miR-3677-5p promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and is associated with prognosis.

MicroRNA (miRNA/miR)-3677 has been indicated to be negatively associated with the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database. However, as a novel miRNA, the role of miR-3677-5p in HCC has remained to be elucidated. In the present study, the expression of miR-3677-5p was assessed in HCC tissues and cell lines using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Furthermore, the prognostic significance of miR-3677-5p was evaluated using Cox regression analysis. The effects of miR-3677-5p on cell proliferation, as well as migration and invasion capacities, were analyzed using Cell Counting Kit-8, crystal violet and Transwell assays. The results demonstrated that the level of miR-3677-5p expression was upregulated in human HCC tissues and cell lines and that miR-3677-5p expression was closely associated with tumor size, TNM stage and vascular invasion. Furthermore, high miR-3677-5p expression was significantly associated with unfavorable clinical prognosis for patients with HCC. Overexpression of miR-3677-5p was indicated to significantly promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells, whereas knockdown of miR-3677-5p was observed to have an inhibitory effect. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that miR-3677-5p acts as an oncogene that has a critical role in the regulation of HCC proliferation and progression. Hence, miR-3677-5p may serve as a valuable prognostic biomarker and may be developed as a promising therapeutic target for HCC.

[Laparoscopic anatomical hepatectomies for intrahepatic bile duct stone].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic anatomical hepatectomies (LAH) for intrahepatic bile duct stone. METHODS: LAH was performed in 14 patients with intrahepatic bile duct stone, while another 20 patients with intrahepatic bile duct stone underwent classical operation. Surgical time, blood loss, postoperative complications, and postoperative hospital stay were recorded. RESULTS: The operations were successful in all 14 patients who underwent LAH. Surgical time was 190-420 mm [mean (259 +/- 134) mm]. Blood loss during operation was 220-1 000 ml [mean (454.5 +/- 314.2) ml]. No serious postoperative complications occurred. All these 14 patients were discharged with T dragin 7-14 days later, and the mean postoperative hospital stay was (9.2 +/- 3.4) days. In the classical operation group, the surgical time was 125-257 mm [mean (178 +/- 58) mm] and the blood loss was 210-1200 ml [mean (550.9 +/- 348.1) ml] All the patients were discharged with T dragin 9-25 days after operation, and the mean postoperative hospital stay was (13.4 +/- 4.7) days. Surgical time of LAH was longer than classical operation (P < 0.05). Rate of postoperative complications and postoperative hospital stay were decreased in LAH (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The difference of blood loss during operation was no significance between LAH and classical operation (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: LAH is feasible and safe for selected patients with intrahepatic bile duct stones. As a minimally invasive procedure, it can reduce surgical time, blood loss, hospital stay, and postoperative complications.