ArticleHepatology international2026
Expanded but dysfunctional regulatory T cells in treatment-naïve autoimmune hepatitis.
Article in Hepatology international, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Methodological Considerations in the MAFLD-MASLD Dichotomy for Cardiac Risk Assessment.Hepatology international · 2026Article
- Letter to the Editor: Comparison of diagnostic criteria for fatty liver disease in assessing cardiac dysfunction: a cross-sectional study.Hepatology international · 2026Article
- Comment on "Comparison of diagnostic criteria for fatty liver disease in assessing cardiac dysfunction: a cross-sectional study".Hepatology international · 2026Article
- Comment on "Comparison of diagnostic criteria for fatty liver disease in assessing cardiac dysfunction: a cross-sectional study".Hepatology international · 2026Article
- Methodological considerations for interpreting associations between fatty liver disease definitions and cardiac diastolic function.Hepatology international · 2026Article
- Methodological and clinical considerations on MAFLD vs MASLD for identifying LV diastolic dysfunction.Hepatology international · 2026Article
- Refining the assessment of cardiac dysfunction in MAFLD and MASLD: a commentary on study limitations.Hepatology international · 2026Article
- Diagnostic criteria for fatty liver disease: lessons from other diseases.Hepatology international · 2026Article
- Response to letter to the editor "Diagnostic criteria for fatty liver disease: lessons from other diseases".Hepatology international · 2026Article
- Autoimmune Hepatitis: A Review of Molecular Mechanisms and Research Gaps in African Populations.Biology · 2026Review
- Revealing the pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis and research progress in drug discovery from hepatic immune cells and intercellular communication signaling mechanisms.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundAutoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic inflammatory liver disease characterized by immune-mediated hepatocellular injury. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are crucial for maintaining immune tolerance, but their role in AIH remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the phenotype, function, and tissue distribution of Tregs in AIH and examine their potential association with immune dysregulation.
methodsPeripheral blood and liver samples were collected from 57 biopsy-confirmed AIH patients. Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from one individual per group (healthy control, before treatment, and flare after steroid discontinuation). Flow cytometry (PBMCs n = 45; livers n = 37) and immunohistochemistry (IHC, n = 33) assessed Treg frequency and phenotype. Treg suppressive function was evaluated using co-culture assays with effector T cells (Teffs) isolated from PBMCs (n = 25).
resultsIHC revealed marked immune cell infiltration in AIH liver tissues, and FOXP3 + cell counts correlated positively with serum AST levels (p = 0.0096) and portal-peripheral activity severity (p < 0.05). Single-cell RNA sequencing showed expansion of distinct Tregs and transcriptional changes, including IL-7R upregulation suggesting functional instability. Flow cytometry confirmed significantly increased total and activated Tregs in AIH liver samples (both p < 0.0001). However, co-culture assays demonstrated that Tregs from AIH patients had markedly reduced suppressive capacity compared to healthy controls (p < 0.0001).
conclusionsDespite their expansion in liver tissue, Tregs in AIH exhibit impaired suppressive function, indicating functional instability contributes to immune dysregulation in AIH.
Indexed as
Identifiers
41364306What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.