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Objective: To investigate the incidence of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) and electrophysiological indicators in postpartum women at 6–8 weeks and explore the influence of demographic characteristics and obstetric factors.Methods: A survey questionnaire collected information about the conditions of women during their pregnancy and puerperal period and their demographic characteristics; pelvic organ prolapse quantitation (POP-Q) and pelvic floor muscle electrophysiology (EP) examination were conducted in postpartum women at 6–8 weeks.Results: Vaginal delivery was a risk factor for anterior pelvic organ prolapse (POP) (OR 7.850, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.804–10.617), posterior POP (OR 5.990, 95% CI 3.953–9.077), anterior and posterior stage II POP (OR 6.636, 95% CI 3.662–15.919), and postpartum urinary incontinence (UI) (OR 6.046, 95% CI 3.894–9.387); parity was a risk factor for anterior POP (OR 1.397,95% CI 0.889–2.198) and anterior and posterior stage II POP (OR 4.162, 95% CI 2.125–8.152); age was a risk factor for anterior POP (OR 1.056, 95% CI 1.007–1.108) and postpartum UI (OR 1.066, 95% CI 1.014–1.120); body mass index (BMI) was a risk factor for postpartum UI (OR 1.117, 95% CI 1.060–1.177); fetal birth weight was a risk factor for posterior POP (OR 1.465, 95% CI 1.041–2.062); and the frequency of pregnancy loss was a risk factor for apical POP (OR 1.853, 95% CI 1.060–3.237).Conclusion: Pelvic floor muscle EP is a sensitive index of early pelvic floor injury. The changes in muscle strength and fatigue degree coexist in different types of postpartum PFD, and each has its own characteristics.

Background To compare all-cause rebleeding rates and mortality after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) between severe thrombocytopenia (TCP) and non-severe TCP patients admitted for variceal bleeding.Methods Between January 2017 and June 2020, patients with severe TCP (platelets 9/L) who received TIPS procedures for variceal bleeding at three medical centers were included. As controls, non-severe TCP patients were matched (1:1) by age, viral hepatitis, splenectomy, white blood cell, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, total bilirubin, and acute variceal bleeding. Primary outcome was 6-week all-cause rebleeding. Secondary outcomes included 1-year all-cause rebleeding, 30-day and 1-year all-cause mortality and complications occurred during or after TIPS creation.Results A total of 373 patients were included in the study, with 84 patients in each cohort after matching. All-cause rebleeding rates at 6-week and 1-year post-TIPS were similar in cohorts with severe versus non-severe TCP (6.0% vs 4.8% at 6-week and 10.7% vs 10.7% at 1-year; P = 0.962; HR: 1.023; 95% CI, 0.406–2.577). One-year all-cause mortality was also comparable between the two cohorts (10.7% vs 9.5%, P = 0.754; HR: 1.164; 95% CI, 0.449–3.018). The comparison of 30-day post-TIPS mortality was inconclusive due to the relatively small number of positive outcome events. A trend toward slightly higher major complications was observed in the severe TCP cohort (8.3% vs 2.4%, P = 0.078).Conclusions Compared with non-severe TCP, severe TCP did not increase the risk of early and late rebleeding after TIPS in patients with variceal bleeding.

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is diagnosed at the middle and advanced stages, negating radical treatment. Identifying specific and effective prognostic HCC biomarkers is important and can facilitate the discovery of potential therapeutic targets. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are associated with the development of multiple tumors. The role of m6A-relevant lncRNAs in the initiation and progression of HCC is unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of m6A-relevant lncRNAs in HCC and to identify new prognostic markers of the disease. Methods Gene expression and clinical data were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. m6A-relevant lncRNAs were identified by co-expression analysis and were screened by univariate Cox regression analysis. Different HCC patient clusters were established via consensus clustering. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to determine the cluster enrichment pathways. A risk score model was constructed, and Kaplan-Meier analysis of the overall survival (OS) between cluster 1 (high risk) and cluster 2 (low risk) was performed. Relationships between the clusters, risk scores, and clinicopathological characteristics were clarified. Results Of the 1,852 m6A-relevant lncRNAs identified, 68 had prognostic relevance. The pathological grade, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, and T stage of cluster 1 were significantly more advanced than those of cluster 2. Based on GSEA, mitotic spindle, G2M_CHECKPOINT, glycolysis, the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) protein kinase B (AKT) mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, and DNA repair were more enriched in cluster 1. Six key m6A-relevant lncRNAs were selected to build a risk score model predicting the prognosis of HCC. The OS of patients in the high-risk group was shorter than that of patients in the low-risk group. Risk score was an independent prognostic factor of HCC patients. Conclusions The findings indicated that m6A-relevant lncRNAs may be important in the progression of HCC. The risk score model based on the 6 key m6A-relevant lncRNAs can accurately predict the prognosis of patients with HCC.

Jin-Tao Huang,&ast; Bin-Yan Zhong,&ast; Nan Jiang,&ast; Wan-Ci Li, Shuai Zhang, Yu Yin, Jun Yang, Jian Shen, Wan-Sheng Wang, Xiao-Li Zhu Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xiao-Li Zhu, Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, No. 899, Pinghai Road, Suzhou, 215006, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 512 67780375, Email zhuxiaoli90@163.comObjective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) plus tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) (TACE+IT) versus ICIs plus TKIs (IT) for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Materials and Methods: Data of consecutive advanced HCC patients receiving TACE+IT or IT between January 2019 and December 2021 were included and were retrospectively analyzed. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to reduce bias due to confounding variables. The primary outcome of the study was overall survival (OS). The secondary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and adverse events (AEs), respectively.Results: Sixty-four patients were enrolled in the study, among which 24 and 40 received TACE+IT and IT, respectively. The PSM cohort included 24 patients receiving TACE+IT (TACE+IT group) and 24 patients receiving IT (IT group) alone. During a median follow-up of 23 months, patients in TACE+IT group had significantly longer OS (median, 17.3 vs 11.8 months, P = 0.023), better ORR (41.7% vs 12.5%, P = 0.023) and DCR (79.2% vs 50.0%, P = 0.035) than those in the IT group, whereas a non-significant trend in PFS (median, 7.4 vs 6.7 months, P = 0.23) was observed. According to multivariable cox regression analysis, it was found that treatment modality was the only independent risk factor for OS (HR = 0.404, 95% CI = 0.179– 0.911, P < 0.05). There were no remarkable differences in AEs associated with ICIs and TKIs between the two groups, with the exception of gastrointestinal reaction.Conclusion: TACE combined with ICIs plus TKIs significantly improved OS, ORR, and DCR and showed a relatively longer PFS trend over ICIs combined with TKIs for advanced HCC.Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, transarterial chemoembolization, immune checkpoint inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors

The hexagonal rare earth ferrites

Background: This study aimed to evaluate whether a large paraumbilical vein (L-PUV) was independently associated with the occurrence of overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) after the implantation of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). Methods: This bi-center retrospective study included patients with cirrhotic variceal bleeding treated with a TIPS between December 2015 and June 2021. An L-PUV was defined in line with the following criteria: cross-sectional areas > 83 square millimeters, diameter ≥ 8 mm, or greater than half of the diameter of the main portal vein. The primary outcome was the 2-year OHE rate, and secondary outcomes included the 2-year mortality, all-cause rebleeding rate, and shunt dysfunction rate. Results: After 1:2 propensity score matching, a total of 27 patients with an L-PUV and 54 patients without any SPSS (control group) were included. Patients with an L-PUV had significantly higher 2-year OHE rates compared with the control group (51.9% vs. 25.9%, HR = 2.301, 95%CI 1.094–4.839, p = 0.028) and similar rates of 2-year mortality (14.8% vs. 11.1%, HR = 1.497, 95%CI 0.422–5.314, p = 0.532), as well as variceal rebleeding (11.1% vs. 13.0%, HR = 0.860, 95%CI 0.222–3.327, p = 0.827). Liver function parameters were similar in both groups during the follow-up, with a tendency toward higher shunt patency in the L-PUV group (p = 0.067). Multivariate analysis indicated that having an L-PUV (HR = 2.127, 95%CI 1.050–4.682, p = 0.037) was the only independent risk factor for the incidence of 2-year OHE. Conclusions: Having an L-PUV was associated with an increased risk of OHE after a TIPS. Prophylaxis management should be considered during clinical management.

BiFeO3 has been recognized as one of the most important room-temperature single-phase multiferroic materials, but it still suffers from several drawbacks especially the weak magnetoelectric coupling. In the present work, the electric-field-controlled magnetism is achieved in Bi1-xGdxFeO3 system, which involves a field-induced transition of Pna21/R3c at the morphotropic phase boundary region, and the magnetic state is switched between cycloidal state and canted antiferromagnetic state. The electric-field-controlled magnetism becomes reversible with the help of annealing, which is confirmed by magnetic hysteresis loops and the quantitative ratio of the involved phases for the as-sintered, as-poled and as-annealed samples. Compared with the systems of Bi1-xNdxFeO3 and Bi1-xSmxFeO3, it is easier to tune the symmetry from R3c to Pna21 with lower rare earth-content, and the field-induced transition is more apparent and subsequently leads to more significant electric-field-controlled magnetism in a wider composition range.

To better understand the clinicopathological characteristics and molecular alterations in different intratumoral components of colorectal cancer (CRC) with heterogeneity of mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression and microsatellite instability (MSI) status.The histopathological features, MSI status, and other molecular alterations were analyzed in separately microdissected intratumoral regions and matched metastatic lymph nodes in four cases with intratumoral heterogenous MMR expression screened from 500 CRC patients, using PCR-based MSI testing, MLH1 promoter methylation, and targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS).High microsatellite instability (MSI-H) was identified in MLH1/PMS2-deficient regions in Cases 1 to 3 and in MSH2/MSH6-deficient regions in Case 4, while microsatellite stability (MSS) was detected in all the intratumoral regions and metastatic lymph nodes with proficient MMR expression (pMMR). Intratumoral heterogeneity of MLH1 promoter methylation and/or other common driving gene mutations of CRC, such as KRAS and PIK3CA mutations, was identified in all four CRCs. Further, three cases (75%) showed heterogeneous histomorphological features in intratumoral components and metastatic lymph nodes (Cases 1, 2, and 4), and the corresponding metastatic lymph nodes showed moderate differentiation with MSS/pMMR (Cases 2 and 3).Intratumoral heterogeneous MSI status is highly correlated with intratumoral histomorphological heterogeneity, which is also an important clue for the intratumoral heterogeneity of drive gene mutations in CRC. Thus, it is essential to detect MMR protein expression and other gene mutations in metastases before treatment, especially for CRCs with intratumoral heterogenous MMR protein expression or heterogenous histomorphological features.

In the present work, dielectric and ferroelectric characteristics of Ba6−pRpZr2+pTa8−pO30 (p = 1, 2, R = La, Nd, Sm) tungsten bronze ceramics were investigated systematically, and the effects of Zr4+ and Ta4+ occupation upon the polar order were emphasized. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the tetragonal tungsten bronze structure with P4/mbm space group at ambient temperature. Relaxor ferroelectric behavior was determined for all compounds, even for those who had order A1- and A2-site occupations, and this was quite different from other tungsten bronze systems. Compared with the Ti- and Nb-based analogue, these Zr- and Ta-based compounds exhibited stronger relaxor nature and obvious polar order disruption. Raman spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectra demonstrated distinct local crystal environment for these compounds with different B-site substitutions. Smaller A-site cation displacement inside the pentagonal channels, frustrating BO6 deformation, and weaker B–O-bond covalency were the main reasons for the severe disruption of ferroelectric polar order in these filled tungsten bronzes.

As the lesions in pulmonary nodules (PNs) are small and the clinical manifestations lack specificity, the etiology of PNs is complex, predisposing them to misdiagnoses missed diagnoses. Thus, the diagnosis and treatment of PNs remains challenging and an important clinical problem.This study prospectively enrolled 156 patients with computed tomography (CT)-diagnosed PNs who underwent circulating genetically abnormal cell (CAC) testing between January 2020 and December 2021. We collected data on clinical features closely related to the nature of PNs, such as age, smoking history, and type of nodule. All internal regions of interest (ROIs) of PNs in this study were segmented. Radiomic feature extraction was performed on the ROIs, and a radiomics model was constructed using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression to obtain a radiomics score (Rad-score). A comprehensive model combining clinical features, Rad-score, and liquid biopsy was constructed using logistic regression analysis. The diagnostic performance of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.In this study, 5 radiomics features were screened for model construction. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the radiomics model was 0.844 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.766-0.915] in the training set. The Rad-score, clinical features, and CAC were further combined to construct a multidimensional analysis model. The AUC of the synthesized model was 0.943 (95% CI: 0.881-0.978) in the training set.A multidimensional model is an effective tool for the noninvasive diagnosis of malignant PNs. The validation and combination of multiple diagnostic methods is a productive avenue of research trend for the identification of malignant PNs.

To investigate the safety and effectiveness of emergent transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) as first-line therapy in patients with advanced cirrhosis with acute variceal hemorrhage.From July 2016 to June 2019, 76 patients with advanced cirrhosis and acute variceal hemorrhage were included in this retrospective study. All patients underwent emergent TIPS as first-line therapy within 24 hours. Gastroesophageal varices in patients with cirrhosis were diagnosed with contrast-enhanced computed tomography because emergent endoscopy has not been routinely performed in this center. The primary outcomes were the control rate of bleeding and the rate of rebleeding. Secondary outcomes were the technical success rate of procedure, transplantation-free survival, the mean hospitalization time, the time of stay in the intensive care unit, and adverse events.All patients underwent TIPS creation successfully and were transferred to general wards. The median follow-up time was 21.7 months (interquartile range, 12.6-28.1 months). The control rate of bleeding (≤5 days) was 100%. The rates of early (5 days to 6 weeks) and late (6 weeks to 2 years) rebleeding were 6.6% and 1.3%, respectively. The 6-week, 1-year, and 2-year transplantation-free survival rates were 94.7%, 93.4%, and 84.6%, respectively. The incidences of acute liver failure, hepatic encephalopathy, and shunt dysfunction were 5.3%, 25%, and 5.3%, respectively.Emergent TIPS as a first-line therapy in patients with advanced cirrhosis with acute variceal hemorrhage is safe and effective. This study provides an alternative approach for medical centers without emergent endoscopy facility to manage the condition.

Purpose: Chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) is a disease that occurs in the glomeruli. The mechanism of CGN is thought to be involved in a range of inflammatory responses. MicroRNA-339-5p (miR-339-5p) has been reported to be involved in inflammatory responses in many diseases. However, the role of miR -339-5p in CGN remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of miR-339-5p in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -induced nephritis injury in vitro. Methods: The RNA expression of miR-339-5p and Syk/Ras/c-Fos pathway was detected by qRT-PCR, the protein expression and localization of Syk/Ras/c-Fos pathway was detected by western blot and immunofluorescence (IF), and the targeted binding of miR-339-5p to Syk was detected by double luciferase. Cell viability and cell cycle were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry. The concentrations of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-10, IL-6 and TNF-α were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: LPS increased HBZY-1 cell viability, decreased G2 phase, promoted cell proliferation and inflammatory cytokine release. Overexpression of miR-339-5p can inhibit HBZY-1 cell viability, decreased the expression of Syk/Ras/c-Fos signaling pathway, down-regulate the expression level of inflammatory cytokines, increase G2 phase, and inhibit cell proliferation.Conclusion: miR-339-5p inhibits the proliferation and inflammation of rat mesangial cell through Syk/Ras/c-Fos signal pathway.

In this work, the electron-phonon, phonon-phonon, and phonon structure scattering mechanisms and their effect on the thermal and thermoelectric properties of a silver nanowire (AgNW) is investigated in the temperature range of 10 to 300 K. The electron-phonon scattering rate decreases with the increase of temperature. The phonon-phonon scattering rate increases with temperature and becomes greater than the electron-phonon scattering rate when the temperature is higher than the Debye temperature (223 K). The rate of phonon structure scattering is constant. The total phonon scattering rate decreases with temperature when the temperature is lower than about 150 K, and increases when the temperature is higher than 150 K. Correspondingly, the temperature dependent variation trend of the lattice thermal conductivity is opposite diametrically to that of the total phonon scattering rate. The thermoelectric properties of the AgNW are strongly coupled with the thermal conductivity

BACKGROUND The treatment outcome of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) varies greatly due to the clinical heterogeneity of the patients. Therefore, several prognostic systems have been proposed for risk stratification and candidate identification for first TACE and repeated TACE (re-TACE). AIM To investigate the correlations between prognostic systems and radiological response, compare the predictive abilities, and integrate them in sequence for outcome prediction. METHODS This nationwide multicenter retrospective cohort consisted of 1107 unresectable HCC patients in 15 Chinese tertiary hospitals from January 2010 to May 2016. The Hepatoma Arterial-embolization Prognostic (HAP) score system and its modified versions (mHAP, mHAP2 and mHAP3), as well as the six-and-twelve criteria were compared in terms of their correlations with radiological response and overall survival (OS) prediction for first TACE. The same analyses were conducted in 912 patients receiving re-TACE to evaluate the ART (assessment for re-treatment with TACE) and ABCR (alpha-fetoprotein, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer, Child-Pugh and Response) systems for post re-TACE survival (PRTS). RESULTS All the prognostic systems were correlated with radiological response achieved by first TACE, and the six-and-twelve criteria exhibited the highest correlation (Spearman R = 0.39, P = 0.026) and consistency (Kappa = 0.14, P = 0.019), with optimal performance by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.71 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.68-0.74]. With regard to the prediction of OS, the mHAP3 system identified patients with a favorable outcome with the highest concordance (C)-index of 0.60 (95%CI: 0.57-0.62) and the best area under the receiver operating characteristic curve at any time point during follow-up; whereas, PRTS was well-predicted by the ABCR system with a C-index of 0.61 (95%CI: 0.59-0.63), rather than ART. Finally, combining the mHAP3 and ABCR systems identified candidates suitable for TACE with an improved median PRTS of 36.6 mo, compared with non-candidates with a median PRTS of 20.0 mo (log-rank test P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Radiological response to TACE is closely associated with tumor burden, but superior prognostic prediction could be achieved with the combination of mHAP3 and ABCR in patients with unresectable liver-confined HCC.

Introduction: The benefits of combining transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and sorafenib (TACE-S) over TACE alone for treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain controversial. Yet, such populations are heterogeneous in terms of baseline characteristics. Objective: To investigate the predictors of survival benefits from added sorafenib and identify the potential candidates for TACE-S. Methods: This multicenter observational study was conducted in 17 Chinese tertiary hospitals for patients with unresectable, liver-confined HCC. Eligible patients with performance status score of ≤1 and Child-Pugh score of ≤7 were treated with TACE or TACE-S. Interactions between treatment and baseline variables were evaluated to find indicators for survival benefits, based on which the patients were stratified. Multivariate models adjusted for baseline characteristics or propensity score were used to compare overall survival (OS) and time to tumor progression (TTP). Results: From January 2009 to December 2015, 1,719 consecutive patients received TACE (n = 1,406) or TACE-S (n = 313). Although TACE-S compared with TACE improved TTP (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.75, p = 0.008), no difference in OS was observed (adjusted HR 0.87, p = 0.090). Nevertheless, the tumor burden (sum of maximum diameter of largest tumor [cm] and tumor number) and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score independently predicted the survival benefits from added sorafenib (interaction p< 0.001). For patients with either moderate tumor burden (7–13) or low ALBI score (no more than –2.8) defined as candidates, TACE-S prolonged OS (adjusted HR 0.73, p = 0.003) and TTP (adjusted HR 0.72, p = 0.014) compared to TACE alone, whereas its superiority disappeared in non-candidates. Conclusions: Not all unresectable HCC patients but those with moderate tumor burden or low ALBI score achieve survival benefits from TACE-S compared with TACE alone. Future randomized controlled trials focusing on the subset are warranted.

Objective To identify the blood glucose level at admission on the clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods This was a multicenter retrospective study. Data on patients with CAP in four hospitals from Beijing, Shandong and Yunnan Province during January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2015 were reviewed, including demographic, clinical and radiologic characteristics and outcomes. Cox regression model was performed to evaluate the impact of the blood glucose level on ICU admission rate and 30-day mortality of CAP patients. Results Overall, 3366 CAP patients were entered into the final analysis. Diabetic patients (DM-CAP) accounted for 15.8% (531/3366). A Cox multivariable regression model (adjusted for sex, age, comorbidities and CURB-65 score) confirmed diabetes mellitus was associated with increased risk for 30-day mortality of CAP patients (HR=1.109, 95% CI 1.084-2.796, P

In this paper, the cold launch test platform is taken as the research object, theoptimization model of this test platform is established by using topology optimization method. First,the topology optimization goal of the structure is determined, and then the constraints are carriedout. Finally, optimized and non-optimized areas are identified, and the result is processed. Afteroptimization, the quality of the test platform was reduced by 2.9 tons under the conditions of use.

Objectives: To synthesize folate acid conjugated quantum dots (QDs) by a simple and green method and explore endocytosis of the QD-folic acid conjugates (FA-QDs) into hepG2 cells. Methods: CdS QDs were prepared using stearic acid as synthetic medium, and were conjugated with mercaptoacetic acid (MAA) to be water-soluble. Then folic acid moiety was coupled to the surface of the QDs using EDC (1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino propyl)carbodiimide) as a coupling agent. The CdS QDs and FA-QDs were characterized by X-ray spectroscopy (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), spectro fluorimetry and infrared spectroscopy. Endocytosis of the FA-QDs into hepG2 cells was observed by confocal microscopy and TEM. Results: TEM shows that the CdS QDs and FA-QDs were spherical in shape and had a diameter of 10 nm. Fluorescence spectrum of the QDs also shows their narrow size distribution. Confocal microscopic and TEM results show that FA-QDs were successfully internalized into the hepG2 cells. In addition, confocal results show that when the cells were first be saturated with excess free FA, the endocytosis of the FA-QDs became less, and CdS QDs that were not conjugated with FA were not able to be internalized into the hepG2 cells. Conclusions: The FA-QDs can be synthesized by a simple and green method and be used to successfully target tumor cells: hepG2 cell lines, which was probably mediated by the FA receptor.

BACKGROUND: To explore the expression and clinical significance of the cytokinesis-related gene NUF2 in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC). METHODS: Gene expression profiles of KIRC patients were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The differences in NUF2 mRNA expression between patients and controls, as well as the relationship between the clinical characteristics and overall survival of the patients, were analyzed. The expression of NUF2 protein in 83 cancer tissues and para-cancerous tissues was detected to analyze the relationship with clinical characteristics. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to investigate the possible regulatory pathways of the NUF2 in the development of KIRC. RESULTS: NUF2 mRNA was significantly higher in patients with KIRC, and the prognosis of patients with high expression of NUF2 mRNA was significantly worse than those with low expression, and was related to the AJCC stage, T stage, lymph node metastases, and distant metastases. NUF2 mRNA was an independent prognostic risk factor for KIRC patients. The expression of NUF2 protein was significantly higher in KIRC patients than in paraneoplastic tissues and was markedly associated with the pathological grade. In addition, the high expression of NUF2 was associated with the upregulation of pathways such as homologous recombination and DNA replication. CONCLUSIONS: NUF2 may act as an independent prognostic biomarker for predicting the survival of KIRC patients.

Objectives: To investigate the predictive value of inflammatory biomarkers in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for outcomes following the combination treatment of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus sorafenib.Materials and Methods: A total of 314 (270 male and 44 female) treatment-naïve patients with unresectable HCC treated by TACE plus sorafenib between January 2011 and December 2018 were enrolled in the retrospective study. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS). The secondary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS). Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were obtained within 3–7 days before the initial TACE and the median value of the NLR and PLR was considered as the cut-off value.Results: The median value of NLR and PLR was 2.42 and 100, respectively. The median OS and PFS of the entire cohort were 18.7 months (95% CI: 16.8–20.6) and 9.1 months (95% CI: 8.5–9.8), respectively. The low NLR and PLR group showed improved OS and PFS compared with the high NLR and PLR group [21.8 months (95% CI: 15.2–28.5) vs. 15.4 months (95% CI: 12.4–18.3), p < 0.0001; 21.6 months (95% CI: 15.8–27.5) vs. 14.9 months (95% CI: 11.9–17.8), p = 0.00027, respectively]. In addition, the low NLR and PLR group also provided a longer PFS than the high NLR and PLR group [10.4 months (95% CI: 8.9–12.0) vs. 8.1 months (95% CI: 7.1–9.2), p = 0.00022; 10.3 months (95% CI: 8.6–11.9) vs. 8.2 months (95% CI: 7.2–9.2), p < 0.0001, respectively]. High NLR and PLR at baseline were predictive factors of poor OS (p = 0.02 and p = 0.004) and PFS (p = 0.045 and p = 0.005).Conclusion: This study showed the prognostic value of quantitative inflammatory biomarkers in correlation with OS and PFS in unresectable HCC patients undergoing TACE plus sorafenib treatment.