Therapeutic Effect of Catgut Implantation at Acupoint in a Mouse Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Suppressing Immune Escape.

BACKGROUND: The occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are closely related to immune function, as is the capacity of hepatoma cells to escape. Immunosurveillance is a key mechanism. Catgut implantation at acupoint (CIAA) is a promising acupuncture improvement method that can regulate immunity and has been widely used in the clinical treatment of a variety of diseases. The aim of this study is to observe the therapeutic effect of CIAA on HCC and to investigate the potential mechanism of immune escape. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 40 mice were randomly divided into three groups: the HCC model group (n = 15), the CIAA treatment group (n = 15), and the control group (n = 10). HCC was chemically induced in 30 mice by the combination of DEN, carbon tetrachloride, and ethanol for 150 days. Among them, 15 were selected for CIAA treatment to ascertain the therapeutic effect. The mRNA expression levels of AFP, IL-10, PD-1, and CTLA-4 in three groups were examined by using RT-PCR. AFP and AKT expressions were measured by using western blotting. PD1, CTLA-4, IL-10, CD4+, and CD8+ protein expression levels were evaluated by using IHC. The mortality rate, body weight, and psychological conditions of three groups were also compared. RESULTS: The mRNA and protein expression levels of AFP, PD-1, CTLA-4, and IL-10 were significantly downregulated in the CIAA-treated mice in comparison with HCC mice. IHC assay shows that CD4+ and CD8+ expression levels were notably upregulated after CIAA treatment. Western blotting assay shows that AKT pathway was deactivated in CIAA-treated mice. CIAA notably reduced the mortality rate and inhibited weight loss caused by HCC and improved the overall psychological condition of the mice. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our data corroborate the effective potency of CIAA in the treatment of HCC by and inhibiting immune escape and deactivating the AKT pathway.

The Upregulation of Trophinin-Associated Protein (TROAP) Predicts a Poor Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Purpose: Trophinin-associated protein (TROAP) is a cytoplasmic protein that plays a significant role in the processes of embryo transplantation and microtubule regulation. However, the relevant survival analysis and cancer progression analysis have not yet been reported. Methods: Eighteen matched pairs of tumor and adjacent non-tumor samples were evaluated to detect the TROAP mRNA level. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to evaluate the TROAP expression in 108 hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent surgical resection. Meanwhile, data from the TCGA database was statistically evaluated. Results: In the present study, we detected a significant increase in the TROAP mRNA level in tumor tissues when compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues. Moreover, the upregulation of TROAP was associated with increased serum AFP and GGT; the greater the tumor number was, the larger the tumor size, differentiation grade, and cancer embolus in clinical analysis. In HCC patients, elevated TROAP expression in the primary tumor was positively related to clinical severity, such as poor overall survival and disease-free survival. In addition, both univariate and multivariate survival analysis validated that TROAP expression was a promising independent risk factor for overall survival and disease-free survival in HCC patients. Furthermore, the results derived from the analysis of data from the TCGA database were consistent with previous results. Altogether, our results show that TROAP is a novel crucial regulator of HCC progression and is a potential therapeutic biomarker for HCC patients. Conclusions: Elevated TROAP expression predicted a poor prognosis, and TROAP may serve as a potential biomarker for application in oncotherapy.

[Study on the Hydrothermal Synthesis and Fluorescence of LaF3 : Tb3+, Ce3+ Nanocrystals].

LaF3 : Tba3+, Ce3+ nanocrystals were prepared with hydrothermal method with the help of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). The effects of pH values of the solution, Ce3+/Tb+ ratio value and reaction time on the luminescent properties were investigated. XRD analysis shows that the as-prepared samples possess hexagonal phase and their main diffraction peaks of samples are similar to the standard card (JCPDS 32-0483). Compared with pure LaF3, the main diffraction peaks of the doped samples have a slight shift, showing existing isomorphous substitution between La3+ and the doped rare earth ions in parent lattice of LaF3. It is found from TEM results that the as-prepared samples have good crystallinity and their average grain sizes change in the range of 20-50 nm. The excitation spectra indicate that the stronger excitation spectrum peaks exist at 250 nm, which is assigned to the transition of 4f --> 5d from Ce3+. When activated at 250 nm, all LaF3 : Tb3+, Ce3+ nanocrystals possess weak blue emission at 490 nm (electric dipole transition, 5D4 --> 7F6) and good green emission at 543 nm (magnetic dipole transition, 5D4 -->7F5). As the Ce3+/Tb+ ratio increases, the fluorescence intensities increase at first and then weaken, and reach the strongest green emission at n(Ce)3+ /n(Tb)3+ = 4. The pH values have some influence on the colors and intensities of the LaF3 : Tb3+, Ce3+ nanocrystals. The sample prepared at pH 9 presents the best color, while the one at pH 7 exhibits the strongest green emission. Besides, increasing reaction time is helpful to improve color purity of sample and enhance its green emission.

Poly[[µ-chlorido-µ-[2-(2,4-di-fluoro-phen-yl)-1,3-bis-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propan-2-ol-κ(2) N (4):N (4')]-zinc] chloride dihydrate].

The title compound, {[ZnCl(C13H12F2N6O)2]Cl·2H2O} n , is a two-dimensional coordination polymer. The Zn(II) atom is six-coordinated by four N atoms from four 2-(2,4-di-fluoro-phen-yl)-1,3-bis-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propan-2-ol (HFlu) ligands and by two Cl atoms in a distorted octa-hedral geometry. Two Cl atoms bridge two Zn(II) atoms, forming a centrosymmetric dinuclear unit. The HFlu ligands connect the dinuclear units into a 4(4) net parallel to (001) when the dinuclear unit is considered as a node. O-H⋯O and O-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds link the cationic layer, free chloride anions and lattice water mol-ecules. Intra-layer π-π inter-actions between the triazole rings are observed [centroid-centroid distance = 3.716 (6) Å].