Search

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have been used to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) since 2017. The safety of ICIs in the setting of solid organ transplantation remains controversial. When used in the post-transplant setting, ICIs have been associated with high allograft rejection rates, but there are few published reports on the use of ICIs prior to transplant. We present the first reported case of rescue liver re-transplantation after loss of the first allograft due to severe acute rejection with extensive hepatic necrosis in the setting of pre-transplant ICI therapy with the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab. It is likely that the durable immune response triggered by nivolumab contributes to graft rejection, therefore extreme caution should be taken when using ICIs before transplant until further investigation has been conducted on their safety in the pre-transplant setting.

in press

The hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) localize at the space of Disse in the liver and have multiple functions. They are identified as the major contributor to hepatic fibrosis. Significant understanding of HSCs has been achieved using rodent models and isolated murine HSCs; as well as investigating human liver tissues and human HSCs. There is growing interest and need of translating rodent study findings to human HSCs and human liver diseases. However, species-related differences impose challenges on the translational research. In this review, we focus on the current information on human HSCs isolation methods, human HSCs markers, and established human HSC cell lines.

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common causes of death among women, and second in Iran. The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency of RAD51 G/C polymorphism in patients with breast cancer. We evaluated these polymorphisms and effects on the breast cancer risk association in a Iranian sporadic population-based case-control study of 294 breast cancer cases and 315 controls using a PCR-RFLP-based assay. Analyses of affected and controls show that homozygote genotype RAD51 GG has the highest frequency in both groups (33.3 in patients and 41.4 in control group). Genotype RAD51 GG most risk factor were in our population: [CC/GC odds ratio, 0.364 (95 % confidence interval; CI, 0.168-0.788) p = 0.009, CC/GG odds ratio, 0.828 (95 % CI, 0.411-1.668) p = 0.596], GG/GC odds ratio, 2.276 (95 % CI, 1.497-3.460) p = 0.001]. There was a significant association of breast cancer risk with RAD51 GG and CC polymorphism.