Short-term efficacy of microwave ablation in the treatment of liver cancer and its effect on immune function

BACKGROUND Hepatectomy is the first choice for treating liver cancer.However,inflammatory factors,released in response to pain stimulation,may suppress perioperative immune function and affect the prognosis of patients undergoing hepatectomies.AIM To determine the short-term efficacy of microwave ablation in the treatment of liver cancer and its effect on immune function.METHODS Clinical data from patients with liver cancer admitted to Suzhou Ninth People’s Hospital from January 2020 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Thirty-five patients underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy for liver cancer(liver cancer resection group)and 35 patients underwent medical image-guided microwave ablation(liver cancer ablation group).The short-term efficacy,complications,liver function,and immune function indices before and after treatment were compared between the two groups.RESULTS One month after treatment,19 patients experienced complete remission(CR),8 patients experienced partial remission(PR),6 patients experienced stable disease(SD),and 2 patients experienced disease progression(PD)in the liver cancer resection group.In the liver cancer ablation group,21 patients experienced CR,9 patients experienced PR,3 patients experienced SD,and 2 patients experienced PD.No significant differences in efficacy and complications were detected between the liver cancer ablation and liver cancer resection groups(P>0.05).After treatment,total bilirubin(41.24±7.35 vs 49.18±8.64μmol/L,P<0.001),alanine aminotransferase(30.85±6.23 vs 42.32±7.56 U/L,P<0.001),CD4+(43.95±5.72 vs 35.27±5.56,P<0.001),CD8+(20.38±3.91 vs 22.75±4.62,P<0.001),and CD4+/CD8+(2.16±0.39 vs 1.55±0.32,P<0.001)were significantly different between the liver cancer ablation and liver cancer resection groups.CONCLUSION The short-term efficacy and safety of microwave ablation and laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of liver cancer are similar,but liver function recovers quickly after microwave ablation,and microwave ablation may enhance immune function.

Pseudothrombus deposition accompanied with minimal change nephrotic syndrome and chronic kidney disease in a patient with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia: A case report

BACKGROUND Waldenstr?m’s macroglobulinemia(WM) is a rare lymphoid neoplasia, which can have renal complications. These rarely occur, and most common renal manifestations are mild proteinuria and microscopic hematuria. Herein we describe a case of WM that presented with pseudothrombi depositing in capillaries associated with minimal change nephrotic syndrome and chronic kidney disease(CKD).CASE SUMMARY A 52-year-old man presented with features suggesting nephrotic syndrome.Extensive workups were done, and there were elevated serum levels of interleukin-6 and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF), capillary pseudothrombus accumulation associated with minimal change nephrotic syndrome, CKD, and WM. Treatment was directed at the patient’s WM with bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone whereby serum immunoglobulin M(IgM) decreased. The damage of IgM on the kidney was corrected; thus, the patient’s proteinuria and serum creatinine had improved. The patient is still under clinical follow-up.CONCLUSION It is essential for clinicians to promptly pay more attention to patients presenting with features of nephrotic syndrome and do extensive workups to come up with a proper therapy strategy.

TOPK Activation Exerts Protective Effects on Cisplatin-induced Acute Kidney Injury

Objective:T-LAK-cell-originated protein kinase(TOPK),a PSD95-Disc large-ZO1(PDZ)binding kinase(PBK),is a novel member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)family.Studies have shown that TOPK plays a critical role in the function of tumor cells,including apoptosis and mitosis.However,little is known on the effect of TOPK in cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury(CP-AKI).This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of TOPK in CPAKI.Methods:Cisplatin was administered to C57BL/6 mice and cultured kidney tubular epithelial cells(TECs)to establish the CP-AKI murine or cellular models.TECs were then stimulated with the specific inhibitor of TOPK OTS514 or transfected with the recombinant-activated plasmid TOPK-T9E to inhibit or activate TOPK.The TECs were treated with AKT inhibitorⅧfollowing stimulation with OTS514 or cisplatin.Western blotting and flow cytometry were used to evaluate the cell cycle and apoptosis of TECs.Results:The analysis revealed that the TOPK activity was significantly suppressed by cisplatin,both in vivo and in vitro.Furthermore,the pharmacological inhibition of TOPK by OTS514,a specific inhibitor of TOPK,exacerbated the cisplatin-induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase and apoptosis of cultured TECs.Moreover,the TOPK activation via the TOPK-T9E plasmid transfection could partially reverse the cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and apoptosis of cisplatin-treated TECs.In addition,AKT/protein kinase B(PKB),as a TOPK target protein,was inhibited by cisplatin in cultured TECs.The pharmaceutical inhibition of AKT further aggravated the apoptosis of TECs induced by cisplatin or TOPK inhibition.TOPK systematically mediated the apoptosis via the AKT pathway in the CP-AKI cell model.Conclusion:These results indicate that TOPK activation protects against CP-AKI by ameliorating the G2/M cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis.