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Background: CXC chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) serves as the ligand for chemokine receptor 5 (CXCR5), The CXCL13/CXCR5 signaling axis plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis and progression of various malignancies. This study aimed to assess the expression and role of serum CXCL13 in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explore its clinical significance in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis evaluation of HCC., Methods: Serum samples and clinical data were collected from 74 HCC patients, 51 cirrhosis patients, and 53 healthy controls. The expression level of serum CXCL13 was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Statistical software was employed to analyze the relationship between CXCL13 levels and clinicopathological features as well as laboratory indicators. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of CXCL13 and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for HCC., Results: The level of serum CXCL13 in the HCC group (275.96±145.35 pg/mL) was significantly higher than that in the cirrhosis group (172.11±142.78 pg/mL) and healthy control group (58.83±41.29 pg/mL). The level of CXCL13 in HCC patients with tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage III-IV was significantly higher than that in those with TNM stage I-II, as well as positively correlated with γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) values. The area under the ROC curve for CXCL13, AFP, and the combination of CXCL13 with AFP were 0.819, 0.813, and 0.885 respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the combined CXCL13 with AFP were 88.9% and 77.9% respectively. Moreover, the diagnostic efficacy of combining CXCL13 with AFP was significantly superior to that of using either CXCL13 or AFP alone., Conclusions: The expression of CXCL13 is upregulated in HCC patients and associated with tumor size, metastasis, GGT, and MELD score. Combining serum CXCL13 with AFP may hold clinical value to the diagnosis of HCC., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tcr.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/tcr-24-1306/coif). Y.T.W. reports that this work was supported by Science and Technology Fund Project of Guizhou Provincial Health Commission (contract No. gzwkj2021-074). The other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2025 AME Publishing Company. All rights reserved.)

Clinical presatation: right ear tinnitus, hearing loss, headache for 1 year with intermittent vertigo for 9 months. Specialized examination: right ear tympanum hyperemia and edema, right ear severe conduction deafness, left ear mild hearing loss. The average threshold: right ear 65 dB, the left ear 35 dB. Imaging examination: CT showed the soft tissue density mass in the right ear tympanum, part of the ear bone obscurity, superior wall of the tympanic cavity attenuation, tympanic sinus entry is not expanding. Imaging diagnosis: chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma formation. Postoperative diagnosis: meningioma., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

1. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 45T/G and plasma adiponectin levels and the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Uygurs of the Xinjiang region, China. 2. We performed a cross-sectional survey in a representative sample of 151 Uygur adults aged 24-80 years. The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method was used to determine the distribution of allele and genotype frequency of the SNP45 T/G polymorphism (exon 2) in the adiponectin gene. An ELISA was used to determine plasma adiponectin levels. Logistic regression was used to screen risk factors for T2DM. 3. Compared with the normal glucose tolerance (NGT) group, the T2DM group exhibited a higher distribution of the TG + GG genotype, G allele frequency and lower plasma adiponectin concentrations in TG + GG genotype carriers compared with those with the TT genotype. Compared with SNP45 T carriers, in the NGT group, G carriers had higher levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, low density lipoprotein (P < 0.05) and total cholesterol (P < 0.005). In the T2DM group, G carriers had lower levels of homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) of insulin sensitivity (P < 0.05) and higher levels of HOMA of insulin resistance (P < 0.05). 4. Adiponectin SNP 45 is positively correlated with the prevalence of T2DM in Uygurs of Xinjiang. The G allele carriers who have reduced plasma concentrations of adiponectin may have associated insulin resistance.