Intercellular Interactions Mediated by HGF And TGF-Β Promote the 3D Spherical and Xenograft Growth of Liver Cancer Cells.

BACKGROUND: Recently, the importance of the interactions between liver cancer cells and fibroblasts has been increasingly recognized; however, many details remain to be explored. METHODS: In this work, we first studied their intercellular interactions using conditioned medium from mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), then through a previously established coculture model. RESULTS: Culturing in a conditioned medium from MEFs could significantly increase the growth, migration, and invasion of liver cancer cells. The coculture model further demonstrated that a positive feedback loop was formed between transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) from HepG2 cells and mHGF (mouse hepatocyte growth factor) from MEFs during coculture. In this feedback loop, c-Met expression in HepG2 cells was significantly increased, and its downstream signaling pathways, such as Src/FAK, PI3K/AKT, and RAF/MEK/ERK, were activated. Moreover, the proportion of activated MEFs was also increased. More importantly, the growth-promoting effects caused by the interaction of these two cell types were validated in vitro by a 3D spheroid growth assay and in vivo by a xenograft mouse model. CONCLUSION: Collectively, these findings provide valuable insights into the interactions between fibroblasts and liver cancer cells, which may have therapeutic implications for the treatment of liver cancer.

Association between the LINC00673 rs11655237 C> T polymorphisms with cancer risk in the Chinese population: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of previously published studies in order to clarify the association of long noncoding RNA (lncRNAs) LINC00673 rs11655237 C> T polymorphism with cancer risk. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. SETTING: Electronic databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Database were used to search relevant studies. Studies published up to October 20, 2019 were included. The included studies were assessed in the following genetic model: allelic model, homozygote model, Heterozygote model, dominant model, recessive model. Data syntheses were conducted using STATA 12.0. PARTICIPANTS: Participants with various types cancers were included. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CIs) were calculated to assess the risk of tumor. RESULTS: Seven articles including 7 case-control studies, 7423 cases and 11,049 controls were adopted for meta-analysis. Our result demonstrated that LINC00673 rs11655237 C> T was related to the cancer among all model including allelic model (T vs C: pooled OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.16-1.41, P < .001), homozygous model (TT vs CC: pooled OR=1.54, 95% CI = 1.36-1.76, P < .001), heterozygous model (CT vs CC: pooled OR=1.24, 95% CI = 1.16-1.32, P < .001), dominant model (CT + TT vs CC: pooled OR=1.28, 95% CI = 1.20-1.36, P < .001) and recessive model (TT vs CT+ CC: pooled OR=1.42, 95% CI = 1.25-1.61, P < .001). Subgroup analysis also demonstrated that polymorphisms at this site also increased the risk of neuroblastoma. CONCLUSIONS: Our results find that rs11655237 contributed to occurrence of cancer in all models in Chinese population.

Repeatability of corneal epithelial thickness measurements using Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography in normal and post-LASIK eyes.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the repeatability of corneal epithelial thickness (ET) and corneal thickness (CT) measurements in normal eyes and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK)-treated eyes using optical coherence tomography (RTVue system). METHODS: In 35 right eyes of 35 normal subjects and 45 right eyes of 45 subjects who underwent a myopic LASIK, corneal ET and CT were evaluated in 17 areas: (1) 1 central zone within a 0- to 2.0-mm diameter, (2) 8 paracentral zones from a 2.0- to 5.0-mm diameter, and (3) 8 peripheral zones from a 5.0- to 6.0-mm diameter. The repeatability was assessed using within-subject standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation, and intraclass correlation coefficient. RESULTS: At the central and paracentral zones, respectively, the SD values were 0.7 µm and 0.6 to 0.9 µm in normal eyes and 0.7 µm and 0.8 to 1.7 µm in LASIK-treated eyes for ET, and 1.0 µm and 2.8 to 4.6 µm in normal eyes and 1.3 µm and 4.0 to 4.8 µm in LASIK-treated eyes for CT. At the peripheral zones, in normal and LASIK-treated eyes, respectively, the SD values ranged from 0.8 to 1.2 µm and 1.4 to 2.2 µm for ET, and 4.1 to 6.4 µm and 6.0 to 9.1 µm for CT. The coefficient of variation values were low and intraclass correlation coefficient values were high in both groups for both ET and CT measurements. CONCLUSIONS: The Optical coherence tomography produced excellent repeatability, especially at the central and paracentral zones up to a 5-mm diameter for both corneal ET and CT measurements.

Optimizing intraocular lens power calculations in eyes with axial lengths above 25.0 mm.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of refractive prediction of 4 intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation formulas in eyes with axial length (AL) greater than 25.0 mm and to propose a method of optimizing AL to improve the accuracy. SETTING: Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA, and Department of Ophthalmology, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. DESIGN: Case series. METHODS: Refractive prediction errors with the Holladay 1, Haigis, SRK/T, and Hoffer Q formulas were evaluated in consecutive cases. Eyes were randomized to a group used to develop the method of optimizing AL by back-calculation or a group used for validation. Further validation was performed in 2 additional data sets. RESULTS: The optimized AL values were highly correlated with the IOLMaster AL (R(2) from 0.960 to 0.976). In the validating group, the method of optimizing AL significantly reduced the mean numerical errors for IOLs greater than 5.00 diopters (D) from +0.27 to +0.68 D to -0.10 to -0.02 D and for IOLs of 5.00 D or less from +1.13 to +1.87 D to -0.21 to +0.01 D, respectively (all P<.05). In 2 additional validation data sets, this method significantly reduced the percentage of eyes that would be left hyperopic. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method of optimizing AL significantly reduced the percentage of long eyes with a hyperopic outcome. Updated optimizing AL formulas by combining all eyes from the 2 study centers are proposed. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.