Bioinspired Superhydrophobic All-In-One Coating for Adaptive Thermoregulation.

The development of scalable and passive coatings that can adapt to seasonal temperature changes while maintaining superhydrophobic self-cleaning functions is crucial for their practical applications. However, the incorporation of passive cooling and heating functions with conflicting optical properties in a superhydrophobic coating is still challenging. Herein, an all-in-one coating inspired by the hierarchical structure of a lotus leaf that combines surface wettability, optical structure, and temperature self-adaptation is obtained through a simple one-step phase separation process. This coating exhibits an asymmetrical gradient structure with surface-embedded hydrophobic SiO2 particles and subsurface thermochromic microcapsules within vertically distributed hierarchical porous structures. Moreover, the coating imparts superhydrophobicity, high infrared emission, and thermo-switchable sunlight reflectivity, enabling autonomous transitions between radiative cooling and solar warming. The all-in-one coating prevents contamination and over-cooling caused by traditional radiative cooling materials, opening up new prospects for the large-scale manufacturing of intelligent thermoregulatory coatings.

Nitrogen-doped Carbon Dots as Efficient Photocatalysts for High Selectivity of Dehalogenative Oxyalkylation of Styrene.

Carbon dots (CDs) are a type of carbon-based luminescent material with a zero-dimensional structure and a size of less than 10 nm, which are composed of sp2/sp3 hybrid carbon nuclei and surface functional groups. Because CDs has strong photoluminescence and good light absorption in the ultraviolet and near visible regions, it is an excellent candidate for photocatalytic applications. However, the use of nonmetallic doped CDs as photosensitizers for direct photocatalytic organic reactions has been limited to several scattered reports. Herein, we present nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) that has a capability for not only produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide anion radical (O2⋅-) and singlet oxygen (1O2), but also provide an unprecedented high activity of dehalogenative oxyalkylation of styrene with a yield of 93 %. This work develops a novel opportunity to utilize cost-effective and easily accessible CDs for the advancement of photocatalysis.

Construction of aggregation-induced emission photosensitizers through host-guest interactions for photooxidation reaction and light-harvesting.

In the present work, we have designed and synthesized a triphenylamine modified cyanophenylenevinylene derivative (TPCI), which can self-assembly with cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) and cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) through host-guest interactions to form supramolecular complexes (TPCI-CB[6]) and supramolecular polymers (TPCI-CB[8]) in the aqueous solution. The supramolecular assemblies of TPCI-CB[6] and TPCI-CB[8] not only exhibited high singlet oxygen (1O2) production efficiency as photosensitizers, but also realized the application in the construction of artificial light-harvesting systems due to the excellent fluorescence properties in the aqueous solution. The production efficiency of 1O2 has been effectively improved after the addition of CB[6] and CB[8] for TPCI, which were applied as efficient photosensitizers in the photooxidation reactions of thioanisole and its derivatives with the highest yield of 98% in the aqueous solution. The excellent fluorescence properties of TPCI-CB[6] and TPCI-CB[8] can be used as energy donors in artificial light-harvesting systems with energy acceptors sulforhodamine 101 (SR101) and cyanine dye 5 (Cy5), in which one-step energy transfer processes of TPCI-CB[6]+SR101 and TPCI-CB[8]+Cy5, and a two-step sequential energy transfer process of TPCI-CB[6]+SR101+Cy5 were constructed to simulate the natural photosynthesis system.

[Mechanism of Yanghe Decoction against subcutaneous tumor in pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer through HIF-1α signaling pathway regulating glycolysis:based on network pharmacology and animal experiment].

This study aims to explore the mechanism of Yanghe Decoction(YHD) against subcutaneous tumor in pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer, which is expected to lay a basis for the treatment of breast carcinoma with YHD. The chemical components of medicinals in YHD, and the targets of the components were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP) and SwissTargetPrediction. The disease-related targets were searched from GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM). Excel was employed to screen the common targets and plot the Venn diagram. The protein-protein interaction network was constructed. R language was used for Gene Ontology(GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment. A total of 53 female SPF Bablc/6 mice were randomized into normal group(same volume of normal saline, ig), model group(same volume of normal saline, ig), and low-dose and high-dose YHD groups(YHD, ig, 30 days), with 8 mice in normal group and 15 mice in each of the other groups. Body weight and tumor size was measured every day. Curves for body weight variation and growth of tumor in situ were plotted. In the end, the subcutaneous tumor sample was collected and observed based on hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining. The mRNA and protein levels of hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α), pyruvate kinase M2(PKM2), lactate dehydrogenase A(LDHA), and glucose transporter type 1(GLUT1) were detected by PCR and Western blot. A total of 213 active components of YHD and 185 targets against the disease were screened out. The hypothesis that YHD may regulate glycolysis through HIF-1α signaling pathway to intervene in breast cancer was proposed. Animal experiment confirmed that the mRNA and protein levels of HIF-1α, PKM2, LDHA, and GLUT1 in the high-and low-dose YHD groups were lower than those in the model group. YHD has certain inhibitory effect on subcutaneous tumor in pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer in the early stage, which may intervene pulmonary metastasis from breast cancer by regulating glycolysis through HIF-1α signaling pathway.

Diagnostic performance of CA125, HE4, ROMA, and CPH-I in identifying primary ovarian cancer.

AIMS: To evaluate the ability of carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), risk of ovarian malignancy algorithm (ROMA), and Copenhagen Index (CPH-I) to identify primary ovarian cancer (OC) from borderline and benign ovarian tumors (OTs) and explore ideal cutoff points. METHODS: A total of 684 OTs containing 276 OC patients, 116 ovarian borderline OTs and 292 benign OTs patients who underwent surgery in our hospital were included. We retrospectively searched the results of CA125 and HE4 before patients' surgery from the hospital's electronic medical records system. ROMA and CPH-I were calculated according to their menopausal status and age, respectively. Diagnostic performance of these four were assessed by drawing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: CA125, HE4, ROMA, and CPH-I were all significantly higher in OC women compared with borderline OTs (p < 0.001), followed by benign OTs (p < 0.001). Area under the curves (AUCs) for distinguishing OC were 0.850 (0.818-0.882), 0.891 (0.865-0.916), 0.910 (0.888-0.933) and 0.906 (0.882-0.930), respectively, and the corresponding ideal cutoff values for CA125, HE4, ROMA, and CPH-I were 132.5, 68.6, 23.8, and 6.4, respectively. The difference between ROMA and CPH-I was not significant (p = 0.97), but both were higher than CA125 and HE4 (p < 0.05). HE4 showed a significantly higher AUC than CA125 (p < 0.05). For postmenopausal women, CA125 performed equivalently to ROMA (p = 0.73) and CPH-I (p = 0.91). CONCLUSIONS: In identifying patients with OC, ROMA and CPH-I outperformed single tumor marker. The diagnostic performance of HE4 was significantly higher than that of CA125. CA125 was more suitable for postmenopausal women.

Construction of artificial light-harvesting systems based on a variety of polyelectrolyte materials and application in photocatalysis.

In the present work, we designed and synthesized a cationic cyano-substituted p-phenylenevinylene derivative (PPTA), which can form supramolecular assemblies through electrostatic interaction with a type of polyelectrolyte material anionic guar gum (GP5A). A polyelectrolyte-based artificial light-harvesting system (LHS) was constructed by selecting a fluorescent dye sulforhodamine 101 (SR101) that matched its energy level as an energy acceptor. The energy harvested by the acceptors was used in the aqueous phase cross dehydrogenation coupling (CDC) reaction with a yield of up to 87%. In addition, the general applicability of polyelectrolyte materials to build artificial LHS was demonstrated by three other polyelectrolyte materials sodium polyphenylene sulfonate (RSS), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and sodium polyacrylate (PAAS), in which the CDC reaction was also carried out by these three LHSs and obtained high yields. This work not only provides a new method to construct LHSs by using polyelectrolyte materials, but also provides a beneficial exploration for further applying the energy harvested in LHSs to the field of photocatalysis in an aqueous solution.

Therapeutic potential and research progress of diosgenin for lipid metabolism diseases.

Diosgenin, a steroidal saponin, is a natural product found in many plants. Diosgenin has a wide range of pharmacological activities, and has been used to treat cancer, nervous system diseases, inflammation, and infections. Numerous studies have shown that diosgenin has potential therapeutic value for lipid metabolism diseases via various pathways and mechanisms, such as controlling lipid synthesis, absorption, and inhibition of oxidative stress. These mechanisms and pathways have provided ideas for researchers to develop related drugs. In this review, we focus on data from animal and clinical studies, summarizing the toxicity of diosgenin, its pharmacological mechanism, recent research advances, and the related mechanisms of diosgenin as a drug for the treatment of lipid metabolism, especially in obesity, hyperlipidemia, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. This systematic review will briefly describe the advantages of diosgenin as a potential therapeutic drug and seek to enhance our understanding of the pharmacological mechanism, recipe-construction, and the development of novel therapeutics against lipid metabolism diseases.

Ferroelectric liquid crystal mediated fast switchable orbital angular momentum of light.

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light has been extensively studied during the past two decades. Till now, it is a formidable challenge to dynamically manipulate OAM in fast switching speed, good beam quality and low power consumption. Here, an alternative strategy is proposed through the combination of the uniformly-aligned ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) and the space-variant photo-patterned nematic liquid crystal. Owing to the excellent electro-optical properties of the adopted FLC, the high-performance electrical switching of OAM, especially, its helicity and the superposed state (i.e., the cylindrical vector beam), can be realized in good quality and high efficiency. The symmetric switching time is down to 120 µs even at a very low driving voltage of 1.7 V/µm. This supplies a practical and universal method towards high-frequency manipulation of OAM and other structured beams.

The intestinal microbial community dissimilarity in hepatitis B virus-related liver cirrhosis patients with and without at alcohol consumption.

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection-reduced liver functions are associated with intestinal microbial community dissimilarity. This study aimed to investigate the microbial community dissimilarity in patients with different grades of HBV-related liver cirrhosis. RESULTS: Serum endotoxin was increased with Child-Pugh (CP) class (A, B, and C). Veillonellaceae and Lachnospiraceae families were reduced in patients compared with controls. Megamonas and Veillonella genus was reduced and increased in patients compared with controls, respectively, especially in CPB and CPC groups. Correlation analysis showed that endotoxin content was significantly correlated with alcohol consumption (95% CI 0.100, 0.493), CP class (95% CI 0.289, 0.687) and Lachnospiraceae family level (95% CI - 0.539, - 0.122). Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was correlated with the level of Lachnospiraceae family (95% CI 0.013, 0.481), Veillonellaceae family (95% CI 0.284, 0.696), Megamonas genus (95% CI 0.101, 0.518) and Veillonella genus (95% CI 0.134, 0.545). All aforementioned bacteria were independent risk or protective factors for hepatitis. Alcohol consumption changed microbial community. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that elevated Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, reduced Megamonas genus level and increased Veillonella genus level were indicators for HBV-related liver cirrhosis. Alcohol-related pathogenesis was associated with the changed microbial community.

Combination of propofol and dezocine to improve safety and efficacy of anesthesia for gastroscopy and colonoscopy in adults: A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Gastroscopy and colonoscopy are important and common endoscopic methods for the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal and colorectal diseases. However, endoscopy is usually associated with adverse reactions such as nervousness, nausea, vomiting, choking cough, and pain. Severe discomfort, such as vomiting, coughing, or body movement, may lead to aggravation of a pre-existing condition or even interruption of examination or treatment, especially in some critically ill patients with physiological dysfunction (e.g., cardiovascular or respiratory disease). The optimal methods for inducing analgesia and sedation in endoscopy are areas of ongoing debate; nevertheless, determining an appropriate regimen of sedation and analgesia is important. AIM: To evaluate the effects of propofol combined with dezocine, sufentanil, or fentanyl in painless gastroscopy and colonoscopy. METHODS: Four hundred patients were randomly assigned to one of four groups for anesthesia: intravenous dezocine, sufentanil, fentanyl, or saline. Propofol was administered intravenously for induction and maintenance of anesthesia. RESULTS: The dosage of propofol in the dezocine group was significantly lower than those in other groups (P < 0.01). Bispectral index and Steward score (0-6 points, an unresponsive, immobile patient whose airway requires maintenance to a fully recovered patient) after eye opening in the dezocine group were significantly higher than those in other groups (P < 0.01). Awakening time and postoperative pain score (0-10 points, no pain to unbearable pain) in the dezocine group were significantly lower than those in other groups (P < 0.01). Mean arterial pressure and pulse oxygen saturation in the dezocine group were significantly more stable at various time points (before dosing, disappearance of eyelash reflex, and wakeup) than those in other groups (P < 0.01). The rates of hypopnea, jaw thrust, body movements, and usage of vasoactive drugs in the dezocine group were significantly lower than those in other groups (P < 0.01). Additionally, the rates of reflex coughing, nausea, and vomiting were not statistically different between the four groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The combination of propofol and dezocine can decrease propofol dosage, reduce the risk for the development of inhibitory effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, increase analgesic effect, decrease body movement, shorten awakening time, and improve awakening quality.

Proximal iteratively reweighted algorithm for low-rank matrix recovery.

This paper proposes a proximal iteratively reweighted algorithm to recover a low-rank matrix based on the weighted fixed point method. The weighted singular value thresholding problem gains a closed form solution because of the special properties of nonconvex surrogate functions. Besides, this study also has shown that the proximal iteratively reweighted algorithm lessens the objective function value monotonically, and any limit point is a stationary point theoretically.

Metformin potentiates the anticancer activities of gemcitabine and cisplatin against cholangiocarcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo.

Metformin, an oral biguanide drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, has displayed anticancer activities in several types of cancer cells. The combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin is the standard chemotherapy regimen for cholangiocarcinoma, but its benefit is limited. The present study aimed to investigate whether metformin could enhance the activities of gemcitabine and cisplatin against cholangiocarcinoma, and the underlying mechanisms. Metformin inhibited the proliferation of human cholangiocarcinoma RBE and HCCC-9810 cells and induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase by increasing the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathways. Metformin upregulated the expression of p21Waf1 and p27kip1, and downregulated the expression of cyclin D1, a key protein required for cell cycle progression. The combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin inhibited the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of human cholangiocarcinoma cells by inducing the phosphorylation of AMPK, downregulating cyclin D1, and activating caspase-3. Administration of metformin enhanced the efficacy of gemcitabine and cisplatin to suppress the growth of cholangiocarcinoma tumors established in experimental models by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing cell apoptosis through their effects on AMPK, cyclin D1 and caspase-3. Given that metformin has been used to treat type 2 diabetes patients for over half a century due to its superior safety profile, the results presented here indicate that metformin may be a potent agent for enhancing the efficacy of gemcitabine and cisplatin in the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma.

14-3-3ζ and aPKC-ι synergistically facilitate epithelial-mesenchymal transition of cholangiocarcinoma via GSK-3ß/Snail signaling pathway.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) invasion and metastasis are the primary causes of poor survival rates in patients. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial step in cancer invasion and metastasis. However, it is still unclear of the molecular mechanism. In this study, the expression of 14-3-3ζ and atypical protein kinase C-ι (aPKC-ι) was further detected in CCA tissues and cell lines. Meanwhile, we established the EMT model of CCA cells and investigated 14-3-3ζ and aPKC-ι co-regulatory effect on the EMT in vitro and in vivo. Further, we identified the downstream molecular glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3ß)/Snail signalling pathway that contribute to regulating the EMT. Our data showed that the expression of 14-3-3ζ and aPKC-ι was synergistically increased in CCA tissues compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues and was intimately associated with differentiation and the tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) stage. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that high 14-3-3ζ and aPKC-ι expression separately predicted a poor prognosis and were independent prognostic indicators in patients with CCA. The CO-IP experiment confirmed that the mutual binding relationship between 14-3-3ζ and aPKC-ι. Small interfering RNAs and siRNA rescue experiment demonstrated that 14-3-3ζ and aPKC-ι regulated each other. In addition, 14-3-3ζ and aPKC-ι pretreatment by si-RNA inhibit the phosphorylated GSK-3ß and Snail expression during EMT. Meanwhile, silence of 14-3-3ζ or aPKC-ι suppressed CCA cells migration, metastasis and proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Our study demonstrates that 14-3-3ζ and aPKC-ι synergistically facilitate EMT of CCA via GSK-3ß/Snail signalling pathway, and may be potential therapeutic target for CCA.

MiR-1180 promoted the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by repressing TNIP2 expression.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNAs with post-transcriptional regulatory function, playing crucial roles in cancer development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Previous studies have indicated that miR-1180 was implicated in diverse biological processes. However, the underlying mechanism of miR-1180 in HCC has not been intensively investigated. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of miR-1180 and its target genes in HCC. We found that miR-1180 expression was significantly increased in HCC cells and clinical tissues compared with their corresponding controls. Overexpression of miR-1180 promoted cell proliferation in HCC cell line HepG2. TNFAIP3 interacting protein 2 (TNIP2), a potential target gene of miR-1180, and were validated by a luciferase assay. Further studies revealed that miR-1180 regulated cell proliferation of HCC by directly suppressing TNIP2 expression and the knockdown of TNIP2 expression reversed the effect of miR-1180-in on HCC cell proliferation. In summary, our data indicated that miR-1180 might act as a tumor promoter by targeting TNIP2 during development of HCC.

Aberrant Expression of CCAT1 Regulated by c-Myc Predicts the Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: CCAT1 has been reported to be linked with pathogenesis of malignancies including colon cancer and gastric cancer. However, the regulatory effect of CCAT1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. The purpose of this research was to identify any role of CCAT1 in the progression of HCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Real time-PCR was performed to test the relative expression of CCAT1 in HCC tissues. A computation screen of CCAT1 promoter was conducted to search for transcription-factor-binding sites. The association of c-Myc with CCAT1 promoter in vivo was tested by Pearson correlation analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Additionally, Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed. RESULTS: c-Myc directly binds to the E-box element in the promoter region of CCAT, and when ectopically expressed increases promoter activity and expression of CCAT1. Moreover, Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that the patients with low expression of CCAT1 demonstrated better overall and relapse-free survival compared with the high expression group. Cox proportional hazards analyses showed that CCAT1 expression was an independent prognostic factor for HCC patients. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrated CCAT1, acting as a potential biomarker in predicting the prognosis of HCC, is regulated by c-Myc.

Two polymorphisms of USF1 gene (-202G>A and -844C>T) may be associated with hepatocellular carcinoma susceptibility based on a case-control study in Chinese Han population.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prototype of liver cancer, which is closely related to manifested metabolism of lip and glucose. Upstream transcription factor 1 (USF1) is an important transcription factor in human genome, and it regulates the expression of multiple genes associated with lipid and glucose metabolism. This study aims at investigating the correlation between seven common USF1 polymorphisms (i.e., -1994 G>A, -202 G>A, 7998 A>G, -844 C>T, 9042 C>G, 9441 T>C, and -2083 G>A) and the risk of HCC. Elucidation of the interaction might be of vital importance to the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC. One hundred and fifty-five HCC patients and 160 healthy controls from a Chinese Han population were involved in this study. Tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified with reference to CBI-dbSNP and HapMap databases. DNA was extracted from blood samples, and matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) was conducted to determine the polymorphisms of USF1. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval were applied to evaluate the difference of genotype distribution. Seven SNPs were selected to be representatives. No significant difference was observed concerning -1994 G>A, 7998 A>G, 9042 C>G, 9441 T>C, and -2083 G>A polymorphisms (all P > 0.05). A significantly elevated genotype frequency regarding -202 G>A polymorphism was observed in HCC patients [AA vs. GG: OR 2.13 (1.13-4.01), P = 0.019; AA vs. GG+GA: OR 2.22 (1.32-3.75), P = 0.003; A allele vs. G allele: OR 1.46 (1.07-2.01), P = 0.018]. Subjects carrying mutant -844 C>T genotypes also had a higher risk of HCC [CT vs. CC: OR 1.88 (1.17-3.04), P = 0.009; CT+TT vs. CC: OR 1.83 (1.17-2.86), P = 0.008; T allele vs. C allele: OR 1.49 (1.06-2.09), P = 0.020]. Further studies are recommended to validate our findings in different ethnicity and to clarify the functional relationship between USF1 polymorphisms and the susceptibility of HCC.

[Study on saltation of fluorescence excitation spectra of erythrosine].

The fluorescence excitation spectra and absorption spectra of six kinds of erythrosine solutions with concentrations of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 microg x mL(-1) were experimentally measured. It was found that the fluorescence excitation peaks are both located at 530 nm significantly when the concentrations of erythrosine solutions are 10 and 20 microg x mL(-1). However, the linetype saltation of fluorescence excitation spectrum occurs as the concentration of erythrosine solution is above 30 microg x mL(-1). The valley is located at 530 nm and two new peaks appear at both flanks of the valley. Compared with fluorescence excitation spectra, the absorption spectra of erythrosine solutions are without saltation and the peaks are all located at 530 nm. According to calculations and a series of contrast experiments, it was demonstrated that the absorption characteristic of erythrosine and the spectral measurement mode conspire to cause the saltation of fluorescence excitation spectra. The results can provide guidance for further research on physical and chemical properties of erythrosine, and offer help and reference for study on saltation behavior in fluorescence excitation spectra and improvement in spectral measuring mode.

Expression of P-aPKC-iota, E-cadherin, and beta-catenin related to invasion and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Atypical protein kinase C iota (aPKC-iota) and its associated intracellular molecules, E-cadherin and beta-catenin, are important for cell polarization in tumorigenesis and progression. Expression of aPKC-iota, P-aPKC-iota (activated aPKC-iota), E-cadherin, and beta-catenin in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was measured, and correlation with clinicopathological characteristics of HCC was analyzed. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded tumor tissue was obtained from patients with HCC after resection without preoperative radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Gene expression was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Expressions of aPKC-iota, P-aPKC-iota, E-cadherin, and beta-catenin were analyzed with relation to the clinicopathological data. RESULTS: The gene and protein expression of aPKC-iota are obviously higher in HCC tissues than that in peritumoral tissues and normal tissues by semiquantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry methods. Accumulation of aPKC-iota in HCC cytoplasm and nucleolus inhibited the later formation of belt-like adherens junctions (AJs) and/or tight junctions (TJs) in cell-cell contact. E-cadherin was reduced and accumulation of cytoplasm beta-catenin was increased in HCC. The expression of aPKC-iota was closely related to pathological differentiation, tumor size, invasion, and metastasis of HCC. CONCLUSION: Accumulation of cytoplasm aPKC-iota may reflect pathological differentiation, invasion, and metastasis potential of HCC. In this regard, our study on HCC revealed the potential usefulness of aPKC-iota, E-cadherin, and beta-catenin as a prognostic marker, closely related to pathological differentiation, invasion, metastasis, and prognosis of HCC.