Development of cancer biomarker heat shock protein 90α certified reference material using two different isotope dilution mass spectrometry techniques.

Heat shock protein 90α (HSP90α) has been regarded as an important indicator for judging tumor metastasis and prognosis due to its significant upregulation in various tumors. Therefore, the accurate quantification of HSP90α is of great significance for clinical diagnosis and therapy of cancers. However, the lack of HSP90α certified reference material (CRM) leads to the accuracy and consistency of quantification methods not being effectively evaluated. Besides, quantitative results without traceability make comparisons between different studies difficult. In this study, an HSP90α solution CRM was developed from the recombinant protein raw material. The recombinant protein is a dimer, and the purity of the CRM candidate reached 96.71%. Both amino acid analysis-isotope dilution mass spectrometry (AAA-IDMS) and unique peptide analysis-isotope dilution mass spectrometry (UPA-IDMS) were performed to measure the content of HSP90α in the solution CRM candidate, and the certified value was assessed to be 66.2 ± 8.8 µg/g. Good homogeneity of the CRM was identified, and the stability examination suggested that the CRM was stable for at least 4 months at - 80 °C and for 7 days at 4 °C. With traceability to SI unit (kg), this CRM has potential to help establish a metrological traceability chain for quantification of HSP90α, which will make the quantification results standardized and comparable regardless of the quantitative methods.

Efficiency and safety of ethanol sclerotherapy for labial arteriovenous malformations.

BACKGROUND: Labial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), usually with accompanying cosmetic defects, pain, and bleeding, are aggressive with a high risk of recurrence and the absence of effective treatment. In the present report, we have described a technique of sclerotherapy for labial AVMs. METHODS: Patients with labial AVMs were treated with percutaneous ethanol sclerotherapy with or without polyvinyl alcohol particle embolization. The efficiency, complications, and recurrence rate were analyzed with imaging studies and clinical follow-up data. RESULTS: All 15 patients had received one or more treatment sessions, of whom 8 had experienced a cure (53.3%) and 5 had experienced remission (33.3%). The two patients who had not experienced an effective result were awaiting further treatment at the last follow-up examination. Four patients (26.7%) who had undergone ethanol sclerotherapy combined with polyvinyl alcohol particle embolization had experienced recurrence. No patient who had undergone only sclerotherapy had developed recurrence at a mean follow-up of 17.2 ± 8.1 months. Thirteen patients had experienced transient complications, including swelling, mild bleeding, and blistering. One patient had a postoperative scar of ∼0.5 cm. CONCLUSIONS: Ethanol sclerotherapy appears effective as a treatment of labial AVMs. Careful application of the treatment could reduce the occurrence of complications.

Correction: Transarterial strategies for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227475.].

Transarterial strategies for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review.

Conventional transarterial chemoembolization (cTACE), drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) and transarterial radioembolization (TARE) are alternative strategies for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, which of these strategies is the best is still controversial. This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of DEB-TACE, TARE and cTACE in terms of overall survival (OS), tumor response and complications. A literature search was conducted using the EMBASE, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases from inception until July 2019 with no language restrictions. The primary outcome was overall survival, and the secondary outcomes included complete response and local recurrence. The comparison of DEB-TACE with cTACE indicated that DEB-TACE has a better OS at 1 year (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.67-0.93, p = 0.006), 2 years (RR 0.89; 95% CI 0.81-0.99, p = 0.046), and 3 years (RR 0.89; 95% CI 0.81-0.99, p = 0.035). The comparison of TARE with cTACE indicated that TARE has a better OS than cTACE at 2 years (RR 0.87; 95% CI 0.80-0.95, p = 0.003) and 3 years (RR 0.90; 95% CI 0.85-0.96, p = 0.001). The comparison of DEB-TACE with TARE indicated that DEB-TACE has a better OS than TARE at 2 years (RR 0.40; 95% CI 0.19-0.84, p = 0.016). The current meta-analysis suggests that DEB-TACE is superior to both TARE and cTACE in terms of OS. TARE has significantly lower complications than both DEB-TACE and cTACE for patients with HCC. Further multicenter, well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed, especially for evaluating DEB-TACE versus TARE.