Damage-associated molecular patterns in intensive care unit patients with acute liver injuries: A prospective cohort study

HMGB1: a double-edged sword and therapeutic target in the female reproductive system

HMGB1 that belongs to the High Mobility Group-box superfamily, is a nonhistone chromatin associated transcription factor. It is present in the nucleus of eukaryotes and can be actively secreted or passively released by kinds of cells. HMGB1 is important for maintaining DNA structure by binding to DNA and histones, protecting it from damage. It also regulates the interaction between histones and DNA, affecting chromatin packaging, and can influence gene expression by promoting nucleosome sliding. And as a DAMP, HMGB1 binding to RAGE and TLRs activates NF-κB, which triggers the expression of downstream genes like IL-18, IL-1β, and TNF-α. HMGB1 is known to be involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes. Recent studies have demonstrated the significance of HMGB1 as DAMPs in the female reproductive system. These findings have shed light on the potential role of HMGB1 in the pathogenesis of diseases in female reproductive system and the possibilities of HMGB1-targeted therapies for treating them. Such therapies can help reduce inflammation and metabolic dysfunction and alleviate the symptoms of reproductive system diseases. Overall, the identification of HMGB1 as a key player in disease of the female reproductive system represents a significant breakthrough in our understanding of these conditions and presents exciting opportunities for the development of novel therapies.

Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharide attenuates Escherichia coli-induced acute lung injury in mice

Acute lung injury (ALI) is an inflammatory lung disease could be caused by bacterial infection. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a prototype pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) from gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli...

Indication of Liver Transplantation in the Treatment of Newly Categorized Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure In Japan

AIM

This study aims to validate Japanese diagnostic criteria for acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and confirm the feasibility of performing transplantation.

METHODS

We included 60 patients with acute liver injury. Demographic and clinical features were retrospectively collected, and the primary outcome was compared among 4 types: acute liver failure (ALF) with hepatic coma (n = 23), ALF without hepatic coma (n = 12), acute liver injury (n = 20), and ACLF (n = 5). Moreover, 80 transplanted patients were enrolled to compare the difficulty of transplantation between ALF (n = 8) vs non-ALF (n = 72) patients.

RESULTS

Seven patients in the ALF with hepatic coma group and 1 patient in the ACLF with hepatic coma group were transplanted. Ten patients who could not be registered for transplantation died. In univariate analysis, liver failure type (P < .0001), total bilirubin level (P = .05), and prothrombin time internationalized ratio (P < .0001) were associated with patient survival. In multivariate analysis, liver failure type was associated with patient survival (P < .0001). The respective 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient survival rates were 45.9%, 45.9%, and 45.9% for ALF patients with hepatic coma; 100.0%, 100.0%, and 100.0% for ALF patients without hepatic coma and acute liver injury; and 80.0%, 80.0%, and 80.0% for ACLF patients (P < .0001). Chronic liver disease did not affect operation time (P = .46) and bleeding volume (P = .49).

CONCLUSION

Patients diagnosed with ACLF via Japanese criteria presented significantly higher survival rates than ALF patients with hepatic coma.