Cirrhosis develops from liver fibrosis and is the severe pathological stage of all chronic liver injury. Cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection is especially common. Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis involve excess production of extracellular matrix, which is closely related to liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs). Damaged LSECs can synthesize transforming growth factor-beta and platelet-derived growth factor, which activate hepatic stellate cells and facilitate the synthesis of extracellular matrix. Herein, we highlight the angiogenic cytokines of LSECs related to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis at different stages and focus on the formation and development of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Inhibition of LSEC angiogenesis and antiangiogenic therapy are described in detail. Targeting LSECs has high therapeutic potential for liver diseases. Further understanding of the mechanism of action will provide stronger evidence for the development of anti-LSEC drugs and new directions for diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases.
We have performed in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and first-principles calculations to explore the compression behavior of barium hexaboride (BaB6) under high pressure.
Hydrogen-rich compounds provide an efficient route to pre-compressing hydrogen molecules and facilitating the creation of metallic hydrogen at much reduced pressure. Motivated by the long-sought theoretically proposed calcium hydrides, we have performed high-pressure experiments on the Ca–H system in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. The unconventional compound CaH4 with I4/mmm symmetry has been discovered to be stable above 25.5 GPa. Of particular significance is the crystal structure of CaH4, which has an elongated H2 molecular unit whose intramolecular bond strength changes with pressure. Below the dissociation pressure of pure hydrogen, the elongated H2 unit is likely to dissociate into an atomic one. Our findings indicate that the presence of Ca atoms causes a very positive chemical pre-compression effect to potentially prompt the dissociation of the H2 unit.
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