Imaging features of hepatic angiosarcoma: retrospective analysis of two centers.

PURPOSE: Identifying primary hepatic angiosarcoma (PHA) preoperatively is challenging, often relying on postoperative pathology. Invasive biopsy increases bleeding risk, emphasizing the importance of early PHA diagnosis through imaging. However, comprehensive summaries of ultrasound, abdominal computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and whole- body positron emission tomography-CT (PET-CT) in this context are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the comprehensive imaging characteristics of PHA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Imaging data were collected from 7 patients diagnosed with PHA via pathology between January 2000 and December 2019 in two provincial grade III hospitals. All patients underwent routine color ultrasound examinations before surgery, with 3 patients receiving contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).CT scans, both plain and enhanced, were performed on 5 patients, and whole-body PET-CT examinations were conducted on 2 patients. RESULTS: Among the 7 patients with PHA, 4 presented with a single solid intrahepatic mass (2 of which were large), 1 with a single exophytic macroblock type, 1 with a mixed type featuring multiple masses and nodules, and 1 with a multiple nodule type. Conventional ultrasound of PHA showed uneven echoes within the tumor, potentially accompanied by septal zone echoes, and a blood flow grade of 0-I. CEUS displayed early-stage circular high enhancement, a central non-enhancement area, and a "vascular sign" around the tumor. CT scans revealed low-density shadows in the plain scan stage, high peripheral ring enhancement, and punctate nodular enhancement in the arterial phase, with varying intensities and the presence of a "vascular sign." During the portal vein stage, the interior of the tumor was consistently unfilled and exhibited structural disorder. PET-CT showed low-density lesions in the liver and low fluorodeoxyglucose metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: Imaging diagnosis plays a crucial role in PHA diagnosis. When liver tumor imaging matches the above characteristics, consider PHA.

Does Using Indocyanine Green Fluorescence Imaging for Tumors Help in Determining the Safe Surgical Margin in Real-Time Navigation of Laparoscopic Hepatectomy? A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate whether indocyanine green (ICG) tumor imaging helps determine the safe surgical margin in laparoscopic hepatectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-six patients with hepatic malignancies [including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM)] were included in this study. ICG-R15 testing was performed 5-7 days before surgery. Fluorescence staining of the tumor was detected by a fluorescent laparoscope, and the width of fluorescence band surrounding tumor was measured by an electronic vernier caliper. RESULTS: The positive rate of hepatic malignant lesions successfully stained by ICG fluorescence was 96.0% (95/99). HCC with better differentiation demonstrated non-rim fluorescence patterns, while cases with poor differentiation demonstrated rim patterns. CRLM uniformly demonstrated rim pattern. The width of fluorescence surrounding tumors was 0 in HCC with non-rim patterns. The minimum width of fluorescence surrounding tumors in poor differentiated HCC and CRLM were 2.4 ± 1.9 mm and 2.8 ± 2.5 mm, respectively, with no significant difference (P > 0.05). ICG fluorescence imaging revealed eight small lesions, which were not detected preoperatively in seven patients, of which five lesions were confirmed as malignancies by pathology. CONCLUSIONS: Resection along the ICG fluorescence edge can supply a safe surgical margin only for CRLM, but not for HCC. Otherwise, ICG fluorescence tumor imaging can preliminarily determine the pathological type of hepatic malignancies and histological differentiation of HCC and help detect small lesions that cannot be detected preoperatively.

Safety and efficacy of preoperative abdominal Aortic balloon occlusion in placenta increta and/or percreta.

BACKGROUND: With the increase of cesarean deliveries globally, the incidence of placenta adhesive disorder has been on the rise greatly which is associated closely with maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. We sought to investigate the safety and efficacy of preoperative transfemoral balloon occlusion of abdominal aorta in cesarean section of women with placenta increta or percreta. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 31 patients with placenta increta or percreta diagnosed by ultrasound and/or magnetic resonance imaging. The observation group included 19 patients who received transfemoral abdominal aorta balloon occlusion for preoperative prophylaxis, while the other 12 patients in the control group did not receive any preoperative interventional managements. Clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Patients in observation group had significantly less estimated blood loss during surgery than those in control group (1.2 L versus 3.15 L, P = 0.006). The average transfusion volume of the observation group was significantly lower than the control group (0.8 L versus 1.95 L, P = 0.017). Seventy-nine percent (15 of 19) patients in the observation group and 50% (6 of 12) in the control group had their uterus successfully retained (P = 0.093). No peripheral tissues including bladder, ureter, and bowel were injured in all patients. Neonatal weight and Apgar scores of 1 min and 5 min had no statistical difference (P = 0.513 and P = 1, respectively) between the two groups. The mean radiation exposure time of fetus in the observation group was 22.68 ± 8.07 s and mean radiation exposure dose was 4.20 ± 1.49 mGy. Both operation time and postoperative hospital stay had no statistical difference between the two groups (2 versus 2.75 h, P = 0.063; 7.0 versus 6.5 d, P = 0.846). No patients had long-term complications after 6-8 wk follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Application of preoperative transfemoral abdominal aorta balloon occlusion during cesarean section is a safe and effective strategy for patients with placenta increta and/or percreta. It could reduce intraoperative blood loss and enhance the possibility of uterus preservation and ensure the safety of life from severe complications.

cIAP2 promotes gallbladder cancer invasion and lymphangiogenesis by activating the NF-κB pathway.

Several studies have produced contradictory findings about the prognostic implications for inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP) in different types of cancer. Cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 2 (cIAP2/BIRC) is one of the most extensively characterized human IAP. To date, no studies have focused on the expression level of cIAP2 in human gallbladder cancer (GBC), and the mechanism of cIAP2 in GBC invasion and lymphangiogenesis remains unclear. Therefore, in the present study, cIAP2 expression in GBC was detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, and the relationship between cIAP2 levels in cancer tissues and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients was analyzed. The biological effect of cIAP2 in GBC cells was tested using the Cell Counting Kit-8 Assay, Transwell assays and the ability of human dermal lymphatic endothelial cells (HDLEC) to undergo tube formation. The role of cIAP2 in activating the NF-κB pathway was determined using a dual-luciferase reporter assay, immunofluorescence staining, western blotting and ELISA. Finally, an animal model was used to further confirm the role of cIAP2 in lymphangiogenesis. We showed that cIAP2 expression was elevated in human GBC tissues and correlated with a negative prognosis for patients. Moreover, cIAP2 was identified as a lymphangiogenic factor of GBC cells and, thus, promoted lymph node metastasis in GBC cells. Our study is the first to suggest that cIAP2 can promote GBC invasion and lymphangiogenesis by activating the NF-κB pathway.

Expression and prognostic value of soluble CD97 and its ligand CD55 in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

The incidence rate of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is rising, and treatment options are limited. Therefore, new biological markers of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma are needed. Immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were applied to analyze the expressions of CD97, CD55, and soluble CD97 in 71 patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and 10 patients with hepatolithiasis. CD97 and CD55 were not expressed in hepatolithiatic tissues, but positive expression was observed in 76.1% (54/71) and 70.4% (50/71) of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patients. The univariate analyses indicated that the positive expressions of CD97 and CD55 were related to short intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma survival of patients (both p = 0.001). Furthermore, CD97 and CD55 expressions and biliary soluble CD97 levels were significantly associated with histological grade (p = 0.004, 0.002, and 0.012, respectively), lymph node metastases (p = 0.020, 0.038, and 0.001, respectively), and venous invasion (p = 0.003, 0.002, and 0.001, respectively). The multivariate analyses indicated that lymph node metastases (hazard ratio: 2.407, p = 0.003), positive CD55 expression (hazard ratio: 4.096, p = 0.003), and biliary soluble CD97 levels (hazard ratio: 2.434, p = 0.002) were independent risk factors for the intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma survival. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that when the cutoff values of biliary soluble CD97 were 1.15 U/mL, the diagnostic value for predicting lymph node metastasis had a sensitivity of 87.5% and a specificity of 51.3%. For intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma patient death within 60 months at a cutoff value of 0.940 U/mL, the diagnostic value sensitivity was 89.3% and the specificity was 93.3%. Biliary soluble CD97 may be a new biological marker for early diagnosis, prediction of lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis, and discovery of a therapeutic target.

Rac1/ß-Catenin Signalling Pathway Contributes to Trophoblast Cell Invasion by Targeting Snail and MMP9.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Preeclampsia is an idiopathic and serious complication during gestation in which placental trophoblast cells differentiate into several functional subtypes, including highly invasive extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs). Although the cause and pathogenesis of preeclampsia have remained unclear, numerous studies have suggested that the inadequacy of EVT invasion leads to imperfect uterine spiral artery remodelling, which plays a crucial role in the development of preeclampsia. Rac1, or Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1, was found to be a key regulator of the migration, invasion uand apoptosis of various tumour cells. Because EVTs share similar invasive and migratory biological behaviours with malignant cells, this study aimed to determine whether the Rac1 signalling pathway affects trophoblast invasion and is thus involved in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. METHODS: We measured the activity of Rac1 and its downstream targets, ß-catenin, Snail and MMP9 in placental tissues from patients experiencing a normal pregnancy and those with preeclampsia. Furthermore, we treated HTR-8/SVneo cells with a shRNA Rac1 vector and the ß-catenin inhibitor IWP-2 and explored Rac1 signalling pathway activation as well as the effects of Snail and ß-catenin on trophoblast invasion. RESULTS: In placental samples from patients experiencing a normal pregnancy and those with preeclampsia, active Rac1 levels and MMP9 protein and mRNA levels were significantly decreased in term pregnancy samples compared to early pregnancy samples. Lower levels were found in preeclampsia samples than in normal term pregnancy samples, and these levels significantly declined in severe preeclampsia samples compared with mild preeclampsia samples. Further analyses demonstrated that both Rac1 shRNA and the ß-catenin inhibitor significantly suppressed MMP9 and Snail activation in trophoblasts, thus impairing trophoblast invasion. Notably, silencing Rac1 down-regulated the expression of ß-catenin in HTR-8/SVneo cells, demonstrating that ß-catenin is a downstream effector of Rac1 in trophoblast invasion. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that Rac1-mediated activation of ß-catenin might regulate Snail and MMP9 expression subsequently promoting trophoblast invasion in pregnancy.

TNF-alpha promotes lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis of gallbladder cancer through the ERK1/2/AP-1/VEGF-D pathway.

BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a key player in cancer-related inflammation, was recently demonstrated to be involved in the lymphatic metastasis of gallbladder cancer (GBC). Vascular endothelial growth factor D (VEGF-D) is a key lymphangiogenic factor that is associated with lymphangiogenesis and lymph node metastasis in GBC. However, whether VEGF-D is involved in TNF-α-induced lymphatic metastasis of GBC remains undetermined. METHODS: The expression of VEGF-D in patient specimens was detected by immunohistochemistry and the relationship between VEGF-D in the tissue and TNF-α in the bile of the matching patients was analyzed. The VEGF-D mRNA and protein levels after treatment with exogenous TNF-α in NOZ, GBC-SD and SGC-996 cell lines were measured by real-time PCR and ELISA. The promoter activity and transcriptional regulation of VEGF-D were analyzed with the relative luciferase reporter assay, mutant constructs, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, RNA interference and Western blotting. Inhibitors of JNK, p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 were used to explore the upstream signaling effector of AP-1. We used lentiviral vector expressing a VEGF-D shRNA construct to knockdown VEGF-D gene in NOZ and GBC-SD cells. The role of the TNF-α-VEGF-D axis in the tube formation of human dermal lymphatic endothelial cells (HDLECs) was determined using a three-dimensional coculture system. The role of the TNF-α - VEGF-D axis in lymphangiogenesis and lymph node metastasis was studied via animal experiment. RESULTS: TNF-α levels in the bile of GBC patients were positively correlated with VEGF-D expression in the clinical specimens. TNF-α can upregulate the protein expression and promoter activity of VEGF-D through the ERK1/2 - AP-1 pathway. Moreover, TNF-α can promote tube formation of HDLECs, lymphangiogenesis and lymph node metastasis of GBC by upregulation of VEGF-D in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our data suggest that TNF-α can promote lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis of GBC through the ERK1/2/AP-1/VEGF-D pathway.

Serum vascular endothelial growth factors C and D as forecast tools for patients with gallbladder carcinoma.

Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is the most common cancer of the biliary tract. Lymph node metastasis (LNM) is the major diffusion route of GBC and is a prognosis factor. The aim of study was to assess the potential of the serum VEGF-C and VEGF-D (sVEGF-C/D) levels to predict the presence of LNM and the survival of GBC patients. The preoperative sVEGF-C/D levels of 31 patients with GBC, 10 patients with cholesterol polyps, and 10 healthy volunteers were measured by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA). The sVEGF-C/D levels of patients with GBC were significantly higher than those of people with healthy gallbladders (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively) and cholesterol polyp (p = 0.032 and p = 0.004, respectively). In GBC, the sVEGF-C levels were associated with LNM (p = 0.011), distant metastasis (p = 0.018), and stage (p = 0.045), but the sVEGF-D levels had a significant association with the tumor depth (p = 0.001), LNM (p = 0.001), distant metastasis (p = 0.047), and stage (p = 0.002). The sVEGF-C/D diagnostic values for the presence of GBC were sensitivity of 71.0 and 74.2 % and specificity of 80.0 and 85.0 %, respectively. With respect to the diagnosis of LNM, the diagnostic values of sVEGF-C/D were as follows: sensitivity 81.2 and 87.5 % and specificity 73.3 and 80.0 %, respectively. The mean survival time with high sVEGF-C was significantly shorter than that with low sVEGF-C (p < 0.001), which was also true for low sVEGF-D (p = 0.032). The preoperative sVEGF-C/D levels might be reliable biomarkers for the presence of disease and LNM in patients with GBC. The sVEGF-C/D levels may be prognosis factors that can predict a poor outcome for GBC patients.

Expression of the RIP-1 gene and its role in growth and invasion of human gallbladder carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Receptor interacting protein(RIP)-1 is thought to have a significant role in inflammation signaling pathways; however, the role of RIP-1 in malignant tumors is largely unknown. METHODS: The present study examined the functions and underlying mechanisms of RIP-1 in gallbladder cancer in vitro and in vivo. In this study we determined the expression and role of RIP-1 in 60 clinical specimens from patients with gallbladder cancer and 3 gallbladder cancer cell lines. Using siRNA targeting RIP-1, plasmid vectors (phU6-EGFP-puro/siRIP-1) were constructed and transfected into the gallbladder cells to characterize the biological effect of RIP-1. Results : In vitro experiments indicated that silencing of RIP-1 in NOZ cells significantly suppressed growth and invasion. Furthermore, silencing of RIP-1 affected the RIP1-NF-κB/c-jun(AP-1)-VEGF-C pathways in NOZ cells. Silencing of RIP-1 in vivo inhibited tumor growth in a NOZ cell subcutaneous xenograft model. Immunohistochemstry analysis of the tumor in thesubcutaneous xenograft model also suggested that RIP-1 mediates the expression of VEGF-C. CONCLUSION: We have elucidated therelationship between RIP-1 overexpression and the growth and invasion of gallbladder cancer from clinical specimens using a xenograft model. We provide evidence that a reduction in the expression of RIP-1 in gallbladder cancer cells can exert inhibitory effects on the ability of cells to grow and invade in vitro. Thus, targeting RIP-1may be useful in the treatment of gallbladder cancer.

TGF-ß1 facilitates gallbladder carcinoma metastasis by regulating FOXA1 translation efficiency through m6A modification.

TGF-ß1 plays a pivotal role in the metastatic cascade of malignant neoplasms. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) stands as one of the most abundant modifications on the mRNA transcriptome. However, in the metastasis of gallbladder carcinoma (GBC), the effect of TGF-ß1 with mRNA m6A modification, especially the effect of mRNA translation efficiency associated with m6A modification, remains poorly elucidated. Here we demonstrated a negative correlation between FOXA1 and TGF-ß1 expression in GBC. Overexpression of FOXA1 inhibited TGF-ß1-induced migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in GBC cells. Mechanistically, we confirmed that TGF-ß1 suppressed the translation efficiency of FOXA1 mRNA through polysome profiling analysis. Importantly, both in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that TGF-ß1 promoted m6A modification on the coding sequence (CDS) region of FOXA1 mRNA, which was responsible for the inhibition of FOXA1 mRNA translation by TGF-ß1. We demonstrated through MeRIP and RIP assays, dual-luciferase reporter assays and site-directed mutagenesis that ALKBH5 promoted FOXA1 protein expression by inhibiting m6A modification on the CDS region of FOXA1 mRNA. Moreover, TGF-ß1 inhibited the binding capacity of ALKBH5 to the FOXA1 CDS region. Lastly, our study confirmed that overexpression of FOXA1 suppressed lung metastasis and EMT in a nude mice lung metastasis model. In summary, our research findings underscore the role of TGF-ß1 in regulating TGF-ß1/FOXA1-induced GBC EMT and metastasis by inhibiting FOXA1 translation efficiency through m6A modification.

Risk factors of portal vein system thrombosis after splenectomy: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The primary aim of the present study was to explore risk factors for portal vein system thrombosis following splenectomy. METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane libraries was conducted to identify original studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Raw data on potential risk factors for portal vein system thrombosis after splenectomy were extracted for meta-analysis. Subsequently, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to verify the stability of the results. RESULTS: Eighteen studies with 626 thrombosis events from 1807 splenectomy met the inclusion criteria. Larger spleen volume (SMD 0.44, P = 0.000), broader splenic vein diameter (WMD 2.30, P = 0.000), broader portal vein diameter (WMD 2.08, P = 0.000), a lower velocity of portal blood flow (WMD -0.91, P = 0.001), decreased platelet count (WMD -5.14, P = 0.007), decreased white blood cell (WMD -0.40, P = 0.027), decreased haemoglobin (WMD -9.14, P = 0.002), ascites (OR 1.81, P = 0.003) and bleeding history before surgery (OR 1.88, P = 0.002) were identified to be factors that exacerbated the risk of portal vein system thrombosis after splenectomy. Sex, age, preoperative prothrombin time, postoperative platelet count, postoperative D-dimer, operation time and intraoperative blood loss, did not increase the risk of thrombosis. CONCLUSION: Larger spleen volume, broader splenic vein diameter, broader portal vein diameter, a lower velocity of portal blood flow, ascites, bleeding history before surgery, decreased platelet count, white blood cell and haemoglobin may increase the risk of portal vein system thrombosis.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease causally affects the brain cortical structure: a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Reduced brain volume, impaired cognition, and possibly a range of psychoneurological disorders have been reported in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, no underlying cause has been specified. Here, Mendelian randomization (MR) was employed to determine the causative NAFLD effects on cortical structure. Methods: We used pooled-level data from FinnGen's published genome-wide association study (GWAS) of NAFLD (1908 cases and 340,591 healthy controls), as well as published GWAS with NAFLD activity score (NAS) and fibrosis stage-associated SNPs as genetic tools, in addition to the Enigma Consortium data from 51,665 patients, were used to assess genetic susceptibility in relation to changes with cortical thickness (TH) and surface area (SA). A main estimate was made by means of inverse variance weighted (IVW), while heterogeneity and pleiotropy were detected using MR-Egger, weighted median, and MR Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier to perform a two-sample MR analysis. Results: At the global level, NAFLD reduced SA (beta = -586.72 mm2, se = 217.73, p = 0.007) and several changes in the cortical structure of the cerebral gyrus were found, with no detectable pleiotropy. Conclusion: NAFLD causally affects cortical structures, which supports the presence of an intricate liver-brain axis.

A Novel Clinically Prognostic Stratification Based on Prognostic Nutritional Index Status and Histological Grade in Patients With Gallbladder Cancer After Radical Surgery.

Purpose: Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is the most common malignancy of the biliary tract, with a 5-year survival rate of 5%. The prognostic models to predict the prognosis of patients with GBC remain controversial. Therefore, to construct a prognosis prediction of GBC, a retrospective cohort study was carried out to investigate the prognostic nutritional index and histological grade in the long-term outcome of patients with GBC after radical surgery (RS). Methods: A retrospective study of a total of 198 patients with GBC who underwent surgical treatment were enrolled. The hematological indicators, imageological data, and perioperative clinical data were acquired for statistical analysis and poor prognosis model construction. Results: Prognostic nutrition index (PNI) < 45.88, maximum tumor diameter (MTD) > 2.24 cm, and jaundice (JD) were all associated with a poor prognosis in multivariate logistic regression analysis. The prognosis prediction model was based on the three risk factors, which indicated a superior predictive ability in the primary cohort [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.951] and validation cohort (AUC = 0.888). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, poorly differentiation (PD) was associated with poor 3-year survival. In addition, Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival analysis suggested that GBC patients with high-risk scores and PD had a better prognosis after RS (p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in prognosis for patients with non-poorly differentiation (NPD) or low-risk scores after RS (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Our prediction model for GBC patients with prognosis evaluation is accurate and effective. For patients with PD and high-risk scores, RS is highly recommended; a simple cholecystectomy can also be considered for acceptance for patients with NPD or low-risk score. The significant findings provide a new therapeutic strategy for the clinical treatment of GBC.

Prediction of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in preeclampsia based on B-type natriuretic peptide: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Elevated B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is closely related to preeclampsia. Whether it is a predictor of adverse outcomes in preeclampsia is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between BNP and adverse outcomes of preeclampsia, and to establish the prediction models and nomograms based on BNP. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted involving 284 women with preeclampsia admitted to a tertiary hospital from January 2017 to July 2019. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to analyze the relationship between BNP and adverse outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression was used to establish the models for predicting adverse outcomes. Then the nomogram and ROC curve of the models were generated. RESULTS: In preeclampsia, BNP is a risk factor for adverse outcomes, and as the level of BNP increases, the incidence of adverse outcomes increases. Preeclampsia with BNP >118 pg/mL was associated with a significantly increased risk of adverse outcomes. The results showed that BNP has a predictive value for adverse maternal outcomes, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.739 [P<0.001, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.684-0.789]. Then, the prediction models for adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes based on BNP combined with other multi-factors were established. The discriminative ability of the 2 models was found to be good, the AUC was 0.844 (95% CI: 0.796-0.884) and 0.792 (95% CI: 0.740-0.838), respectively. Therefore, BNP was shown to significantly improve the discriminative ability of the prediction models. CONCLUSIONS: The BNP is an important risk factor for evaluating the adverse outcomes of preeclampsia. Combined with multi-factors, BNP can be used to predict the adverse outcomes.

Diagnostic value of dysregulated microribonucleic acids in the placenta and circulating exosomes in gestational diabetes mellitus.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: Differentially expressed microribonucleic acids (miRNAs) in the placenta and circulating exosomes are of diagnostic value for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). In a cross-sectional study, we identified miRNAs expressed both in the placenta and circulating exosomes of pregnant women with GDM, and estimated their diagnostic value. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Next-generation sequencing was used to identify miRNAs in the placenta that were differentially expressed between GDM and normal glucose tolerance pregnancies. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to validate the identified targets. Western blot and transmission electron microscopy were used to validate exosomes. Univariate logistic regression analysis was used to establish diagnostic models based on miRNAs expression, and the diagnostic value was estimated using the receiver operator characteristic curve. RESULTS: We identified 157 dysregulated miRNAs in the placental tissue obtained from GDM pregnancies. Of these, miRNA-125b was downregulated (P < 0.001), whereas miRNA-144 was upregulated (P < 0.001). The patterns of these two miRNAs remained the same in circulating exosomes from GDM pregnancies (all P < 0.001). miRNA-144 levels in the circulating exosomes negatively correlated with body mass index both before pregnancy (P = 0.018) and before delivery (P = 0.039), and positively correlated with blood glucose at 1 h, estimated using the oral glucose tolerance test (P = 0.044). The area under curve for the established diagnostic model was 0.898, which was higher than blood glucose levels at 0 h. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that miRNA-125b and miRNA-144 are consistently dysregulated in circulating exosomes and the placenta from GDM pregnancies, and are of excellent diagnostic value for GDM.

c­Jun suppresses the expression of WNT inhibitory factor 1 through transcriptional regulation and interaction with DNA methyltransferase 1 in gallbladder cancer.

WNT inhibitory factor 1 (WIF­1) is involved in the tumorigenicity and progression of several types of tumor, which has been attributed to aberrant hypermethylation of its promoter. However, the role of WIF­1 in the pathogenesis of gallbladder cancer (GBC) remains to be fully elucidated, and the data available are insufficient to identify the upstream molecular mechanisms involved. In the present study, the methylation status of the WIF­1 promoter was investigated using methylation­specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and bisulfate sequencing PCR in GBC cells. Immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription­quantitative PCR and western blotting were used to analyze the expression of WIF­1 and c­Jun. In addition, a co­immunoprecipitation assay was designed to determine the DNA methyltransferase that was implicated in WIF­1 methylation. The results revealed that the expression of WIF­1 was low in GBC, and that this was caused by aberrant DNA hypermethylation. However, there were no significant correlations between the expression of WIF­1 and certain key clinicopathological characteristics of GCB. Subsequently, a negative correlation was found between the protein expression of c­Jun and WIF­1 in 50 GBC specimens using immunohistochemistry. The demethylation and re­expression of WIF­1 was observed when the expression of c­Jun was silenced. Finally, it was found that the knockdown of c­Jun downregulated the expression of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and that c­Jun interacted with DNMT1. Taken together, the present study suggested that c­Jun suppressed the expression of WIF­1 through transcriptional regulation and interaction with DNMT1 in GBC. These findings provide an alternative pathogenesis of GBC, which may be promising as a novel reference for early diagnosis or future treatment.

RIP1 regulates TNF-α-mediated lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis in gallbladder cancer by modulating the NF-κB-VEGF-C pathway.

BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) enhances lymphangiogenesis in gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) via activation of nuclear factor (NF-κB)-dependent vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C). Receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIP1) is a multifunctional protein in the TNF-α signaling pathway and is highly expressed in GBC. However, whether RIP1 participates in the signaling pathway of TNF-α-mediated VEGF-C expression that enhances lymphangiogenesis in GBC remains unclear. METHODS: The RIP1 protein levels in the GBC-SD and NOZ cells upon stimulation with increasing concentrations of TNF-α as indicated was examined using Western blot. Lentiviral RIP1 shRNA and siIκBα were constructed and transduced respectively them into NOZ and GBC-SD cells, and then PcDNA3.1-RIP1 vectors was transduced into siRIP1 cell lines to reverse RIP1 expression. The protein expression of RIP1, inhibitor of NF-κB alpha (IκBα), p-IκBα, TAK1, NF-κB essential modulator were examined through immunoblotting or immunoprecipitation. Moreover, VEGF-C mRNA levels were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, VEGF-C protein levels were measured by immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and VEGF-C promoter and NF-κB activities were quantified using a dual luciferase reporter assay. The association of NF-κB with the VEGF-C promoter was analysed by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. A three-dimensional coculture method and orthotopic transplantation nude mice model were used to evaluate lymphatic tube-forming and metastasis ability in GBC cells. The expression of RIP1 protein, TNF-α protein and lymphatic vessels in human GBC tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry, and the dependence between RIP1 protein with TNF-α protein and lymphatic vessel density was analysed. RESULTS: TNF-α dose- and time-dependently increased RIP1 protein expression in the GBC-SD and NOZ cells of GBC, and the strongest effect was observed with a concentration of 50 ng/ml. RIP1 is fundamental for TNF-α-mediated NF-κB activation in GBC cells and can regulate TNF-α-mediated VEGF-C expression at the protein and transcriptional levels through the NF-κB pathway. RIP1 can regulate TNF-α-mediated lymphatic tube formation and metastasis in GBC cells both in vitro and vivo. The average optical density of RIP1 was linearly related to that of TNF-α protein and the lymphatic vessel density in GBC tissues. CONCLUSION: We conclude that RIP1 regulates TNF-α-mediated lymphangiogenesis and lymph node metastasis in GBC by modulating the NF-κB-VEGF-C pathway.

WNT inhibitory factor 1 promoter hypermethylation is an early event during gallbladder cancer tumorigenesis that predicts poor survival.

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the most common malignant tumor in the human biliary tract, but the lack of a marker for timely diagnosis leads to an extremely poor prognosis. In this study, we assessed CpG sites in the WIF-1 promoter using bisulfite sequencing PCR and methylation-specific PCR to detect methylation in gallbladder cancer and cholecystitis tissues. WIF-1 promoter methylation was present in 36 of 50 (72.0%) gallbladder cancers but only 5 of 20 (25.0%) cholecystitis tissues (P=0.000<0.05), suggesting that WIF-1 promoter methylation might participate in the malignant transformation of cholecystitis into gallbladder cancer. WIF-1 methylation was negatively correlated with WIF-1 protein expression by immunohistochemistry, demonstrating that WIF-1 expression is downregulated by promoter hypermethylation. We analyzed the prognosis of 50 GBC patients with 5years of follow-up. Univariate analysis revealed that patients with hypermethylated WIF-1 exhibited worse overall survival than those with hypomethylated WIF-1 (χ2=8.137, P=0.004<0.05). Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed that WIF-1 methylation was an independent prognostic factor for 5-year overall survival (P=0.011). Therefore, WIF-1 methylation is a candidate as a marker for early gallbladder cancer diagnosis and prognosis.