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Table of Content

    30 April 2022, Volume 27 Issue 4
    Viral Hepatitis
    Correlation between HBV pgRNA level and the risk of recurrence in patients with chronic hepatitis B after withdrawal of antiviral drug
    CHEN Jing-yu, QI Wei, HU Ming-le, LI Hua-dong, WANG Jing
    2022, 27(4):  413-417. 
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    Objective To investigate the corrrelation between the level of hepatitis B virus (HBV) pregenomic ribonucleic acid (pgRNA) and the risk of recurrence in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) after withdrawal of antiviral drug.Methods A total of 224 patients with CHB treated in our hospital and meeting the discontinuation criteria from May 2017 to May 2019 were enrolled. They were followed up for 2 years. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw the cumulative recurrence curve of patients after drug withdrawal. Patients were divided into recurrence group and non-recurrence group according to whether relapse. Their general data, laboratory examination data, and serum HBV pgRNA level (detected by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction) were collected. COX regression analysis was used to analyze the related risk factors of the recurrence, and the restricted cubic spline was used to fit the nonlinear relationship between HBV pgRNA level and the risk of recurrence in patients with CHB after drug withdrawal.Results All the patients were followed up for 2 years, 6 cases were lost due to various reasons, and 218 cases were finally enrolled (70 cases in the recurrence group and 148 cases in non-recurrence group), and the cumulative recurrence rate was 32.11% (70/218). The alanine transaminase (ALT) level and the HBeAb negative rate when stopping medication between the 2 groups were significantly different. The HBV DNA load [(4.23 ± 1.09) lg copies/mL], the HBsAg level at the time of drug withdrawal [(2.36 ± 0.71) lgIU/mL], and the HBV pgRNA level [(4.55 ± 1.32) lg copies/mL] of recurrence group were significantly higher than those of non- recurrence group [HBV DNA load: (3.71 ± 1.02) lg copies/mL, HBsAg level: (1.82 ± 0.21) lgIU/mL, HBV pgRNA level: (4.06 ± 1.23) lg copies/mL] (all P<0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that HBV pgRNA level (HR=1.235, 95%CI 1.064 ~ 1.432), ALT level (HR=1.011, 95%CI 1.006 ~ 1.016), HBsAg level at the time of drug withdrawal (HR=3.623, 95%CI 2. 791 ~ 6.557) and HBV DNA load (HR=1.384, 95%CI 1.099 ~ 1.743) were risk factors for relapse in patients with CHB after drug withdrawal (all P<0.05). Restricted cubic spline showed that there was a significant non-linear relationship between HBV pgRNA level and the risk of relapse in patients with CHB (χ2=24.710, P<0.001).Conclusion The HBVpgRNA level is related to the relapse in patients with CHB after drug withdrawal.
    Comparison of the performance between the 2 magnetic particle chemiluminescence kits for detection of hepatitis B virus surface antigen
    SUN Ji-yun, MA Xiao-yan, LIU Huan, WANG Ya-jie
    2022, 27(4):  418-420. 
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    Objective To investigate the performance of two kinds of magnetic particle chemiluminescence kits for detection of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) and to provide evidence for the diagnosis of hepatitis B.Methods A total of 380 serum and plasma samples were detected for HBsAg confirmation kits produced by Zhengzhou Antu Bioengineering Corporation (test reagent) and Abbott Ireland diagnostics division (control reagent). The performance of 2 kits was analyzed and compared.Results The positive coincidence rate, negative coincidence rate and total coincidence rate of 2 kinds of matching reagents were all 100.00%, which showed the good consistency between the 2 matching reagents (Kappa > 0.75). The positive coincidence rate, the unconfirmed positive coincidence rate and the total coincidence rate of test reagent were 100.00%, 0.00% and 91.58%, respectively. The two confirmation reagents were consistent (Kappa > 0.75); The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the test kit were 99.43%, 100% and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the control kit were all 100%. There was no significant difference in the diagnostic efficiency between the two kits (P>0.05), and consistency was good (Kappa > 0.75).Conclusion There was no statistically significant difference in the performance between the 2 kits. The HBsAg confirmation kit produced by Zhengzhou Antu Bioengineering Corporation also has high sensitivity and specificity, which can meet clinical detection needs.
    Liver Failure
    Clinical value of 4 scoring systems in evaluating the short-term prognosis of patients suffering from HBV-ACLF complicated with esophageal gastric variceal bleeding
    WANG Ai-min, MEI Xue, GUO Hong-ying , YUAN Wei, ZHANG Yu-yi, QIAN Zhi-ping, WANG Jie-fei, LIU Yu
    2022, 27(4):  421-425. 
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    Objective To investigate the clinical value of liver stiffness-spleen diameter-to-platelet ratio score (LSPS), albumin-bilirubin scoring model (ALBI), model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) in evaluating short-term prognosis of patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) and esophagealgastric variceal bleeding (EGVB).Methods Fifty-two patients with HBV-ACLF and EGVB admitted to our hospital from December 18, 2018 to September 6, 2021 were collected. According to 28-day prognosis, they were divided into survival group (35 cases) and death group (17 cases). The clinical data of patients were analyzed and the scores of the 4 scoring systems were calculated. The efficacy of the 4 scoring systems in predicting the 28-day and 90-day mortality was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results Compared with survival group, patients in death group had higher total bilirubin (TBIL) level [395.6(97.9, 562.9) vs 211.9(41.7, 422.6) umol/L], portal vein diameter [13(12.5, 14) vs 12(10, 13) mm] and spleen diameter [13.2(11.9, 16.1) vs 11.8(11, 12.05) cm]. The incidence rates of hepatic encephalopathy (94.1% vs 11.4%), hepatorenal syndrome (100.0% vs 57.1%) and infections (100.0% vs 65.7%) (P<0.05) in the death group were significantly higher. The scores of ALBI [-2.3(-2.69, -1.87) vs (-2.7(-3.01, -2.37))], MELD [18.94(11.8, 38.6) vs 12.47(4.64, 22.58)] and CTP [14(13, 14.5) vs 11(9, 12)] of death group were significantly also higher. ROC curve analysis of the 28-day death risk showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of LSPS, ALBI, MELD and CTP scores were 0.533, 0.620, 0.664 and 0.848, suggesting the CTP scoring system was superior to the other three ( P<0.05) in predicting the 28-day mortality. ROC curve analysis of the 90-day death risk showed that the AUC of LSPS, ALBI, MELD and CTP scores were 0.633, 0.586, 0.656 and 0.805, suggesting the CTP scoring system performed better in predicting the 90-day mortality ( P<0.05).Conclusion CTP scoring system performs better in predicting the short-term prognosis of patients with HBV-ACLF and EGVB.
    Predictive value and influence factors of APRI with 5-HT levels on post hepatectomy liver failure
    RU Guo-dong, ZHANG Chun-xuan, WANG Chui-fang, SONG Lai-gao, RU Qi
    2022, 27(4):  426-430. 
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    Objective To investigate the influencing factors and the predictive value of aspartate aminotransferase/platelet ratio index (APRI) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels on post hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF).Methods The clinical data of 105 patients who underwent hepatectomy from February 2017 to March 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to occurrence of PHLF, they were divided into group A (liver failure, n=21) and group B (no liver failure, n=84). The influencing factors on liver failure were analyzed. The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity of APRI and 5-HT in predicting PHLF were evaluated.Results Among 105 subjects, 21 cases (20.00%) developed PHLF: Grade A 14 (66.67%), Grade B 5 (23.81%), Grade C 2 cases (9.52%) according to the classification of liver failure. Among 21 PHLF patients, 1 patient died (4.76%) during 6 months of following up. Univariate analysis showed that there was no significant difference between 2 groups in gender, weight, hypertension, diabetes, preoperative ALT, preoperative AST, tumor number, and obstructive time of portal vein (P>0.05); There were significant differences of age, tumor diameter, preoperative prothrombin time (PT), preoperative albumin, preoperative Child-Pugh classification, operation time, blood loss, and liver resection range between the 2 groups (P<0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that age, tumor diameter ≥ 10 cm, preoperative PT, preoperative albumin, preoperative Child-Pugh classification as C/B, operation time, blood loss > 1000ml and large-scale hepatectomy were risk factors of PHLF. The preoperative APRI and 5-HT of group A were higher than those of group B (P<0.05). Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis showed that the AUC of APRI and 5-HT in predicting PHLF were 0.996 and 0.853 respectively (P<0.05); the sensitivity was 100.00% and 81.00%; the specificity was 95.20% and 84.50%.Conclusion Age, tumor diameter, preoperative PT, preoperative albumin, preoperative Child-Pugh classification, operative time, blood loss and liver resection range are risk factors of PHLF. APRI and 5-HT can be used for preoperative prediction which can provide references on predicting the occurrence of liver failure.
    Liver Fibrosis/Cirrhosis
    Pathological and clinical features of liver biopsy in ALT < 2 ULNpatients with hepatitis B-related liver fibrosis
    GUO Feng, DOU Jing, WANG Xiao-bo, MA Yan, LE Yong-hong, WANG Xiao-zhong
    2022, 27(4):  431-436. 
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    Objective To investigate the pathological and clinical characteristics of liver biopsy in alanine transaminase (ALT) < 2 ULN patients with hepatitis B-related liver fibrosis.To analyze the clinical value of transient elastography (FibroTouch), fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) in diagnosing progressive liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).Methods A total of 108 CHB patients admitted to our hospital from January 2015 to December 2019 were enrolled. General data of patients were collected. blood routine examination, liver function test and FibroTouch were performed. The FIB-4 and APRI indexes were calculated and liver biopsy was performed.Results 1. There were significant differences in AST/ALT, AST/platelets (PLT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), FibroTouch, FIB-4, APRI (PAST/ALT = 0.048, PAST/PLT = 0.032, PGGT = 0.041, PFibroTouch = 0.008, PFIB-4 = 0.003, PAPRI = 0.032) among CHB patients with different liver fibrosis degree. There were significant differences in age, PLT, AST, AST/ALT, AST/PLT, HBV DNA, Hepatitis B surface antigen quantification, FibroTouch, FIB-4, APRI (Page = 0.005, PPLT = 0.040, PAST = 0.034, PAST/ALT = 0.002, PAST/PLT = 0.005, PHBV DNA = 0.002, Psurface antigen = 0.012, PFibroTouch = 0.000, PFIB-4 = 0.000, PAPRI = 0.005) between patients with progressive liver fibrosis and patients without advanced liver fibrosis. 2. There were significant differences in AST, AST/PLT, FibroTouch, APRI (PAST = 0.000, PAST/ALT = 0.001, PFibroTouch = 0.009, PAPRI = 0.000) among patients with different liver function levels. The liver biopsy shows that among the patients with ALT < 1ULN, 33(51.56%) without progressive liver fibrosis (S < 2) and 31(48.44%) with progressive liver fibrosis (S ≥ 2 ). And among patients with 1ULN ≤ ALT < 2ULN, 26 (54.17%) without progressive liver fibrosis (S < 2) and 22(45.83%) with progressive liver fibrosis (S ≥ 2). 3. Comparing the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), the value of FibroTouch in diagnosing progressive liver fibrosis was greater than FIB-4 and APRI indexes. The AUC of FibroTouch in diagnosing progressive liver fibrosis (S ≥ 2) was 0.73(0.63~0.82), cut-off value was 10.55kpa, sensitivity was 57%, specificity was 86%, positive predictive value was 79% and negative predictive value was 69%.Conclusion Among CHB patients with ALT < 2ULN, the proportion of which with progressive liver fibrosis (S ≥ 2) is high. FIB-4, APRI, FibroTouch have certain diagnostic value, but still cannot replace liver biopsy.
    A study on heart disease in patients with hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis
    WEI Wang-jiang, Han Xiao-tao, Bai Lu
    2022, 27(4):  437-439. 
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    Objective To observe the electrocardiograph (ECG) and echocardiographic features of patients, with hepatitis B virus (HBV) -related cirrhosis and to evaluate the heart involvement.Methods A total of 50 patients with HBV-related cirrhosis admitted to our hospital from July 1, 2019 to November 30, 2020 were enrolled as the study group. A total of 41 hepatitis B patients hospitalized at the same period were selected as the control group. All the subjects underwent ECG and echocardiography, and then the differences of cardiac?electrophysiology [heart rate (HR), P wave, PR interval, QRS wave, QTc], cardiac?structure [left atrium (LA), right ventricular (RV), main pulmonary artery (MPA), left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVDd), left ventricular end systolic diameter (LVDs), aortic root (AOR), aorta ascendens (AO)] and cardiac?function [left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), E, A, E/A, pulmonary blood flow velocity (PV), aortic blood flow velocity (AV)] between the 2 groups were compared.Results The QTc interval of study group was (443.6 ± 26.6)ms, which was significantly higher than that of control group [(426.1 ± 20.8)ms, t=-3.444, P<0.001]. The LA of study group was (35.8 ± 4.3) mm, which was significantly higher than that of control group [(32.5 ± 4.7) mm, t=-3.509, P<0.001]. The PV of study group was (105.9 ± 31.8)cm/s, which was higher than that of control group [(92.2 ± 18.7)cm/s, t=-2.427, P<0.05]. There was no significant difference on other indexes (HR, P wave, PR interval, QRS wave, RV, MPA, LVDd, LVDs, AOR, AO, LVEF, E, A, E/A, AV).Conclusion Abnormality of cardiac electrophysiology, structure and function including prolonged QTc, enlarged LA and increased PV might occur in patients with HBV-related cirrhosis.
    Comparative study between EVL and EVL combined with EIS sequential therapy in the treatment of esophageal variceal hemorrhage
    DU Ai-min, CUI Yue-ping, YANG Xia, TANG Meng-di, ZHU Ya-qin
    2022, 27(4):  440-442. 
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    Objective To compare the efficacy of endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) and EVL+ endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) in the treatment for esophageal variceal bleeding (EVB) in patients with liver cirrhosis.Methods The clinical date of 82 cirrhotic patients with EVB admitted to our hospital from January 2010 to January 2018 were collected. They were divided into group A (EVL group, 42 cases) and group B (EVL + EIS group, 40 cases) according to the therapeutic methods. The treatment effect of the two groups were evaluated. The frequency of EVL and complications of the 2 groups were recorded. Patients were followed up for 1 year. The total effective rate, rebleeding rate and other indicators were recorded.Results 1.The total effective rate of group B was 95.0﹪, which was significantly higher than that of group A (59.5﹪) (χ2=10.82,P=0.012); 2. The average frequency of EVL in group B was significantly fewer than that in group A (2.5 vs 6.5, χ2=12.78, P=0.0085); 3. There was no significant difference of complications rates during treatment and 1-year followup between the 2 groups (P>0.05); 4. The rebleeding rates at 2 weeks after operation of group A and B were 8.51% and 4.98%, respectively, and there was no significant difference (χ2=0.947, P=0.25). However, with continuous follow-up at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months after operation, the rebleeding rate in group A was 42.5%, which was significantly higher than that in group B. The difference was statistically significant (χ2=14.66, P=0.004).Conclusion Compared with EVL alone, EVL + EIS has a higher total treatment effect, a lower rebleeding rate, a fewer average frequency of EVL treatments, and the incidence of complication is not increased. It is worth clinical promotion.
    Evaluation of liver fibrosis stage in chronic hepatitis B patients by spleen stiffness and volume measurement with magnetic resonance elastography
    WANG Tian-bao, WEI Hai-gang, XU Xin-sheng
    2022, 27(4):  443-446. 
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    Objective The staging of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) was evaluated by spleen stiffness measurement (SSM) and spleen volume with magnetic resonance elastography (MRE).Methods A total of 92 CHB patients (70 males and 22 females) who completed MRE examination from January 2018 to April 2021 were enrolled, with an average age of (42.1±6.0) years. T test or chi-square test was used for statistical comparison according to the data type.Results When comparing the data of CHB patients (CHB group) and control group, the SSM values of CHB group and control group were (5.1±1.2)kPa and (4.4±0.9)kPa, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The volume of spleen in CHB group and control group was (210.3±37.1)cm3 and (180.6±30.8)cm3, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The levels of platelet (PLT) count, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) in CHB group were (130.8±32.3) ×109/L, (55.8±18.4) U/L, (52.1±16.1) U/L, (158.2±42.1) U/L, compared with the control group [(182.5±40.6) ×109/L, (28.4±11.1) U/L, (24.6±9.6) U/L, (92.0±30.6) U/L and (36.2±12.9) U/L], respectively, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The SSM values of CHB patients in F3 [(5.8±1.3) kPa] and F4 [(6.8±1.5) kPa] were significantly higher than those in F0 [(4.4±1.0) kPa], F1 [(4.5±0.9) kPa] and F2 [(4.6±1.2) kPa], respectively, with all P<0.05. The volume of spleen in patients with CHB in F3 [(246.1± 43.1) cm3] and F4 [(272.2±49.2) cm3] was significantly higher than that in F0 [(186.5±32.2) cm3], F1 [(192.3±33.5) cm3] and F2 [(198.4±35.0) cm3, respectively, with all P<0.05.Conclusion Measurement of SSM and spleen volume by MRE has important clinical value for staging liver fibrosis in CHB patients, especially for the evaluation of advanced liver fibrosis.
    A comparison between MR elastography and endoscopic ultrasonography for the diagnosis of esophageal and gastric varices in liver cirrhotic patients
    CHEN Li-fen, YAO Chao-guang, LAN Jing, HUANG Li, QIN Dong-lin, OU Qin, WU Xiao-yun, HUANG Shuang-xiang
    2022, 27(4):  447-450. 
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    Objective To compare the value of magnetic resonance (MR) elastography and endoscopy in the diagnosis of esophageal and gastric varices in liver cirrhotic patients.Methods From February 2019 to February 2020, eighty patients who underwent hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) examination and routine endoscopy and were diagnosed with cirrhosis complicated with esophageal and gastric varices were selected as the EGV group, which were further subdivided into mild, moderate and severe EGV groups according to their severities of the varices. At the same period of time, 74 liver cirrhotic patients without esophageal and gastric varices after HVPG examination and routine endoscopy were selected as the non-EGV group. MR elastography was used to measure liver stiffness (HS) and spleen stiffness (SS). Ultrasound endoscopy was used to measure the total cross-sectional surface area, the diameter of the splenic vein, and the diameter of the portal vein. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of MR elastography and endoscopic ultrasound in the diagnosis of cirrhosis with esophagus and gastric varices.Results The HS [(5.16±0.45) kPa], SS [(8.67±1.08) kPa], total cross-sectional surface area [(0.64±0.14) cm2], splenic vein [(15.42±1.79) mm], and portal vein [(16.71±1.84) mm] in patients of EGV group were higher than those of [(4.42±0.58) kPa, (6.84±1.04) kPa, (0.45±0.10) cm2, (12.81±1.64) mm, (14.62±2.13) mm] respectively in the non-EGV group (all P<0.05). The parameters of patients in severe EGV group were higher than those of moderate and mild EGV groups (P<0.05), and the parameters of moderate EGV group were higher than those of mild EGV group (P<0.05). The areas under the curve (AUC) of HS, SS, total cross-sectional surface area, splenic vein, and portal vein for diagnosing cirrhosis complicated with esophagus and gastric varices were 0.812, 0.839, 0.888, 0.860, 0.954, respectively. By pairwise comparison it was shown that the AUCs of HS and SS were statistically significantly different from the AUC of portal vein diameter (P<0.05). The cut-off values were 4.963 kPa, 7.927 kPa, 0.541 cm2, 14.602 mm, 16.054 mm, the specificities were 83.8%, 85.1%, 83.8%, 89.2%, 91.9%, and the sensitivities were 67.5%, 73.8%, 81.3%, 72.5%, 88.8%, respectively. The AUC of the combined detection was 0.998, with a specificity of 98.6%, and a sensitivity of 98.8%.Conclusion MR elastography and ultrasound endoscopy have certain diagnostic values for esophageal and gastric varices in cirrhotic patients, and ultrasound endoscopy is of a higher diagnostic value.
    The association between SHP2 expression and hepatic stellate cells apoptosis in rat liver tissues in vivo during the pathologic process of hepatic fibrogenesis
    HAO Li-sen, YANG Xiao-shi, ZHANG Peng-lei, CHEN Pan-pan, ZHAN Zong-yuan, HE Yu, MIAO Xiao-jia
    2022, 27(4):  451-454. 
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    Objective To investigate the association between SHP2 expression and hepatic stellate cells (HSC) apoptosis in rats liver tissues in vivo during the pathologic process of hepatic fibrogenesis.Methods 50 healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into a control group (n=10) and a model group (n=40). Rat model of hepatic fibrogenesis was established by intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Masson's trichrome and Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining were used for the histological analysis of the changes in liver tissues. The expression of SHP2 in hepatic tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. Dual staining of alpha-smooth muscle action (α-SMA) for HSC and TUNEL for apoptotic cells was used for analyzing the apoptotic indexes of HSC in the fibrogenic liver tissues.Results By immunohistochemical staining, it was demonstrated that the integral optical density (IOD) of SHP2 (0.19±0.01) in the liver tissues of the control group was lower than those of 0.23±0.01, 0.27±0.01, 0.30±0.01, 0.33±0.01 in the fibrogenic liver tissues of the model groups collected at 2, 4, 6, 8 weeks post CCl4 administration, with a notably increasing trend (P<0.05). Dual staining of α-SMA and TUNEL demonstrated that there were few apoptotic HSC in liver tissues of the control group, whereas both of the apoptotic HSC and the activated HSC coexisted in fibrogenic liver tissues. The apoptotic indexes of HSC in rats liver tissues at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks post CCl4 administration were 47%±1%, 41%±2%, 35%±1% and 29%±1%, respectively, showing a gradually lowering trend (P<0.05).Conclusion During the pathological process of rat liver fibrogenesis, there is an negative correlation between the expression level of SHP2 and the HSC apoptosis in liver tissues in vivo.
    Liver Cancer
    The treatment of ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma by emergent TAE in combination with sequential resection or intraperitoneal hyperthermic perfusion chemotherapy
    DUAN Chang-hu, LIU Xiao-chen, DUAN Jian-feng, DING Jian-long, ZHAO Li-fei, TAI Sheng
    2022, 27(4):  455-459. 
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    Objective To investigate the clinical value of emergent transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) in combination with sequential resection or conserved intraperitoneal hyperthermic perfusion chemotherapy for the treatment of ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods Thirty cases of ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma that were diagnosed and treated from January 2015 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into a surgical treatment group (10 cases) and a conservative treatment group (20 cases). The 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival rates of the two groups were compared.Results The 1-year survival rate of the surgical treatment group was 70%, which was significantly higher than that of the conservative treatment group (35%). The 2-year, 3-year and 5-year survival rates of the surgical treatment group were 40%, 20% and 10%, which were 0% in the conservative treatment group. The long-term survival rate of the surgical group was significantly higher than that of the conservative treatment group.Conclusion For patients with ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma that have surgical indication, emergent TAE combined with sequential surgical resection followed by postoperative intraperitoneal hyperthermic perfusion chemotherapy and other combined treatments can achieve satisfactory prognosis.
    A comparative analysis between the clinical features of hepatitis B virus-related and nonvirus-related primary liver cancers
    LI Jian, CHENG Jing-hua, TIAN Jie, LI You-xuan, LIAO De-zhong, XU Jing
    2022, 27(4):  460-465. 
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    Objective To compare and analyze the clinical characteristics between patients with hepatitis B virus-related primary liver cancer (HBV-PLC) and non-virus related primary liver cancer (NBNC-PLC), and explore the mechanism of the differences, in order to provide a reference for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of PLC.Methods 47 cases of PLC patients hospitalized in the Department of Oncology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from March 2018 to March 2021 were enrolled in this study, including 28 cases in the HBV-PLC group and 19 cases in the NBNC-PLC group. Patients in the NBNC-PLC group were both negative in hepatitis B viral surface antigen and hepatitis C viral antibody. The clinical data of these two groups of PLC patients were compared and analyzed.Results There was no significant difference in genders between the two groups (P>0.05). The onset age of HBV-PLC patients (60.97±12.18) was about 10 years younger than that of NBCC-PLC patients (69.28±11.73) (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the numbers of tumors, formation of portal vein tumor embolus, tumor pathological classifications and lymphatic metastasis between the two groups (P>0.05). However, HBV-PLC was more likely to locate in the right lobe of liver, whereas NBNC-PLC was more likely to occur in the left lobe of liver (P<0.05). HBV-PLC was more likely to have distant metastasis than NBNC-PLC (P<0.05). HBV-PLC tended to have more hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), while NBNC-PLC tended to have more cholangiocellular carcinoma (CC) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the differentiation degrees of the two groups (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the TNM and BCLC stages between the two groups (P>0.05). In terms of liver function, total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), globumin (GLO), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), cholinesterase (CHE) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were not significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05), but aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (D-BIL), indirect bilirubin (IBIL), total bile acid (TBA), γ-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT) levels and Child-Pugh grades were statistically different between the two groups (P<0.05). The liver function of HBV-PLC was relatively poorer. There were no significant differences in tumor markers of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), Carbohydrate antigens CA125, CA199 and CA724 between the two groups (P>0.05), but the serum alpha fetoprotein (AFP) in HBV-PLC group was significantly higher than that in NBNC-PLC group (P<0.05). In terms of coagulation function, prothrombin time (PT), international normalized ratio (INR) and thrombin time (TT) were longer whereas prothrombin time activity (PTA) and FIB were lower in HBV-PLC patients than those in NBNC-PLC patients (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) between these two groups (P>0.05).Conclusion HBV-PLC is mainly HCC, which occurs more often in younger age and locates in the right hepatic lobe, with a higher metastasis rate, higher serum alpha fetoprotein (AFP), and poorer liver function and coagulating function. In contrast, NBNC-PLC is mostly ICC, which occurs more often in elder patients and locates mostly in the left lobe of the liver, with a less metastasis rate, lower serum AFP, and better liver function and coagulating function.
    The influence of lymphatic, blood vessel, and nerve invasion on the postoperative recurrence and survival of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
    LI Hui-juan, YANG Li-pin, ZHAO Sha-sha
    2022, 27(4):  466-469. 
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    Objective To analyze the influence of lymphatic, vascular and nerve invasion on postoperative recurrence and survival of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).Methods One hundred and forty-two ICC patients collected from January 2008 to June 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 74 males and 68 females patients with an average age of 63 (56, 74) years. The diagnosis of ICC was confirmed by pathology after hepatectomy. The clinical data of the ICC patients with different lymphatic, vascular and nerve invasion states were analyzed, alone with their recurrence-free survival rate and survival rate. T-test and Chi-square test were used for statistical comparisons according to the data types. The recurrence-free survival rate and survival rate were compared by KM method and log-rank test.Results In the ICC patients, there were 40 cases with and 102 cases without lymphatic invasion. There were 15 cases (37.5%), 19 cases (47.5%) and 11 cases (27.5%) of vascular, nerve and visceral invasion in patients with lymphatic invasion, respectively, which were significantly different from those without lymphatic invasion [3 cases (3.0%), 4 cases (3.9%) and 8 cases (7.8%), respectively] (P<0.05). In ICC patients, there were 18 cases with vascular and 124 cases without vascular invasion. The T1/T2, T3/T4 staging of patients with vascular invasion was 10 cases (55.6%) and 8 cases (44.4%), while the T1/T2, T3/T4 staging of patients without vascular invasion was 97 cases (78.2%) and 27 cases (21.8%), respectively, with statistical significance (P<0.05). Among the patients with vascular invasion, 10 cases (55.6%) had lymphatic invasion and 12 cases (66.7%) had nerve invasion, which was significantly different from those without vascular invasion [(30 cases (24.0%) and 11 cases (8.9%), respectively) (P<0.05). In ICC patients, there were 23 cases with and 119 cases without nerve invasion. There were 12 cases (52.2%) of lymphatic invasion and 7 cases (30.5%) of vessel invasion in the nerve invasion patients, which were significantly different from those without nerve invasion [38 cases (23.5%) and 11 cases (9.3%), respectively) (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the recurrence-free survival rates among ICC patients with different lymphatic, vascular and nerve invasion states at 1, 3 and 5 years after operation (P>0.05). The 1-year, 3-year and 5-year overall survival rates of ICC patients with nerve invasion were 73.9% (17/23), 21.7% (5/23) and 0 (0/23), while those without nerve invasion were 79.8% (95/119), 34.4% (41/119) and 27 cases (22.7%), respectively, with statistical significance (P<0.05).Conclusion The overall survival rate of ICC patients with nerve invasion is poor, while the recurrence-free survival rates and overall survival rates of patients with different lymphatic and vascular states have no significant difference.
    A comparison between the diagnostic accuracies of 18F-FDG PET/CT for hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma
    CHEN Ping, ZHOU He-ping, ZHU Ya-nan
    2022, 27(4):  470-471. 
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    Objective To compare the accuracies of 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/X-ray computed tomography (PET/CT) for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCC).Methods The 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging data of 132 patients with liver cancer were collected. There were 90 patients with HCC and 42 patients with CCC. 18F-FDG concentration higher than the surrounding normal liver tissue was diagnosed as positive. The values of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of HCC and CCC were evaluated by consistency analysis.Results The SUVmax value of HCC patients was 5.12±2.03, which was significantly lower than that of 7.64±2.14 in CCC patients (t=6.529,P=0.000). By consistency analysis, 18F-FDG was found positive in 50 of the 90 HCC patients, with sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and kappa values of 0.577, 0.786, 0.644 and 0.307, respectively. The consistency analysis of 18F-FDG in CCC patients shown that 39 of the 42 CCC patients were positive, with sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and kappa values of 0.929, 0.978, 0.962 and 0.912, respectively, which were higher than those of HCC patients.Conclusion The SUVmax value of 18F-FDG PET/CT for diagnosing CCC was significantly higher than that of HCC, so as to the accuracy.
    The expression of ALDH1A1 and miR-140-5p in hepatocellular carcinoma and the relationship with chemotherapy sensitivity
    LIU Xiao-bin, TANG Yu-fu, CHEN Ming-yang, XIN Jian, ZHANG Wei
    2022, 27(4):  472-477. 
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    Objective To investigate the expression levels of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1) and microRNA-140-5p (miR-140-5p) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and their relationship with chemotherapy sensitivity.Methods Ualcan database was used to search the expression level of ALDH1A1 in HCC tissues and normal liver tissues. Ninety-one patients with stage III HCC who underwent transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) from April 2016 to January 2021 were selected as HCC group, and ninety-one with non-HCC who underwent HCC screening were selected as control group, and the tissues were collected during the biopsy. The expression of ALDH1A1 mRNA and miR-140-5p in tissues was determined by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR); the correlation between the expression level of ALDH1A1 mRNA in HCC tissue and miR-140-5p was analyzed; according to TACE treatment effect, HCC patients were divided into chemotherapy resistance group (53 cases) and chemotherapy sensitive group (38 cases), the relationship between the clinical characteristics of HCC, the expression levels of ALDH1A1 and miR-140-5p in HCC tissues and chemotherapy sensitivity were analyzed; the influencing factors of HCC chemotherapy sensitivity were analyzed.Results The Ualcan database showed that the expression level of ALDH1A1 mRNA (559.76±138.67) in normal liver tissues was lower than that in HCC tissues (851.70±245.89) (P<0.05). The qRT-PCR method showed that the expression level of ALDH1A1 mRNA (1.01±0.34) in the control group was lower than that in the HCC group (1.97±0.65) (P<0.05), and the expression level of miR-140-5p (1.06±0.35) was higher than that in the HCC group (0.50±0.17) (P<0.05); the level of ALDH1A1 mRNA in HCC tissues was negatively correlated with miR-140-5p (P<0.05); the proportions of HCC patients with multiple occurrences, serum AFP level ≤ 20 μg/L, relative expression of ALDH1A1 mRNA in HCC tissue ≤ 1.97, and relative expression of miR-140-5p in HCC tissue > 0.50 in the chemotherapy sensitive group were higher than those in the chemotherapy resistance group (P<0.05); ALDH1A was an independent risk factor that affected chemotherapy sensitivity of HCC patients (P<0.05), and miR-140-5p was an independent protective factor that affected chemotherapy sensitivity of HCC patients (P<0.05).Conclusion The expression of ALDH1A1 is up-regulated and the expression of miR-140-5p is down-regulated in HCC tissues. Both ALDH1A1 and miR-140-5p are related to chemotherapy sensitivity, and both are expected to be indicators for evaluating the chemotherapy sensitivity of HCC patients.
    Other Liver Diseases
    Clinical characteristics and treatment effects of patients with primary biliary cholangitis
    YE Zi-jie, LI Jian-ying
    2022, 27(4):  478-480. 
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    Objective To evaluate the clinical and treatment characteristics of patients with Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC), which can provide important evidence for prevention and control of PBC.Methods We retrospective analysed 43 PBC patients treated in Union Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University from November 2012 to February 2019, evaluated and summarized their clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes.Results Middle and elderly aged women were at high incidence of PBC, the incidence rate between men and women was 1:9.75. Common symptoms were fatigue, abdominal discomfort and skin itching. PBC could be combined with multiple diseases, such as hyperlipidemia (14 cases, 32.6%), cholecystitis with or without gallstone (11 cases, 25.6%) and osteoporosis (3 cases, 7.0%). After treated with ursodeoxycholic acid, γ-glutamyl transpeptadase and alkaline phosphatase decreased significantly, especially in decompensated group (GGT: 372.23±285.13, 148.20±141.91, t=3.686, P=0.002; ALP: 361.34±245.10, 183.27±115.17, t=3.252, P=0.005). While total bilirubin and direct bilirubin increased significantly in decompensated group (TBIL: 42.93±27.41, 123.49±127.21, t=2.612, P=0.019; DBIL: 25.51±19.88, 70.21±78.52, t=2.547, P=0.023).Conclusion The early symptoms of PBC was not obvious. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the prevention and treatment of the PBC.
    Influence of gender on clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with primary biliary cholangitis
    DANG Fu-tao, FU Hai-yan, XU Jia-mi, TAN Xu, ZHENG Jie, LU Yao, TANG Ying-mei
    2022, 27(4):  481-485. 
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    Objective To explore the incidence trend, clinical features and prognosis of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in different genders.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 497 patients with PBC who were treated in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from July 2013 to September 2020. According to the age 1∶1 propensity score matching, the clinical characteristics, serum laboratory indexes and adverse events of patients of different genders were compared and analyzed. The prognosis parameters of patients were calculated by UK-PBC and GLOBE prognostic scores, and we compared the short-term and long-term prognosis of the patients.Results The ratio of male to female was 1:5.9. In the gender distribution of different age groups, the peak age of male was 10 years later than that of female (Z=28.12, P<0.05); according to the propensity score matching, compared with the clinical characteristics and signs of PBC patients, women were more likely to show fatigue, weight loss and edema of both lower limbs, and were more likely to merge with other autoimmune diseases (62.5% VS 37.5%, 27.8% VS 8.3%, 18.1% VS 6.9%, 30.6% VS 13.9%, P<0.05); Compared with the baseline level of laboratory indicators, the levels of serum bilirubin and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase in men were higher than those in women [40.0 (18.4, 89.1) μmol/L VS 26.2 (15.8, 49.0) μmol/L, 350.0 (134.3, 680.5) U/L VS 240.5 (74.8, 439.5) U/L, P<0.05]. There was no significant difference in albumin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, immunoglobulin and hepatopathy associated antibody between male and female. The UK-PBC risk score showed that there was no difference in the risk of adverse events between men and women in 5 years (P>0.05). The risk of adverse events in men was higher than that in women in 10 years and 15 years [11.1 (6.3, 53.3) VS 10.0 (2.8, 19.9); 17.5 (12.4, 54.6) VS 15.2 (5.9, 23.5), P<0.05].The GLOBE score showed that there was no difference in the 3 year- and 5 year-survival rates between men and women, compared with 10 year-and 15 year-survival rates, women had a higher survival rate than men [67.2 (52.5, 92.3) VS 50.4 (14.2, 84.6); 46.5 (30.2, 84.3) VS 28.9 (3.2, 73.3), P<0.05].Conclusion The peak age of male patients with PBC is later than that of female patients, and the clinical symptoms and signs are few and atypical. The short-term prognosis of male and female patients is similar, but the long-term prognosis of male patients is worse than that of female patients, which should be paid attention.
    Clinical analysis and experience in diagnosis and treatment of 9 cases of Budd-Chiari syndrome
    QI Jing-shu, XING Feng, LIU Cheng-hai
    2022, 27(4):  486-490. 
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    Objective To analyze the clinical features, experience in diagnosis and treatment of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS), and to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods The clinical data of 9 patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome in Shuguang Hospital affiliated to Shanghai University of traditional Chinese Medicine from 2017 to 2021 were collected, and their main clinical manifestations, liver function, imaging results and misdiagnosis situation were summarized.Results The main clinical manifestations of 9 patients with BCS were hepatomegaly/splenomegaly, esophageal varices, abdominal distension, ascites, costal pain, abdominal wall varices, upper gastrointestinal bleeding and distending pain in hypochondrium; no obvious abnormality of liver function; imaging examination showed that the patients with inferior vena cava obstruction/stenosis were dominant; the clinical misdiagnosis rate was high (77.8%) and was often misdiagnosed as liver cirrhosis.Conclusion The clinical manifestations of BCS are complex and changeable, and it is easy to be missed and misdiagnosed; Besides vascular imaging examination, liver biopsy pathology also has important value; good effect can be obtained in the treatment of this disease when combined with the traditional Chinese medicine of invigorating qi and activating blood.