, 45% of the patients' PTA had increased to > 40%, and 40.8% of the patients' TBIL had decreased by 50%. When the course of disease was progressed to 12 weeks, 65.3% of the patients' PTA had increased to > 40%, and 63.4% of the patients' TBIL had decreased by 50%. Combined with the prognosis of the patients at the 4th and 12th week, the patients' disease evolution process was divided into five types: Type A: 60 cases (22.9%) of rapid progression; Type B: 82 cases (31.3%) of rapid recovery; Type C: 48 cases (18.3%) of slow progression; Type D: 43 cases (16.4%) of slow recovering; Type E: 29 cases (11.1%) of slow persistence. The proportions of patients with rapid progression combined with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage, hepatic encephalopathy, and acute renal injury were 16.7%, 33.3%, and 33.3%, respectively; while the above-mentioned complications accounted for 3.7%, 7.3%, and 12.2% only in the rapid recovery type, χ2 = 14.411, 20.060, 12.140, P < 0.05, and the differences were statistically significant. Fungal infection rates were 21.7%, and 10.4% in patients who died of disease or liver transplantation (i.e., patients with rapid progression and slow-progressing types), respectively, and 1.2%, 14%, and 6.9% in patients with rapid progression type, slow-recovering type, and slow persistence type, respectively, and the difference between the rapid progression type and the rapid recovery type was significant, χ2 = 18.925, and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Conclusion:The course of disease progression in ACLF patients can be divided into rapid progression type, rapid recovery type, slow progression type, slow recovering type, and slow persistence type. The basis of liver disease, accompanied with fungal infection, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, hepatic encephalopathy and acute renal injury can affect the development of ACLF.

Objective:To compare the clinical features between patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and decompensated liver cirrhosis (DC) combined with acute kidney injury (AKI).Methods:Demographic data, clinical examination results, diagnosis and treatment information of ACLF and DC patients were collected retrospectively. Clinical characteristics of ACLF combined with AKI and DC combined with AKI and their impact on the 90-day mortality risk were compared.Results:The clinical characteristics of patients with ACLF-AKI and DC-AKI were compared. The results showed that the leukocyte count, absolute neutrophil count, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBil) of ACLF-AKI patients were higher than those of DC-AKI patients, while prothrombin activity (PTA), and albumin were lower than those of DC-AKI patients, and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). The co-infection rate in patients with ACLF-AKI was significantly higher than that of DC-AKI group (96.9% vs. 39.5%) ( P < 0.05), and during the diagnosis of AKI, the median value of serum creatinine in ACLF patients was 147 μmol / L (IQR: 122-189), while that in DC group was 123.5 μmol / L (IQR: 103.8-155.5), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). According to the HRS-AKI diagnostic criteria for liver cirrhosis, 44 (68.8%) cases of ACLF-AKI met the diagnosis of HRS -AKI, which was significantly higher than the proportion of 18 (47.4%) cases of DC-AKI ( P < 0.05). Four (10.5%) cases of DC-AKI had died or underwent liver transplantation within 30 days and eight (21.1%) cases had died or underwent liver transplantation within 90 days, while 22 (34.4%) cases of ACLF-AKI patients had died or underwent liver transplantation within 30 days and 35 (54.7%) cases had died or underwent liver transplantation within 90 days, and χ2 values was 7.140 and 11.062, respectively ( P < 0.05). The results of multivariate regression analysis suggested that the independent risk factors that affect the 90-days mortality rate of DC patients were hepatic encephalopathy, gastrointestinal bleeding, and TBil, while the independent risk factors affecting the 90-days death risk of ACLF patients included AKI, PTA and TBil. Conclusion:Compared with DC-AKI patients, ACLF-AKI patients have a higher proportion of infection rate, higher serum creatinine level when diagnosed AKI, and faster disease progression, leading to a greater risk of death.