Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and accounts for the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Over the past decades, advances have been made in the field of surgery, but effective treatment of HCC is lacking. Due to a marked male predominance in morbidity and mortality in HCC patients, it has long been considered that sex hormones play a role in HCC development. Recently estrogen has been proven to exert protective effects against HCC through IL-6 restrictions, STAT3 inactivation and tumour-associated macrophage inhibition. While IL-6-dependent STAT3 activation is considered a key event in inflammation-induced liver cancer, the anti-inflammation effect of estrogen is well documented. The roles of the estrogen receptor and aromatase and interactions between microRNAs and estrogen in HCC have been investigated. In this review, we present a novel model to elucidate the mechanism of estrogen-mediated inhibition of HCC development through an anti-inflammation effect and provide new insights into the roles of estrogen in liver disease.

Liver metastasis is a frequent occurrence in patients with breast cancer; however, the available treatments are limited and ineffective. While liver-specific homing of breast cancer cells is an important feature of metastasis, the formation of liver metastases is not random. Indeed, breast cancer cell factors contribute to the liver microenvironment. Major breakthroughs have been achieved recently in understanding breast cancer liver metastasis (BCLM). The process of liver metastasis consists of multiple steps and involves various factors from breast cancer cells and the liver microenvironment. A further understanding of the roles of breast cancer cells and the liver microenvironment is crucial to guide future work in clinical treatments. In this review we discuss the contribution of breast cancer cells and the liver microenvironment to liver metastasis, with the aim to improve therapeutic efficacy for patients with BCLM.

Aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) is a photophysical phenomenon that a certain group of luminescent materials that become highly luminous when aggregated in a bad solvent or solid state. This year is the 20th anniversary since the AIE concept firstly proposed in 2001. Many advanced applications were gradually being explored, covering optics, electronics, energy, and bioscience and so on. At present, bibliometrics can enlighten the researchers with comprehensive sights of the achievements and trends of a specific field, which is critical for academic investigations. Herein, we presented a general bibliometric overview of AIE covering 20 years of evolution. With the assistance of Web of Science Core Collection database and several bibliometric software tools, the annual publication and citation, most influential countries/regions, most contributing authors, journals and institutions, second near‐infrared (NIR‐II) related hotspots, as well as the forecast of frontiers were demonstrated and systematically analyzed. This study summarizes the current research status in AIE research field and provides a reference for future research directions.

Lymph node metastasis is a major metastatic route of cancer and significantly influences the prognosis of cancer patients. Radical lymphadenectomy is crucial for a successful surgery. However, iatrogenic normal organ injury during lymphadenectomy is a troublesome complication. Here, this paper reports a kind of organic nanoprobes (IDSe‐IC2F nanoparticles (NPs)) with excellent second near‐infrared (NIR‐II) fluorescence and photothermal properties. IDSe‐IC2F NPs can effectively label lymph nodes and helped achieve high‐contrast lymphatic imaging. More importantly, by jointly using IDSe‐IC2F nanoparticles and other kinds of nanoparticles with different excitation/emission properties, a multichannel NIR‐II fluorescence imaging modality and imaging‐guided lymphadenectomy is proposed. With the help of this navigation system, the iatrogenic injury can be largely avoided. In addition, NIR‐II fluorescence imaging‐guided photothermal treatment (“hot” strategy) can ablate those metastatic lymph nodes which are difficult to deal with during resection (“cold” strategy). Nanoprobes‐assisted and multichannel NIR‐II fluorescence imaging‐guided “cold” and “hot” treatment strategy provides a general new basis for the future precision surgery.