CD52 knockdown inhibits aerobic glycolysis and malignant behavior of NSCLC cells through AKT signaling pathway.

CD52 is an important functional regulator involved in the development of human cancer. In this study, the clinical significance and biological function of CD52 in the malignant behavior of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were explored. In this study, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed to determine the expression pattern of CD52 in NSCLC. Loss of function assays were used to evaluate the biological functions of CD52 in NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo. Our data indicated that the expression of CD52 was significantly elevated in NSCLC and correlated with the patient prognosis. Functionally, downregulation of CD52 expression significantly suppressed the proliferation, migration, aerobic glycolysis and tumorigenesis of NSCLC cells. Moreover, CD52 regulated aerobic glycolysis of NSCLC cells through the AKT pathway. Furthermore, aerobic glycolysis induced by 2-DG inhibited the proliferation of NSCLC cells. In conclusion, CD52 knockdown inhibited aerobic glycolysis and malignant behavior of NSCLC cells through AKT signaling pathway, which may be employed in an alternative therapeutic target for NSCLC.

Bilateral diffuse metastases in advanced lung adenocarcinoma harboring EGFR mutations was associated with a favorable prognosis to EGFR-TKIs.

Bilateral diffuse metastatic lung adenocarcinoma (BLDM-LUAD) is a special imaging pattern of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). We retrospectively assessed survival outcomes and co-mutation characteristics of BLDM-LUAD patients harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations who were treated with EGFR-yrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). From May 2016 to May 2021, among 458 patients who submitted samples for next generation sequencing (NGS) detection in 1125 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and 44 patients were diagnosed as BLDM-LUAD. In order to analyze the survival outcomes of BLDM-LUAD patients harboring EGFR mutations who were treated with EGFR-TKIs, the factors age, gender, smoking history, hydrothorax, site of EGFR mutations and EGFR-TKIs treatment were adjusted using propensity score-matching (PSM). The Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log-rank test were used to analyze progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The co-mutation characteristics of BLDM-LUAD patients harboring EGFR mutations were analyzed by NGS panels. 64 patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma harboring EGFR mutations and first-line treatment of EGFR-TKIs were successfully matched. BLDM-LUAD (n = 32) have significantly longer median PFS than control group (n = 32) (mPFS: 14 vs 6.2 months; p = .002) and insignificantly longer median OS than control group (mOS: 45 vs 25 months; p = .052). The patients with BLDM-LUAD have the higher frequency of EGFR mutation than control group (84.1% vs 62.0%) before PSM. The co-mutation genes kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) (9.4%), ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) (7.4%) and mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) (3.1%) only appeared in the control group after PSM. The BLDM-LUAD harboring EGFR mutations was associated with a favorable prognosis to EGFR-TKI.

lncRNA799/TBL1XR1/ZEB1 Axis Forms a Feedback Loop to Promote the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Cervical Cancer Cells.

Cervical cancer is a common malignancy among women worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are frequently involved in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the potentials of lncRNA799 in cervical cancer. mRNA and protein expression were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis, respectively. Cellular functions were assessed using CCK-8, wound healing and transwell analysis. The binding potential of zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) on the promoter of lncRNA799 was predicted utilizing the JASPAR database, and was then verified by luciferase and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays. Furthermore, the gene interactions were assessed using RNA immunoprecipitation and co-immunoprecipitation assays. The results demonstrated that lncRNA799 was upregulated in cervical cancer cells. However, lncRNA799 deficiency suppressed the proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of cervical cancer cells. Furthermore, lncRNA799 could interact with eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A3 to maintain the mRNA stability of transducin (ß)-like 1 X-linked receptor 1 (TBL1XR1) and promote the interaction between ZEB1 and TBL1XR1. Additionally, the results showed that ZEB1 could transcriptionally activate lncRNA799. Taken together, the present study suggested that the lncRNA799/TBL1XR1/ZEB1 axis could form a positive feedback loop in cervical cancer and could be, therefore, considered as a potential therapeutic strategy for cervical cancer.

Prediction of sentinel lymph node metastasis in breast cancer by using deep learning radiomics based on ultrasound images.

Sentinel lymph node metastasis (SLNM) is a crucial predictor for breast cancer treatment and survival. This study was designed to propose deep learning (DL) models based on grayscale ultrasound, color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), and elastography images, and to evaluate how DL radiomics can be used to classify SLNM in breast cancer. Clinical and ultrasound data of 317 patients diagnosed with breast cancer at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University were collected from January 2018 to December 2021 and randomly divided into training and internal validation cohorts at a ratio of 7:3. An external validation cohort comprising data from Nanchang Third Hospital with 42 patients collected. Three DL models, namely DL-grayscale, DL-CDFI, and DL-elastography, were proposed to predict SLNM by analyzing grayscale ultrasound, CDFI, and elastography images. Three DL models were compared and evaluated to assess diagnostic performance based on the area under the curve (AUC). The AUCs of the DL-grayscale were 0.855 and 0.788 in the internal and external validation cohorts, respectively. For the DL-CDFI model, the AUCs were 0.761 and 0.728, respectively. The diagnostic performance of DL-elastography was superior to that of the DL-grayscale and DL-CDFI. The AUC of the DL-elastography model was 0.879 in the internal validation cohort, with a classification accuracy of 86.13%, sensitivity of 91.60%, and specificity of 82.79%. The generalization capability of DL-elastography remained high in the external cohort, with an AUC of 0.876, and an accuracy of 85.00%. DL radiomics can be used to classify SLNM in breast cancer using ultrasound images. The proposed DL-elastography model based on elastography images achieved the best diagnostic performance and holds good potential for the management of patients with SLNM.

DPAM-PSPNet: ultrasonic image segmentation of thyroid nodule based on dual-path attention mechanism.

Objective.Deep learning has demonstrated its versatility in the medical field, particularly in medical image segmentation, image classification, and other forms of automated diagnostics. The clinical diagnosis of thyroid nodules requires radiologists to locate nodules, diagnose conditions based on nodule boundaries, textures and their experience. This task is labor-intensive and tiring; therefore, an automated system for accurate thyroid nodule segmentation is essential. In this study, a model named DPAM-PSPNet was proposed, which automatically segments nodules in thyroid ultrasound images and enables to segment malignant nodules precisely.Approach.In this paper, accurate segmentation of nodule edges is achieved by introducing the dual path attention mechanism (DPAM) in PSPNet. In one channel, it captures global information with a lightweight cross-channel interaction mechanism. In other channel, it focus on nodal margins and surrounding information through the residual bridge network. We also updated the integrated loss function to accommodate the DPAM-PSPNet.Main results.The DPAM-PSPNet was tested against the classical segmentation model. Ablation experiments were designed for the two-path attention mechanism and the new loss function, and generalization experiments were designed on the public dataset. Our experimental results demonstrate that DPAM-PSPNet outperforms other existing methods in various evaluation metrics. In the model comparison experiments, it achieved performance with an mIOU of 0.8675, mPA of 0.9357, mPrecision of 0.9202, and Dice coefficient of 0.9213.Significance.The DPAM-PSPNet model can segment thyroid nodules in ultrasound images with little training data and generate accurate boundary regions for these nodules.

An effective convolutional neural network for classification of benign and malignant breast and thyroid tumors from ultrasound images.

Breast and thyroid cancers are the two most common cancers among women worldwide. The early clinical diagnosis of breast and thyroid cancers often utilizes ultrasonography. Most of the ultrasound images of breast and thyroid cancer lack specificity, which reduces the accuracy of ultrasound clinical diagnosis. This study attempts to develop an effective convolutional neural network (E-CNN) for the classification of benign and malignant breast and thyroid tumors from ultrasound images. The 2-Dimension (2D) ultrasound images of 1052 breast tumors were collected, and 8245 2D tumor images were obtained from 76 thyroid cases. We performed tenfold cross-validation on breast and thyroid data, with a mean classification accuracy of 0.932 and 0.902, respectively. In addition, the proposed E-CNN was applied to classify and evaluate 9297 mixed images (breast and thyroid images). The mean classification accuracy was 0.875, and the mean area under the curve (AUC) was 0.955. Based on data in the same modality, we transferred the breast model to classify typical tumor images of 76 patients. The finetuning model achieved a mean classification accuracy of 0.945, and a mean AUC of 0.958. Meanwhile, the transfer thyroid model realized a mean classification accuracy of 0.932, and a mean AUC of 0.959, on 1052 breast tumor images. The experimental results demonstrate the ability of the E-CNN to learn the features and classify breast and thyroid tumors. Besides, it is promising to classify benign and malignant tumors from ultrasound images with the transfer model under the same modality.

Overexpression of Karyopherin α2 in small cell carcinoma of the cervix correlates with poor prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Cervical small cell carcinoma (SCCC) is uncommon and little is known about its molecular markers. Karyopherin α2 (KPNA2) has been demonstrated in a variety of malignancies. Our objective was to determine whether the KPNA2 level is predictive of clinical outcome in patients with SCCC. METHODS: We detected KPNA2 expression by immunohistochemistry in SCCC tumors from 62 patients. The staining results were evaluated by H-score. The correlation among KPNA2 expression level, clinical characteristics, and prognosis was analyzed. RESULTS: KPNA2 expression was detected in tumor tissue from 55 patients with SCCC (55/62, 89%). High KPNA2 expression correlated significantly with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging (P=0.035), tumor size (P=0.019), poorer overall survival (OS) (P=0.008), and poorer disease-free survival (P=0.004) compared to low KPNA2 expression. Multivariate analysis showed that KPNA2 expression level (P=0.037) and tumor size (P=0.046) were independent prognostic factors of OS. CONCLUSIONS: KPNA2 may be a molecular marker and indicator of prognosis in SCCC.

A Special Ancient Bronze Sword and Its Possible Manufacturing Technique from Materials Science Analysis.

In this study, it was found that an ancient bronze sword had special microstructures, i.e., a tin (Sn)-rich layer (Sn: 38.51 wt.%), that was around 0.1-0.3 mm in thickness in the bronze substrate (Sn: 18.57 wt.%). This sword was unearthed from the same Chu tombs of the "Sword of Gou Jian", and dated back to the late Spring and Autumn Period (496 BC-464 BC). The experimental and theoretical analyses revealed that (1) the Sn-rich layer exhibited higher microhardness (around 650 HV) than the sword body (around 300 HV); (2) the Sn-rich layer showed a brittle fracture due to the formation of a large amount of α + δ eutectoid, while the sword body was of good toughness due to a large amount of α-Cu solid solution phase; and (3) theoretical calculations of Sn diffusion in the Cu substrate indicated that this Sn-rich layer could have been formed within several hours or several days if the temperature was above 600 °C. Therefore, this sword was proposed to be a novel kind of composite bronze sword, and the possible manufacturing technique was a surface treatment called "dip or wipe tinning" or tin amalgam, which was widely used in the Bronze Age. Technically, this process possesses more advantages than the well-known two-times casting for making the "double-colour" or bi-metallic composite bronze sword. This research showed that the materials processing level was beyond our expectations for ancient China 2500 years ago.

Evaluation of a New Norovirus Genogroups GI and GII In Vitro Molecular Diagnostic Assay Using Clinical Specimens Collected from Acute Diarrheal Outbreaks.

Norovirus is a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in Taiwan. To improve diagnosis as part of laboratory surveillance, AGE surveillance was conducted using a new fluorescent probe hydrolysis-based insulated isothermal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, the POCKIT system, and the results were compared with those obtained from conventional methods. A total of 119 clinical stool samples from reported AGE outbreaks were collected for this study. From 83 real-time reverse transcription PCR (rRT-PCR) norovirus-positive cases, the POCKIT system identified 78 with a sensitivity of 90.3% in GI genogroup and 96.7% in GII genogroup. The specificity for both GI and GII genogroups was 100%. Overall, the POCKIT system is faster and easier to use than the conventional rRT-PCR method, and because of its high sensitivity and specificity, this system is a promising alternative for the detection of norovirus in patients with AGE, and would benefit public health laboratories for near real-time surveillance of AGE epidemic outbreaks.

Norovirus Genogroup II Epidemics and the Potential Effect of Climate Change on Norovirus Transmission in Taiwan.

The activity of norovirus varies from season to season, and the effect of climate change on the incidence of norovirus outbreaks is a widely recognized yet poorly understood phenomenon. Investigation of the possible association between climatic factors and the incidence of norovirus is key to a better understanding of the epidemiology of norovirus and early prediction of norovirus outbreaks. In this study, clinical stool samples from acute gastroenteritis outbreaks were collected from January 2015 to June 2019 in Taiwan. Data analysis from our study indicated that more than half of the cases were reported in the winter and spring seasons, including those caused by norovirus of genotypes GII (genogroup II).2, GII.3, GII.6, and GII.17, and 45.1% of the patients who tested positive for norovirus were infected by the GII.4 norovirus in autumn. However, GII.6 norovirus accounted for a higher proportion of the cases reported in summer than any other strain. Temperature is a crucial factor influencing patterns of epidemic outbreaks caused by distinct genotypes of norovirus. The results of this study may help experts predict and issue early public warnings of norovirus transmission and understand the effect of climate change on norovirus outbreaks caused by different genotypes and occurring in different locations.

Patient with EGFR-mutant lung cancer harboring de novo MET amplification successfully treated with gefitinib combined with crizotinib.

While 50% of lung adenocarcinoma patients in Asia have mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) site, there are few patients with the EGFR mutation accompanied by de novo mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) amplification. Due to the low incidence rate, there is no consensus regarding treatment. Here, a case of a 62-year-old never smoker presented with EGFR Exon19del and de novo MET amplification. A radiographic examination and computed tomography (CT) imaging were conducted on the chest and middle abdomen. A pulmonary puncture was performed and a sample of the lung tissue was used for pathologic diagnosis. Immunohistochemistry was performed for the expression of CK, P40, P63, ttf-1, NapsinA, alk-d5f3, and ki-67 on the cancer cells. Craniocerebral magnetic resonance and whole body bone imaging were completed. Second-generation gene sequencing (next-generation sequencing [NGS]) and fluorescence in situ hybridization examination were also performed to further characterize the cancer cells. A radiographic examination was performed and revealed space-occupying lesions in the lungs. CT results revealed a mass in the upper lobe of the left lung. The pathologic diagnosis was non-small cell carcinoma T3N2M1a. Second-generation gene sequencing (NGS) indicated EGFR Exon 19del (p.E746_A750del, mutant abundance: 13.99%) with de novo MET amplification (CHR: q31.2, CN = 4.0). Fluorescence in situ hybridization examination confirmed MET amplification. Targeted therapy with gefitinib combined with crizotinib was administered as treatment. Four weeks later, the CT results revealed a substantial reduction in the lesion size. The patient was followed up with favorable complete recovery and no tumor-related symptoms. Although crizotinib is efficacious when used alone in follow-up treatment; however, these results of this case and others indicate that it is likely safe to use both drugs together in the case of drug resistance.

[A new antiviral isoquinoline alkaloid from Thalictrum glandulosissimum].

A new isoquinoline alkaloid(1) has been isolated from the whole plant of Thalictrum glandulosissimum by using various chromatographic techniques, including silica gel, sephadex, MCI-gel resin, and RP-HPLC, and its structure was determined as 1-(6-hydroxy-7-methylisoquinolin-1-yl) ethantone by physicochemical properties and spectroscopic data. This compound was evaluated for anti-tobacco mosaic virus(TMV) activity. The results showed that it had prominent anti-TMV activity with inhibition rates of 28.4%. This rate was closed to that of positive control.

[A new antimicrobial isobenzoisofuran compound from Cassia pumila].

A new isobenzoisofuran(1) has been isolated from the whole plant of Cassia pumila using various chromatographic techniques, including silica gel, Sephadex, MCI-gel resin, and RP-HPLC, and its structure was determined as 9-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2,2-dimethyl-2H-furo[3,4-g]chromen-6(8H)-one. This compound was also evaluated for its antibacterial activity. The results showed that it had prominent antibacterial activity with MIC_(90) value of(45.2±4.2) µg·mL~(-1) for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) strain. This value was closed to that of levofloxacin [with MIC_(90) value(48.5±4.3) µg·mL~(-1)].

[A new cytotoxic flavone from Cassia nomame].

A new flavone( 1) has been isolated from the whole plant of Cassia nomame by using various chromatographic techniques,including silica gel,Sephadex,MCI-gel resin,and RP-HPLC,and its structure was determined as 8,4'-dimethoxy-7-( 2-oxopropyl)-flavone based on spectroscopic data. The biological activity test showed that this compound displayed potent cytotoxicity against NB4,SH-SY5 Y,PC3,A549 and MCF-7 cell lines with IC50 values 2. 2,1. 8,3. 4,4. 5 and 1. 6 µmol·L-1,respectively.

[A new isobenzofuranone derivative from Chaenomeles sinensis and its antibacterial activity].

A new isobenzofuranone derivative was isolated from Chaenomeles sinensis by using various chromatographic techniques,including silica gel,Sephadex LH-20,MCI-gel resin and RP-HPLC. This compound was determined as 2,2-dimethyl-5-( 2-oxopropyl)-2 H-furo[3,4-h]chromen-7( 9 H)-one( 1) by NMR,MS,IR and UV spectra,and was also evaluated for its antibacterial activity. The results showed that it showed prominent antibacterial activity with MIC90 value of( 53. 7±4. 5) mg·L-1 for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus( MRSA) strain. This value is close to that of levofloxacin [with MIC90 value( 50. 2± 4. 2) mg·L-1].

Role of Long Noncoding RNA 799 in the Metastasis of Cervical Cancer through Upregulation of TBL1XR1 Expression.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely associated with the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer development, and it would be highly useful to study their expression and mechanisms in cervical cancer too. The current study investigated lncRNA799 expression in cervical cancer in order to determine its clinical importance in the progression of cervical cancer. lncRNA799 expression was studied in 218 cervical cancer samples. Expression of lncRNA799 was significantly higher in the cervical cancer tissue than in the adjacent normal tissue. Overexpression of lncRNA799 was found to have a significant correlation with FIGO stage, SCC-Ag level, and lymphatic metastasis, and it was also associated with poor survival. Ectopic expression of lncRNA799 promoted the metastasis of SiHa cells, whereas lncRNA799 knockdown had an inhibitory effect on metastasis. Western blot analysis demonstrated that lncRNA799 promotes the expression of transducing ß-like protein 1-related protein (TBL1XR1), and that lncRNA799 and TBL1XR1 expression show strong correlation in cervical cancer. Moreover, lncRNA799 modulated the expression of TBL1XR1 by acting as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-454-3P. The results indicate that lncRNA799 could be used as a novel marker of cervical cancer prognosis. Thus, targeting the ceRNA network involving lncRNA799 could be a potential treatment strategy against cervical cancer.

Zeolite Supported-Nano TiO2 Composites Prepared by a Facile Solid Diffusion Process as High Performance Photocatalysts.

In this paper, zeolite supported-nano TiO2 photocatalytic composites were synthesized by an easily-operated solid diffusion process, in which zeolite was used as the support matrix. And the microstructures, morphologies and photocatalytic properties of the zeolite supported-nano TiO2 composites were characterized and analyzed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and methylene blue degradation tests. The results showed that zeolite matrix reduced agglomeration of nano-TiO2 and enhanced the absorption ability within the UV-Vis range, consequently increased the photocatalytic activity of the composites. Meanwhile, the influences of TiO2/zeolite proportion on their photocatalytic performances were explored, which indicated that 90 wt% TiO2/zeolite had optimal photocatalytic capability and stable properties.

Expression of programmed death ligand-1 predicts poor outcome in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is a potentially important tumor immunotherapy target. However, whether PD-L1 expression is associated with survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between PD-L1 expression and prognosis in NPC. The expression of PD-L1 was assessed in tumor specimens from 120 patients with NPC using immunohistochemistry. Staining was evaluated using the H-score method. The associations between PD-L1 expression and clinical characteristics and prognosis were analyzed. Overall, 78% of the patients had stage I-III and 22% had stage IV disease. The estimated 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates for the entire cohort were 87.5 and 70.1%, respectively. PD-L1 expression was detected in 85 (71%) patients and was localized to the tumor cells. High tumor expression of PD-L1 (median H-score ≥5) was associated with significantly poorer OS (P=0.023) and DFS (P=0.002). Univariate analysis indicated that low PD-L1 expression was associated with better DFS compared with high PD-L1 expression (HR=0.163, 95% CI: 0.044-0.600, P=0.006 for DFS). Multivariate analysis revealed that T stage (HR=8.190, 95% CI: 1.355-18.152; P=0.023) and PD-L1 expression level (HR=0.124, 95% CI: 0.031-0.509; P=0.001) served as independent prognostic factors for DFS. In conclusion, tumor PD-L1 expression was found to be a significant prognostic factor in NPC, and high PD-L1 expression may be of prognostic value for recurrence and metastasis following conventional treatments.

Clinicopathologic characteristics and prognostic factors for primary spinal epidural lymphoma: report on 36 Chinese patients and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Due to the uncommon nature of primary spinal epidural lymphomas (PSELs), there has been little research looking at prognostic indicators for the tumor. To our knowledge, this is the largest study to evaluate possible clinical and pathologic prognostic factors in PSEL patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 130 cases of PSEL, including 36 Chinese patients and 94 published case reports from 1985 to 2015. Patient treatment regimens included surgery (S; n = 119), surgery followed by chemotherapy (S + CT; n = 25), surgery followed by radiotherapy (S + RT; n = 26), and surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy (S + CT + RT; n = 50). RESULTS: Review of the most recent case follow-up data (time varied) found 51 patients (47%) alive and tumor-free, 10 patients (9%) alive with tumor present, and 47 patients (44%) deceased. The 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 81.1% and 46.3%, respectively. Favorable prognostic factors found by univariate analysis were female sex, B-cell lymphoma diagnosis, cervical spine location, and combined modality treatment. Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed that thoracic spine location (HR = 4.629, 95% CI = [1.911, 31.667], P = 0.042 for OS) and the lack of combined modality treatment (HR = 12.697, 95% CI = [2.664, 48.612], P < 0.0001 for DFS) were associated with poor survival in PSEL patients. CONCLUSIONS: PSEL demonstrates specific clinical features and is associated with a relatively good prognosis. Thoracic spine location is a significant poor prognostic factor, and combined modality treatment is associated with improved disease-free survival, but not overall survival.

Overexpression of long noncoding RNA HOTAIR predicts a poor prognosis in patients with cervical cancer.

PURPOSE: The long noncoding RNA HOTAIR has been reported to be a good biomarker for poor prognosis in a variety of human cancers. However, whether HOTAIR could serve as novel biomarker to predict prognosis in cervical cancer or not is unknown. The aim of the present study was to examine the expression of HOTAIR in cervical cancers and to investigate the relationship between this lncRNA expression levels and existing clinicopathological factors and patient survival. METHODS: We examined the expression of HOTAIR in 218 cervical cancer tissues and matched 218 adjacent normal tissues using quantitative real-time RT-PCR and analyzed its correlation with the clinical parameters. RESULTS: The results showed that HOTAIR expression in cervical cancer tissues was significantly upregulated compared with the matched nontumorous tissues (P < 0.0001). Increased HOTAIR expression was significantly correlated with FIGO stage (P < 0.0001), lymph node metastasis (P < 0.0001), depth of cervical invasion (P < 0.0001), tumor size (P = 0.006) and age (P = 0.020), but not other clinical characteristics. Moreover, cervical cancer patients with HOTAIR higher expression have shown significantly poorer overall survival (P < 0.0001) and disease-free survival (P < 0.0001) than those with lower HOTAIR expression. Univariate (P < 0.0001, HR = 4.566, 95 % CI 2.122-9.825) and multivariate (P = 0.012, HR = 2.863, 95 % CI 1.263-76.490). Cox regression analyses showed that HOTAIR expression served as an independent predictor for overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: our data indicate that high expression of HOTAIR is involved in cervical cancer progression and could be a potential target for diagnosis and gene therapy.