A positive feedback loop between Periostin and TGFβ1 induces and maintains the stemness of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via AP-2α activation.

Background: Liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs) play key roles in the metastasis, recurrence, and chemotherapeutic resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our previous research showed that the POSTN gene is closely related to the malignant progression and poor prognosis of HCC. This study aimed to elucidate the role of POSTN in generating LCSCs and maintaining their stemness as well as the underlying mechanisms.

Epigenome-Wide Tobacco-Related Methylation Signature Identification and Their Multilevel Regulatory Network Inference for Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Tobacco exposure is one of the major risks for the initiation and progress of lung cancer. The exact corresponding mechanisms, however, are mainly unknown. Recently, a growing body of evidence has been collected supporting the involvement of DNA methylation in the regulation of gene expression in cancer cells.

A multiple genomic data fused SF2 prediction model, signature identification, and gene regulatory network inference for personalized radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy is one of the most important cancer treatments, but its response varies greatly among individual patients. Therefore, the prediction of radiosensitivity, identification of potential signature genes, and inference of their regulatory networks are important for clinical and oncological reasons. Here, we proposed a novel multiple genomic fused partial least squares deep regression method to simultaneously analyze multi-genomic data.

ClickGene: an open cloud-based platform for big pan-cancer data genome-wide association study, visualization and exploration.

Tremendous amount of whole-genome sequencing data have been provided by large consortium projects such as TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas), COSMIC and so on, which creates incredible opportunities for functional gene research and cancer associated mechanism uncovering. While the existing web servers are valuable and widely used, many whole genome analysis functions urgently needed by experimental biologists are still not adequately addressed. A cloud-based platform, named CG (ClickGene), therefore, was developed for DIY analyzing of user's private in-house data or public genome data without any requirement of software installation or system configuration.

Correction to "Maturity of associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy-derived liver regeneration in a rat model [World J Gastroenterol 2018 March 14; 24(10): 1107-1119]".

[This corrects the article on p. 1107 in vol. 21, PMID: 26640344.

Maturity of associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy-derived liver regeneration in a rat model.

Aim: To establish a rat model for evaluating the maturity of liver regeneration derived from associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS).

Methods: In the present study, ALPPS, partial hepatecotmy (PHx), and sham rat models were established initially, which were validated by significant increase of proliferative markers including Ki-67, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and cyclin D1. In the setting of accelerated proliferation in volume at the second and fifth day after ALPPS, the characteristics of newborn hepatocytes, as well as specific markers of progenitor hepatic cell, were identified.

Mutations of NKX2.5 and GATA4 genes in the development of congenital heart disease.

Objective: To investigate the mutations of NKX2.5 and GATA4 genes in the development of CHD in Chinese population.

Methods: Between December 2010 and December 2014, 185 cases of CHD patients and 210 cases of healthy people were enrolled.

Is Laparoscopic Hepatectomy a Safe, Feasible Procedure in Patients with a Previous Upper Abdominal Surgery?

Background: Laparoscopic liver resection has become an accepted treatment for liver tumors or intrahepatic bile duct stones, but its application in patients with previous upper abdominal surgery is controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic hepatectomy in these patients.

Methods: Three hundred and thirty-six patients who underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy at our hospital from March 2012 to June 2015 were enrolled in the retrospective study.