CD44V3, an Alternatively Spliced Form of CD44, Promotes Pancreatic Cancer Progression.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignant tumors. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for its progression are little known. This study aimed to understand the regulatory role of CD44V3 in pancreatic cancer. A Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to reveal the correlation between CD44/CD44V3 expression and the prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients. CD44V3 and U2AF1 were knocked down using shRNAs. The proliferation, migration, invasion, and stemness of two pancreatic cell lines, BxPC-3 and AsPC-1, were examined. The expression of CD44V3, cancer-associated markers, and the activation of AKT signaling were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Both CD44 and CD44V3 expression levels were associated with a poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer patients. Interestingly, the expression of CD44V3, instead of CD44, was greatly increased in tumor tissues. CD44V3 knockdown inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion, and stemness of cancer cells. CD44V3 splicing was regulated by U2AF1 and downregulation of U2AF1 enhanced CD44V3 expression, which promoted pancreatic cancer progression. CD44V3 is an important cancer-promoting factor, which may serve as a potential candidate for pancreatic cancer intervention.

The net parenchymal thickness predicts pancreatic fistula after pancreaticoduodenectomy: a retrospective cohort study of objective data.

BACKGROUND: The clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) is still a challenging complication of pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). This study aims to explore the predictors of CR-POPF after PD, including net parenchymal thickness (NPT) of pancreatic neck. METHODS: The consecutive patients who underwent PD at a tertiary hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted on the perioperative data, which was mainly extracted from the objective data, containing the results from the laboratory tests and the imaging examination. NPT refers to the total thickness of pancreatic gland excluding main pancreatic duct (MPD) at the CT film. RESULTS: Univariate analyses showed that total serum bilirubin (TBiL) and albumin (ALB) levels, MPD size and NPT were significantly different between the patients with and without CR-POPF. The white blood cell count, the rate of intra-abdominal infection (IAI) and the postoperative length of hospital stay (LOS) were associated with the incidence of CR-POPF. The proportion of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma or chronic pancreatitis was significantly lower in the CR-POPF group than in the non-CR-POPF group. Multivariate analyses manifested that ALB ≤35 g/L and NPT >10 mm were two of the independent risk factors for CR-POPF. CONCLUSION: Preoperative ALB ≤35 g/L and NPT > 10 mm were both the independent predictors of CR-POPF. CR-POPF was associated with the higher IAI rate and the extended LOS.

Light-activatable multifunctional paclitaxel nanoprodrug for synergistic chemo-photodynamic therapy in liver cancer.

Paclitaxel (Ptx) is widely utilized to treat liver cancer, and the treatment benefit of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive Ptx nanoprodrug is investigated in this study. The one-step nano-precipitation method was utilized to self-assembly DSPE-PEG2000 -thioketal linker (TK)-Ptx with pyropheophorbide acid nanoparticles (PPa NPs) to form PPa/Ptx NPs. Dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy were used for characterization, and 2'-7'dichlorofluorescin diacetate staining was utilized for intracellular ROS detection. HepG2 cells viability and tumor growth rate of HepG2 bearing mice were assayed. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, proliferating cell nuclear antigen detection, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling assay were utilized for histology assessment. PPa/Ptx NPs incubation with light irradiation showed superior cytotoxicity to HepG2 cells with increased intracellular ROS production than PPa/Ptx NPs incubation without light irradiation or PPa NPs incubation with light irradiation. At the same time, PPa/Ptx NPs with light irradiation could significantly decrease the tumor growth in vivo as indicated by diminished tumor volume with the largest necrotic area, the highest rate of apoptotic cells, and the least proliferating cells. PPa/Ptx NPs show synergistic chemo-photodynamic characteristics, which could be considered as a promising treatment option for liver cancer.

Selective radical resection for unresectable pancreatic cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to evaluate safety and value of radical resection for unresectable pancreatic cancer (UPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. In unresectable group, 360° resection of the involved artery sheath, resection and reconstruction of the involved artery, resection and reconstruction of the involved vein as well as resection and reconstruction of combined organs were, respectively, performed. Operation time, intraoperative blood loss, intensive care unit (ICU) transitional treatment, pancreatic fistula, bleeding, reoperation, and survival time were analyzed for two groups. RESULTS: Operation time and intraoperative blood loss were greatly increased in the unresectable group. The incidence of intractable diarrhea and abdominal hemorrhage in the unresectable group was higher. However, the rate of ICU transitional therapy, delayed gastric emptying, and reoperation was lower. Grade C pancreatic fistula occurred in neither group. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment through strict selection for patient with UPC is safe and their median survival time is similar to patient with resectable pancreatic cancer.

OBJETIVO: evaluar la seguridad y el valor de la resección radical para el cáncer de páncreas irresecable (CPU). MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Los datos clínicos se analizaron de forma retrospectiva. En el grupo irresecable, se realizó resección de 360° de la vaina de la arteria afectada, resección y reconstrucción de la arteria afectada, resección y reconstrucción de la vena afectada, así como resección y reconstrucción de órganos combinados, respectivamente. Se analizaron el tiempo operatorio, la pérdida de sangre intraoperatoria, el tratamiento transitorio en la UCI, la fístula pancreática, el sangrado, la reintervención y el tiempo de supervivencia para dos grupos. RESULTADOS: El tiempo de operación y la pérdida de sangre intraoperatoria aumentaron considerablemente en el grupo irresecable. La incidencia de diarrea intratable y hemorragia abdominal en el grupo irresecable fue mayor. Sin embargo, la tasa de terapia de transición en la UCI, el retraso del vaciamiento gástrico y la reintervención fueron menores. La fístula pancreática de grado C ocurrió en ninguno de los grupos. CONCLUSIONES: el tratamiento quirúrgico mediante selección estricta del paciente con CP irresecable es seguro y su mediana de supervivencia es similar a la del paciente con CPR.

Classification of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on N6-Methylandenosine-Related lncRNAs Profiling.

HCC is one of the most common types of malignancies worldwide and the fourth-leading cause of cancer deaths. Thus, there is an urgent need to search for novel targeted therapies in HCC. 186 m6a-related lncRNAs were screened for subsequent analysis. Two distinct m6A modification clusters were identified to be associated with the overall prognosis in TCGA-LIHC based on the m6A-related lncRNAs profiling, followed by univariate Cox regression analysis. In addition, four m6A-related lncRNAs prognostic signatures were developed and validated that could predict the OS of HCC patients, followed by univariate Cox regression, LASSO regression, and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Moreover, four m6A-related lncRNAs were identified to be related to HCC prognosis. ESTIMATE was used to evaluate the stromal score, immune score, ESTIMATE score, and tumor purity of each HCC sample. ssGSEA was performed to identify the enrichment levels of 29 immune signatures in each sample. Finally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction shown that KDM4A-AS1, BACE1-AS, and NRAV expressions were upregulated in HCC patients. We proved that our m6A-related lncRNAs signature had powerful and robust ability for predicting OS of different HCC subgroups.

miR-545 promotes colorectal cancer by inhibiting transferring in the non-normal ferroptosis signaling.

In this study, we examined whether and how miR-545 modulates ferroptosis in colorectal cancer (CRC). HT-29 and HCT-116 human CRC cell viability was examined using a CCK-8 assay and malondialdehyde (MDA) and Fe2+ levels were measured after treatment with the ferroptosis inducers Eradicator of Ras and ST (erastin) and Ras selective lethal 3 (RSL3) with or without miR-545 overexpression or knockdown vectors. Our results demonstrate that miR-545 overexpression inhibited, while miR-545 knockdown further increased, erastin and RSL3-induced upregulation of MDA, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and Fe2+ levels. Similarly, miR-545 overexpression partially reversed, while miR-545 knockdown enhanced, the erastin and RSL3-induced reduction in HT-29 and HCT-116 cell survival rates. Transferrin (TF) was identified as a target gene of miR-545. To determine whether miR-545 suppresses ferroptosis via TF, we overexpressed TF in HT-29 and HCT-116 cells. We found that TF overexpression blocked miR-545-induced changes in ROS, MDA, and Fe2+ levels in HT-29 and HCT-116 cells, thereby inducing CRC cell death. An in vivo assay showed that inhibition of miR-545 decreased tumor growth in nude mice treated with erastin. Together, these findings indicate that miR-545 promotes CRC cell survival by suppressing TF.

C-X-C chemokine receptor 2 (Cxcr2) promotes hepatocellular carcinoma immune evasion via regulating programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1).

Strategies to sensitize hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) to programmed death-1 (PD1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor therapies are important in improving the survival of HCC patients. The aim of the study was to characterize C-X-C chemokine receptor 2 (Cxcr2) as a therapeutic target in HCC and evaluate the effects of Cxcr2 suppression in sensitizing HCC to PD1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapies. To this end, we constructed a Cxcr2-knockout HCC cell line (Hepa1-6 KO) using the CRISPR-Cas9 approach and assessed the tumor growth rate and survival of mice after subcutaneously inoculating Hepa1-6 KO cells in mice. We show that Cxcr2 knockdown does not dramatically inhibit tumor growth and improve mouse survival. In tumor xenografts, the proportion of T cells is not affected but the ratio of M1/M2 macrophage is greatly increased. Cxcr2 knockdown does not alter cell viability but macrophages co-cultured with Hepa1-6 KO cells are shifted to M1 phenotypes compared to WT cells. Hepa-1-6 KO cells exhibit lower levels of PD-L1 expression. c-Myc is suppressed in Hepa1-6 KO cells, which contributes to PD-L1 downregulation. Knockdown of Cxcr2 decreases PD-L1 levels and consequently promotes the shift of macrophages to the M1 phenotype, which is mediated by downregulating c-Myc. In summary, Cxcr2 is a potential target for suppressing immune escape in HCC.

EIF3B promotes cancer progression in pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to analyze the relative expression of Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 3 Subunit B (EIF3B) in pancreatic cancer and elucidate its contribution to this disease. METHODS: Relative expression of EIF3B in pancreatic cancer was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Cell viability was determined by the MTT assay and cell proliferation was measured by direct cell counting. Cell apoptosis was detected by Annexin V staining followed by flow cytometry analysis, and cell cycle was analyzed by PI staining. The differential expression gene analysis was performed by microarray. Tumor progression in response to EIF3B deficiency in vivo was investigated using the xenograft tumor model. RESULTS: We found aberrantly high expression of EIF3B in pancreatic cancer, which associated with unfavorable prognosis. Knockdown of EIF3B greatly compromised cell viability and proliferation in both SW1990 and PANC-1 cells. Furthermore, EIF3B deficiency induced cell cycle arrest and spontaneous apoptosis. In vivo tumor progression was significantly suppressed by EIF3B silencing in the xenograft mouse model. Mechanistically, we characterized down-regulation of CDH1 and IRS1 and up-regulation of DDIT3, PTEN and CDKN1B, in response to EIF3B knockdown, which might mediate the oncogenic effect of EIF3B in pancreatic cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Our data uncovered the oncogenic role of EIF3B in pancreatic cancer.

Oxaliplatin induces immunogenic cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and devastating malignancies. Oxaliplatin, a platinum-based chemotherapeutic agent, is approved for the treatment of several malignancies, including HCC. However, its role in HCC is not well established. This study was designed to investigate the potential of oxaliplatin as an immunogenic cell death (ICD) inducer and to explore its regulatory effects on the response of HCC to immune checkpoint blockade therapy. METHODS: Murine and human HCC cells were treated with oxaliplatin, followed by evaluation of the expression of ICD-related biomarkers. Murine HCC cells (H22) were subcutaneously inoculated into mice to establish a syngeneic tumor graft model, after which tumor sizes and in vivo immune cell activation were evaluated. To assess putative synergistic effects of oxaliplatin with anti-PD-1 antibodies on H22 tumors, tumor parameters and secreted cytokines were quantified. RESULTS: ICD-related biomarkers were found to be enhanced after treatment of human and murine HCC cells with oxaliplatin. Additionally, we found that the number of mature dendritic cells (DCs) was increased after immature DCs were cocultured with oxaliplatin-treated H22 cells. The numbers of CD8+ T cells and mature DCs were found to be increased in vivo whereas, in contrast, the number of Treg cells was decreased. The tumor sizes were smaller in the oxaliplatin group than in the control group. In the syngeneic tumor graft model, we found that combination therapy with oxaliplatin and anti-PD-1 antibodies could achieve better outcomes than monotherapy, as indicated by (i) inhibition of tumor growth and TGF-ß secretion and (ii) augmentation of inflammatory cytokine secretion. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that oxaliplatin can be used as an inducer of ICD and as a modulator of the tumor immune microenvironment. Combination therapies composed of oxaliplatin and immune checkpoint inhibitors may open up novel avenues for the treatment of HCC.

LncRNA CYTOR promotes pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and migration by sponging miR-205-5p.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Studies have found that LncRNA CYTOR is an important regulator of cancer. However, the function of lncRNA CYTOR in pancreatic cancer (PC) is unclear. This study amid to explore the regulation of lncRNA CYTOR in PC. METHODS: The expression of CYTOR and miR-205-5p in PC was detected by RT-qPCR. CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay and scratch test were conducted to detect the effects of CYTOR and miR-205-5p on proliferation and migration of PC cells. Target gene prediction and screening and luciferase reporter assays were used to verify downstream target genes of CYTOR and miR-205-5p. The expression of Cyclin-dependent protein kinase 6 (CDK6) was detected by Western blotting. The tumor growth in mice was detected by in vivo experiments in nude mice. RESULTS: The expression of LncRNA CYTOR was significantly elevated in PC. Knockdown of CYTOR significantly inhibited cell proliferation and migration of PC cells. In vivo animal studies showed that CYTOR promoted tumor growth. MiR-205-5p was a direct target of CYTOR, and the expression levels of miR-205-5p were significantly reduced in PC cell lines. Furthermore, co-transfection of shCYTOR with miR-205-5p inhibitor partially abolished the effect of shCYTOR on cell proliferation and migration. In addition, CYTOR was negatively correlated with the expression of miR-205-5p. CDK6 was a direct target of miR-205-5p, and miR-205-5p mimic and sh CYTOR significantly reduced the expression levels of CDK6. CONCLUSION: CYTOR can promote PC progression by modulating the miR-205-5p/CDK6 axis, which may be a potential therapeutic target for PC.

Downregulation of orosomucoid 2 acts as a prognostic factor associated with cancer-promoting pathways in liver cancer.

BACKGROUND: Liver cancer has a high mortality and morbidity rate throughout the world. In clinical practice, the prognosis of liver cancer patients is poor, and the complex reasons contribute to treatment failures, including fibrosis, hepatitis viral infection, drug resistance and metastasis. Thus, screening novel prognostic biomarkers is of great importance for guiding liver cancer therapy. Orosomucoid genes (ORMs) encode acute phase plasma proteins, including orosomucoid 1 (ORM1) and ORM2. Previous studies showed their upregulation upon inflammation, but the specific function of ORMs has not yet been determined, especially in the development of liver cancer. AIM: To determine the expression of ORMs and their potential function in liver cancer. METHODS: Analysis of the expression of ORMs in different human tissues was performed on data from the HPA RNA-seq normal tissues project. The expression ratio of ORMs was determined using the HCCDB database, including the ratio between liver cancer and other cancers, normal liver and other normal tissues, liver cancer and adjacent normal liver tissues. Analysis of ORM expression in different cancer types was performed using The Cancer Genome Atlas and TIMER database. The expression of ORMs in liver tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues were further confirmed using Gene Expression Omnibus data, including GSE36376 and GSE14520. The 10-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) rates between high and low ORM expression groups in liver cancer patients were determined using the Kaplan-Meier plotter tool. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was employed to explore the ORM2-associated signaling network. Correlations between ORM2 expression and tumor purity or the infiltration level of macrophages in liver tumor tissues were determined using the TIMER database. The correlation between ORM2 gene levels, tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) markers (including CD68 and TGFß1) and T cell immunosuppression (including CTLA4 and PD-1) in liver tumor tissues and liver GTEx was determined using the GEPIA database. RESULTS: ORM1 and ORM2 were highly expressed in normal liver and liver tumor tissues. ORM1 and ORM2 expression was significantly decreased in liver tumor tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues, and similar results were also noted in cholangiocarcinoma, esophageal carcinoma, and lung squamous cell carcinoma. Further analysis of the Gene Expression Omnibus Database also confirmed the downregulation of ORM1 and ORM2 in liver tumors. Survival analysis showed that the high ORM2 group had better survival rates in OS, PFS and RFS. ORM1 only represented better performance in PFS, but not in OS or RFS. GSEA analysis of ORM2 from The Cancer Genome Atlas liver cancer data identified that ORM2 positively associated with the G2/M checkpoint, E2F target signaling, as well as Wnt/ß-catenin and Hedgehog signaling. Moreover, apoptosis, IFN-α responses, IFN-γ responses and humoral immune responses were upregulated in the ORM2 high group. ORM2 expression was negatively correlated with the macrophage infiltration level, CD68, TGFß1, CTLA4 and PD-1 levels. CONCLUSION: The results showed that ORM1 and ORM2 were highly expressed specifically in liver tissues, whereas ORM1 and ORM2 were downregulated in liver tumor tissues. ORM2 is a better prognostic factor for liver cancer. Furthermore, ORM2 is closely associated with cancer-promoting pathways.

Specific Overexpression of Mitofusin-2 in Hepatic Stellate Cells Ameliorates Liver Fibrosis in Mice Model.

Liver fibrosis is a chronic liver disease that could further develop to cirrhosis and liver carcinoma. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are primary effector cells to initiate liver fibrosis. We aimed to explore the function and underlying mechanisms of mitochondrial fusion protein Mitofusin-2 (MFN2) in liver fibrosis. First, we utilized an alpha-smooth muscle actin promoter to overexpress MFN2 specifically in HSCs using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector (AAV-MFN2). Overexpression of MFN2 was specifically achieved in HSC-T6 cells, but not in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages or hepatocyte AML-12 cells. We found that high expression of MFN2 induced apoptosis of HSC-T6 cells. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that high level of MFN2 inhibited TGF-ß1/Smad signaling pathway, triggered downregulation of type I, type III, and type IV collagen, and antagonized the formation of factors associated with liver fibrosis. Furthermore, we found that overexpression of MFN2 using AAV-MFN2 ameliorated CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in vivo with significantly decreased immune cell infiltration. Taken together, our findings indicate that MFN2 is critical in regulating apoptosis and liver fibrosis in HSCs, which might be a useful therapeutic target to treat liver fibrosis.

Downregulation of GNAI3 Promotes the Pathogenesis of Methionine/Choline-Deficient Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background/Aims: The pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has not be fully elucidated, and the lack of therapeutic strategies for NAFLD is an urgent health problem. Guanine nucleotide binding protein, alpha inhibiting activity polypeptide 3 (GNAI3) participates in several biological processes, but its relationship with lipid metabolism and NAFLD has not yet been reported. We aimed to determine the function of GNAI3 in the development of NAFLD. Methods: Mice were fed a methionine and choline-deficient diet to induce NAFLD. An NAFLD model in HepG2 cells was induced by free fatty acid treatment. GNAI3 levels in HepG2 cells were downregulated by shRNA. Protein levels of related proteins were evaluated by Western blotting, and mRNA levels were determined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Hematoxylin and eosin and Oil Red O staining were used to observe histological changes in liver tissue. Results: The dysregulated hepatic lipid metabolism in the NAFLD mouse model was enhanced by GNAI3 knockout, which also provoked worse liver damage. In the NAFLD model in HepG2 cells, the downregulation of GNAI3 promoted cellular lipid accumulation and enhanced the changes in lipid metabolic enzyme levels. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that GNAI3 participates in the development of NAFLD in both cellular and mouse models. The data indicate that GNAI3 is a potential new target for the treatment of NAFLD in humans.

Growth inhibitor of human hepatic carcinoma HepG2 cells by evodiamine is associated with downregulation of PRAME.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients have low 5-year survival due to the delayed diagnosis, so it is necessary to develop an alternative treatment. Preferentially expressed antigen of melanoma (PRAME) has a high expression in HCC patients, and the effects of evodiamine on HCC are less characterized, although evodiamine has anti-tumor activities in several tumor types. To investigate the effects of evodiamine on PRAME expression, the in vitro PRAME expression in HepG2 cells after incubated with evodiamine was determined by RT-PCR and western blot. Cell viability, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of evodiamine-incubated HepG2 cells were evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8, wound healing, transwell assay, and Annexin V-FITC/PI double-staining assay, respectively. To evaluate the mechanism of the regulation of evodiamine on the PRAME expression, chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with quantitative PCR was employed. Xenograft model was used to evaluate the effects of evodiamine on tumor growth, survival rate, and the PRAME expression. The PRAME expression was inhibited in evodiamine-treated HepG2 cells in vitro and in vivo. The tumor metastasis and growth were inhibited resulting from evodiamine incubation. The evodiamine inhibited the PRAME expression through trimethylation of H3K27. In this study, evodiamine contributes to in vitro and in vivo tumor cell growth inhibition. To achieve this inhibition, the PRAME expression may be repressed through trimethylation resulting from epigenetic regulation of evodiamine.

Downregulation of PRAME Suppresses Proliferation and Promotes Apoptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Through the Activation of P53 Mediated Pathway.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The expression of PRAME and its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the functional role of PRAME in HCC development and exploring the molecular mechanism. METHODS: We first detected PRAME expression in 96 human HCC tissue samples and correlated with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of the patients. We then established stable HCC cell lines with PRAME overexpression and knockdown followed by functional analysis in vitro. Further, we examined the relationship between PRAME and p53 pathway in vitro by using Western blotting. Finally, PRAME expression was detected to evaluate its correlation with p-p53 and p53 pathway related apoptotic proteins in xenograft tumor mouse model using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: PRAME expression was significantly higher in HCC tissues than in adjacent non-tumor tissues and their expression was positively correlated with alpha fetoprotein levels and tumor size. In addition, PRAME expression was associated with AJCC stage and is a potential biomarker of poor prognosis regarding 5-year overall survival in HCC. In vitro studies, we found that PRAME expression was higher in HCC cell lines than in normal hepatic cell line. Inhibited cell proliferation and increased cell apoptosis was observed in PRAME knockdown HCC cells. Futher, increased cell apoptosis was correlated with the proportion of cells in G0/G1 stage, activated p53 mediated apoptosis, and increased cyclin p21 expression. Xenograft analysis in nude mice also found that PRAME knockdown inhibited tumorigenesis while PRAME overexpression had opposite effect. CONCLUSIONS: In HCC, PRAME serves as a potential biomarker for poor prognosis and novel therapeutic target in treating this cancer. PRAME is a potential biomarker of poor prognosis in HCC. PRAME surpresses HCC cell death in vitro and in vivo by regulating p53 apoptotic signaling and may serve as a potential therapeutic target in HCC.

Alpha1-ACT Functions as a Tumour Suppressor in Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signalling Pathway via Activation of PTEN.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: To investigate the expression and prognostic value of α1-ACT (Alpha1-antichymotrypsin) in patients with HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma) and identify the mechanism by which α1-ACT inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of HCC. METHODS: We first measured α1-ACT expression levels and determined their relationship with the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients with HCC.We then established stable HCC cell lines with both α1-ACT overexpression and knockdown and performed a functional analysis in vitro.We first examined the relationship between α1-ACT and the PTEN/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway using Western blotting. Then, we determined whether α1-ACT can directly bind to PTEN using co-immunoprecipitation. Finally, we measured α1-ACT expression to evaluate its correlation with the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway-related apoptosis proteins in a xenograft tumour mouse model using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The α1-ACT expression level was significantly lower in the HCC tissues than in the paratumour tissues and was negatively positively correlated with the level of Ki67, AFP, the AJCC stage, tumour size and tumour invasion. The overexpression of α1-ACT can inhibit cell proliferation and increase cell apoptosis by activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR-mediated apoptosis via binding to PTEN and activating it in vitro. Additionally, the overexpression of α1-ACT can also increase the proportion of cells in the G0/G1 stage by increasing cyclin p21 expression and inhibiting the migration and invasion abilities of HCC cells by regulating MMP2 and MMP9. The xenotransplantation studies with nude mice also showed that overexpression of α1-ACT inhibited tumourigenesis and knockdown of α1-ACT had the opposite effect. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that α1-ACT suppresses liver cancer development and metastasis via targeting the PTEN/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway, which may be a potential target for therapeutic intervention in HCC.

A genetic variant of apolipoprotein M increases susceptibility to coronary artery disease in a Chinese population.

1. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is widely accepted as a lipoprotein that protects against coronary artery and other atherosclerotic diseases. Recently, a new apolipoprotein encoded by the APOM gene, which plays an important role in affecting the intrinsic properties of HDL, has been reported. Genetic variations exist in the APOM gene, but their significance is presently unclear. The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether the APOM T-855C mutant allele is implicated in coronary artery disease (CAD). 2. In the present study, 418 patients with CAD and 372 controls were studied, all of whom were Han Chinese from Jiangsu Province, China. Plasma levels of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) were evaluated. Genomic DNA from the whole blood from these subjects was subjected to polymerase chain reaction amplification and restriction enzyme digestion to determine genotype with respect to the APOM T-855C polymorphism. 3. The allelic frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Plasma HDL levels were significantly lower in subjects with CAD than in control subjects (1.08 +/- 0.31 vs 1.25 +/- 0.32, respectively; P < 0.001) and the distribution of genotypes and allelic frequencies was significantly different in the two groups (P = 0.013 and 0.005, respectively). Multiple logistic regression analysis after adjustment for age, gender, smoking, body mass index, hypertension and serum glucose showed that, compared with the wild-type TT genotype, carriers of the C allele had an increased risk of CAD (odds ratio = 1.819, 95% confidence interval 1.142-2.898; P = 0.012). 4. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that the APOM T-855C polymorphism carries an increased risk for CAD in this Chinese population.

[Effect of lysis of acupotomology on plasma vasoactive substance levels in rats with third lumbar vertebra transverse process syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of small needle-knife lysis on plasma calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), endothelin (ET), 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha (6-keto-PGF1alpha), thromboxane A2 (TXA2) contents in rats with experimental third lumbar vertebra transverse process syndrome (TLVTPS) so as to explore its underlying mechanism in clinical treatment. METHODS: Forty SD rats were randomly divided into normal control, model, lysis and EA groups. TLVTPS model was established by embedding a piece of gelatin sponge (0.5 cm x 0.5 cm) to the transverse process of the 3rd lumbar vertebra under anesthesia. EA (2/100 Hz, 1-2 mA) was applied to left "Shenshu" (BL23) -"Yaoyangguan" (GV3) for 20 min, once every other day, 6 times altogether. For animals of lysis group, the lysis was performed by using a small needle-knife in the induration spot or cord-like region near the incision, once a week and twice altogether. Four weeks later after modeling, plasma CGRP, ET, 6-keto-PGF1alpha and TXA2 contents were detected by using radioimmunoassay and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Compared with normal control group, plasma CGRP, ET, TXA2 and 6-keto-PGF1alpha increased significantly in model group (P<0.01); in comparison with model group, plasma CGRP, TXA2 and 6-keto-PGF1alpha in both EA and lysis groups decreased considerably (P<0.05, 0.01). No significant differences were found between EA and lysis groups in plasma CGRP, ET and 6-keto-PGF1alpha levels (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Both EA and lysis of acupotomology have an adjusting effect on vasoactive substances (CGRP, TXA2 and 6-keto-PGF1alpha) levels in TLVTPS rats, which may contribute to their effects in improving local blood circulation and relieving soft tissue injury in the treatment of third lumbar vertebra transverse process syndrome.

[Evaluation on clinical therapeutic effect of needle-knife therapy on cervical spondylosis].

OBJECTIVE: To compare therapeutic effects of needle-knife therapy and acupuncture on cervical spondylosis. METHODS: Multi-central clinical randomized controlled trial was adopted. The patients were divided into a needle-knife treatment group treated with needle-knife therapy at the upper and lower interspinal ligaments of the affected vertebral body and bilateral posterior joint capsules; and the acupuncture control group were treated with acupuncture at Laozhen, Ashi points and cervical Jiaji points, etc. The short-term and the long-term therapeutic effects were observed at the end of the therapeutic course and 6 months after the end of the therapeutic course. RESULTS: The short-term therapeutic effect and the long-term therapeutic effect were 91.3% and 94.7% in the needle-knife treatment group and 59.4% and 56.6% in the acupuncture control group, respectively, with a very significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The needle-knife treatment in the therapeutic effect on cervical spondylosis is superior to acupuncture treatment.