TC2N Promotes Cell Proliferation and Metastasis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Targeting the Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most prevalent types of cancer worldwide, has an exceedingly poor prognosis. Tandem C2 domain nuclear protein (TC2N) has been implicated in tumorigenesis and serves as an oncogene or tumor suppressor in different types of cancer. Here, we explore the possible regulatory activities and molecular mechanisms of TC2N in HCC progression. However, TC2N expression was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues and hepatoma cell lines, and this upregulation was positively correlated with tumor progression in HCC patients. The ectopic overexpression of TC2N accelerated the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells, whereas its knockdown showed the opposite effects. Bioinformatics analysis showed that TC2N participates in the regulation of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Mechanistically, TC2N activated the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway by regulating the expression levels of ß-catenin and its downstream targets CyclinD1, MMP7, c-Myc, c-Jun, AXIN2, and glutamine synthase. Furthermore, the deletion of ß-catenin effectively neutralized the regulation of TC2N in HCC proliferation and metastasis. Overall, this study showed that TC2N promotes HCC proliferation and metastasis by activating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway, indicating that TC2N might be a potential molecular target for the treatment of HCC.

[Clinical effect of acupoint thread-embedding therapy at different intervals in the intervention of metabolic syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effect of acupoint thread-embedding therapy at different intervals in the treatment of metabolic syndrome, and to find the optimal treatment interval. METHODS: A total of 70 patients with metabolic syndrome were randomly divided into treatment group 1 (n＝35)and treatment group 2(n＝35). Both groups were given acupoint thread-embedding therapy at Zhongwan (CV12), bilateral Liangmen (ST21), bilateral Huaroumen (ST24), bilateral Tianshu (ST25), bilateral Daimai (GB26), Guanyuan (CV4), bilateral Dachangshu (BL25), bilateral Pishu (BL20), bilateral Zusanli (ST36), bilateral Yinlingquan (SP9), and bilateral Fenglong (ST40), and the treatment interval was 7 d for treatment group 1 and 14 d for treatment group 2. Each course of treatment was 42 d, and both groups were treated for 2 courses. Waist circumfe-rence (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI), serum triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb1Ac) were measured before and after treatment to analyze clinical outcome, and adverse reactions were recorded. RESULTS: After treatment, both groups had significant reductions in WC, HC, WHR, BMI, TG, LDL-C, FPG and Hb1Ac (P<0.05) and a significant increase in HDL-C (P<0.05). Compared with treatment group 1, treatment group 2 had significant increases in WC, WHR, BMI, TG, LDL-C, FPG and Hb1Ac (P<0.05) and a significant reduction in HDL-C (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence rate of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Under the premise of ensuring efficacy and safety, an interval of 7 d is the optimal interval for acupoint thread-embedding therapy in the clinical intervention of metabolic syndrome.

[An epidemiological study on domestic violence in Hunan, China].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of domestic violence (DV) in Hunan. METHODS: Using a multi-stage sampling strategy, 9451 households involving 32 720 persons in urban, rural and industrial areas in Hunan, China were studied. Multiform clue investigation and face-to-face interviews were combined to investigate the prevalence of DV. RESULTS: A lifetime prevalence of DV was reported by 1533 households (16.2%). A total of 1098 households (11.6%) reported at least one incident of DV in the previous year. Both lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DV varied significantly by geographic setting (P < 0.01). The lifetime prevalence abuse rates were: spousal 10.2%, child abuse 7.8%, and elder 1.5%. With regard to household structure, the lifetime prevalence of DV was highest among those remarried families (21.0%), followed by married couples with one child and extended families with several generations living together (20.1% and 20.0%, respectively). The highest rate of spousal abuse was found among remarried families (14.7%), while child and elder abuse was most prevalent among extended families (12.4% and 4.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggested that although the prevalence of DV in Hunan was modest compared to Western countries, it remained a serious public health problem affecting over 1 in 10 households. Furthermore, the prevalence of various types of DV varied by geographic setting and family structure, suggesting that diverse geographic setting and family constellations carried different risk and protective features.