Xia & He Publishing Inc.

According to the latest Global Cancer Statistics, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounted for more than 900,000 newly diagnosed cases and over 830,000 deaths in 2020, underscoring its substantial global health burden. Although advances in surgical resection, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy have improved the management of HCC, patient outcomes remain unsatisfactory because of pronounced molecular heterogeneity, frequent recurrence, and a strong tendency toward invasion and metastasis.

Bioactive peptides (BPs) are short protein fragments, generally comprising 2-20 amino acid residues, that exert biological activities beyond their nutritional value. They are usually encrypted within parent proteins and become active after proteolytic cleavage. Their amino acid sequence, conformation, and post-translational modifications influence stability, bioactivity, and therapeutic potential.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a widespread chronic metabolic condition. Its global incidence has risen steadily with the increasing prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes, currently affecting nearly 38% of the global population. Recent studies indicate that MASLD is characterized by chronic metabolic dysfunction, which leads to abnormal lipid deposition in the liver.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a major challenge in hepatology and remains an important cause of abnormal liver biochemistry, post-marketing drug withdrawal, and acute liver failure. Its clinical course is highly heterogeneous. Although most patients recover after withdrawal of the implicated agent, a substantial proportion develop persistent liver test abnormalities beyond 6 months, a phenotype commonly regarded as DILI chronicity.

Emerging data indicate that 28%–55% of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) do not meet the conventional criteria for any established phase in the natural history of the disease and are therefore classified as being in the indeterminate phase. Previous studies have reported on the severity of liver injury and hepatic fibrosis, as well as the risks of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in CHB patients in the indeterminate phase. Wang et al.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a clinical syndrome that develops in patients with chronic liver disease who present with acute hepatic dysfunction and is characterized by hepatic and/or extrahepatic organ failure and systemic inflammation. The 90-day mortality for ACLF ranges from 40% to 58%. ACLF is associated with concomitant immune dysfunction, which increases susceptibility to bacterial infection.

Emerging diseases are diseases that either spread in a population for the first time or may have existed in the past but are spreading geographically or rapidly. Beyond the immediate medical expenses, emerging diseases have significant economic effects. They may hinder travel and trade or raise unwarranted concerns, particularly if there are persistent rumors of deliberate use. Well-coordinated worldwide surveillance and response are the solutions to the global threat posed by emerging diseases.

The advent of high-throughput genomic technologies has revolutionized cancer research, generating an unprecedented volume of gene expression data. Microarrays and, more recently, RNA sequencing have enabled simultaneous profiling of thousands of genes, producing lists of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across tumor subtypes, stages, and treatment conditions. Although these lists provide valuable initial observations, they offer limited functional insight without further interpretation.

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remains a major public health issue worldwide. Although hepatitis B vaccination has been widely implemented and antiviral therapies have significantly improved patient outcomes, hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver disease continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in the Western Pacific and African regions.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease resulting from perturbations in the immune system, characterized by the production of diverse autoantibodies, immune complex deposition, and chronic inflammation, and it ultimately leads to multi-organ damage. SLE affects approximately 3.4 million people worldwide, with a higher prevalence in females than in their male counterparts.