The value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in predicting postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: As one of the key factors, postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) influences the therapeutic effects and survival period of patients. Therefore, the early diagnosis of postoperative recurrence of HCC plays an important role in improving the therapeutic effects and prognosis. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) plays an important role in the early diagnosis of postoperative recurrence of HCC. However, the accuracy of CEUS in predicting postoperative recurrence of HCC is still controversial. Therefore, in this study, a meta-analysis was carried out to further evaluate the accuracy of CEUS in predicting postoperative recurrence of HCC, thus providing evidence support for the early diagnosis of HCC. METHODS: The literatures on the CEUS diagnosis of postoperative recurrence of HCC were collected by searching China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, China Biology Medicine disc, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science on computer. The retrieval time is set from the start of the database until April 2021. The meta-analysis of the literatures that meet the quality standards was conducted by Stata 16.0 software. RESULTS: The results of this meta-analysis will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. CONCLUSION: This study will provide evidence support for the accuracy of CEUS in the diagnosis of postoperative recurrence of HCC. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The private information from individuals will not be published. This systematic review also should not damage participants' rights. Ethical approval is not available. The results may be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated in relevant conferences. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/HB46W.

Impeded Nedd4-1-mediated Ras degradation underlies Ras-driven tumorigenesis.

RAS genes are among the most frequently mutated proto-oncogenes in cancer. However, how Ras stability is regulated remains largely unknown. Here, we report a regulatory loop involving the E3 ligase Nedd4-1, Ras, and PTEN. We found that Ras signaling stimulates the expression of Nedd4-1, which in turn acts as an E3 ubiquitin ligase that regulates Ras levels. Importantly, Ras activation, either by oncogenic mutations or by epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling, prevents Nedd4-1-mediated Ras ubiquitination. This leads to Ras-induced Nedd4-1 overexpression, and subsequent degradation of the tumor suppressor PTEN in both human cancer samples and cancer cells. Our study thus unravels the molecular mechanisms underlying the interplay of Ras, Nedd4-1, and PTEN and suggests a basis for the high prevalence of Ras-activating mutations and EGF hypersignaling in cancer.

Quantitative analysis of aberrant fatty acid composition of zebrafish hepatic lipids induced by organochlorine pesticide using stable isotope-coded transmethylation and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Organochlorine pesticides have been extensively used worldwide for agricultural purposes. Due to their resistance to metabolism, a major public health concern has been raised. Aberrant hepatic lipid composition has been a hallmark of many liver diseases associated with exposure to various toxins and chemicals. And thus lots of efforts have been focused on the development of analytical techniques that can rapidly and quantitatively determine the changes in fatty acid composition of hepatic lipids. In this work, changes in fatty acid composition of hepatic lipids in response to DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) exposure were quantitatively analyzed by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometric approach based on stable isotope-coded transmethylation. It has been quantitatively demonstrated that polyunsaturated fatty acids including C20:3n3, C20:4n6, and C22:6n3 decrease in response to DDT exposure. However, saturated long chain fatty acids including C16:0, C18:0, as well as monounsaturated long chain fatty acid C18:1n9 consistently increase in a DDT-concentration-dependent manner. In particular, much higher changes in the level of hepatic C16:0 and C18:0 for male fish were observed than that for female fish. These experimental results are in accordance with qualitative histopathological analysis that revealed liver morphological alterations. The stable isotope-coded mass spectrometric approach provides a reliable means for investigating hepatotoxicity associated with fatty acid synthesis, desaturation, mitochondrial beta-oxidation, and lipid mobilization. It should be useful in elucidation of hepatotoxic mechanisms and safety assessment of environmental toxins.

Desalting of phosphopeptides by tandem polypyrrole-c18 reverse phase micropipette tip (TMTip(PPY-C18)) based on hybrid electrostatic, Π-Π stacking and hydrophobic interactions for mass spectrometric analysis.

Desalting and concentration of peptides using reverse phase (RP) C18 chromatographic material based on hydrophobic interaction is a routine approach used in mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics. However, MS detection of small hydrophilic peptides, in particular, phosphopeptides that bear multiple negative charges, is challenging due to the insufficient binding to C18 stationary phase. We described here the development of a new desalting method that takes the unique properties of polypyrrole (PPY). The presence of positively charged nitrogen atoms under acidic conditions and polyunsaturated bonds in polypyrrole provide a prospect for enhanced adsorption of phosphopeptides or hydrophilic peptides through extra electrostatic and Π-Π stacking interactions in addition to hydrophobic interactions. In tandem with reversed phase C18 chromatographic material, the new type of desalting method termed as TMTip(PPY-C18) can significantly improve the MS detection of phosphopeptides with multiple phosphate groups and other small hydrophilic peptides. It has been applied to not only tryptic digest of model proteins but also the analysis of complex lysates of zebrafish eggs. The number of detected phosphate groups on a peptide ranged from 1 to 6. Particularly, polypyrrole based method can also be used in basic condition. Thus it provides a useful means to handle peptides that may not be detectable in acidic condition. It can be envisioned that the TMTip(PPY-C18) should be able to facilitate the exploration of large scale phosphoproteome.