Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition of hepatocellular carcinoma via the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most malignant digestive tumors, and its insidious onset and rapid progression are the main reasons for the difficulty in effective treatment. Lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 1 (LPCAT1) is a key enzyme that regulates phospholipid metabolism of the cell membrane. However, the mechanism by which LPCAT1 regulates HCC metastasis remains unknown. This study aimed to explore its biological function and potential mechanisms concerning migration and invasion in HCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: LPCAT1 expression in HCC tissues and its association with clinical outcomes were investigated by western blotting and bioinformatic methods, respectively. The role of LPCAT1 in migration and invasion was assessed via Transwell assays. The expression pattern of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers was quantified by western blotting. The biological behaviors of LPCAT1 in vivo were evaluated using xenograft tumor models and caudal vein metastatic models. Signaling pathways related to LPCAT1 were predicted using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and further confirmed by western blotting. RESULTS: LPCAT1 expression was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues and indicated a poor prognosis of HCC patients. Several EMT-related markers were found to be regulated by LPCAT1. HCC cells overexpressing LPCAT1 exhibited remarkably high migration and invasion capacities, upregulated expression of mesenchymal markers and reduced E-cadherin expression. In vivo, LPCAT1 promoted HCC pulmonary metastasis. Furthermore, the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway was confirmed to be activated by LPCAT1. CONCLUSIONS: LPCAT1 could serve as a promising biomarker of HCC and as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of metastatic HCC.

International incidence trends in early- and late-onset colorectal cancer: a population-based study.

PURPOSE: Knowing the global incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC), by sex and age of onset, is of great importance for understanding the disease burden of CRC. METHODS: The CRC incidence data, by cancer site, age of onset, sex, country, and year, were retrieved from the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents Vol. Plus database. Estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC) were calculated to quantify the temporal trends in the CRC age-standardized incidence rate. RESULTS: Globally, the incidence of late-onset CRC was heterogeneous and remained increasing in most countries. The highest incidence of late-onset colon and rectal cancer was both found in males in Slovakia (156.5/100,000 and 121.5/100,000, respectively). The most pronounced increases were mostly observed in developing countries, such as Brazil (colon cancer: EAPC = 5.87, 95% CI 3.18, 8.63; rectal cancer: EAPC = 4.68; 95% CI 2.78, 6.62). The highest incidence of early-onset colon and rectal cancer was found in females in Switzerland (4.2/100,000) and in males in South Korea (4.6/100,000), respectively. The incidences of early-onset CRC were increased in parts of countries, including countries experiencing a decline in late-onset CRC incidence, such as the USA, Germany, and Australia. The temporal trends of colon cancer were mostly aligned with those of rectal in most countries, independent of sex and age of onset. CONCLUSION: The increase of early-onset CRC incidence suggests more prevention initiatives are urgently warranted for young adults in the near future. Targeted and effective prevention measures are still needed among elderly populations.

Author Correction: The first amber caridean shrimp from Mexico reveals the ancient adaptation of the Palaemon to the mangrove estuary environment.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The first amber caridean shrimp from Mexico reveals the ancient adaptation of the Palaemon to the mangrove estuary environment.

The aquatic and semiaquatic invertebrates in fossiliferous amber have been reported, including taxa in a wide range of the subphylum Crustacea of Arthropoda. However, no caridean shrimp has been discovered so far in the world. The shrimp Palaemon aestuarius sp. nov. (Palaemonidae) preserved in amber from Chiapas, Mexico during Early Miocene (ca. 22.8 Ma) represents the first and the oldest amber caridean species. This finding suggests that the genus Palaemon has occupied Mexico at least since Early Miocene. In addition, the coexistence of the shrimp, a beetle larva, and a piece of residual leaf in the same amber supports the previous explanations for the Mexican amber depositional environment, in the tide-influenced mangrove estuary region.

Comparison of entecavir and adefovir for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B.

The results of several new clinical trials that compared the effectiveness of entecavir (ETV) treatment with that of adefovir (ADV) treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) were published in recent years. However, the numbers of patients included in these clinical trials were too small to draw a clear conclusion as to whether ETV is more effective than ADV. Therefore, a new meta-analysis was needed to compare ETV with ADV for the treatment of CHB. A search of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CCTR), MEDLINE, the Science Citation Index, Embase, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the Wanfang Database for relevant studies published between 1966 and 2010 was performed. Trials comparing the use of ETV and ADV for the treatment of CHB were assessed. Of the 2,358 studies screened, 13 randomized controlled clinical trials comprising 1,230 patients (ETV therapy, 621; ADV therapy, 609) were analyzed. The serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA clearance rate obtained in patients treated with ETV was significantly higher than that in patients treated with ADV at the 24th and 48th weeks of treatment (24 weeks: 59.6% vs. 31.8%, relative risk [RR], 1.82, 95% CI: 1.49-2.23; 48 weeks: 78.3% vs. 50.4%, RR, 1.61, 95% CI: 1.32-1.96). The serum HBeAg clearance rate, the HBeAg seroconversion rate, and the ALT normalization rate obtained for patients treated with ETV were also higher than the corresponding values for patients treated with ADV at the 48th week of treatment. The safety profiles were similar between patients treated with ETV and those treated with ADV. The evidence reviewed in this meta-analysis suggests that patients with hepatitis B have a greater likelihood of achieving a viral response and a biomedical response when treated with ETV than when treated with ADV.

Comparison of entecavir and adefovir for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B

The results of several new clinical trials that compared the effectiveness of entecavir (ETV) treatment with that of adefovir (ADV) treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) were published in recent years. However, the numbers of patients included in these clinical trials were too small to draw a clear conclusion as to whether ETV is more effective than ADV. Therefore, a new meta-analysis was needed to compare ETV with ADV for the treatment of CHB. A search of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CCTR), MEDLINE, the Science Citation Index, Embase, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the Wanfang Database for relevant studies published between 1966 and 2010 was performed. Trials comparing the use of ETV and ADV for the treatment of CHB were assessed. Of the 2,358 studies screened, 13 randomized controlled clinical trials comprising 1,230 patients (ETV therapy, 621; ADV therapy, 609) were analyzed. The serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA clearance rate obtained in patients treated with ETV was significantly higher than that in patients treated with ADV at the 24th and 48th weeks of treatment (24 weeks: 59.6% vs. 31.8%, relative risk [RR], 1.82, 95% CI: 1.49-2.23; 48 weeks: 78.3% vs. 50.4%, RR, 1.61, 95% CI: 1.32-1.96). The serum HBeAg clearance rate, the HBeAg seroconversion rate, and the ALT normalization rate obtained for patients treated with ETV were also higher than the corresponding values for patients treated with ADV at the 48th week of treatment. The safety profiles were similar between patients treated with ETV and those treated with ADV. The evidence reviewed in this meta-analysis suggests that patients with hepatitis B have a greater likelihood of achieving a viral response and a biomedical response when treated with ETV than when treated with ADV.

Risk factors for in-hospital mortality of patients with high model for end-stage liver disease scores following living donor liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for patients with high model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores is controversial due to its poor outcome. However, there is little information regarding which factor would negatively impact the outcome of patients with high MELD scores. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with the in-hospital mortality of patients with high MELD scores after LDLT. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients with an MELD scores ≥ 20 who received LDLT from 2005 to 2011 were recruited for the present study. Pre- and intra-operative variables were retrospectively and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 61 patients were included in the current study. The overall 3-month survival rate was 82% for patients with high MELD scores. Preoperative renal dysfunction, hyponatremia, starting albumin level < 2.8 g/dL, preoperative renal replacement for severe renal failure, anhepatic period > 100 minutes and intraoperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion ≥ 10 units were identified as potential risk factors by univariate analysis. However, only hyponatremia, preoperative dialysis and massive RBC transfusion were independent risk factors in a multivariate analysis. The 3-month survival rates of patients with two or more independent risk factors and patients with none or one risk factor were 91 and 25%, respectively. A significant difference was observed (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Hyponatremia, preoperative dialysis and massive RBC transfusion were related to poor outcome for sicker patients. Patients with two or more of the above-mentioned risk factors and high MELD scores may exhibit extremely poor short-term survival.