miR-17-5p slows progression of hepatocellular carcinoma by downregulating TGFβR2.

Objective: Downregulation of miR-17-5p has been reported in several cancers, but whether and how miR-17-5p is downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unknown. Here, we examined whether miR-17-5p is downregulated in HCC and whether that affects expression of its target gene encoding transforming growth factor β receptor 2 (TGFβR).

Methods: We screened for potential microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in HCC by analyzing published transcriptomes from HCC patients.

Case report: Conversion therapy to permit resection of initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Most patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are diagnosed when the disease is already at an advanced stage, so they are not eligible for resection and their prognosis is poor. The combination of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with immune checkpoint inhibitors or tyrosine kinase inhibitors can improve unresectable HCC to the point that patients can be treated with surgery. Here we describe two cases of such "conversion therapy".

Generation of in situ CRISPR-mediated primary and metastatic cancer from monkey liver.

Non-human primates (NHPs) represent the most valuable animals for drug discovery. However, the current main challenge remains that the NHP has not yet been used to develop an efficient translational medicine platform simulating human diseases, such as cancer. This study generated an in situ gene-editing approach to induce efficient loss-of-function mutations of Pten and p53 genes for rapid modeling primary and metastatic liver tumors using the CRISPR/Cas9 in the adult cynomolgus monkey.

The lncRNA SNHG16 affects prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating p62 expression.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate tumor development and progression by promoting proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. The oncogenic role of lncRNA SNHG16 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been revealed. LncRNA SNHG16 is upregulated in HCC and correlates with poorer prognosis.

Strengthening the case that elevated levels of programmed death ligand 1 predict poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Immunotherapy targeting programmed death receptor 1 and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) has shown impressive antitumor efficacy in several solid cancers, including advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Since response rates of various cancers to such immunotherapy appear to correlate with PD-L1 expression levels, several studies have examined whether PD-L1 expression correlates with HCC pathology and patient prognosis. In this paper, we analyzed the strength and limitations of a recent meta-analysis of associations of PD-L1 with HCC characteristics and patient prognosis.

Adefovir dipivoxil is less expensive than lamivudine and associated with similar prognosis in patients with hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma after radical resection.

Aim: Lamivudine (LAM) and adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) are widely used in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but few studies have directly compared their therapeutic efficacy and treatment cost. This study aims to compare LAM with ADV head-to-head in these patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 201 patients with HBV-related HCC who underwent radical resection and subsequently received LAM (n=155) or ADV (n=46).

Identification of key genes in hepatocellular carcinoma and validation of the candidate gene, cdc25a, using gene set enrichment analysis, meta-analysis and cross-species comparison.

The aim of the present study was to determine key pathways and genes involved in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through bioinformatic analyses of HCC microarray data based on cross-species comparison. Microarray data of gene expression in HCC in different species were analyzed using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and meta-analysis. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were performed to determine the mRNA and protein expression levels of cdc25a, one of the identified candidate genes, in human, rat and tree shrew samples.

Chronic hepatitis B virus infection and occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma in tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri chinensis).

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been believed as a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for a long time, however, the evidences of which are mostly from clinical and epidemiological investigations while there is no evidence from animal experiments. Tree shrew (Tupaia) is a small animal closely related to primates evolutionarily, with about 8 years of lifespan. Our previous study proved that tree shrews can be chronically HBV-infected after being inoculated neonatally with HBV.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression in breast cancer: correlation with clinical pathological features.

The overexpressed HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) is a valuable therapeutic target. Precise assessment of HER2 status is thus crucial in the treatment of breast cancer. In this study, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples of tumors from 304 breast cancer patients who underwent curative surgery procedures between 2011 and 2014 were tested by immunohistochemistry (IHC) as a primary estimate of HER2 status, followed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).

[Expressions and significance of TLR2 and TLR4 in Kupffer cells of tree shrews chronically infected with hepatitis B virus].

Objective: To investigate the mRNA expression levels of Toll-like receptors 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 in Kupffer cells of tree shrews that were chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), and the effects of these receptors on the function of Kupffer cells.

Methods: The tree shrews were divided into tree shrews proved with chronic HBV infection, tree shrews suspected with chronic HBV infection, and normal control tree shrews without hepatitis B vaccination. The samples of serum and liver biopsy were collected periodically, and the levels of HBV DNA in serum and liver tissues were detected by fluorescence-based quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).

Histopathological changes in the liver of tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri chinensis) persistently infected with hepatitis B virus.

Background: An animal model for HBV that more closely approximates the disease in humans is needed. The tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri) is closely related to primates and susceptible to HBV. We previously established that neonatal tree shrews can be persistently infected with HBV in vivo, and here present a six year follow-up histopathological study of these animals.