RESUMO
The prevention and early diagnosis of liver cancer remains a global medical challenge. During the malignant transformation of hepatocytes, a variety of oncogenic cellular signalling molecules, such as novel high mobility group-Box 3, angiopoietin-2, Golgi protein 73, glypican-3, Wnt3a (a signalling molecule in the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway), and secretory clusterin, can be expressed and secreted into the blood. These signalling molecules are derived from different signalling pathways and may not only participate in the malignant transformation of hepatocytes but also become early diagnostic indicators of hepatocarcinogenesis or specific targeted molecules for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy. This article reviews recent progress in the study of several signalling molecules as sensitive biomarkers for monitoring hepatocarcinogenesis.
RESUMO
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a major clinical complication after surgery under general anesthesia, particularly in elderly patients, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We recently found that the anaesthetization of aging C57BL/6 J mice (14-16 months) with sevoflurane (3%, two hours each day for three consecutive days) can induce cognitive dysfunction and synaptic plasticity deficits. Further studies demonstrated that sevoflurane induced ANP32A (acidic leucine-rich nuclear phosphoprotein-32A) overexpression by stimulating C/EBPß (CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-ß), which could suppress histone acetylation at H3K18, H3K14, H4K5, and H4K12 and decrease the binding of H3K18 and H3K14 to the promoters of GluN2B and GluN2A, respectively. These results suggest that sevoflurane can inhibit histone acetylation and contribute to cognitive dysfunction by enhancing the expression of ANP32A in aging mice. Our study provides new insights into aging-associated POCD and potential molecular markers for protection.