Review
Virology
Giacomo Emanuele Maria Rizzo, Giuseppe Cabibbo, Antonio Craxi
Summary: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is associated with the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with or without liver cirrhosis, through various mechanisms. The molecular profile of HBV-HCC is constantly being studied, and it is the result of altered molecular pathways, changes in the microenvironment, and DNA damage. Proper management of HBV-related liver disease is crucial for prevention and treatment of HCC.
Article
Oncology
Meng Xue, Xiaona Lin, Qiu-Xiong Lin, Xiaoyong Pu, Jiumin Liu, Xing-Fang Li, Jun Hou, Xudong Liu, Ren Chen
Summary: This study found that HBV infection was associated with an increased risk of HCC compared to HEV infection, and that HEV infection may mitigate the promoting impact of HBV on HCC development.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicholas Noverati, Rukaiya Bashir-Hamidu, Dina Halegoua-DeMarzio, Hie-Won Hann
Summary: Hepatitis B virus is a significant cause of hepatocellular carcinoma globally. The complex mechanisms of this virus include interactions with the host's immune system. Factors such as stress can amplify these mechanisms. Chronic stress, harmful to health, can suppress or activate the host's defense system, leading to tumor initiation and progression in liver cancer. Chronic stress, often overlooked, should be recognized as a potential risk factor.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Mirjam B. Zeisel, Francesca Guerrieri, Massimo Levrero
Summary: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy and is largely caused by chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. While antiviral therapies can suppress viral replication, there is currently no cure for chronic HBV infection. HBV contributes to liver carcinogenesis through direct and indirect effects on host epigenetic alterations, modulating gene expression.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Hyun-seok Kim, Xian Yu, Jennifer Kramer, Aaron P. Thrift, Pete Richardson, Yao-Chun Hsu, Avegail Flores, Hashem B. El-Serag, Fasiha Kanwal
Summary: This study evaluated the performance of 10 HCC risk prediction models in patients with HBV, showing that most models performed well in predicting HCC risk and identified low-risk subsets for exclusion from HCC surveillance. Further research is needed to validate these findings.
JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Oncology
Xinhe Zhang, Lin Guan, Haoyu Tian, Zilu Zeng, Jiayu Chen, Die Huang, Ji Sun, Jiaqi Guo, Huipeng Cui, Yiling Li
Summary: HCC is a common cancer with increasing incidence caused by HBV and HCV infections, liver cirrhosis, and metabolic risk factors. Predictive factors can assess the risk of HCC, and prevention strategies include vaccination, antiviral treatment, and HCC management to reduce recurrence.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Zhiwei Liu, Chih-Jen Huang, Yu-Han Huang, Mei-Hung Pan, Mei-Hsuan Lee, Kelly J. Yu, Ruth M. Pfeiffer, Mathias Viard, Yuko Yuki, Xiaojiang Gao, Mary Carrington, Chien-Jen Chen, Allan Hildesheim, Hwai- Yang
Summary: The study found that an increase in the number of homozygous HLA class II loci is associated with an increased risk of chronic HBV infection and HBV-associated HCC. Specifically, HLA-DQB1 homozygosity is significantly associated with HCC risk.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Virology
Peng Lin, Dong-Yue Wen, Jin-Shu Pang, Wei Liao, Yu-Ji Chen, Yun He, Hong Yang
Summary: This study developed an overall survival prediction model based on protein expression profiles in HBV-infected nontumor liver tissues, demonstrating the feasibility of using protein expression profiles in nontumor liver tissues for survival prediction.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Jian-Lv Huang, Xiang-Kun Wang, Xi-Wen Liao, Chuang-Ye Han, Ting-Dong Yu, Ke-Tuan Huang, Cheng-Kun Yang, Xiao-Guang Liu, Long Yu, Guang-Zhi Zhu, Hao Su, Wei Qin, Quan-Fa Han, Zheng-Qian Liu, Xin Zhou, Jun-Qi Liu, Xin-Ping Ye, Tao Peng
Summary: This study demonstrated that differential SOX4 expression is significantly upregulated in tumor tissue, and SOX4 is closely associated with overall survival and recurrence-free survival in HBV-associated HCC. SOX4 may impact TP53 metabolic processes, lymphocyte differentiation, and the insulin signaling pathway in HCC. The diagnostic and prognostic potential of SOX4 in HCC was also highlighted in this research.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Xiaomi Li, Jingyan Wang, Xiaoyan Ding, Yawen Xu, Minghua Yu, Hongxiao Wu, Na Deng, Wei Li, Jinglong Chen
Summary: The clinical efficacy of lenvatinib was compared between hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCC. The study found that patients with HBV-HCC had higher objective response rate and disease control rate compared to HCV-HCC, but there were no significant differences in progression-free survival and overall survival between the two groups. Multivariate regression analysis identified HBV infection and antiviral time > 5 years as independent favorable factors for progression-free survival. Overall, lenvatinib seemed to be more effective in HBV-related HCC compared to HCV-related HCC.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Jie Li, Hwai- Yang, Ming-Lun Yeh, Michael H. Le, An K. Le, Yee Hui Yeo, Chia-Yen Dai, Scott Barnett, Jian Q. Zhang, Jee-Fu Huang, Huy N. Trinh, Christopher Wong, Clifford Wong, Joseph K. Hoang, Ramsey Cheung, Ming-Lung Yu, Mindie H. Nguyen
Summary: This study found that concurrent FL in patients with CHB significantly reduces the risk of cirrhosis and HCC, as well as increases the rate of HBsAg seroclearance. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and investigate the underlying mechanisms of FL on CHB.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Marco Y. W. Zaki, Ahmed M. Fathi, Samara Samir, Nardeen Eldafashi, Kerolis Y. William, Maiiada Hassan Nazmy, Moustafa Fathy, Upkar S. Gill, Shishir Shetty
Summary: HBV and HCV infections are the most common risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and their distribution affects the global prevalence of this type of liver cancer. Hepatitis infections elicit immune responses within the liver microenvironment, and persistent viral infection leads to chronic liver inflammation and carcinogenesis.
Article
Immunology
Ruonan Sun, Jiawei Li, Xianyi Lin, Yidong Yang, Bing Liu, Tianbi Lan, Shuang Xiao, Anyi Deng, Zhinan Yin, Yan Xu, Zheng Xiang, Bin Wu
Summary: This study aimed to explore the changes in peripheral immunity in patients with HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC). The results showed that circulating lymphocytes in HBV-HCC patients exhibited features of immune exhaustion, especially in patients with persistent viral replication and in those with intermediate and advanced HBV-HCC. The combination of CD3(+) T cells and CD8(+)HLADR(+)CD38(+) T cells may serve as a potential diagnostic indicator for HBV-HCC.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Jer-Wei Wu, Jia-Horng Kao, Tai-Chung Tseng
Summary: HBcrAg, as a marker of HBV replication, is associated with HCC risk in treatment-naive patients, but its value in treated patients needs further validation. The next challenge is to combine HBcrAg with other viral markers to construct a better HCC prediction model.
CLINICAL AND MOLECULAR HEPATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Danping Huang, Bowen Yang, Yaoyao Yao, Mianmian Liao, Yu Zhang, Yihao Zeng, Fengxue Zhang, Neng Wang, Guangdong Tong
Summary: Compound Phyllanthus urinaria L. (CP) has been found to inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of HBV-associated HCC cells by targeting Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) and the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Experimental validation showed that CP induced autophagic degradation of Cav-1 and proteasome degradation of beta-catenin, ultimately reducing the metastasis-promoting effect of Cav-1. In vivo and ex vivo experiments further confirmed the anti-cancer and anti-metastatic effects of CP in inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis in HBV-associated HCC.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Patrick Arbuthnot, Abdullah Ely, Kristie Bloom
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Peter A. Revill, Francis V. Chisari, Joan M. Block, Maura Dandri, Adam J. Gehring, Haitao Guo, Jianming Hu, Anna Kramvis, Pietro Lampertico, Harry L. A. Janssen, Massimo Levrero, Wenhui Li, T. Jake Liang, Seng-Gee Lim, Fengmin Lu, M. Capucine Penicaud, John E. Tavis, Robert Thimme, Fabien Zoulim
LANCET GASTROENTEROLOGY & HEPATOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
A. Ely, K. Bloom, M. B. Maepa, J. N. Mahlangu, M. S. Pepper, P. Arbuthnot
SAMJ SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2019)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Fiona T. van den Berg, Nigel A. Makoah, Stuart A. Ali, Tristan A. Scott, Rutendo E. Mapengo, Lorraine Z. Mutsvunguma, Nonhlanhla N. Mkhize, Bronwen E. Lambson, Prudence D. Kgagudi, Carol Crowther, Salim S. Abdool Karim, Alejandro B. Balazs, Marc S. Weinberg, Abdullah Ely, Patrick B. Arbuthnot, Lynn Morris
MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT
(2019)
Review
Virology
Fiona van den Berg, Shonisani Wendy Limani, Njabulo Mnyandu, Mohube Betty Maepa, Abdullah Ely, Patrick Arbuthnot
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kristie Bloom, Fiona van den Berg, Patrick Arbuthnot
Summary: Vaccinology is moving towards synthetic RNA platforms, which offer rapid, scalable, and cell-free manufacturing of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines. Self-amplifying RNAs have shown enhanced antigen expression at lower doses compared to conventional mRNA, potentially improving immunity and becoming important vaccine candidates.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Laura Mosti, Lukas M. Langner, Kay O. Chmielewski, Patrick Arbuthnot, Jamal Alzubi, Toni Cathomen
Summary: CAR T cell technology has been successful in treating lymphoid malignancies, but currently faces limitations in manufacturing procedures and immunological side effects. Integrating multi-epitope molecules into CAR T cells may help improve production processes and clinical safety.
Article
Virology
Tiffany Smith, Prashika Singh, Kay Ole Chmielewski, Kristie Bloom, Toni Cathomen, Patrick Arbuthnot, Abdullah Ely
Summary: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a serious global medical issue, with limited therapeutic options available. Vaccination, immunomodulators, and nucleotide and nucleoside analogs have limited impact on chronic sufferers. Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) offer a novel therapeutic approach by targeting viral DNA, potentially disabling the virus permanently. However, potential off-target effects and toxicity remain a concern for this technology, despite promising results in mouse models.
Article
Virology
Shonisani Wendy Limani, Njabulo Mnyandu, Abdullah Ely, Reubina Wadee, Anna Kramvis, Patrick Arbuthnot, Mohube Betty Maepa
Summary: The study demonstrated the use of recombinant adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) to model the replication of different hepatitis B virus (HBV) subgenotypes, showcasing the efficacy of the AAV8-A1 murine model for anti-HBV drug development.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ridhwaanah Jacobs, Prashika Singh, Tiffany Smith, Patrick Arbuthnot, Mohube Betty Maepa
Summary: Current treatment for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has limited efficacy, so researchers have focused on developing therapies that disable the viral replicative intermediate called cccDNA. Gene editing tools, particularly using viral vectors, have shown promise in permanently inactivating cccDNA.
Review
Virology
Mohube B. Maepa, Abdullah Ely, Anna Kramvis, Kristie Bloom, Kubendran Naidoo, Omphile E. Simani, Tongai G. Maponga, Patrick Arbuthnot
Summary: Despite being vaccine-preventable, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a significant burden on public health in South Africa. Over 1.9 million people in South Africa are chronically infected with HBV, with 70% of Black chronic carriers infected with HBV subgenotype A1. HIV infection amplifies HBV replication and complicates management of the infection. Research on HBV in South Africa has made progress in understanding its epidemiology and management challenges, leading to recent revision of national guidelines and development of new vaccines and gene therapies.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Tasneem Farhad, Keila Neves, Patrick Arbuthnot, Mohube Betty Maepa
Summary: Adenoviral vaccines have been widely used in the fight against viral infections such as Ebola and COVID-19. They are also promising for the treatment and prevention of hepatitis B virus. Current hepatitis B therapies are not curative, but adenoviral vaccines have the potential to induce a strong immune response and efficiently target the liver.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Bavesh D. Kana, Patrick Arbuthnot, Benjamin K. Botwe, Yahya E. Choonara, Fatima Hassan, Hechmi Louzir, Precious Matsoso, Penny L. Moore, Apollo Muhairwe, Kubendran Naidoo, Margareth Ndomondo-Sigonda, Shabir A. Madhi
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to global collaboration in vaccine development, but vaccine distribution in Africa has been unequal. Initiatives are being taken to develop and manufacture COVID-19 vaccines in Africa, but challenges such as diminishing demand, cost competitiveness, intellectual property rights, and complex regulations may hinder these efforts. It is important to diversify vaccine manufacturing in Africa, enhance partnerships, and intensify research to ensure sustainability and preparedness.
LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Dylan Kairuz, Nazia Samudh, Abdullah Ely, Patrick Arbuthnot, Kristie Bloom
Summary: Africa, burdened with infectious diseases, relies heavily on First World countries for life-saving vaccines, which was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is now a growing interest in establishing mRNA vaccine manufacturing capabilities in Africa. This study explores the use of alphavirus-based self-amplifying RNAs delivered by lipid nanoparticles as an alternative to conventional mRNA vaccines, aiming to produce dose-sparing vaccines for resource-constrained countries. The optimization of saRNA production and identification of potential LNP candidates will facilitate saRNA vaccine and therapeutic development, with the saRNA platform offering simplicity, versatility, and a rapid response to future pandemics.
Article
Immunology
M. Paximadis, S. Perez Patrigeon, R. Rajasuriar, R. Tatoud, E. Scully, P. Arbuthnot
JOURNAL OF VIRUS ERADICATION
(2019)