Six Metabolism Related mRNAs Predict the Prognosis of Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common aggressive solid malignant tumors and current research regards HCC as a type of metabolic disease. This study aims to establish a metabolism-related mRNA signature model for risk assessment and prognosis prediction in HCC patients. Methods: HCC data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and Gene Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) website. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was used to screen out the candidate mRNAs and calculate the risk coefficient to establish the prognosis model. A high-risk group and low-risk group were separated for further study depending on their median risk score. The reliability of the prediction was evaluated in the validation cohort and the whole cohort. Results: A total of 548 differential mRNAs were identified from HCC samples (n = 374) and normal controls (n = 50), 45 of which were correlated with prognosis. A total of 373 samples met the screening criteria and there were randomly divided into the training cohort (n = 186) and the validation cohort (n = 187). In the training cohort, six metabolism-related mRNAs were used to construct a prognostic model with a LASSO regression model. Based on the risk model, the overall survival rate of the high-risk cohort was significantly lower than that of the low-risk cohort. The results of a time-ROC curve proved that the risk score (AUC = 0.849) had a higher prognostic value than the pathological grade, clinical stage, age or gender. Conclusion: The model constructed by the six metabolism-related mRNAs has a significant value for survival prediction and can be applied to guide the evaluation of HCC and the designation of clinical therapy.

Regional liver function analysis with gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI and virtual hepatectomy: prediction of postoperative short-term outcomes for HCC

OBJECTIVES

To explore the role of quantitative regional liver function assessed by preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI with computer-aided virtual hepatectomy to predict short-term outcomes after major hepatectomy for HCC.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 133 consecutive patients with HCC who underwent preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI and indocyanine green (ICG) test. Forty-five patients received open major hepatectomy. Liver function reserve and the future liver remnant were evaluated by computer-aided virtual hepatectomy. Global liver functional parameters included the T1 relaxation time reduction rate (T1_ratio) and functional liver volume (FV), whereas regional parameters included the rT1_pos, rT1_ratio, remnant FV (rFV), and remnant FV ratio (rFV_ratio) of the remnant liver. The functional parameters of the MRI and ICG were used to predict the short-term outcomes (liver failure and major complications) after major hepatectomy.

RESULTS

The T1_ratio and FV were correlated with the ICG test (rho = - 0.304 and - 0.449, p < 0.05). FV < 682.8 ml indicated preoperative ICG-_R15 ≥ 14% with 0.765 value of the area under the curve (AUC). No patient who underwent major resection with good liver functional reserve (ICG < 14%) and enough future remnant volume (> 30% standard LV) developed liver failure. Low rT1_ratio (< 66.5%) and high rT1_pos (> 217.5 ms) may predict major complications (AUC = 0.831 and 0.756, respectively; p < 0.05). The rT1_ratio was an independent risk factor for postoperative major complications (odds ratio [OR] = 0.845, 95% CI, 0.736-0.966; p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI with computer-aided virtual hepatectomy may facilitate optimal assessment of regional liver functional reserve to predict short-term outcomes after major hepatectomy for HCC.

KEY POINTS

• Preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI with virtual hepatectomy and volumetric analysis can provide precise liver volume and regional functional assessment. • Quantitative regional liver function assessed by gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI can predict the short-term outcomes after major hepatectomy in patients with HCC. • The regional liver function assessed by gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI is an independent risk factor for postoperative major complications.

An optomechanogram for assessment of the structural and mechanical properties of tissues

The structural and mechanical properties of tissue and the interplay between them play a critical role in tissue function. We introduce the optomechanogram, a combined quantitative and qualitative visualization of spatially co-registered measurements of the microstructural and micromechanical properties of any tissue. Our approach relies on the co-registration of two independent platforms, second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy for quantitative assessment of 3D collagen-fiber microstructural organization, and nanoindentation (NI) for local micromechanical properties. We experimentally validate our method by applying to uterine cervix tissue, which exhibits structural and mechanical complexity. We find statistically significant agreement between the micromechanical and microstructural data, and confirm that the distinct tissue regions are distinguishable using either the SHG or NI measurements. Our method could potentially be used for research in pregnancy maintenance, mechanobiological studies of tissues and their constitutive modeling and more generally for the optomechanical metrology of materials.

Clinical Frailty Scale and Biomarkers for Assessing Frailty in Elder Inpatients in China

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) and clinical biomarkers in assessing the frailty in elder inpatients in China.

DESIGN

The study was a cross-sectional study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

The study included 642 elder inpatients (295 females and 347 males) aged ≥65 years, from the Department of Geriatrics of Zhejiang Hospital between January 2018 and December 2019.

MEASUREMENTS

All participants underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment and blood tests. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the association between risk factors and frailty.

RESULTS

The average age of the participants was 82.72±8.06 years (range: 65-95 years) and the prevalence of frailty was 39.1% according to the CFS. Frail participants showed significantly lower short physical performance battery (SPPB), basic activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) scores (all p<0.001), and lower hemoglobin, total protein and albumin levels (all P<0.05) than nonfrail participants. Frail participants had higher CRP, D-dimer and fibrinogen levels than nonfrail participants (all p<0.05). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between frailty and age, comorbidity, polypharmacy, fall history, SPPB, ADL, and IADL scores, D-dimer, fibrinogen, hemoglobin, total protein and albumin levels (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that age (odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI)= 1.151(1.042-1.272), P=0.006), SPPB scores (OR, 95% CI=0.901(0.601-1.350), P<0.001), and D-dimer (OR, 95% CI=4.857(2.182-6.983), P<0.001), fibrinogen (OR, 95% CI=2.665(0.977-4.254), P<0.001), hemoglobin (OR, 95% CI=0.837(0.725-0.963), P= 0.044), and albumin (OR, 95% CI=0.860 (0.776-1.188), P<0.001) levels were independently associated with frailty in all participants.

CONCLUSION

Frailty in elder inpatients in China is characterized by older age, a lower SPPB scores, higher D-dimer and fibrinogen levels and lower hemoglobin and albumin levels. Functional decline and malnutrition may be the targets of frailty interventions.

Four Immune-Related Long Non-coding RNAs for Prognosis Prediction in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) plays an important role in the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims to establish an immune-related LncRNA model for risk assessment and prognosis prediction in HCC patients.

METHODS

Hepatocellular carcinoma patient samples with complete clinical data and corresponding whole transcriptome expression were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Immune-related genes were acquired from the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) website and matched with LncRNA in the TCGA to get immune-related LncRNA. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression was used for screening the candidate LncRNAs and calculating the risk coefficient to establish the prognosis model. Patients were divided into a high-risk group and a low-risk group depending on the median risk score. The reliability of the prediction was evaluated in the validation cohort and the whole cohort. GSEA and principal component analysis were used for function evaluation.

RESULTS

A total of 319 samples met the screening criteria and were randomly distributed across the training cohort and the validation cohort. After comparison with the IMMUNE_RESPONSE gene set and the IMMUNE_SYSTEM_PROCESS gene set, a total of 3094 immune-related LncRNAs were screened. Ultimately, four immune-related LncRNAs were used to construct a formula using LASSO regression. According to the formula, the low-risk group showed a higher survival rate than the high-risk group in the validation cohort and the whole cohort. The receiver operating characteristic curves data demonstrated that the risk score was more specific than other traditional clinical characteristics in predicting the 5-year survival rate for HCC.

CONCLUSION

The four-immune-related-LncRNA model can be used for survival prediction in HCC and guide clinical therapy.

The role of associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy in unresectable hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

The role of associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial.

Methods

The records of 23 consecutive patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC who underwent ALPPS at our center between November 2013 and June 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Oncological results were compared between patients who received ALPPS and those that received transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) using propensity score matching (PSM) analysis.

Results

In patients with a single tumor (n=12) the median tumor diameter was 13.0 (range: 5.1–20.0) cm, whereas in patients with multiple tumors (n=11) the median total tumor diameter was 6.3 (range: 2.3–26.0) cm. After the stage-1 ALPPS, the median future liver remnant (FLR) increased by 50.0%. The stage-2 ALPPS was completed in 20 patients (87.0%) after a median of 12 days. The 90-day mortality rate was 13% (3/23). The overall survival (OS) rates at 1-, 2-, and 5-year were 61.1%, 34.9%, and 8.7%, respectively, whereas the disease-free survival (DFS) rates at 1-, 2-, and 5-year were 27.8%, 27.8%, and 0.0%, respectively. PSM analysis showed no difference in OS between patients who underwent ALPPS and those that received TACE [P=0.178, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage A–C patients; P=0.241, BCLC stage B and C patients].

Conclusions

ALPPS is a safe and effective treatment option for unresectable HBV-related HCC. However, for HBV-related intermediate and advanced HCC patients, ALPPS may not be superior to TACE.

Correlations of the expression of γδ T cells and their co-stimulatory molecules TIGIT, PD-1, ICOS and BTLA with PR and PIBF in the peripheral blood and decidual tissues of women with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion

Semi-allogeneic embryos are not rejected by the maternal immune system due to maternal-fetal immune tolerance. Progesterone (P) receptor (PR)-expressing γδ T cells are present in healthy pregnant women. In the presence of P, these cells secrete an immunomodulatory protein called progesterone-induced blocking factor (PIBF), which can facilitate immune escape and is important in preventing embryonic rejection. This work investigated the correlations of the expression of γδ T cells and their co-stimulatory molecules T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT), programmed cell death 1 (PD-1), inducible co-stimulator (ICOS) and B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) with progesterone receptor (PR) and progesterone-induced blocking factor (PIBF) in peripheral blood and decidual tissue in women with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA) and normal pregnant (NP) women. We confirmed that γδ T cell proportions and PIBF expression in the peripheral blood and decidua of URSA women decreased significantly, while PR expression in decidua decreased. However, TIGIT, PD-1, ICOS and BTLA expression in γδ T cells in peripheral blood did not change, while TIGIT and PD-1 expression in γδ T cells in decidua increased significantly. Under the action of PHA-P (10 µg/ml), co-blocking of TIGIT (15 µg/ml) and PD-1 (10 µg/ml) antibodies further induced γδ T cell proliferation, but PIBF levels in the culture medium supernatant did not change. At 10^-10 M P, γδ T cells proliferated significantly, and PIBF concentrations in the culture medium supernatant increased. γδ T cells co-cultured with P, TIGIT and PD-1 blocking antibodies showed the most significant proliferation, and PIBF concentrations in the culture medium supernatant were the highest. These results confirm that P is necessary for PIBF production. The TIGIT and PD-1 pathways participate in γδ T cell proliferation and activation and PIBF expression and play important roles in maintaining pregnancy.

A multi-modal virtual reality treadmill intervention for enhancing mobility and cognitive function in people with multiple sclerosis: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Gait and cognitive impairments are common in individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and can interfere with everyday function. Those with MS have difficulties executing cognitive tasks and walking simultaneously, a reflection of dual-task interference. Therefore, dual-task training may improve functional ambulation. Additionally, using technology such as virtual reality can provide personalized rehabilitation while mimicking real-world environments. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to establish the benefits of a combined cognitive-motor virtual reality training on MS symptoms compared to conventional treadmill training.

METHODS

This study will be a single-blinded, two arm RCT with a six-week intervention period. 144 people with MS will be randomized into a treadmill training alone group or treadmill training with virtual reality group. Both groups will receive 18 sessions of training while walking on a treadmill, with the virtual reality group receiving feedback from the virtual system. Primary outcome measures include dual-task gait speed and information processing speed, which will be measured prior to training, one-week post-training, and three months following training.

DISCUSSION

This study will provide insight into the ability of a multi-modal cognitive-motor intervention to reduce dual-task cost and to enhance information processing speed in those with MS. This is one of the first studies that is powered to understand whether targeted dual-task training can improve MS symptoms and increase functional ambulation. We anticipate that those in the virtual reality group will have a significantly greater increase in dual-task gait speed and information processing speed than those achieved via treadmill training alone.

Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Small T Antigen Activates Noncanonical NF-κB Signaling to Promote Tumorigenesis

Multiple human polyomaviruses (HPyV) can infect the skin, but only Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) has been implicated in the development of a cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). While expression of HPyV6, HPyV7, and MCPyV small T antigens (sT), all induced a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), MCPyV sT uniquely activated noncanonical NF-κB (ncNF-κB), instead of canonical NF-κB signaling, to evade p53-mediated cellular senescence. Through its large T stabilization domain, MCPyV sT activated ncNF-κB signaling both by inducing H3K4 trimethylation-mediated increases of NFKB2 and RELB transcription and also by promoting NFKB2 stabilization and activation through FBXW7 inhibition. Noncanonical NF-κB signaling was required for SASP cytokine secretion, which promoted the proliferation of MCPyV sT-expressing cells through autocrine signaling. Virus-positive MCC cell lines and tumors showed ncNF-κB pathway activation and SASP gene expression, and the inhibition of ncNF-κB signaling prevented VP-MCC cell growth in vitro and in xenografts. We identify MCPyV sT-induced ncNF-κB signaling as an essential tumorigenic pathway in MCC. IMPLICATIONS: This work is the first to identify the activation of ncNF-κB signaling by any polyomavirus and its critical role in MCC tumorigenesis.

Supercomputer-Based Ensemble Docking Drug Discovery Pipeline with Application to Covid-19

We present a supercomputer-driven pipeline for in-silico drug discovery using enhanced sampling molecular dynamics (MD) and ensemble docking. We also describe preliminary results obtained for 23 systems involving eight protein targets of the proteome of SARS CoV-2. THe MD performed is temperature replica-exchange enhanced sampling, making use of the massively parallel supercomputing on the SUMMIT supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with which more than 1ms of enhanced sampling MD can be generated per day. We have ensemble docked repurposing databases to ten configurations of each of the 23 SARS CoV-2 systems using AutoDock Vina. We also demonstrate that using Autodock-GPU on SUMMIT, it is possible to perform exhaustive docking of one billion compounds in under 24 hours. Finally, we discuss preliminary results and planned improvements to the pipeline, including the use of quantum mechanical (QM), machine learning, and AI methods to cluster MD trajectories and rescore docking poses.

Influence of an InGaN superlattice pre-layer on the performance of semi-polar (11-22) green LEDs grown on silicon

It is well-known that it is crucial to insert either a single InGaN underlayer or an InGaN superlattice (SLS) structure (both with low InN content) as a pre-layer prior to the growth of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) served as an active region for a light-emitting diode (LED). So far, this growth scheme has achieved a great success in the growth of III-nitride LEDs on c-plane substrates, but has not yet been applied in the growth of any other orientated III-nitride LEDs. In this paper, we have applied this growth scheme in the growth of semi-polar (11–22) green LEDs, and have investigated the impact of the SLS pre-layer on the optical performance of semi-polar (11–22) green LEDs grown on patterned (113) silicon substrates. Our results demonstrate that the semi-polar LEDs with the SLS pre-layer exhibit an improvement in both internal quantum efficiency and light output, which is similar to their c-plane counterparts. However, the performance improvement is not so significant as in the c-plane case. This is because the SLS pre-layer also introduces extra misfit dislocations for the semi-polar, but not the c-plane case, which act as non-radiative recombination centres.

The Influence of Immune Heterogeneity on the Effectiveness of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Multifocal Hepatocellular Carcinomas

PURPOSE

Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy is emerging as the promising option for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. We aimed to investigate the heterogeneity of different tumor nodules of the same patient with multifocal hepatocellular carcinomas in response to immunotherapy and its molecular mechanisms.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

We attained 45 surgical tumor samples including 33 small and 12 large nodules from 12 patients with multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma and evaluated genomic and immune heterogeneity among tumors through whole-genome sequencing and RNA sequencing. IHC was performed to validate the expression of immune markers. The responses to anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) therapy in patients with multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma were evaluated.

RESULTS

The small and large tumors within the same patient presented with similar genomic characteristics, indicating their same genomic origin. We further found the small tumors had higher immune cell infiltration including more CD8⁺ T cells, M1 macrophages, and monocytes as compared with large tumors. Besides, the expression of interferon signature predictive of response to anti-PD-1 therapy was significantly upregulated in the small tumors. Moreover, the immune pathways were more vigorous along with less active proliferation pathways in the small tumors. In keeping with this, we found that small nodules were more sensitive to anti-PD-1 therapy than large nodules in patients with multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma.

CONCLUSIONS

The small tumors in patients with multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma had higher immune cell infiltration and upregulation of immune pathways as compared with the large tumors, which can partially explain the different responses of small and large tumors in the same case to anti-PD-1 therapy.

Evaluation of Different Blood Circulating miRNAs for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Diagnosis

The current study was conducted to investigate the potential of three circulating miRNAs (miR-21, miR-16 and miR-100) as HCC diagnostic marker in the population living in Guangdong province, China. First, the Fe₃O₄ and Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ magnetic microsphere were prepared. Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ microspheres were further used for total RNA purification from serum. After that, the real-time qPCR was conducted for the detecting the miRNA in the serum of HCC patients and healthy volunteers. Scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope images showed that monodisperse Fe₃O₄ and Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ microspheres were successfully synthesized with a mean diameter of about 500 nm and 600 nm, respectively. The microsphere was spherical in shape with good state of dispersion. The characteristic peak at 1088.8 cm^-1 in FTIR spectra belonged to the asymmetry stretching vibration of Si-O-Si, which confirmed the SiO₂ coating on Fe₃O₄ microspheres. The successful amplification of miRNAs in qPCR verified that the total RNA extracted using the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ microspheres retained high quality. The real time PCR results showed that miR-21 was differentially expressed in the serum of HCC patients and healthy volunteers. miR-21 and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) together could be potentially used as HCC diagnostic marker in Guangdong province population in China.

High SPINK1 Expression Predicts Poor Prognosis and Promotes Cell Proliferation and Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Serine protease inhibitor Kazal type I (SPINK1) is highly expressed and promotes tumor progress in different cancers. This study aimed to evaluate SPINK1's prognostic value and its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progress.

METHODS

We use tissue micro-arrays containing 273 tumor and paired para-tumor tissues to evaluate SPINK1's prognostic value in HCC. CCK8 cell proliferation assay, wound healing assays, transwell migration and invasion assays were performed to explore the effect of SPINIK1 on HCC cells. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were used to verify the prognosis value of SPINK1 in HCC and explore the underlying mechanisms.

RESULTS

SPINK1 expression was significantly higher in tumor tissues than paired para-tumor tissues (P < 0.001). Higher SPINK1 expression in tumor was significantly associated with portal vein tumor thrombus formation (P = 0.019) and shorter overall survival (P = 0.029). SPINK1 expression in tumor tissue was an independent predictor for overall survival. SPINK1 increased proliferation (P < 0.001), enhanced migration and invasion ability of HCC cell lines (P < 0.001). GSEA revealed that glycine, serine, threonine and bile acid metabolism may be the underlying mechanism of SPINK1 in HCC.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, high SPINK1 expression is associated with poor prognosis of HCC. SPINK1 promotes proliferation, migration and invasion ability of HCC cells.

The prognostic value of neuromedin U in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Neuromedin U (NMU) is a neuropeptide belonging to the neuromedin family. Recently, significant associations between NMU and several cancers have been reported. However, no studies have examined the association between NMU and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The purpose of this study was to examine the role of NMU in HCC.

Methods

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the level of NMU protein in the sera of patients with hepatic hemangioma and HCC. NMU and cytokine mRNA expression was assessed in HCC samples via RT-qPCR. A tissue microarray consisting of 228 HCC peri- and intra-tumor tissues was used to detect NMU expression via immunohistochemical analysis. The association between NMU expression and overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curves, the log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazard model.

Results

The level of NMU protein was increased in the sera of HCC patients (p = 0.006). NMU was expressed in intercellular space, rather than in hepatocytes or HCC cells. The prognosis of HCC patients with high NMU expression in peri-tumor tissue was significantly poorer than that of patients with low NMU expression (OS: p = 0.002, DFS: p = 0.033). Peri-tumor NMU expression was also a significant independent prognostic factor for OS (hazard ratio: 1.541, 95% confidence interval: 1.092–2.175, p = 0.014). The level of NMU expression was positively associated with M2 macrophage percentage and the levels of type-2 inflammatory cytokines in HCC tissue.

Conclusions

NMU may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker for HCC patients, although further validation is needed in the future. The activation of M2 macrophages and a type-2 inflammatory response may involve in the role of NMU in patients with HCC.

Intestinal dysbacteriosis-induced IL-25 promotes development of HCC via alternative activation of macrophages in tumor microenvironment

BACKGROUND

Gut microbiota and the tumor microenvironment are thought to be critical factors that modulate the processes of liver diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Interleukin-25 (IL-25) promotes type 2 immunity via alternative activation of macrophages, and is closely associated with inflammation-related diseases, even malignancies. However, it is not clear which role IL-25 plays in the development of HCC, and whether gut microbiota are involved.

METHODS

IL-25 was detected by ELISA, Western blotting (WB), and immunohistochemistry. Chemokines were measured by RT-qPCR and WB. After co-culture with IL-25-stimulated macrophages, the cell growth, migration, invasion and EMT marker of HCC cell lines (MHCC97L and HepG2) were evaluated by Brdu proliferation, Transwell assays and WB. An antibody neutralization assay of chemokine CXCL10 was performed to confirm its role in HCC development. Furthermore, the effects of IL-25 in HCC were investigated in vivo. Dysbiosis of gut microflora was induced by antibiotics (vancomycin, cefoperazone or combination of ampicillin, neomycin, metronidazole, and vancomycin). We used feces suspension to treat colonic epithelial NCM460 cells, and detected IL-25 and tuft cell marker DCLK1 using WB and immunofluorescence staining.

RESULTS

We found that the level of IL-25 was significantly elevated in HCC patients, and was negatively correlated with survival rate after hepatectomy. However, IL-25 did not directly promote the development of HCC cells. Then, we observed the significant positive correlation between IL-25 level and M2 percentage (CD206/CD68) in HCC tumors. In vitro and in vivo, IL-25 induced alternative activation of macrophages promoted HCC cell migration, invasion and tumorigenesis, increased the expression of vimentin, Snail and phospho-ERK, and decreased the expression of E-cadherin in HCC cells. After IL-25 treatment, chemokine CXCL10 was increased in macrophages. Neutralizing CXCL10 in macrophage-conditioned medium reversed the IL-25-mediated effect on HCC cells. Vancomycin-induced dysbiosis promoted the growth of orthotopic HCC homograft. Surprisedly, we found the hyperplasia of colonic epithelial tuft cells, from which more IL-25 was secreted .

CONCLUSIONS

IL-25 promotes the progression of HCC through inducing alternative activation and CXCL10 secretion of macrophages in tumor microenvironment, and IL-25 secretion may partly result from hyperplastic epithelial tuft cells in colon, induced by gut microbiota dysbiosis.

Development of a Non-Coding-RNA-based EMT/CSC Inhibitory Nanomedicine for In Vivo Treatment and Monitoring of HCC

The objective of this study is to improve the overall prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); therefore, new therapeutic methods that can be used in vivo are urgently needed. In this study, the relationship between the quantities of microRNA (miR)-125b-5p in clinical specimens and clinicopathological parameters is analyzed. A folate-conjugated nanocarrier is used to transfect miR-125b-5p in vivo and to observe the therapeutic effect on HCC. The inhibitory effect and mechanism of miR-125b-5p on hepatoma cells are also studied. Data from clinical specimens and in vitro experiments confirm that the miR-125b-5p quantity is negatively correlated with progression, and the target protein that regulates the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)/cancer stem cells (CSC) potential in HCC is STAT3. The miR-125b-5p/STAT3 axis inhibits the invasion, migration, and growth of HCC via inactivation of the wnt/β-Catenin pathway. miR-125b-5p-loaded nanomedicine effectively inhibits the EMT/CSC potential of hepatoma cells in vivo together with their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) visualization characteristics. An HCC-therapeutic and MRI-visible nanomedicine platform that achieves noninvasive treatment effect monitoring and timely individualized treatment course adjustment is developed.