Relationship between plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and prognosis of TACE for primary hepatocellular carcinoma

BackgroundOur study aims to investigate changes in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) concentration and integrity in primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) patients before and after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) treatment and their influence on the evaluation of prognosis of the disease.MethodsA total of 84 PHC patients admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from December 2016 to December 2017 were included as the study group, while 55 healthy people served as the control group. Plasma cfDNA concentration and integrity were determined using qRT-PCR. The correlation between cfDNA concentration/integrity and clinical characteristics of PHC patients were analyzed. A ROC curve was used to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of cfDNA as detection indices. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to analyze factors affecting recurrence in PHC patients and compare recurrence-free survival (RFS) of PHC patients with high cfDNA expression and low cfDNA expression.ResultsPlasma cfDNA concentration and integrity were significantly higher in PHC patients before TACE treatment than in healthy people and significantly lower after treatment than before (P<0.05). The cfDNA concentration was significantly correlated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, and BCLC stage, while cfDNA integrity was significantly correlated with tumor size, TNM stage, and BCLC stage (P<0.05). ROC results showed that the area under the curve (AUC) value of cfDNA concentration was the largest, with an optimal cut-off of 10.51 ng/mL. Multivariate regression analysis for COX showed that the TNM stage, cfDNA concentration, and AFP were independent risk factors that affected PHC patients’ survival.ConclusionsPlasma cfDNA concentration in PHC patients is more sensitive and specific than any other tumor marker. It is an independent risk factor for PHC patients treated with TACE. Therefore, it is hypothesized cfDNA is a potential biomarker for prognostic evaluation of PHC patients treated with TACE.     

重症肌无力相关抗体的研究进展

作为一种累及神经肌肉接头的自身免疫性疾病,重症肌无力(myasthenia gravis,MG)的发病机制与自身免疫性抗体密切相关。关于MG相关抗体,研究最多且最为明确的是乙酰胆碱受体抗体(acetylcholine receptor antibody,AChR-Ab),由于存在AChR-Ab阴性的MG患者,近年来学者们开始热衷于研究AChR-Ab以外的其他抗体,如肌肉特异性酪氨酸激酶抗体、低密度脂蛋白4抗体等,并进行相应治疗方案的探索。该文对MG相关抗体的研究进展进行综述,为今后治疗该病提供临床依据和参考。     

miR-147对胶质瘤U87细胞增殖、凋亡和侵袭的影响

目的:比较胶质瘤患者胶质瘤组织和瘤旁组织中miR-147表达水平的差异性，进一步分析miR-147与胶质瘤细胞生物学活性的相关性。方法:通过实时荧光定量PCR检测65例胶质瘤患者瘤组织和瘤旁组织中miR-147的表达水平；采用Lipofectamine 2000转染法转染胶质瘤细胞，分为miR-147 mimics组和NC组，检测两组转染效率；进一步通过CCK-8实验、流式细胞实验和Transwell实验比较两组细胞生物活性。结果:胶质瘤组织中miR-147表达水平显著低于瘤旁组织；与NC组比较，miR-147 mimics组细胞不论是增殖能力还是侵袭能力都明显降低，但是，miR-147 mimics组的细胞凋亡率升高。结论:胶质瘤组织中存在miR-147低表达的现象。miR-147在胶质瘤细胞中表达升高能够抑制细胞的增殖能力、降低其侵袭能力，并促使更多的细胞发生晚期凋亡。miR-147可能在胶质瘤中扮演着抑癌基因的重要角色。