LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of cortisol of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The imbalance of steroid hormones is closely related to the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, most research has focused on steroid hormone receptors, and reports about the relationship between the serum concentration of cortisol and the development of HCC are rare. The aim of this research was to establish a simple, specific, sensitive and reliable liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the quantitation of cortisol in human serum and to compare the level of cortisol in serum between 221 HCC patients and 183 healthy volunteers.

The efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in resectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in patients with resectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Background: Several studies have reported the outcomes of neoadjuvant immunotherapy in patients with ESCC. However, phase 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with long-term outcomes and the comparison of different therapeutic strategies are lacking.

Complete Response to PD-1 Inhibitor in Primary Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Post-Progression on Bi-Specific Antibody Conjugated CIK Cell Treatment: A Report of Two Cases.

Background: Programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have produced encouraging results in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells treatment can specifically identify tumor-associated antigens and has encouraging preliminary efficacy for HCC. This study reported two cases of HCC patients achieved complete response (CR) by anti-PD-1 antibody therapy post-progression on bi-specific antibody conjugated CIK immunotherapy.

Antiproliferation of berberine is mediated by epigenetic modification of constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) metabolic pathway in hepatoma cells.

Constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) regulates hepatic xenobiotic and energy metabolism, as well as promotes cell growth and hepatocarcinogenesis. Berberine is an ancient multipotent alkaloid drug which derived from Coptis chinensis plants. Here we report that berberine is able to be cellular uptake and accessible to chromatin in human hepatoma HepG2 cells.

Novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CYP2W1 gene in Chinese Uygur and Han populations.

Cytochrome P450 2W1 (CYP2W1) is expressed specially in certain cancers and could metabolize some substances into cytotoxic antitumor drugs in Caucasian ethnic population. To investigate the genetic polymorphism of CYP2W1 in Chinese, all the nine exons and exon-intron junctions were sequenced by dideoxy chain termination method among 385 Chinese subjects (including 223 Han and 162 Uygur). The present results showed that 40 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected (14 in the exons and 26 in the introns), 10 were novel variants of which in Chinese.

A prognostic biomarker for gastric cancer with lymph node metastases.

Gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of tumor-related deaths in China. The tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) classification system is useful for predicting clinical prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. However, determining the presence of lymph node involvement in the early stages of gastric cancer is difficult without biopsy.