miR-455 Functions as a Tumor Suppressor Through Targeting GATA6 in Colorectal Cancer.

Emerging evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) are often aberrantly expressed in human cancers. Meanwhile, the importance of miRNAs in regulating multiple cellular biological processes has been appreciated. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of miR-455 and identify its possible mechanism in regulating colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. We found that the expression of miR-455 was sharply reduced in CRC tissues and cell lines. Importantly, the low expression of miR-455 was associated with poor overall survival of CRC patients. Overexpression of miR-455 in CRC cell lines significantly inhibited cell proliferation and migration in vitro. Moreover, GATA-binding protein 6 (GATA6), whose expression can be inversely regulated by miR-455 in CRC cell lines, was validated as a direct target of miR-455. Overall, our results revealed that miR-455 functions as a tumor suppressor, and its downregulation may contribute to CRC progression. Our study may provide a novel therapeutic target for CRC in the future.

The significance of serum procalcitonin and C-reactive protein in the diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with liver cirrhosis combined with ascites / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective To determine the role of serum procalcitonin(PCT)and C-reactive protein (CRP)in predicting spontaneous bacterial peritonitis(SBP)in patients with liver cirrhosis combined with ascites. Methods Ninety-eight patients with liver cirrhosis combined with ascites were enrolled, including 48 cases with SBP(SBP group)and 50 cases without SBP(non-SBP group).The levels of serum PCT and CRP were compared between 2 groups.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic SBP value of PCT and CRP levels in patients with liver cirrhosis combined with ascites.Results The serum PCT and CRP levels in SBP group were significantly higher than those in non-SBP group:3.90(6.95)μg/L vs.0.50(0.43)μg/L and 20.80(11.27)mg/L vs.10.87(6.22)mg/L, and there were statistical differences(P<0.01).The ROC cures results showed that the areas under the curve of serum PCT and CRP levels were 0.924(95% CI 0.860-0.987)and 0.852(95% CI 0.777-0.926), and the optimal cut-off of predicting SBP in patients with liver cirrhosis combined with ascites were 0.81 μg/L and 13.89 mg/L. The sensitivity was 91.7% and 85.4%, and the specificity was 80.0%and 70.0% respectively.The mortality in SBP group was significant higher than that in non-SBP group:20.83%(10/48)vs.6.00%(3/50),and there was statistical difference(P<0.05).In SBP group,the serum PCT and CRP levels in death patients were significant higher than those in survival patients: 13.00 (10.90) μg/L vs. 2.50 (5.30) μg/L and 35.40 (31.22) mg/L vs. 18.05(10.15) mg/L, and there were statistical differences(P<0.01 or<0.05).Conclusions The increase of serum PCT and CRP levels can be used as an important diagnostic index for SBP in patients with liver cirrhosis combined with ascites, and has predictive value for prognosis.