Upregulation of MED7 was associated with progression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: MED subunits have been reported to be associated with various types of tumors, however, the potential role of MED7 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was still unclear. The aim of the study was to explore the role of MED7 in HCC. METHODS: In this study, MED7 mRNA expression levels between HCC and adjacent normal tissues were first analyzed by several public datasets. Then we utilized a tissue microarray (TMA) to investigate the clinical role of MED7 in HCC by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Meanwhile, the potential mechanisms of MED7 based on gene-gene correlation analyses were also explored. RESULTS: High mRNA level of MED7 correlated with advanced stage and worse grade of differentiation. IHC results showed that MED7 protein level was upregulated in HCC and associated with Edmondson grade and Microvascular invasion in 330 cases of HCC. GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) analysis revealed that MED7 co-expressed genes participate primarily in ribonucleoprotein complex biogenesis, protein targeting, mRNA processing and nucleoside triphosphate metabolic process et cetera. Further analysis also revealed that MED7 mRNA level has significant correlation with immune cells infiltration levels. CONCLUSION: MED7 was upregulated in HCC and correlated with progression of HCC. Meanwhile, MED7 may promote HCC through participating in multiple gene networks to influence tumorigenesis as well as immune response in HCC microenvironment.

Nanotechnological approaches for the treatment of placental dysfunction: recent trends and future perspectives.

The transitory placenta develops during pregnancy and mediates the blood flow between the mother and the developing baby. Placental dysfunction, including but not limited to placenta accreta spectrum, fetal growth restriction, preeclampsia and gestational trophoblastic disease, arises from abnormal placental development and can result in significant adverse maternal and fetal health outcomes. Unfortunately, there is a lack of treatment alternatives for these disorders. Nanocarriers offer versatility, including extended circulation, organ-specific targeting and intracellular transport, finely tuning therapeutic placental interactions. This thorough review explores nanotechnological strategies for addressing placental disorders, encompassing dysfunction insights, potential drug-delivery targets and recent strides in placenta-targeted nanoparticle (NP) therapies, instilling hope for effective placental malfunction treatment.

The placenta, essential for mother­baby blood exchange, may experience catastrophic abnormalities during pregnancy. Treating these issues is challenging since you must focus on the placenta while protecting the infant. Nanotechnology might be helpful in this scenario. Nanocarriers are small carriers that can transport medications to the placenta and other particular locations in the body. They can aid in the treatment of various placental issues. In our present review, we discuss nanotechnology's solutions to these issues. We discuss what goes wrong, potential therapeutic applications for nanocarriers and recent developments in their use. This might be a novel approach to treating placenta issues and maintaining the health of mothers and infants.

Optogenetic engineered umbilical cord MSC-derived exosomes for remodeling of the immune microenvironment in diabetic wounds and the promotion of tissue repair.

BACKGROUND: Angiogenesis and tissue repair in chronic non-healing diabetic wounds remain critical clinical problems. Engineered MSC-derived exosomes have significant potential for the promotion of wound healing. Here, we discuss the effects and mechanisms of eNOS-rich umbilical cord MSC exosomes (UCMSC-exo/eNOS) modified by genetic engineering and optogenetic techniques on diabetic chronic wound repair. METHODS: Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells were engineered to express two recombinant proteins. Large amounts of eNOS were loaded into UCMSC-exo using the EXPLOR system under blue light irradiation. The effects of UCMSC-exo/eNOS on the biological functions of fibroblasts and vascular endothelial cells in vitro were evaluated. Full-thickness skin wounds were constructed on the backs of diabetic mice to assess the role of UCMSC-exo/eNOS in vascular neogenesis and the immune microenvironment, and to explore the related molecular mechanisms. RESULTS: eNOS was substantially enriched in UCMSCs-exo by endogenous cellular activities under blue light irradiation. UCMSC-exo/eNOS significantly improved the biological functions of cells after high-glucose treatment and reduced the expression of inflammatory factors and apoptosis induced by oxidative stress. In vivo, UCMSC-exo/eNOS significantly improved the rate of wound closure and enhanced vascular neogenesis and matrix remodeling in diabetic mice. UCMSC-exo/eNOS also improved the inflammatory profile at the wound site and modulated the associated immune microenvironment, thus significantly promoting tissue repair. CONCLUSION: This study provides a novel therapeutic strategy based on engineered stem cell-derived exosomes for the promotion of angiogenesis and tissue repair in chronic diabetic wounds.

Mass cytometry-based peripheral blood analysis as a novel tool for early detection of solid tumours: a multicentre study.

OBJECTIVE: Early detection of a tumour remains an unmet medical need, and approaches with high sensitivity and specificity are urgently required. Mass cytometry time-of-flight (CyTOF) is a powerful technique to profile immune cells and could be applied to tumour detection. We attempted to establish diagnostic models for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). DESIGN: We performed CyTOF analysis for 2348 participants from 15 centres, including 1131 participants with hepatic diseases, 584 participants with pancreatic diseases and 633 healthy volunteers. Diagnostic models were constructed through random forest algorithm and validated in subgroups. RESULTS: We determined the disturbance of systemic immunity caused by HCC and PDAC, and calculated a peripheral blood immune score (PBIScore) based on the constructed model. The PBIScore exhibited good performance in detecting HCC and PDAC, with both sensitivity and specificity being around 80% in the validation cohorts. We further established an integrated PBIScore (iPBIScore) by combining PBIScore and alpha-fetoprotein or carbohydrate antigen 19-9. The iPBIScore for HCC had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.99, 0.97 and 0.96 in training, internal validation and external validation cohorts, respectively. Similarly, the iPBIScore for PDAC showed an AUC of 0.99, 0.98 and 0.97 in the training, internal validation and external validation cohorts, respectively. In early-stage and tumour-marker-negative patients, our iPBIScore-based models also showed an AUC of 0.95-0.96 and 0.81-0.92, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our study proved that the alterations of peripheral immune cell subsets could assist tumour detection, and provide a ready-to-use detection model for HCC and PDAC.

Short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic versus open liver resection for large hepatocellular carcinoma: a propensity score study.

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial, especially for tumors larger than 5 cm. We compared the short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic and open liver resection (OLR) for large HCC. METHODS: Patients with large HCC after curative hepatectomy were enrolled. To compare the short-term outcomes, propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) were performed to reduce the effect of confounding factors, respectively. Subsequently, Cox-regression analyses were conducted to identify the independent risk factors associated with decreased recurrence-free survival (RFS) and poor overall survival (OS). RESULT: There were 265 patients enrolled in the final analysis: 146 who underwent OLR and 119 who underwent LLR. There was no significant difference between the OLR and LLR groups according to PSM and IPTW analysis (all P > 0.05). Multivariable analysis revealed that LLR was not independently associated with poorer OS (HR 1.15, 95% CI 0.80-1.67, P = 0.448) or RFS (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.88-1.70, P = 0.238). CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in perioperative complications or long-term prognosis between LLR and OLR for large HCC, which provides evidence for standard laparoscopic surgical practice with adequate surgeon experience and careful patient selection.

Bioinformatic analysis of FOXN3 expression and prognostic value in pancreatic cancer.

In most cancers, forkhead box N3 (FOXN3) acts as a transcriptional inhibitor to suppress tumor proliferation, but in pancreatic cancer, the opposite effect is observed. To confirm and investigate this phenomenon, FOXN3 expression in various carcinomas was determined using GEPIA2 and was found to be highly expressed in pancreatic cancer. Kaplan-Meier plotter was then used for survival analysis, revealing that high FOXN3 expression in pancreatic cancer might be associated with a poor prognosis. Similarly, clinical samples collected for immunohistochemical staining and survival analysis showed consistent results. The RNA-seq data of pancreatic cancer patients from the TCGA were then downloaded, and the differential expression gene set was obtained using R for gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). The intersection of the above gene sets and FOXN3-related genes was defined as related differentially expressed gene sets (DEGs), and enrichment analysis was performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Finally, we analyzed the relationship between FOXN3 and immune infiltration in pancreatic cancer. Collectively, our findings reveal that FOXN3 is involved in the occurrence and progression of pancreatic cancer and may be useful as a prognostic tool in pancreatic cancer immunotherapy.

Simple one-pot, high-yield synthesis of 2D graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

2-Dimensional (2D) graphitic carbon nitrate (g-C3N4) nanosheets are particularly interesting photocatalytic materials because of their large surface area and excellent photoelectric properties. However, it remains challenging to synthesize 2D g-C3N4 nanosheets with high yield and high activity simultaneously. In this work, a urea-assisted one-pot method was developed in which the decomposition of urea released NH3 gas which exfoliated bulk g-C3N4 into thin nanosheets and generated pores and wrinkles on their surface. The product g-C3N4 nanosheets therefore possessed abundant surface active sites for interaction with reactants and showed enhanced light utilization efficiency, giving rise to their improved hydrogen production activity which was 3.36 times higher than that of their bulk counterpart. Importantly, the yield of g-C3N4 nanosheets using this method was almost doubled compared to a previously reported ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) assisted method. Given that g-C3N4 nanosheets are building blocks for various photocatalysts, the current synthetic method which produces g-C3N4 nanosheets with high yield and high activity shall pave the way for high-performance photocatalytic applications such as hydrogen production and more.

Nanozymes for Regenerative Medicine.

Nanozymes refer to nanomaterials that catalyze enzyme substrates into products under relevant physiological conditions following enzyme kinetics. Compared to natural enzymes, nanozymes possess the characteristics of higher stability, easier preparation, and lower cost. Importantly, nanozymes possess the magnetic, fluorescent, and electrical properties of nanomaterials, making them promising replacements for natural enzymes in industrial, biological, and medical fields. On account of the rapid development of nanozymes recently, their application potentials in regeneration medicine are gradually being explored. To highlight the achievements in the regeneration medicine field, this review summarizes the catalytic mechanism of four types of representative nanozymes. Then, the strategies to improve the biocompatibility of nanozymes are discussed. Importantly, this review covers the recent advances in nanozymes in tissue regeneration medicine including wound healing, nerve defect repair, bone regeneration, and cardiovascular disease treatment. In addition, challenges and prospects of nanozyme researches in regeneration medicine are summarized.

Indocyanine green real-time-guided laparoscopic duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection.

Duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (DPPHR) is very complicated due to its difficulty to find the lower common bile duct (CBD), and to preserve the blood supply of the duodenum and CBD. Recently, indocyanine green (ICG) has been widely applied for navigation during biliary system and liver surgery. However, the application of ICG-guided laparoscopic DPPHR has not been established. Herein, we report an intraoperative angiography technique using ICG fluorescence imaging to visualise blood flow, tissue perfusion, CBD navigation and bile leakage assessment.

Carbohydrates based stimulus responsive nanocarriers for cancer-targeted chemotherapy: a review of current practices.

INTRODUCTION: Many nanocarriers have been developed to react physicochemically to exterior stimuli like ultrasonic, light, heat, and magnetic fields, along with various internal stimuli including pH, hypoxia, enzyme, and redox potential. Nanocarriers are capable to respond various stimuli within the cancer cells to enable on-demand drug delivery, activation of bioactive compounds, controlled drug release, and targeting ligands, as well as size, charge, and conformation conversion, enabling sensing and signaling, overcoming multidrug resistance, accurate diagnosis, and precision therapy. AREAS COVERED: Carbohydrates are ubiquitous biomolecules with a high proclivity for supramolecular network formation. Numerous carbohydrate-based nanomaterials have been used in biological solicitations and stimuli-based responses. Particular emphasis has been placed on the utilization of carbohydrate-based NPs and nanogels in various fields including imaging, drug administration, and tissue engineering. Because the assembly process is irreversible, carbohydrate-based systems are excellent ingredients for the development of stimulus-responsive nanocarriers for cancer-targeted chemotherapy. This review aims to summarise current research on carbohydrate-based nanomaterials, with an emphasis on stimuli-sensitive nanocarriers for cancer-targeted chemotherapy. EXPERT OPINION: Carbohydrates-based stimulus-responsive nanomaterials have been proved highly efficient for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs, thus leading to effective chemotherapy with minimum off-target effects.

Impact of diabetes mellitus on the long-term prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy.

BACKGROUND: The impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unclear. The present study aims to draw a firm conclusion in terms of evaluating the impact of DM on the prognosis of HCC after hepatectomy. METHODS: The pattern of recurrence for HCC was often stratified into early-stage (<2 years) and late-stage (≥2 years) recurrence. Because the early-stage recurrence was mainly attributed to aggressive tumor pathological characteristics, patients who recurrence or die within 2 years were excluded. Cumulative overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were determined by the method of Kaplan-Meier, and the independent risk factors of OS/RFS were determined by Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 426 patients were eventually included. The 3- and 5-year OS in patients with and without DM was 83.7%, 55.1%; and 90.9%, 77.4%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that DM was an independent risk factor for OS (HR 1.166, 95% CI 1.056-2.036, P = 0.022) and RFS (HR 1.365, 95% CI 1.043-1.787, P = 0.023). CONCLUSION: DM is an independent risk factor for long-term prognosis in patients with HCC. Patients with DM after hepatectomy for HCC, thus, need to actively control DM and closer follow-up.

Self-assembling peptides-based nano-cargos for targeted chemotherapy and immunotherapy of tumors: recent developments, challenges, and future perspectives.

Self-assembling peptides (SAPs) have enormous potential in medical and biological applications, particularly noninvasive tumor therapy. SAPs self-assembly is governed by multiple non-covalent interactions and results in the formation of a variety of morphological features. SAPs can be assembled in a variety of ways, including chemical conjugation and physical encapsulation, to incorporate multiple bioactive motifs. Peptide-based nanomaterials are used for chemotherapy, delivery vehicles, immunotherapy, and noninvasive tumor therapies (e.g. photodynamic therapy) by employing the self-assembling properties of peptides. The recent increase of SAPs is almost entirely due to their excellent biocompatibility, responsiveness toward tumor microenvironment, multivalency, and structural versatility. Synergistic therapy is a more effective and powerful approach to treat the tumor. Notably, SAPs can be used to subtly combine various treatments. Importantly, SAPs are capable of subtly making the combination of various treatments. This review describes mechanisms of peptides self-assemble into various structures and their biomedical applications with a focus on possible treatments.

Prognostic impact of tumor size on isolated hepatocellular carcinoma without vascular invasion may have age variance.

Background: Previous studies suggested that tumor size was an independent risk factor of prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the general prognostic analysis did not consider the interaction between variables. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the effect of tumor size on the prognosis of isolated HCC without vascular invasion varies according to covariates. Methods: Patients were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to investigate whether there was an interaction between age and tumor size on the prognosis. Then the trend test and the value of per 1 SD of tumor size were calculated. In addition, the data of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital meeting the requirements were selected to verify the obtained conclusions. Results: Multivariable Cox regression analysis of the database cohort showed that age, gender, tumor size, pathological grade and marital status were independent risk factors for prognosis. Interaction test showed that there was an interaction between age and tumor size (P for interaction < 0.05). Stratified analysis by age showed that tumor size was an independent risk factor for prognosis when age ≤65 years old (HR:1.010,95%CI1.007-1.013 P < 0.001), while tumor size was not an independent risk factor for prognosis when age >65 years old. This result was confirmed by trend analysis (P for trend < 0.001), and the prognostic risk increased by 42.1% for each standard deviation increase of tumor size among patients age ≤65 years. Consistent conclusion was obtained by multivariable cox regression analysis and interaction test on the verification cohort. In the validation cohort, for each standard deviation increase of tumor size in patients ≤65 years old, the risk of prognosis increased by 52.4%. Conclusion: Tumor size is not an independent risk factor for the prognosis of isolated HCC without vascular invasion when patient's age >65 years. Therefore, when analyzing the relationship between tumor size and prognosis, stratified analysis should be performed according to age.

Update in clinical management for gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma (GB-NEC) is rare and there are few reports at present. We sought to review the current knowledge of GB-NEC and provide recommendations for clinical management. METHODS: A systemic literature research was conducted in the websites of Pubmed, Medline, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data using the keywords including gallbladder combined with neuroendocrine carcinoma or neuroendocrine tumor or neuroendocrine neoplasm. Two reviewers independently screened the articles by reading the title, abstract and full-text. RESULTS: In computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination, a well-defined margin, gallbladder replacing type with larger hepatic and lymphatic metastases could be helpful for differential diagnosis of GB-NEC and gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GB-ADC). Older age, unmarried status, large tumor size (>5 cm), positive margins, and distant Surveillance, Epidemiology and End result (SEER) stage are independently associated with poor survival. Surgical resection remains as the preferred and primary treatment. The potential survival benefit of lymphadenectomy for patients remains controversial. Platinum-based postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy may improve the survival. The efficacy of other treatments including immunotherapy, targeted therapy and somatostatin analogue needs further investigation. CONCLUSION: Typical imaging features could be helpful for preoperative diagnosis. Age, margin status, tumor size, marital status, histopathologic subtype and SEER stage may be independent predictors for the survival. Remarkable advances regarding the treatment for GB-NEC have been achieved in recent years. Further studies are needed to investigate the survival benefit of lymphadenectomy for patients with GB-NEC.

Practice Patterns and Perioperative Outcomes of Laparoscopic Pancreaticoduodenectomy in China: A Retrospective Multicenter Analysis of 1029 Patients.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to analyze the outcomes of patients who have undergone laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) in China. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: LPD is being increasingly used worldwide, but an extensive, detailed, systematic, multicenter analysis of the procedure has not been performed. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 1029 consecutive patients who had undergone LPD between January 2010 and August 2016 in China. Univariate and multivariate analyses of patient demographics, changes in outcome over time, technical learning curves, and the relationship between hospital or surgeon volume and patient outcomes were performed. RESULTS: Among the 1029 patients, 61 (5.93%) required conversion to laparotomy. The median operation time (OT) was 441.34 minutes, and the major complications occurred in 511 patients (49.66%). There were 21 deaths (2.43%) within 30 days, and a total of 61 (5.93%) within 90 days. Discounting the effects of the early learning phase, critical parameters improved significantly with surgeons' experience with the procedure. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the pancreatic anastomosis technique, preoperative biliary drainage method, and total bilirubin were linked to several outcome measures, including OT, estimated intraoperative blood loss, and mortality. Multicenter analyses of the learning curve revealed 3 phases, with proficiency thresholds at 40 and 104 cases. Higher hospital, department, and surgeon volume, as well as surgeon experience with minimally invasive surgery, were associated with a lower risk of surgical failure. CONCLUSIONS: LPD is technically safe and feasible, with acceptable rates of morbidity and mortality. Nonetheless, long learning curves, low-volume hospitals, and surgical inexperience are associated with higher rates of complications and mortality.

Targeting Tumor Immunosuppressive Microenvironment for the Prevention of Hepatic Cancer: Applications of Traditional Chinese Medicines in Targeted Delivery.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the ancient and most accepted alternative medicinal systems in the world for the treatment of health ailments. World Health Organization recognizes TCM as one of the primary healthcare practices followed across the globe. TCM utilizes a holistic approach for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers. The tumor microenvironment (TME) surrounds cancer cells and plays pivotal roles in tumor development, growth, progression, and therapy resistance. TME is a hypoxic and acidic environment that includes immune cells, pericytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, various cytokines, growth factors, and extracellular matrix components. Targeting TME using targeted drug delivery and nanoparticles is an attractive strategy for the treatment of solid tumors and recently has received significant research attention under precise medicine concept. TME plays a pivotal role in the overall survival and metastasis of a tumor by stimulating cell proliferation, preventing the tumor clearance by the immune cells, enhancing the oncogenic potential of the cancer cells, and promoting tumor invasion. Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major causes of cancer-associated deaths affecting millions of individuals worldwide each year. TCM herbs contain several bioactive phytoconstituents with a broad range of biological, physiological, and immunological effects on the system. Several TCM herbs and their monomers have shown inhibitory effects in HCC by controlling the TME. This study reviews the fundamentals and applications of targeting strategies for immunosuppressing TME to treat cancers. This study focuses on TME targeting strategies using TCM herbs and the molecular mechanisms of several TCM herbs and their monomers on controlling TME.

Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma: A single center experience.

Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma (GB-NEC) is a group of rare and heterogeneous neoplasms and there are few reports at present.We analyzed the clinical and pathological features of 7 patients with GB-NEC who were admitted to Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital from January 2011 to October 2019.The median age of 7 patients was 58 years with male to female ratio of 1:2.5. Right upper quadrant discomfort was the main complaint and no patients presented carcinoid syndrome-related symptoms. In contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) examination, 5 of 6 patients showed well-defined margin and continuous thin line-like contrast enhancement on the mucosa. Among the patients with liver metastases before surgery, 66.7% of patients were cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) positive, and among the patients presented with liver metastases during follow-up period, all patients were CA-125 positive. All patients with elevated CA-125 did not have ascites, ovarian carcinoma, peritoneal carcinoma, and endometrial carcinoma. According to postoperative pathological report, 1 patient was stage IIIA, and the other 6 patients were stage IVB. Six patients underwent surgery, and 1 patient just underwent liver biopsy. Two patients underwent laparoscopic radical cholecystectomy, and neither of them encountered serious complications after surgery with the overall survival time of 4.6 and 16.8 months, respectively. Compared with the patients without chemotherapy, 3 patients postoperatively treated with chemotherapy lived longer. The median survival of all 7 patients was 4.6 months and the 1-, 2-year survival rates were 14.29%, 0%.Surgical resection, including laparoscopic radical cholecystectomy, is feasible for the treatment of advanced GB-NEC in selected patients and has the advantages of prolonging survival in combination with chemotherapy. The elevation of CA-125 can be utilized as an important predictor of poor prognosis, while more investigations are necessary to confirm it.

The role of long non-coding RNAs in mediating chemoresistance by modulating autophagy in cancer.

Cancer is a complex process in which protein-coding and non-coding genes play essential roles. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), as a subclass of noncoding genes, are implicated in various cancer processes including growth, proliferation, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Due to presence in body fluids such as blood and urine, lncRNAs have become novel biomarkers in cancer detection, diagnosis, progression, and therapy response. Remarkably, increasing evidence has verified that lncRNAs play essential roles in chemoresistance by targeting different signalling pathways. Autophagy, a highly conserved process in response to environmental stresses such as starvation and hypoxia, plays a paradoxical role in inducing resistance or sensitivity to chemotherapy agents. In this regard, we reviewed chemoresistance, the role of lncRNAs in cancer, and the role of lncRNAs in chemoresistance by modulating autophagy.

Decreased DC-SIGNR expression in hepatocellular carcinoma predicts poor patient prognosis.

Dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-grabbing non-integrin-related protein (DC-SIGNR) is a transmembrane receptor primarily involved in pathogen recognition by the innate immune system, with particular importance for viral recognition. DC-SIGNR may also be associated with tumorigenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between DC-SIGNR expression, development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and clinicopathological features. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess DC-SIGNR protein expression in HCC and paired non-cancerous tissue samples. DC-SIGNR expression was lower in HCC tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissue samples. The expression of DC-SIGNR was associated with small tumor size, low Edmondson grade and high patient long term survival rates. Bioinformatics analyses were performed on several datasets to assess the potential function of DC-SIGNR and related genes; the data revealed that DC-SIGNR mRNA expression was lower in HCC tissues compared with non-cancerous controls, and analyses of ten-year survival rates indicated patients with low DC-SIGNR expression exhibited shorter average survival times. In conclusion, decreased DC-SIGNR expression in HCC tissues may be a relevant predictive biomarker of clinical prognosis, in addition to being a viable therapeutic target for HCC treatment.

Efficient and Hole-Transporting-Layer-Free CsPbI2 Br Planar Heterojunction Perovskite Solar Cells through Rubidium Passivation.

Recently, inorganic perovskite CsPbI2 Br has gained much attention for photovoltaic applications owing to its excellent thermal stability. However, low device performance and high open-voltage loss, which are the result of its intrinsic trap states, are hindering its progress. Herein, planar CsPbI2 Br solar cells with enhanced performance and stability were demonstrated by incorporating rubidium (Rb) cations. The Rb-doped CsPbI2 Br film exhibited excellent crystallinity, pinhole-free surface morphology, and enhanced optical absorbance. By using low-cost carbon electrodes to replace the organic hole-transportation layer and metal electrode, an excellent efficiency of 12 % was achieved with a stabilized efficiency of over 11 % owing to the suppressed trap states and recombination in the CsPbI2 Br film. Additionally, the annealing temperature for the Rb-doped CsPbI2 Br film could be as low as 150 °C with a comparable high efficiency over 11 %, which is one of the best efficiencies reported for hole-transporting-layer-free all-inorganic perovskite solar cells. These results could provide new opportunities for high-performance and stable inorganic CsPbI2 Br solar cells by employing A-site cation substitution.