Radiomics model based on contrast-enhanced computed tomography to predict early recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after radical resection.

Background: Radical resection remains an effective strategy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Unfortunately, the postoperative early recurrence (recurrence within 2 years) rate is still high.

Aim: To develop a radiomics model based on preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) to evaluate early recurrence in HCC patients with a single tumour.

Preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography-based radiomics model for overall survival prediction in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy with a rising incidence worldwide. The prognosis of HCC patients after radical resection remains poor. Radiomics is a novel machine learning method that extracts quantitative features from medical images and provides predictive information of cancer, which can assist with cancer diagnosis, therapeutic decision-making and prognosis improvement.

Novel index for the prediction of significant liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis B patients in China.

Background: Noninvasive, practical, and convenient means of detection for the prediction of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in China are greatly needed.

Aim: To develop a precise noninvasive test to stage liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.

Methods: With liver biopsy as the gold standard, we established a new index, [alkaline phosphatase (U/L) + gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (U/L)/platelet (10/L) (AGPR)], to predict liver fibrosis and cirrhosis.

RFX5 promotes the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through transcriptional activation of KDM4A.

Regulatory factor X-5 (RFX5) represents a key transcription regulator of MHCII gene expression in the immune system. This study aims to explore the molecular mechanisms and biological significance of RFX5. Firstly, by analyzing ENCODE chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-seq in HepG2 and TCGA RNA-seq data, we discovered lysine-specific demethylase 4A (KDM4A), also named JMJD2A, to be a major downstream target gene of RFX5.

Long Intergenic Nonprotein Coding RNA 0152 Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression by Regulating Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt/Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Signaling Pathway through miR-139/PIK3CA.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks as the fifth most common cancer worldwide, and it is the primary histologic subtype of liver cancer, with high incidence and poor prognosis. Recently, numerous long noncoding RNAs have been reported to be associated with the tumorigenesis of HCC; however, the underlying mechanisms of long intergenic nonprotein coding RNA 0152 (LINC00152) action in HCC are poorly understood. Herein, we identified a significant up-regulation of LINC00152 in both HCC tissues and cell lines.

Regulatory factor X5 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by transactivating tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein theta and suppressing apoptosis.

Background: Our previous studies have shown that regulatory factor X5 (RFX5), a classical transcription regulator of MHCII genes, was obviously overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors. However, the role of RFX5 in the carcinogenesis and progress of HCC remains unknown. This study aimed to reveal its biological significance and the underlying mechanism in HCC.

Effect of Upregulated DNA Replication and Sister Chromatid Cohesion 1 Expression on Proliferation and Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: DNA replication and sister chromatid cohesion 1 (DSCC1) (also called DCC1) is a component of an alternative replication factor C complex that loads proliferating cell nuclear antigen onto DNA during S phase of the cell cycle. It is located at 8q24 and frequently amplified in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the role of DSCC1 in the carcinogenesis and progress of HCC has not been fully investigated.

The preoperative alkaline phosphatase-to-platelet ratio index is an independent prognostic factor for hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatic resection.

A simple, inexpensive, and readily available prognostic index is highly needed to accurately predict the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to develop a simple prognostic index using routine laboratory tests, alkaline phosphatase-to-platelet count ratio index (APPRI), to predict the likelihood of postoperative survival in HCC patients.A total of 246 patients with HCC undergoing curative resection were retrospectively analyzed.

High level of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 affects prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: To determine the cut-off value of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and assess the correlation of ICAM-1 with clinicopathological features and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent surgical resection.

Methods: We prospectively collected clinicopathological data from 236 HCC patients who had undergone successful hepatectomy. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the optimal cut-off value of ICAM-1.

FOXP3 gene polymorphism is associated with hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma in China.

Background: Previous evidence has shown that the FOXP3 gene was involved in the pathogenesis of several tumors; however, the correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the FOXP3 gene and the susceptibility to hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear.

Methods: We analyzed two SNPs in the FOXP3 gene, rs2280883 and rs3761549, in 392 patients with HCC, 344 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 372 matched healthy controls. Genotyping was performed by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry for all donors.

[Correlation between interleukin-28B genetic polymorphisms and primary hepatocellular carcinoma].

Objective: To explore the correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of interleukin-28B (IL-28B) gene and the susceptibility to primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: A total of 300 histologically confirmed HCC cases (from November 2001 to April 2010) and 310 healthy controls with no history of chronic hepatitis B or hepatocellular carcinoma (2009-2010) were selected from a hospital in Guilin and a hospital in Beijing for this case-control study.139 HCC patients in the case group had complete clinical tracking data.

[The inhibitory effect of RNA interference on STAT3 expression in liver cancer cell line SMMC7721].

Aim: To investigate the chemosensitivity small interfering RNA (siRNA) on liver cancer cell line SMMC7721.

Methods: The siRNA sequences design based on signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) gene, siRNA were transfected into SMMC7721 cells through liposome lipofectamine(TM); 2000. The expression inhibition of STAT3 gene in SMMC7721 cells was measured by real-time relative quantitative PCR.

Regulatory T cell depletion enhances tumor specific CD8 T-cell responses, elicited by tumor antigen NY-ESO-1b in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, in vitro.

Immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma based on one or a few tumor specific antigens have shown limited antitumor efficacy. As a major suppressive factor in tumor immune response, better understanding of the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in hepatocellular carcinoma might be important for design of future immunotherapy-based clinical protocols. Tregs from 49 HCC patients and 40 controls were identified by flow cytometric analysis for the phenotype.

Expression of CIITA-related MHCII molecules in tumors linked to prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgery is poor due to its high recurrence rate. In order to unfold the mechanism of different recurrent-free survival (RFS) times following resection, expression profiling of tumor tissues from 32 HCC patients with different RFS time were used to identify differential expression of individual genes and signaling pathway components correlated with RFS time. Quantitative RT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were used to validate the expression of selected genes.

[The frequency, phenotypes and functions of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells in hepatocellular carcinoma patients].

Objectives: (1) To evaluate the prevalence, phenotypes and suppressive function of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) among the in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and tumor-infiltration lymphocytes (TILs) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and patients with chronic hepatitis B. (2) To investigate the correlation between the frequency of CD4+CD25+ Tregs and clinical characteristics of HCC patients.

Methods: PBMCs and TILs in 18 HCC patients, 10 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and 15 healthy donors were evaluated for the phenotypes of CD4+CD25+ Tregs and the proportion of CD4+CD25+ Tregs as a percentage of the total CD4+ cells, by flow cytometric analysis with three or four color staining.