Editor's Note: From June 5-8, 2024, the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Annual Meeting was successfully held in Milan, Italy. During this event, the team led by Professor Shuangsuo Dang from the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University presented three significant clinical and basic research findings: real-world antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis B (CHB), mechanisms and treatment of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), and risk factors and mechanisms of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This report covers these studies for our readers.Research One: Efficacy and Safety of Tenofovir Amibufenamide (TMF) in Treating CHB Patients
Conducted by Professor Shuangsuo Dang and Associate Chief Physician Li Yaping, this multicenter real-world clinical observation study aimed to prospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of TMF in both treatment-naive and treatment-experienced CHB patients, providing evidence-based data for TMF’s clinical application.
The study included 194 eligible participants, divided into a treatment-naive group (TN) and a treatment-experienced group (TE). Over a 48-week follow-up, TMF demonstrated a high HBV DNA negativity rate and ALT normalization rate in both groups, comparable to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). Moreover, TMF significantly improved renal function parameters in the TE group, proving its efficacy and safety in CHB treatment.
This study, selected for presentation at the EASL meeting, is another achievement of the “Excellence Project,” reinforcing the strong antiviral effects of TMF in both treatment-naive and treatment-experienced CHB populations, similar to the 24-week results previously published in Hepatology Digest (2023, Vol. 28, Issue 1, pp. 100-104), but with a longer study duration and larger patient cohort.
Research Two: PBC Increases HCC Risk, Overexpression of LGALS3 and PRKCD May Promote HCC Progression
Using Mendelian randomization (MR) and bioinformatics methods, Professor Shuangsuo Dang and Dr. Yikai Wang explored the relationship between primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and HCC, and the roles of key genes LGALS3 and PRKCD in HCC progression. The study revealed that PBC significantly increases the risk of HCC. Overexpression of LGALS3 and PRKCD is closely associated with poor prognosis, tumor grading, lymphatic metastasis, and immune cell infiltration in HCC, providing new biomarkers for HCC diagnosis and treatment.
Research Three: Time-Restricted Feeding Improves MAFLD via PPAR Signaling Pathway
In this study, Professor Shuangsuo Dang, Dr. Juanjuan Shi, and Dr. Jiang Deng constructed a rat model of MAFLD and intervened with time-restricted feeding (TRF) and calorie restriction (CR). The results showed that after ceasing a high-fat diet, the rats’ body weight did not change significantly, but liver lipid content decreased, potentially related to specific lipid species and liver lipid content. TRF, CR, and TRF+CR all improved the rats’ body weight, liver lipid content, and liver metabolism.
Lipid metabolomics and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed mechanisms involving PPAR signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, and metabolic pathways. PCR analysis confirmed that TRF and CR might exert their effects on MAFLD via the PPAR signaling pathway, providing new strategies and evidence for the clinical translation of TRF in improving MAFLD.
In summary, the three research achievements presented by Professor Shuangsuo Dang’s team at the EASL 2024 meeting provide new evidence-based data and research directions for the treatment of CHB, the association between PBC and HCC, and dietary interventions in MAFLD. These findings offer valuable insights for clinical practice.
References:
- Li Yaping, Gou GuoE, Cui Dandan, Lin Yongmei, Zu Hongmei, Gao Xiaohong, Xu Guanghua, Dang Shuangsuo. Efficacy and Safety of Tenofovir Amibufenamide in the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B: A Real-World Multicenter Clinical Study. EASL 2024. Abstract (FRI-430).
- Wang YiKai, Wang MuQi, Zhou XiaQing, Liu ChenRui, Zhang Meng, Hao Miao, Wang WenJun, Li YaPing, Shi JuanJuan, Jia XiaoLi, Dang ShuangSuo. Primary biliary cholangitis increases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: results from Mendelian randomization analysis and bioinformatics analysis. EASL 2024. Abstract (WED-116).
- Deng Jiang, Ma Juan, Wang YiKai, Gao Ning, Feng DanDan, Jia XiaoLi, Liu XiongTao, Shi JuanJuan, Dang ShuangSuo. Time-restricted feeding alleviates metabolic associated fatty liver disease via PPAR-related lipid metabolism signaling pathway.EASL 2024. Abstract (THU-279).
