The predictors of lymphopenia and its effects on survival in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

To investigate the impact of the effective radiation dose to immune cells (EDIC) and gross tumor volume (GTV) on lymphopenia and survival in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (LAESCC). Between January 2013 and December 2020, 272 LAESCC patients were treated with definitive radiotherapy in two institutions. Based on radiation doses to the lungs, heart, and body region scanned, EDIC was calculated as an equal uniform dose to the total blood considering blood flow and fraction effect. The radiotherapy plan was used to calculate the GTVs. Lymphopenia was graded based on the lowest lymphocyte count during RT. The overall survival (OS), progress-free survival (PFS), and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) were analyzed statistically. The lowest lymphocyte count was significantly correlated with EDIC (r= -0.389, p < .001) and GTV (r= -0.211, p < .001). Lymphopenia, EDIC, and GTV are risk factors for patients with ESCC. In a Kaplan-Meier analysis with EDIC and GTV as stratification factors, lymphopenia was not associated with OS in the EDIC>12.9 Gy group (p = .294)and EDIC ≤ 12.9 Gy group, and it was also not associated with OS in GTV>68.8 cm3 group (p = .242) and GTV ≤ 68.8 cm3 group(p = .165). GTV and EDIC had an impact on the relationship between lymphopenia and OS in patients with LAESCC undergoing definitive RT. Poorer OS, PFS, and LRFS are correlated with lymphopenia, higher EDIC, and larger GTV.

Cardiac exposure in left-sided breast cancer patients undergoing deep inspiratory breath hold radiation therapy.

Background: Left-sided breast cancer (BC) patients undergoing post-operative radiation therapy (PRT) may have higher risk of late cardiovascular toxicity, which may be reduced by hearth-sparing RT techniques. This study evaluated dosimetric parameters of the deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) compared to free breathing (FB) RT. We analysed factors impacting on doses to the heart and cardiac substructures and sought anatomic factors allowing patient selection for DIBH. Methods: The study group included 67 left-sided BC patients who underwent RT after breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy. Patients treated with DIBH were trained to hold their breath. Computed tomography (CT) scans were performed in both FB and DIBH patients. Plans were generated using 3-dimensional (3D) conformal RT. The dosimetric variables were obtained from dose-volume histograms, and the anatomical variables were derived from the CT scans. The variables in the two groups were compared by t-test, the U test, and the chi-squared test. Correlation analysis was performed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to analyze the efficacy of the predictors. Results: Compared to the FB, DIBH allowed for a mean dose reduction to the heart, left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), left ventricle (LV), and right ventricle (RV) by 30.0%, 38.7%, 39.3%, and 34.7%, respectively. DIBH markedly increased the heart height (HH), heart chest wall distance (HCWD), the mean distance between the ipsilateral lung and breast (DBIB), and decreased the heart-chest wall length (HCWL) (P<0.05). The different value of HH, DBIB, HCWL, and HCWD between DIBH and FB were 1.31, 1.95, -0.67, and 0.22 cm, respectively (all P<0.05). ΔHH was an independent predictor of the mean dose to the heart, LAD, LV, and RV, with the area under the curve values of 0.818, 0.725, 0.821, and 0.820, respectively. Conclusions: DIBH significantly reduced the dose to the entire heart and its substructures in left-sided BC patients undergoing post-operative RT. ΔHH predicts the mean dose to the heart and its substructures. These results may inform patient selection for DIBH.

Comparative transcriptomes reveal molecular mechanisms of apple blossoms of different tolerance genotypes to chilling injury.

Apple (Malus domestica, Borkh.) is one of the four largest fruits in the world. Freezing damage during the flowering period of apples is one of the main factors leading to the reduction or even extinction of apple production. Molecular breeding of hardy apples is a good solution to these problems. However, the current screening of cold tolerance genes still needs to be resolved. Therefore, in this article, the transcriptome detection and cold tolerance gene screening during the cold adaptation process of apple were studied in order to obtain potential cold-resistant genes. Herein, two high-quality apple tree species (Malus robusta Rehd and M. domestica) were used for cold adaptation experiments and studied under different low-temperature stress conditions (0, -2 and -4°C). The antioxidant levels of two apple flower tissues were tested, and the transcriptome of the flowers after cold culture was tested by next-generation sequencing technology. Antioxidant test results show that the elimination of peroxides in M. robusta Rehd and the adjustment of the expression of antioxidant enzymes promote the cold resistance of this variety of apples. Functional enrichment found that the expression of enzyme activity, cell wall and cell membrane structure, glucose metabolism/gluconeogenesis, and signal transmission are the main biological processes that affect the differences in the cold resistance characteristics of the two apples. In addition, three potential cold-resistant genes AtERF4, RuBisCO activase 1, and an unknown gene (ID: MD09G1075000) were screened. In this study, three potential cold-resistant genes (AtERF4, RuBisCO activase 1, and an unknown gene [ID: MD09G1075000]) and three cold-repressed differential genes (AtDTX29, XTH1, and TLP) were screened.

Changes to bacterial communities and soil metabolites in an apple orchard as a legacy effect of different intercropping plants and soil management practices.

Intercropping is an important soil management practice for increasing orchard productivity and land-use efficiency because it has beneficial effects on soil microbial communities and soil properties. However, there is relatively little information available regarding the effects of different crops/grasses on soil microbial communities and soil metabolic products in apple orchards in arid and semi-arid regions. In this study, we showed the microbial communities of apple, intercropping plants, and sandy waste soil, using the third-generation PacBio SMRT long-read sequencing technology. Our results also revealed that the microbial communities and soil metabolic properties differed significantly between apple and the sandy waste soil and the intercropping plants. Intercropping could significantly enrich diverse microbial species, microbial nitrogen, and microbial carbon of soil. Moreover, intercropping with licorice showed better effects in recruiting beneficial microbes, compared to grass and pepper, significantly enriching species belonging to some well-known taxa with beneficial effects, including Bacillus, Ensifer, Paenibacillus, Rhizobium, and Sphingomonas. Thus, intercropping with licorice may improve apple tree growth and disease resistance. Furthermore, Bradyrhizobium and Rubrobacter were included among the keystone taxa of apple, whereas Bacillus, Chitinophaga, Stenotrophobacter, Rubrobacter, and Luteimonas were the keystone taxa of the intercropping plants. The results of our study suggest that intercropping with licorice is a viable option for increasing apple orchard productivity.

Differentially Expressed Genes in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Tissues and Their Correlation with Recurrence and Metastasis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

In this study, bioinformatics tools were used to identify key genes to study the molecular mechanism of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) development and to explore the correlation of these key genes with the recurrence and metastasis of NPC. The GSE61218 microarray dataset obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus Database (GEO) was used. The limma R package was used to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between NPC and normal nasopharyngeal (NP) tissues. KEGG functional enrichment was performed on these selected DEGs. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed using Cytoscape software to identify key node proteins. The NPC-metastasis microarray dataset GSE103611 was obtained from GEO to analyze the expression of DEGs in NPC metastasis. A total of 239 DEGs were identified. DEGs were mainly enriched in oocyte maturation-related pathways, cytokine-related pathways, cell cycle-related pathways, cancer-related pathways, and homologous recombination-related pathways. In addition, the top 10 nodes with the higher degree in the DEG PPI network were as follows: CDK1, CCNB2, BUB1, CCNA2, AURKB, BUB1B, MAD2L1, NDC80, BIRC5, and CENPF. The results indicated that DEGs may be involved in the pathogenesis of NPC by regulating cell cycle and mitosis, which can be used as molecular biomarkers for the diagnosis of NPC. In addition, we identified 87 DEGs with FC > 2 and P < 0.01 from the metastasis spectrum of NPC. The intersection gene between DEGs of NPC and normal NP tissue samples and those of the metastatic spectrum of NPC was identified to be VRK2. The expression of VRK2 in NPC samples was significantly higher than that in normal NP tissue, and similarly, VRK2 expression was significantly upregulated in metastatic samples compared with nonmetastatic samples (P < 0.05). Therefore, VRK2 may be a biomarker for predicting the metastasis of NPC patients after treatment.

Adjuvant Radiotherapy After Minimally Invasive Surgery in Patients With Stage IA1-IIA1 Cervical Cancer.

To estimate whether adjuvant radiotherapy is necessary for patients with stage IA1-IIA1 cervical cancer after laparoscopic hysterectomy, 221 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Sixty-two of them were treated with laparoscopic hysterectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy (group A), 115 underwent open surgery (group B) and 44 received laparoscopic hysterectomy alone (group C). Results showed that the 3-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) rates of group A, B and C were 98.4%, 97.4% and 86.4%, respectively. The LRFS rates of group A and B surpassed C (A vs. B, p=0.634; A vs. C, p=0.011; B vs. C, p=0.006). The inter-group differences of 3-year overall survival (OS) and distant metastasis free survival (DMFS) were not statistically significant. In subgroup analysis of stage IB disease, the 3-year LRFS rates of group A, B and C were 100%, 98.8% and 83.1%, the 3-year OS rates of group A, B and C were 100%, 98.9% and 91.5%, respectively. The 3-year LRFS and OS rates of group A and B were significantly superior to group C (p<0.05). Our findings suggest that adjuvant radiotherapy can reduce the risk of recurrence for women with early-stage cervical cancer after laparoscopic hysterectomy and bring survival benefits for patients with stage IB disease.

Bioinformatics and integrated analyses of prognosis-associated key genes in lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the present study was to predict candidate genes with prognostic information for lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). METHODS: Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was utilized to build the co-expression network of deferentially expressed genes (DEGs) in GSE32863. Key genes were identified as the intersecting genes of the modules of WGCNA and DEGs. Kaplan-Meier plotter was employed to conduct survival analysis. Enrichment analysis was performed. The expression of key genes in LUAD was validated. Then, we performed in vitro experiments to explore functions of key genes. We overexpressed DYNLRB2 in A549 cell. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were test expression levels and functional analyses were performed, including cell viability, apoptosis. RESULTS: A total of 1,587 DEGs in GSE32863 were identified, including 649 up-regulated genes and 938 down-regulated genes. In coexpression analysis, there were 1,271 hubgenes from the modules that were chosen for further analysis. 15 key genes were identified as the intersecting genes of the modules of WGCNA and DEGs. The expressions of dynein light chain roadblock-type 2 (DYNLRB2) and mouse homolog of ß1 spectrin (SPTBN1) were lower in LUAD, and were associated with survival time of LUAD patients. GSEA results showed that high expressed DYNLRB2 and SPTBN1 were enriched in Drug metabolism cytochrome P450, Cardiac muscle contraction, Retinol metabolism. Down-regulated DYNLRB2 and SPTBN1 were associated with Homologous recombination, Progesterone mediated oocyte maturation, Base excision repair. The in vitro experiment confirmed the overexpression of DYNLRB2 in A549 transferred cells. The overexpress DYNLRB2 inhibited cell viability and induced apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that DYNLRB2 and SPTBN1 might be potential tumor suppressor genes and could serve as biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of LUAD patients.

Potential Defects and Improvements of Equivalent Uniform Dose Prediction Model Based on the Analysis of Radiation-Induced Brain Injury.

PURPOSE: To study the impact of dose distribution on volume-effect parameter and predictive ability of equivalent uniform dose (EUD) model, and to explore the improvements. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The brains of 103 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with IMRT were segmented according to dose distribution (brain and left/right half-brain for similar distributions but different sizes; V D with different D for different distributions). Predictive ability of EUDV D (EUD of V D ) for radiation-induced brain injury was assessed by receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC). The optimal volume-effect parameter a of EUD was selected when AUC was maximal (mAUC). Correlations between mAUC, a and D were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. Both mAUC and a in brain and half-brain were compared by using paired samples t-tests. The optimal D V and V D points were selected for a simple comparison. RESULTS: The mAUC of brain/half-brain EUD was 0.819/0.821 and the optimal a value was 21.5/22. When D increased, mAUC of EUDV D increased, while a decreased. The mAUC reached the maximum value when D was 50-55 Gy, and a was always 1 when D ≥55 Gy. The difference of mAUC/a between brain and half-brain was not significant. If a was in range of 1 to 22, AUC of brain/half-brain EUDV55 Gy (0.857-0.830/0.845-0.830) was always larger than that of brain/half-brain EUD (0.681-0.819/0.691-0.821). The AUCs of optimal dose/volume points were 0.801 (brain D2.5 cc), 0.823 (brain V70 Gy), 0.818 (half-brain D1 cc), and 0.827 (half-brain V69 Gy), respectively. Mean dose (equal to EUDV D with a = 1) of high-dose volume (V50 Gy-V60 Gy) was superior to traditional EUD and dose/volume points. CONCLUSION: Volume-effect parameter of EUD is variable and related to dose distribution. EUD with large low-dose volume may not be better than simple dose/volume points. Critical-dose-volume EUD could improve the predictive ability and has an invariant volume-effect parameter. Mean dose may be the case in which critical-dose-volume EUD has the best predictive ability.

A comprehensive bioinformatics analysis to identify a candidate prognostic biomarker for ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate prognostic genes in ovarian cancer (OC) and to explore their potential underlying biological mechanisms through a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis. METHODS: Common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in 3 OC datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) (GSE26712, GSE18520, and GSE14407) were screened out. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed by Metascape. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the DEGs was constructed using the STRING database. The prognostic value of DEGs were determined using the Kaplan-Meier plotter. The ONCOMINE and Human Protein Atlas databases were used to verify the expression levels of prognostic genes in OC. Genomic analysis of prognostic genes were also investigated by cBio Cancer Genomics Portal (cBioPortal) database, UCSC Xena browser and UALCAN. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to predict the possible pathways and biological processes of the prognostic genes. RESULTS: Integration of the 3 datasets have found 879 common DEGs. A high expression of structural maintenance of chromosomes protein 4 (SMC4) was revealed in the Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis to be meaningful for the prognosis of OC and was verified at both the mRNA and protein levels. The results from cBioPortal showed that SMC4 alterations accounted for 7 to 18% of genetic alterations in OC, and the majority alterations were copy number amplifications. Finally, the GSEA results showed that samples with SMC4 overexpression were mainly enriched in the cell cycle, spliceosome, ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, and adherens junctions. CONCLUSIONS: High SMC4 expression is linked with a poor prognosis in patients with OC and might serve as a prognostic biomarker for the disease.

Targeting Lung Cancer Stem Cells with Antipsychological Drug Thioridazine.

Lung cancer stem cells are a subpopulation of cells critical for lung cancer progression, metastasis, and drug resistance. Thioridazine, a classical neurological drug, has been reported with anticancer ability. However, whether thioridazine could inhibit lung cancer stem cells has never been studied. In our current work, we used different dosage of thioridazine to test its effect on lung cancer stem cells sphere formation. The response of lung cancer stem cells to chemotherapy drug with thioridazine treatment was measured. The cell cycle distribution of lung cancer stem cells after thioridazine treatment was detected. The in vivo inhibitory effect of thioridazine was also measured. We found that thioridazine could dramatically inhibit sphere formation of lung cancer stem cells. It sensitized the LCSCs to chemotherapeutic drugs 5-FU and cisplatin. Thioridazine altered the cell cycle distribution of LCSCs and decreased the proportion of G0 phase cells in lung cancer stem cells. Thioridazine inhibited lung cancer stem cells initiated tumors growth in vivo. This study showed that thioridazine could inhibit lung cancer stem cells in vitro and in vivo. It provides a potential drug for lung cancer therapy through targeting lung cancer stem cells.

Role of matrix metalloproteinases in radiation-induced lung injury in alveolar epithelial cells of Bama minipigs.

Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is a common complication associated with thoracic radiotherapy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a single 15-Gy dose of right-thoracic lung irradiation on the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and other proteins in the alveolar epithelial type II (AE2) cells of Bama minipigs. All minipigs received either right-thoracic irradiation or sham irradiation under anesthesia, and were sacrificed at 4, 8, 12 or 24 weeks after irradiation. Collagen deposition was measured using Massons trichrome staining. Surfactant protein A (SP-A), transforming growth factor ß1 (TGFß1), MMP2, MMP9, vimentin and E-cadherin protein expression levels were evaluated using western blot analysis, and the MMP2 and MMP9 gelatinase activities were tested using gelatin zymography. SP-A and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) co-localization was visualized using double immunofluorescence staining. At each time-point following irradiation, a significant increase in TGFß1, α-SMA, MMP2, MMP9 and vimentin protein expression levels and MMP2 and MMP9 gelatinase activity were observed in the irradiated lungs compared with the sham-irradiated controls. By contrast, SP-A and E-cadherin protein expression levels decreased in a time-dependent manner post-irradiation. SP-A and α-SMA co-localization was observed in irradiated alveolar epithelial cells. These data demonstrate that E-cadherin, SP-A, MMP2 and MMP9 may function as sensitive predictors of RILI. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) occurs in the irradiated lungs of Bama minipigs, and MMP2 and MMP9 may contribute to EMT in AE2 cells by regulating TGFß1. Therefore, EMT may serve a crucial function in the development of RILI.

Occurrence and distribution of antibiotics in the surface sediments of the Yangtze Estuary and nearby coastal areas.

The occurrence and distribution of five groups of antibiotics were investigated in the surface sediments of the Yangtze Estuary over four seasons. Four tetracyclines (TCs), sulfaquinoxaline (SQ), enrofloxacin (EFC) and thiamphenicol (TAP) were detected in all the samples, while sulfamerazine (SM) and sulfathiazole (ST) showed the lowest detection frequency. The detection frequencies and antibiotic concentrations were generally higher in January and May, indicating that low flow conditions and low temperature might enhance the persistence of antibiotics in sediment. Antibiotic levels varied with location, with the highest concentrations being observed around river discharges and sewage outfalls. Furthermore, a positive correlation between the concentration of quinolones and TOC revealed the significant role played by TOC. The concentration of quinolones at Wusongkou exceeded the trigger value (0.10 mg kg(-1)) of the Steering Committee of the Veterinary International Committee on Harmonization (VICH), which should be paid attention to in future studies.

Injury in Minipig Parotid Glands following Fractionated Exposure to 30 Gy of Ionizing Radiation.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of 30 Gy of (60)Co γ-rays on apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in minipig parotid cells as a possible mechanism for radiation-induced parotid injury. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. SETTING: Department of Radiotherapy, First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty male minipigs were divided into control and irradiated groups. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling was used for detecting apoptosis in the parotid cells, immunohistochemistry, and western blots were used to test expression of the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and BCL2-associated X (Bax) proteins, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, p53, and caspase-3 messenger ribonucleic acid. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect ROS levels in the parotid tissue. RESULTS: At each time point, the apoptotic rates in the irradiated group were higher than those in the control group. Furthermore, the ROS and expression levels of Bax, p53, and caspase-3 messenger ribonucleic acid and proteins gradually increased and were higher than those in the control group. Conversely, the expression of Bcl-2 was decreased in the irradiated group (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Ionizing radiation induces the production of ROS and promotes changes in the expression of several apoptotic proteins, which increases apoptosis and likely contributes to the mechanism of radiation-induced parotid injury.

[The biological function of peroxiredoxin II on Hep3B cells and its underlying mechanism].

OBJECTIVES: To study the biological function and its possible underlying mechanism of peroxiredoxin II (PrxII) in liver cancer cell line Hep3B. METHODS: Two pairs of double-stranded small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeted on PrxII gene were transfected into Hep3B cells using LipofectamineTM 2000. After confirming the inhibited effects of these siRNAs through Quant SYBR Green polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, the biological characters of Hep3B cell were analyzed by flow cytometry analysis, MTT and colony formation assays. Furthermore, dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) assays, for measuring the products of oxidative reaction, such as the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA), were applied to explore whether the antioxidant mechanism was involved in the effects of PrxII functioning on Hep3B cell. RESULTS: The two pairs of siRNA significantly inhibited PrxII mRNA and protein expression. Compared to the mock and blank control groups, the two PrxII-silent groups showed decreased rates of cell growth and clone formation and increased rates of cell apoptosis. The numbers of the formed colonies were 42.0+/-2.8 and 40.5+/-0.7 respectively in the two PrxII-silent groups, while they were 121.5+/-2.1 and 130.0+/-1.4 in the mock and blank control groups (P less than 0.05). The levels of endogenous ROS and MDA were significantly higher in the two PrxII-silent groups than those in the mock and blank control groups (P less than 0.05). CONCLUSION: PrxII might play an important role in the hepatocarcinogenesis, possibly through an antioxidant function which may provide a favorable microenvironment for cancer cell survival and progression.

Proteome analysis of aflatoxin B1-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri chinensis) and functional identification of candidate protein peroxiredoxin II.

In order to explore the proteins responsible for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), aflatoxin B(1)-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri chinensis) was analyzed with 2-DE and MS. By comparing HCC samples with their own precancerous biopsies and HCC-surrounding tissues, a group of candidate proteins that differentially expressed in HCC were obtained. Peroxiredoxin (Prx) II, one of the candidates with distinct alteration, was further investigated and validated. Western blot and RT-PCR assays confirmed the overexpression of Prx II in both tree shrew and human HCC tissues. RNA interference for silencing Prx II was employed subsequently to explore the function and underlying mechanism of Prx II on liver cancer cell line Hep3B. Results showed the cell proliferation and clone formation decreased obviously when Prx II expression was inhibited, while the flow cytometer analysis showed the percentage of cell apoptosis enhanced. Inhibition of Prx II expression also obviously increased the generation of ROS and malondialdehyde, both are the products from peroxidation. These results imply the important role of Prx II in hepatocarcinogenesis, possibly through its function in regulating peroxidation and hereby to provide a favorable microenvironment for cancer cell surviving and progressing.

[Expression and exon 3 mutation of beta-catenin in human hepatocellular carcinoma].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: South Guangxi is an area with high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and with severe contamination of dietary aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). The activation of beta-Catenin is involved in many cancers. AFB1 may play a key role in hepatocarcinogenesis. This study was to explore the expression and mutation of beta-Catenin in HCC patients from the area with high exposure level of AFB1. METHODS: The expression of beta-Catenin in 52 specimens of HCC and para-HCC tissues, and 18 specimens of non-cancerous liver tissues from South Guangxi were detected by direct sequencing, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry, and Western blot. RESULTS: No mutation in exon 3 of beta-Catenin gene was found in HCC tissues. The mRNA level of beta-Catenin was significantly higher in HCC tissues than in para-HCC tissues and non-cancerous tissues (0.42+/-0.24 vs. 0.20+/-0.16 and 0.23+/-0.12, P<0.01). The positive rate of beta-Catenin was significantly higher in HCC tissues than in para-HCC tissues (55.8% vs. 36.5%, P<0.05). The expression of beta-Catenin mRNA showed no significant correlation to clinicopathologic parameters of HCC (all P>0.05), while the expression of beta-Catenin protein was significantly correlated to metastasis, relapse, portal vein embolus, and clinical stage (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Beta-catenin is overexpressed in HCC, but its overexpression has no correlation to gene mutation at GSK-3beta phosphorylation sites in exon 3.

[The expression of peroxiredoxin II in hepatocellular carcinoma and its significance].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the mRNA and protein expressions of peroxiredoxin II (PrxII) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their significance. METHODS: HCC was induced by aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in 6 tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri chinensis). The expression levels of PrxII mRNA and protein were detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot on HCC tissues and on their surrounding liver tissues (para-HCC). Biopsied liver tissues were taken before the HCC induction (pre-HCC) from the same animals and from a group of blank controlled animals that served as controls. Liver biopsy specimens from 18 cases of human HCC and from 17 healthy human volunteers were studied using the same methods. RESULTS: The mRNA and protein expressions of PrxII in tree shrew HCC tissues were significantly higher than those in para-HCC and pre-HCC tissues, and also higher than those in the liver tissues from the control animals (all P < 0.05). The expression levels of PrxII mRNA and protein in human HCC tissues were also significantly higher than those in their para-HCC tissues and in the human normal liver tissues (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: PrxII might play an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis and might be used as a molecular target for HCC prevention and treatment.