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Background: Radiotherapy is the first-line regimen for treating oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in current clinics. However, the development of therapeutic resistance impacts the anticancer efficacy of irradiation in a subpopulation of OSCC patients. As a result, discovering a valuable biomarker to predict radiotherapeutic effectiveness and uncovering the molecular mechanism for radioresistance are clinical issues in OSCC. Methods: Three OSCC cohorts from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), GSE42743 dataset and Taipei Medical University Biobank were enrolled to examine the transcriptional levels and prognostic significance of neuronal precursor cell-expressed developmentally downregulated protein 8 (NEDD8). Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was utilized to predict the critical pathways underlying radioresistance in OSCC. The colony-forming assay was used to estimate the consequences of irradiation sensitivity after the inhibition or activation of the NEDD8-autophagy axis in OSCC cells. Results: NEDD8 upregulation was extensively found in primary tumors compared to normal adjacent tissues and potentially served as a predictive marker for the therapeutic effectiveness of irradiation in OSCC patients. NEDD8 knockdown enhanced radiosensitivity but NEDD8 overexpression reduced it in OSCC cell lines. The inclusion of MLN4924, a pharmaceutical inhibitor for NEDD8-activating enzyme, dose-dependently restored the cellular sensitivity to irradiation treatment in irradiation-insensitive OSCC cells. Computational simulation by GSEA software and cell-based analyses revealed that NEDD8 upregulation suppresses Akt/mTOR activity to initiate autophagy formation and ultimately confers radioresistance to OSCC cells. Conclusion: These findings not only identify NEDD8 as a valuable biomarker to predict the efficacy of irradiation but also offer a novel strategy to overcome radioresistance via targeting NEDD8-mediated protein neddylation in OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High Snail expression is known as a poor prognostic factor in breast cancer. However, its prognostic impact for breast cancer with different molecular subtypes is still controversial. Methods: Snail expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in tissue microarray slides of 85 corresponding tumor-adjacent normal (CTAN) and 247 breast invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) tissues. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to assess the impact of Snail expression on survival rate by different molecular subtypes of breast IDC patients. Results: The level of Snail expression in IDC tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in CTAN tissues. Moreover, high Snail expression had direct impacts on poor disease specific survival (DSS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in breast IDC patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-positive statuses as well as the HER2 intrinsic subtype. Additionally, breast IDC patients with a combination of three prognostic factors, including high Snail expression and HER2-positive and EGFR-positive statuses, had much poor DSS and DFS with a statistically significant linear trend. Conclusion: High Snail expression could predict a poor prognosis for breast IDC patients with HER2/EGFR-positive subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may establish an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that is conducive to tumor growth. Natural killer (NK) cells play a pivotal role in immunological surveillance. Activation of NK cells partially depends on the interactions between killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I ligands. We herein investigated the association of KIRs and HLA ligands with survival in metastatic NSCLC (mNSCLC) patients treated with chemotherapy in a Chinese Han population. Polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers was used to type 15 KIRs at the DNA and mRNA level and 6 HLA ligands in 70 mNSCLC patients. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazard regression model was applied for multivariate survival analysis, with the stepwise selection, to determine independent predictors of survival. It was observed that patients with KIR2DS4del gene expression at the mRNA level or HLA-Bw4T80 exhibited poor overall survival (OS). The multivariate analysis revealed that HLA-Bw4T80 and KIR2DS4del expression were independent predictors of OS. This observation indicated that the KIR/HLA ligand is a promising predictor of survival in mNSCLC and may also provide a strategy for treatment stratification and patient management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

of the study: The prognostic value of the detection of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in gastric cancer has been studied intensely in recent years. However, the application of different technologies led to inconsistent results between the studies. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of published studies to summarise the evidence. Material and methods: Medline and ISI Web of Knowledge were searched up to March 2013 using "circulating tumor cells" and "gastric cancer" as search terms. Hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for prognostic outcomes and clinical characteristics were extracted from each study. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) and odds ratios (OR) were calculated using random or ?xed-effects models. Results: Twelve studies enrolling 774 patients were included. The combined HR estimate for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and progression- free survival (PFS) were 1.41 (95% CI: 1.28-1.62), 2.99 (95% CI: 2.01-4.45) and 1.64 (95% CI: 1.02- 2.62), respectively. Subgroup analysis concerning detection methods and sampling time showed that results of RT-PCR for the OS group and RT-PCR for the DFS group suggest a prognostic significance of CTC detection (pooled HR [95% CI]: 1.45 [1.28-1.65], I2 = 38%, p = 0.13; 2.99 [2.01-4.45], I2 = 0%, p = 0.32). In addition, results of the baseline CTC detection group also indicated a significant prognostic value to predict OS and DFS (pooled HR [95% CI]: 1.47 [1.19-1.82], I2 = 38%, p = 0.14; 2.99 [2.01-4.45], I2 = 0%, p = 0.32). We simultaneously found that the detection of CTCs correlated with pathological stage (pooled OR [95% CI]: 2.95 [1.65-5.28], I2 = 56%, p = 0.03), lymph node status (pooled OR [95% CI]: 2.26 [1.50-3.41], I2 = 37%, p = 0.09), the depth of invasion (pooled OR [95% CI]: 3.21 [1.38- 7.43], I2 = 72%, p = 0.002), and distant metastasis (pooled OR [95% CI]: 2.68 [1.25-5.73], I2 = 43%, p = 0.15). Conclusions: Detection of CTCs is associated with poorer prognosis in gastric cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although scoliosis is a 3-dimensional (3D) deformity, little research has been performed on the use of 3D imaging in brace curve correction. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of axial-plane parameters on the outcomes of bracing with a thoracolumbosacral orthosis for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.Methods: This prospective longitudinal cohort study included patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis who fulfilled the criteria for bracing according to the Scoliosis Research Society, and was conducted from the time the patient began wearing the brace through a minimum follow-up of 2 years or until a surgical procedure was performed. Radiographs made with use of an EOS Imaging System were used to reconstruct 3D images of the spine at the pre-brace, immediate in-brace, 1-year in-brace, and latest follow-up out-of-brace stages. Univariate and multiple linear regressions were performed to determine the association between axial rotation correction and curve progression at the time of the latest follow-up. Logistic regressions were performed to model the probability of risk of progression.Results: Fifty-three patients were enrolled, and 46 patients were included in the analysis. At the time of the latest follow-up, 30 patients did not experience curve progression and 16 patients had curve progression. There was no difference in baseline demographic characteristics between groups. For the transverse-plane parameters, there was a significant difference between non-progression and progression groups in pre-brace apical vertebral rotation (4.5° ± 11.2° compared with -2.4° ± 9.8°, respectively; p = 0.044) and in 1-year in-brace apical vertebral rotation correction velocity (2.0° ± 5.0°/year compared with -1.7° ± 4.4°/year, respectively; p = 0.016). Logistic regression analysis showed that pre-brace apical vertebral rotation (odds ratio, 1.063; 95% confidence interval, 1.000 to 1.131; p = 0.049) and 1-year in-brace apical vertebral rotation correction velocity (odds ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.021 to 1.38; p = 0.026) were associated with an increased risk of curve progression. There was no difference in Scoliosis Research Society 22-Item scores between patients who experienced curve progression and those who did not.Conclusions: In this prospective study, we demonstrated that axial-plane parameters and the correction of these parameters during bracing are related to the successful use of the brace.Level Of Evidence: Prognostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of the interleukin (IL) family are closely linked to cancer development and progression. However, research on the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) related to IL is still lacking. This study investigated new CRC prognostic markers and offered new insights for CRC prognosis and treatment. CRC-related data and IL gene data were collected from public databases. Sample clustering was done with the NMF package to divide samples into different subtypes. Differential, enrichment, survival, and immune analyses were conducted on subtypes. A prognostic model was constructed using regression analysis. Drug sensitivity analysis was performed using GDSC database. Western blot analysis was performed to assess the effect of IL-7 on the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. Flow cytometry was used to examine the impact of IL-7 on CD8+ T cell apoptosis. Two CRC subtypes based on IL-associated genes were obtained. Cluster 1 had a higher survival rate than cluster 2, and they showed differences in some immune levels. The two clusters were mainly enriched in the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, T helper 17 cell differentiation, and the IL-17 signaling pathway. An 11-gene signature was built, and risk score was an independent prognosticator for CRC. The low-risk group showed a higher sensitivity to nine common targeted anticancer drugs. Western blot and flow cytometry results demonstrated that IL-7 could phosphorylate STAT5 and promote survival of CD8+ T cells. In conclusion, this study divided CRC samples into two IL-associated subtypes and obtained an 11-gene signature. In addition, targeted drugs that may improve the prognosis of patients with CRC were identified. These findings are of paramount importance for patient prognosis and CRC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: It is unclear whether idiopathic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is associated with borderline developmental dysplasia of the hip (BDDH). This study aimed to compare the incidence of BDDH between patients with idiopathic ONFH and matched control subjects and determine the influence of BDDH on poor prognosis after core decompression (CD). Methods: We retrospectively examined 78 consecutive patients (111 hips) with idiopathic ONFH undergoing CD and 1:2 matched with 156 control subjects (222 hips). The anteroposterior pelvic radiographs were used to measure the acetabular anatomical parameters and divide included subjects into BDDH or non‐BDDH group. The incidence of BDDH and acetabular anatomical parameters were compared between patients with idiopathic ONFH and matched controls. Clinical outcomes, such as Harris Hip Score (HHS), progression of collapse, and conversion to total hip arthroplasty (THA), were compared between patients with BDDH and without BDDH in the idiopathic ONFH group, with a mean follow‐up of 72.1 ± 36.6 months. Results: Patients with idiopathic ONFH had a significantly higher incidence of BDDH than matched controls (29.7% vs 12.2%, p < 0.001). Less acetabular coverage was also found in patients with idiopathic ONFH than in matched controls as demonstrated by lower CEA (28.5° ± 4.7° vs 33.1° ± 5.7°, p < 0.001), AHI (82.4 ± 5.0 vs 86.3 ± 5.4, p < 0.001), ADR (299.6 ± 28.4 vs 318.8 ± 31.3, p < 0.001), and a higher sharp angle (40.0° ± 3.4° vs 37.4° ± 3.7°, p < 0.001). In patients with idiopathic ONFH, the BDDH group had a significantly lower mean HHS at the last follow‐up (83.5 ± 17.4 vs 91.6 ± 9.7, p = 0.015) with a different score distribution (p = 0.004), and a lower 5‐year survival rate with both clinical failure (66.7%, 95% CI 52.4%–84.9% vs 83.7%, 95% CI 75.2%–93.1%; p = 0.028) and conversion to THA (74.6%, 95% CI 60.7%–91.6% vs 92.1%, 95% CI 85.6%–99.0%; p = 0.008) as the endpoints than the non‐BDDH group. Conclusion: The incidence of BDDH was significantly higher in patients with idiopathic ONFH than matched controls, and idiopathic ONFH patients who underwent CD with BDDH had lower mean HHS as well as 5‐year survival rate than those without BDDH. Therefore, BDDH should be considered a risk factor predicting the development of idiopathic ONFH as well as poor prognosis after CD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a relatively uncommon liver disease, and information on the prognosis and survival of PBC patients in mainland China is lacking. We therefore conducted a retrospective study to investigate the prognostic factors and survival in Chinese PBC patients.Methods: Between October 2001 and May 2009, patients registered at Beijing You'an Hospital with abnormal liver function and serum positivity for antimitochondrial antibody (AMA) and/or AMA-M2 (n = 391) were screened. Patients diagnosed with PBC were identified, and their medical data were reviewed and analyzed for mortality predictors.Results: A total of 147 PBC patients were identified (mean age: 54 years, range: 28-81), of whom 126 (85.7%) were women. At the time of diagnosis, 119 patients (81.0%) were symptomatic, 28(19.0%) had hepatic decompensation, and no patients were asymptomatic. During a median follow-up period of 48 months (range: 2-312), 36 patients (24.5%) died or underwent liver transplantation, and 65 patients (44.2%) developed hepatic decompensation. The overall 5-year survival rate was 79%. Multivariate analysis indicated that Mayo risk score ≥6.11(P = 0.008), and serum IgG ≥ 17.20 g/l (P = 0.016) were associated with mortality.Conclusions: Most Chinese PBC patients in this study were symptomatic at diagnosis and had significant mortality. Mayo risk score, and serum IgG were independent prognostic factors for survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the factors predictive of clinical outcome in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients receiving ramucirumab treatment. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using a multi‐institutional electronic medical records database in Taiwan. We included advanced HCC patients newly receiving ramucirumab as second‐line or beyond systemic therapy between January 2016 and February 2022. The clinical outcomes were median progression‐free survival (PFS) based on the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST), overall survival (OS) and adverse events. We applied Kaplan–Meier methods to estimate median PFS and OS. Uni‐variable and multi‐variable Cox regression models were applied to identify the prognostic factors. Results: We included 39 ramucirumab naive users with a median age of 65.5 (IQR: 57.0–71.0) years and treatment time of 5.0 (3.0–7.0) cycles, of whom 82.1% were male and 84.6% were Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C. After median follow‐up time of 6.0 months, 33.3% of patients' AFP level had decreased more than 20% within 12 weeks. The median PFS and OS were 4.1 months and non‐reach, respectively. Moreover, tumor burden beyond the up‐to‐11 criteria (HR: 2.95, 95% CI: 1.04–8.38) and a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate of more than 10% within 12 weeks (HR: 0.31, 0.11–0.88) were significantly related to PFS in the multi‐variable analysis. No patient discontinued ramucirumab during the treatment on account of side effects. Conclusion: Ramucirumab was an effective treatment option with good AFP response for advanced HCC patients in real‐world experience. Tumor burden beyond the up‐to‐11 criteria and a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate were independent predictive factors for progression‐free survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: As a subgroup of lung cancer, small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is characterized by a short tumor doubling time, high rates of early occurred distant cancer spread, and poor outcomes. Despite its exquisite sensitivity to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, acquired drug resistance and tumor progression are typical. This study aimed to develop a robust signature based on immune-related genes to predict the outcome of patients with SCLC. Methods: The expression data of 77 SCLC patients from George's cohort were divided into training set and testing set, and 1534 immune-related genes from ImmPort database were used to generate and validate the signature. Cox proportional hazards and the Kaplan-Meier analysis were used for developing and testing the prognostic signature. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis was used to determine immune cell infiltration phenotypes. Results: A 10-gene model comprising NR3C1, NR1D2, TANK, ARAF, HDGF, INHBE, LRSAM1, PLXNA1, PML, and SP1 with the highest frequency after 1000 interactions, was chosen to construct immune-related signature. This signature showed robust predictive value for SCLC patients' survival in both training and testing sets. This signature was weakly associated with the clinic pathological values like TNM stage. Furthermore, patients with low risk presented with activation of immune signal pathways, and specific immune cell infiltration with high levels of CD56bright NK cells but low levels of CD8+ T cells, mast cells, and helper T cells. Conclusion: The present study developed immune-related signature that may help predict the prognosis of SCLC patients, which reflects an unappreciated level of heterogeneity of immunophenotype associated with diverse prognosis for specific subsets in this highly lethal cancer type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose There is no optimal prognostic model for T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL). Here, we discussed the predictive value of total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) measured on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) in T-LBL. Materials and Methods Thirty-seven treatment naïve T-LBL patients with PET-CT scans were enrolled. TMTV was obtained using the 41% maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) threshold method, and TLG was measured as metabolic tumor volume multiplied by the mean SUV. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curves and compared by the log-rank test. Results The optimal cutoff values for SUVmax, TMTV, and TLG were 12.7, 302 cm3, and 890, respectively. A high SUVmax, TMTV, and TLG indicated a shorten PFS and OS. On multivariable analysis, TMTV ≥ 302 cm3, and central nervous system (CNS) involvement predicted inferior PFS, while high SUVmax, TLG and CNS involvement were associated with worse OS. Subsequently, we generated a risk model comprising high SUVmax, TMTV or TLG and CNS involvement, which stratified the population into three risk groups, which had significantly different median PFS of not reached, 14 months, and 7 months for low-risk group, mediate-risk group, and high-risk group, respectively (p < 0.001). Median OS were not reached, 27 months, and 13 months, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion Baseline SUVmax, TMTV, and TLG measured on PET-CT are strong predictors of worse outcome in T-LBL. A risk model integrating these three parameters with CNS involvement identifies patients at high risk of disease progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). This study sought to explore if the CHADS2 score could predict the prognosis of PE in patients with AF. In a tertiary hospital, 4,288 consecutive patients with diagnosis of PE were screened. In total, 305 patients with PE had AF and were included in this retrospective study. In-hospital outcome was defined as at least one of the following: death from any cause, need for intravenous catecholamine administration, endotracheal intubation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or thrombolytic therapy. The in-hospital outcome occurred in 10.2% of the patients. Patients with adverse outcome had higher CHADS2 score, CHA2DS2-VASc score, and simplified pulmonary embolism severity index (sPESI) score. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.66, 0.62, and 0.71 for CHADS2 score, CHA2DS2-VASc score, and sPESI score, respectively, in predicting in-hospital outcome. The incidence of in-hospital outcome was 3.4 and 14.4% in sPESI = 0 and sPESI ⩾1 groups (p < 0.01). CHADS2 also had good predictive value with the incidence of in-hospital outcome, being 4.6% in CHADS2 < 2 and 14.3% in CHADS2 ⩾ 2 groups (p < 0.01). The incidences of in-hospital outcome were 2.6, 4.8, 7.4, and 17.3% in patients with sPESI = 0 and CHADS2 < 2, sPESI = 0 and CHADS2 ⩾ 2, sPESI ⩾ 1 and CHADS2 < 2, and sPESI ⩾ 1 and CHADS2 ⩾ 2 (p < 0.01), respectively. In multivariable analysis, CHADS2 (odds ratio: 1.50; 95% confidence interval: 1.11-2.02; p < 0.01) was an independent predictor of inhospital adverse outcome. High CHADS2 score could predict worse in-hospital outcome in patients with PE and AF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of concurrent cisplatin chemoradiotherapy plus cetuximab with that of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) alone in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LRANPC) patients.Materials and Methods: A total of 3257 LRANPC patients from a prospectively maintained database were included in this observational study to examine the effectiveness of adding cetuximab to CCRT. We compared overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) using the propensity score method.Results: In this cohort, 131 patients received CCRT plus cetuximab. Cetuximab-treated patients were more likely to receive intensity-modulated radiation therapy and were less likely to receive induction chemotherapy or adjuvant chemotherapy. The addition of cetuximab was associated with increased DMFS compared with CCRT alone based on univariable and multivariable analyses (5-year OS, 94.1% vs. 87.3%; P=0.044), but not with increased OS, DFS, or LRRFS. Propensity score matching identified 96 patients in each cohort and confirmed that a DMFS benefit was associated with the addition of cetuximab (HR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.15-0.99, P=0.044). Subgroup analyses demonstrated a significant DMFS benefit with CCRT plus cetuximab in patients with N2-N3 stage disease compared with N2-N3 patients receiving CCRT alone (87.9% and 66.2%, respectively; P=0.045).Conclusions: In conclusion, the addition of cetuximab to first-line chemoradiotherapy is associated with an improvement in DMFS in patients with LRANPC. A prospective randomized clinical trial will be necessary to validate this result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Due to improvements in imaging and radiological techniques as well as the use of chemotherapy, distant metastasis has become the predominant mode of treatment failure in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC). Platinum-based systemic chemotherapy has shown survival benefits and is now the standard strategy for systemic therapy in patients with LA-NPC. Notably, the third-generation platinum reagent lobaplatin has shown anti-tumor effects in several solid tumors with lower incidences of gastrointestinal, hepatic and renal toxicity relative to other platinum drugs. However, the safety and efficacy of lobaplatin as a first-line regimen in patients with LA-NPC are undetermined.Methods: Patients with stage III-IVa-b NPC received lobaplatin at a dose of 30 mg/m2 on days 1 and 22 combined with a continuous 120-h intravenous injection of 5-fluorouracil at a dose of 4 g/m2 followed by lobaplatin at a dose of 50 mg/m2 on days 43 and 64 concomitant with intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Objective response rates and acute toxicity were assessed based on RECIST (1.1) and CTCAE v.3.0, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate survival rates.Results: Fifty-nine patients were enrolled, and 44 patients (74.6%) received allocated cycles of chemotherapy. The objective response rates were 88.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77 to 0.95) and 100% after induction chemotherapy (ICT) and concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT), respectively. With a median follow-up period of 44 months, the 3-year estimated progression-free survival and overall survival were 86.4% (95% CI, 69.8 to 98.8) and 94.9% (95% CI, 89.5 to 100), respectively. The most common grade 3-4 toxicities were neutropenia (8.5%) and thrombocytopenia (40.7%) after ICT and CRT, respectively.Conclusion: Lobaplatin combined with 5-fluorouracil followed by lobaplatin-RT treatment showed encouraging anti-tumor effects with tolerable toxicities in patients with LA-NPC. Randomized controlled trials of lobaplatin in patients with LA-NPC are warranted.Trial Registration: This trial was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry and approved on March 31st, 2012, number ChiCTR-ONC-12002060 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Arterioportal shunts (APS) are sometimes encountered in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and associated with poor prognosis. The management of HCC with APS is a challenge so far. Case Presentations. We report here in detail a 37-year-old man who was diagnosed as an advanced HCC accompanied with severe APS and treated by two sessions of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and three sessions of transcatheter arterial chemotherapy (TAC) plus sorafenib therapy The tumor shrinks were revealed continuously during 152 days after the diagnosis. Although tumor progress emerged at 209 days after the diagnosis, the patient remarkably achieved 366-day survival. Discussion. TACE plus sorafenib may be a promising treatment for advanced HCC accompanied with APS. Prospective case-control studies should be advocated to evaluate the combination of TACE, TAC, and sorafenib in the management of HCC with APS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relevance of recurrent molecular abnormalities in cytogenetically normal (CN) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was recently acknowledged by the inclusion of molecular markers such as NPM1, FLT3, and CEBPA as a complement to cytogenetic information within both the World Health Organization and the European Leukemia Net classifications. Mitochondrial metabolism is different in cancer and normal cells. A novel cytosolic type 2-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, BDH2, originally named DHRS6, plays a physiological role in the cytosolic utilization of ketone bodies, which can subsequently enter mitochondria and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Moreover, BDH2 catalyzes the production of 2, 3-DHBA during enterobactin biosynthesis and participates in 24p3 (LCN2)-mediated iron transport and apoptosis. Results: We observed that BDH2 expression is an independent poor prognostic factor for CN-AML, with an anti-apoptotic role. Patients with high BDH2 expression have relatively shorter overall survival (P = 0.007) and a low complete response rate (P = 0.032). BDH2-knockdown (BDH2-KD) in THP1 and HL60 cells increased the apoptosis rate under reactive oxygen species stimulation. Decrease inducible survivin, a member of the inhibitors of apoptosis family, but not members of the Bcl-2 family, induced apoptosis via a caspase-3-independent pathway upon BDH2-KD. Conclusions: BDH2 is a novel independent poor prognostic marker for CN-AML, with the role of anti-apoptosis, through surviving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]