1.Risk factors for rebleeding after endoscopic therapy for esophageal and gastric varices in liver cirrhosis patients and construction of a nomogram model
Huijuan SHAO ; Shini HAN ; Aiping ZHANG ; Yuling ZHANG ; Ting LI ; Ya HAN ; Jiucong ZHANG ; Wenshan DOU ; Xiuxia WANG ; Hongwei DU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(8):1845-1856
ObjectiveTo investigate the risk factors for rebleeding after endoscopic therapy for esophageal and gastric varices in liver cirrhosis patients, to construct a clinical predictive model, and to provide a reference for predicting rebleeding in the early stage, reducing the incidence rate of rebleeding, and improving the clinical outcome of patients. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 194 liver cirrhosis patients with gastroesophageal variceal bleeding who received initial endoscopic therapy at Department of Gastroenterology, The Second People’s Hospital of Lanzhou, from January 1, 2021 to May 31, 2025. According to whether rebleeding occurred within 1 year after endoscopic therapy, the patients were divided into rebleeding group and non-rebleeding group. 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 or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The patients enrolled were randomly divided into a training set and a validation set at a ratio of 7∶3. In the training set, the Lasso regression analysis was used to obtain optimal predictive variables, and the factors that might affect prognosis were included in the univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses to identify independent predictive factors for rebleeding after endoscopic therapy for esophageal and gastric varices in liver cirrhosis patients, which were used to construct a nomogram model. In both the training set and the validation set, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the calibration curve were used to assess the discriminatory ability and calibration of the model, and decision curve analysis and the clinical impact curve were used to assess the clinical practicability of the model. ResultsAmong the 194 liver cirrhosis patients with esophageal and gastric varices, 116 (59.79%) experienced rebleeding within 1 year after endoscopic therapy, with 76 patients in the training set and 40 patients in the validation set. In the training set, the Lasso regression analysis and the univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses showed that etiology of liver cirrhosis (odds ratio [OR]=3.540, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.520 — 7.150, P<0.001), Child-Pugh class (OR=3.560, 95%CI: 1.380 — 9.500, P=0.019), severity of esophageal and gastric varices (OR=8.190, 95%CI: 3.568 — 17.850, P=0.026), and main portal vein diameter (OR=2.954, 95%CI: 1.349 — 15.030, P=0.044) were independent predictive factors for rebleeding of esophageal and gastric varices in liver cirrhosis patients. A nomogram model was constructed based on the above independent predictive factors. The ROC curve analysis showed that this model had an area under the ROC curve of 0.845 (95%CI: 0.778 — 0.912) in the training set and 0.801 (95%CI: 0.798 — 0.868) in the validation set. The model had an index of concordance of 0.832 in the training set and 0.820 in the validation set, suggesting that the model had a good discriminatory ability. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed P values of 0.320 and 0.550 in the training set and validation set, respectively, the calibration curve indicated that the predicted probabilities of the nomogram model were in good concordance with the actual observed probabilities, suggesting that the model had good calibration. The decision curve analysis and the clinical impact curve showed that the model had good clinical utility. ConclusionThe nomogram model based on etiology of liver cirrhosis, Child-Pugh class, severity of esophageal and gastric varices, and main portal vein diameter has a certain clinical value in predicting the risk of rebleeding from esophageal and gastric varices in liver cirrhosis.
2.Role of autophagy in treatment of paracetamol-induced liver injury
Guojing XING ; Lifei WANG ; Longlong LUO ; Xiaofeng ZHENG ; Chun GAO ; Xiaohui YU ; Jiucong ZHANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(2):389-394
N-acetyl-p-aminophenol (APAP) is an antipyretic analgesic commonly used in clinical practice, and APAP overdose can cause severe liver injury and even death. In recent years, the incidence rate of APAP-induced liver injury (AILI) tends to increase, and it has become the second most common cause of liver transplantation worldwide. Autophagy is a highly conserved catabolic process that removes unwanted cytosolic proteins and organelles through lysosomal degradation to achieve the metabolic needs of cells themselves and the renewal of organelles. A large number of studies have shown that autophagy plays a key role in the pathophysiology of AILI, involving the mechanisms such as APAP protein conjugates, oxidative stress, JNK activation, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammatory response and apoptosis. This article elaborates on the biological mechanism of autophagy in AILI, in order to provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of AILI and the development of autophagy regulators.
3.The roles of eosinophils in different liver diseases
Guojing XING ; Yuan DENG ; Lifei WANG ; Longlong LUO ; Zhen WANG ; Zhaojie ZHANG ; Meixia YANG ; Ting ZHANG ; Xiaohui YU ; Jiucong ZHANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(7):1456-1460
Liver diseases have a high prevalence rate worldwide with relatively poor long-term clinical outcomes and have become one of the leading causes of disease burden and death around the world,which poses significant challenges to public health.Eosinophils(Eos)are a class of highly conserved multifunctional immune cells that play critical effector roles in allergic diseases.In recent years,an increasing amount of evidence has shown that Eos plays an important role in the pathogenesis of liver diseases,exerting a protective or harmful effect in different liver diseases,which has become a research hotspot in this field.This article elaborates on the role and potential mechanism of action of Eos in liver diseases,in order to provide a new perspective for in-depth research on the pathogenesis of liver diseases and lay the foundation for developing therapeutic strategies targeting Eos.
4.The role and mechanism of heparanase in hepatobiliary and pancreatic tumors
Yanan ZHANG ; Yang WU ; Chujiang WU ; Yuxin HE ; Yujie ZHAI ; Jiucong ZHANG ; Bin LIANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(11):2435-2440
Hepatobiliary and pancreatic tumors are common types of digestive system disorders, and their complex pathogeneses have led to difficulties in early diagnosis and a high metastasis rate, with persistently high incidence and mortality rates in China, which greatly affects the quality of life and prognosis of patients. Studies have shown that heparanase (HPSE), as a key effector molecule in matrix remodeling, plays a crucial regulatory role in tumor invasion and metastasis and microenvironment remodeling, and it is significantly associated with clinical prognosis. This article reviews the molecular mechanism of HPSE in hepatobiliary and pancreatic tumors, in order to provide a strong scientific basis for developing diagnostic markers and targeted interventions for hepatobiliary and pancreatic tumors.
5.Mechanism of action of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes signaling pathway in liver diseases and research advances in therapeutic targets
Yujie ZHAI ; Xiangxiang LI ; Chujiang WU ; Yanan ZHANG ; Yuxin HE ; Zhongyu LIU ; Jiucong ZHANG ; Bin LIANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(10):2180-2186
Liver diseases are a group of complex clinical conditions caused by various factors and can lead to hepatocyte damage and liver dysfunction, posing a serious threat to human health. The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway plays a key regulatory role in the course of liver diseases and is involved in the development, progression, and treatment of various diseases such as viral hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, liver fibrosis, and liver cancer. This article reviews the regulatory mechanisms of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway in processes such as inflammation, autophagy, antiviral response, and oxidative stress, analyzes its molecular function in liver diseases, and explores its application prospect as a potential target for the treatment of liver diseases, in order to provide a theoretical basis for developing novel therapeutic strategies for liver diseases.
6.The roles of eosinophils in different liver diseases
Guojing XING ; Yuan DENG ; Lifei WANG ; Longlong LUO ; Zhen WANG ; Zhaojie ZHANG ; Meixia YANG ; Ting ZHANG ; Xiaohui YU ; Jiucong ZHANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(7):1456-1460
Liver diseases have a high prevalence rate worldwide with relatively poor long-term clinical outcomes and have become one of the leading causes of disease burden and death around the world,which poses significant challenges to public health.Eosinophils(Eos)are a class of highly conserved multifunctional immune cells that play critical effector roles in allergic diseases.In recent years,an increasing amount of evidence has shown that Eos plays an important role in the pathogenesis of liver diseases,exerting a protective or harmful effect in different liver diseases,which has become a research hotspot in this field.This article elaborates on the role and potential mechanism of action of Eos in liver diseases,in order to provide a new perspective for in-depth research on the pathogenesis of liver diseases and lay the foundation for developing therapeutic strategies targeting Eos.
7.Research progress on T cell exhaustion in immunotherapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
Yang WU ; Tian LI ; Runbing ZHANG ; Yani ZHANG ; Lingling ZHU ; Tingting SHI ; Shunna WANG ; Meixia YANG ; Xiaohui YU ; Jiucong ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Cellular and Molecular Immunology 2025;41(3):271-277
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the fastest growing cancers in the world, ranking fourth among the causes of cancer-induced death in the world. At present, the field of HCC treatment is developing rapidly, and immunotherapy has been recognized as a promising treatment method, in which T cells play a key role in HCC immunotherapy. However, in the case of virus infection or in tumor microenvironment (TME), T cells will be continuously stimulated by antigens and then fall into the state of T cell exhaustion (Tex). This state will not only reduce the immunity of patients but also lead to poor efficacy of immunotherapy. Therefore, to deeply analyze the mechanism of Tex and to explore effective strategies to reverse Tex is the key point in the immunotherapy for HCC. This review aims to summarize the mechanism of Tex in HCC patients, and the current situation and shortcomings of drug research and development to reverse Tex at this stage, in order to provide theoretical basis for the optimization of immunotherapy regimen for HCC patients.
Humans
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Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/therapy*
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Liver Neoplasms/therapy*
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Immunotherapy/methods*
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T-Lymphocytes/immunology*
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Tumor Microenvironment/immunology*
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Animals
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T-Cell Exhaustion
8.Research progress in immunotherapy and targeted therapy for gastric cancer and esophagogastric junction cancer
Yang WU ; Tian LI ; Runbing ZHANG ; Tingting SHI ; Chun GAO ; Xiaofeng ZHENG ; Jiucong ZHANG
Journal of International Oncology 2024;51(9):595-600
Gastric cancer and esophagogastric junction cancer (EGJC) are one of the world 's most common types of malignant tumors. Traditional treatment methods mainly include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery, but the patients ' prognosis is limited. In recent years, with the development in treatment methods, immunotherapy and targeted therapy are gradually recognized as the first-line treatment methods. In immunotherapy, nivolumab and pabolizumab have shown clear efficacy in patients with programmed deathligand 1 positive, while other immunotherapies (such as tumor vaccine, engineered T cells, and non-specific immunomodulators) are still being tested or developed. In addition, targeted therapy has only shown comparatively large therapeutic potential in certain specific populations or in second-line treatment. For instance, tratuzumab has a clear curative effect on patients with positive human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, but has suboptimal efficacy in patients with amplification of other molecular targets. An in-depth discussion of the research progress of immunotherapy and targeted therapy in gastric cancer and EGJC will help to improve the prognosis of patients and provide a reference for accurate treatment of tumors.
9.Role of extracellular vesicles of different origins in the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma
Tingting SHI ; Runbing ZHANG ; Yang WU ; Yani ZHANG ; Lingling ZHU ; Chun GAO ; Jingjing JIANG ; Xiaofeng ZHENG ; Jiucong ZHANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(6):1264-1268
Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the most common type of primary liver cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths,and it is a serious threat to human health and has become a clinical problem that needs to be solved urgently.Extracellular vesicles(EV)are membrane vesicles containing multiple components and play an important role in the development and progression of HCC.This article summarizes the effect of EVs of different origins on HCC and analyzes the mechanism of action of EV on HCC,so as to provide new perspectives for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.
10.Mechanism of action of follicular helper T cells in autoimmune hepatitis
Longlong LUO ; Lifei WANG ; Guojing XING ; Ying ZHENG ; Lixia LU ; Chuyi LI ; Bin LI ; Jun MA ; Xiaohui YU ; Jiucong ZHANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(7):1466-1469
Autoimmune hepatitis(AIH)is a type of chronic hepatitis caused by the attack of hepatocytes by the autoimmune system,and with the prolongation of disease course,it may gradually progress to liver cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma.Although great achievements have been made in the understanding and treatment of AIH,its etiology and pathogenesis still remain unclear.T cells play a crucial role in the development and progression of AIH,and by focusing on follicular helper T cells,this article elaborates on the research advances in follicular helper T cells in AIH,in order to provide new ideas and strategies for the clinical treatment of AIH.

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