BACKGROUND & AIMS: :B7-H3 is an immune regulatory molecule whose aberrant expression in tumors is associated with adverse outcomes. Upregulation of B7-H3 may promote tumor cell proliferation and metastasis in vitro, but the role of B7-H3 in cervical cancer has not yet been investigated. We measured B7-H3 expression in 90 cervical cancer patient and 20 non‑cervical lesion patient tissues using immunohistochemistry and in 30 cervical cancer patient and 30 healthy donor blood samples using ELISA. The association of B7-H3 expression and the prognosis of cervical cancer patients was investigated. B7-H3 knockdown in CaSki and SiHa cell lines was performed using small hairpin (sh)RNA lentiviral transfection and B7-H3 overexpression in CaSki and HeLa cell lines was performed using plasmid-vector lentivirus transduction. Cell proliferation, invasion and migration were then measured using MTT and Transwell assays in vitro. B7-H3 expression was significantly higher in the cervical cancer tissues compared to that noted in the normal cervical tissues (mean 72.22 vs. 15.00%; p<0.001). Using Kaplan‑Meier and Cox analyses, our data revealed that patients with strong intensity staining were significantly more likely to have a worse prognosis. The B7-H3 level in cervical cancer patient blood was significantly higher than that in the normal donors (13.41±6.12 vs. 9.90±3.16 ng/ml; p=0.007). MTT assay revealed that high expression of B7-H3 promoted cervical cancer cell proliferation. Transwell assay data revealed that high expression of B7-H3 enhanced cervical cancer cell migration and invasion (CaSki, p=0.003; HeLa, p=0.03). In conclusion, expression of B7-H3 was significantly higher in cervical cancer tissues compared to normal cervical tissues, and this high expression was associated with worse prognosis for cervical cancer patients. In addition, B7-H3 promoted proliferation, invasion and migration of cervical cancer and may be a potential target for treating cervical cancer.

背景与目标： : B7-H3是一种免疫调节分子，其在肿瘤中的异常表达与不良后果有关。B7-H3的上调可能在体外促进肿瘤细胞的增殖和转移，但B7-H3在宫颈癌中的作用尚未得到研究。我们使用免疫组织化学方法测量了90例宫颈癌患者和20例非宫颈病变患者组织中的B7-H3表达，并使用ELISA测量了30例宫颈癌患者和30例健康供体血样中的表达。研究了B7-H3表达与宫颈癌患者预后的关系。使用小发夹 (sh)RNA慢病毒转染在CaSki和SiHa细胞系中进行B7-H3敲除，并使用质粒载体慢病毒转导在CaSki和HeLa细胞系中进行B7-H3过表达。细胞增殖，然后在体外使用MTT和Transwell测定法测量侵袭和迁移。与正常宫颈组织相比，宫颈癌组织中的B7-H3表达明显更高 (平均72.22对15.00%; p<0.001)。使用kaplan-meier和Cox分析，我们的数据显示，强染色的患者预后更差。宫颈癌患者血液中的B7-H3水平明显高于正常供体 (13.41 ± 6.12 vs. 9.90 ± 3.16 ng/ml); p = 0.007)。MTT分析显示B7-H3的高表达促进了宫颈癌细胞的增殖。tranwell分析数据显示B7-H3的高表达增强了宫颈癌细胞的迁移和侵袭 (CaSki，p = 0.003; HeLa，p = 0.03)。总之，b7-H3在宫颈癌组织中的表达明显高于正常宫颈组织，这种高表达与宫颈癌患者预后差有关，此外，B7-H3促进了宫颈癌的增殖、侵袭和迁移，可能是治疗宫颈癌的潜在靶点。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:The prognostic significance of interictal epileptiform discharges (IED) and periodic patterns (PP) after ischemic stroke has not been assessed. We sought to test whether IED and PP, detected on standard Electroencephalography (EEG) performed during the acute phase of ischemic stroke are associated with a worse functional outcome. METHODS:One-hundred-fifty-seven patients 18 years or older with a diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke presenting within 72 h from stroke onset were prospectively enrolled and followed. Patients with a pre-stroke history of seizures or epilepsy, previous debilitating neurological disease or conditions that precluded the performance of EEG were excluded. Interpretation was performed by a blinded board certified neurophysiologist. IED and PP (grouped as epileptiform activity [EA]) were defined according to proposed guidelines. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to identify predictors of outcome (modified Rankin Scale dichotomized ≤2 vs. ≥3) at 3 months. RESULTS:In the univariable analysis, admission NIHSS (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.12-1.28, p = 0.001), age (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05, p = 0.02), and presence of EA (OR 2.94, 95% CI 1.51-5.88, p = 0.001) were significantly associated with the outcome at 3 months. In the multivariable analysis, only admission NIHSS (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.11-1.28, p < 0.001) and the presence of EA (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.04-5.00, p = 0.04) were independently associated with the prognosis. SIGNIFICANCE:The importance of EEG in the prognosis of acute ischemic stroke warrants additional research, examining the role of medication therapy on the outcome and the occurrence of seizures for those patients with specific EEG patterns.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most common form of central nervous system tuberculosis with a very poor prognosis. We aimed at assessing risk factors related to the prognosis of patients with TBM.Forty-five inpatients with TBM in our institution from January 2013 to December 2015 were enrolled retrospectively. The good or poor prognosis in the patients was defined, based on Glasgow Outcome Scale System at discharge. Patients with a GOS score less than 5 were defined as "poor prognosis." Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the predictors for TBM outcome.Among 45 TBM patients, 35 (77.8%) and 10 (22.2%) were in good, poor prognoses, respectively. Old age, disturbance of consciousness, moderate to severe electroencephalogram abnormality, hydrocephalus, remarkable increase of protein (≥ 236 mg/dL) and white blood cell counts (≥ 243 /μL) in cerebral spinal fluid were associated with poor prognosis. Multivariate analysis indicated that old age (odds ratio (OR) = 18.395, P = .036) and hydrocephalus (OR = 32.995, P = .049) were independent factors for a poor outcome of TBM.In conclusion, old age and hydrocephalus are the predictors for poor prognosis of TBM. Patients with these risk factors should be treated promptly with a special care paid to improve their outcomes.

背景与目标： 结核性脑膜炎 (TBM) 是中枢神经系统结核病的最常见形式，预后很差。我们旨在评估与TBM患者预后相关的危险因素。我们机构从2013年1月到2015年12月的45例TBM住院患者被回顾性纳入。根据出院时格拉斯哥结局量表系统，确定了患者的良好或不良预后。GOS评分小于5的患者被定义为 “不良预后”。进行单因素和多因素logistic回归分析以评估TBM结果的预测因素。在45例TBM患者中，分别有35例 (77.8% 例) 和10例 (22.2% 例) 预后良好。年龄大、意识障碍、中重度脑电图异常、脑积水、脑脊液中蛋白质 (≥ 236  mg/dL) 和白细胞计数 (≥ 243  /μ l) 均与预后不良相关。多因素分析显示，高龄 (优势比 (OR)  =   18.395，p   =  .036) 和脑积水 (OR   =   32.995，p   =  .049) 是TBM预后不良的独立因素。老年和脑积水是TBM预后不良的预测因素。具有这些危险因素的患者应及时接受特殊护理治疗，以改善其预后。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :The findings presented in an accompanying paper by Menzies, Parkin, and Hey regarding the survival rates and quality of life of babies with severe spina bifida (Lancet 1985 Nov 2; 2(8462): 993-995) prompt the Working Group to reevaluate the ethical guidelines supporting selective treatment proposed in their 1975 report, "Ethics of Selective Treatment of Spina Bifida" (Lancet 1975 Jan 11; 1(7898): 85-88). Although Menzies, et al., report that survival rates are higher than previously expected and that in most cases the children's and parents' lives appear not to be excessively burdensome, the Working Group contends that there "continues to be ethical justification for selective treatment" of such newborns. Since medical, psychological, and social considerations now seem to be "more complex and less clearcut," the Group emphasizes that judgments regarding treatment should be made on a case-by-case basis.

背景与目标： : Menzies，Parkin和Hey在随附的论文中提出的有关严重脊柱裂婴儿的存活率和生活质量的发现 (《柳叶刀》1985 11月2日; 2(8462): 993-995) 促使工作组重新评估其1975报告 “脊柱裂选择性治疗的伦理学” 中提出的支持选择性治疗的伦理准则 (柳叶刀1975 1月11日; 1(7898): 85-88)。尽管Menzies等人报告说，生存率高于以前的预期，并且在大多数情况下，儿童和父母的生活似乎没有过分繁重，但工作组认为，“继续有道德理由对这种新生儿进行选择性治疗”。由于医学，心理和社会考虑现在似乎 “更加复杂且不那么明确”，因此该小组强调应根据具体情况做出有关治疗的判断。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: PURPOSE:This retrospective study evaluates the clinical success of conical crown-retained removable dentures. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Ninety-seven patients were treated with 97 dentures at the University of Frankfurt, Department of Prosthodontics, between 1993 and 2000. The average observation period was 4.9 +/- 2.8 years. The dentures were supported by 445 natural abutment teeth. To evaluate the long-term success of the restorations, the variables abutment loss, tooth mobility, mean probing depths, and radiological bone loss were used. Data were obtained by one clinical examiner at baseline, by systematic evaluation of patient records, and at clinical re-examinations. Survival-time methods were used to analyze time-to-event data. Specifically, the Cox model with frailty term was applied to account for correlations between intra-patient survival data. Thirty abutment teeth had to be extracted during the observation period. RESULTS:Statistical analysis showed no significant effects of the variables tooth mobility (p= 0.42), mean probing depths (p= 0.23), and radiological bone loss (p= 0.59) on the time to tooth extraction. For the non-extracted abutment teeth significant changes during time for the variables tooth mobility (p < 0.0001) and radiological bone loss (p= 0.0240) were observed. CONCLUSION:Removable partial dentures retained by conical crowns have a favorable clinical prognosis.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading cause of death worldwide, with early diagnosis still being difficult. Promising new cardiac biomarkers such as troponins and creatine kinase (CK) isoforms are being studied and integrated into clinical practice for early diagnosis of AMI. The cardiac-specific troponins I and T (cTnI and cTnT) have good sensitivity and specificity as indicators of myocardial necrosis and are superior to CK and its MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) in this regard. Besides being potential biologic markers, cardiac troponins also provide significant prognostic information. The introduction of novel high-sensitivity troponin assays has enabled more sensitive and timely diagnosis or exclusion of acute coronary syndromes. This review summarizes the available information on the potential of troponins and other cardiac markers in early diagnosis and prognosis of AMI, and provides perspectives on future diagnostic approaches to AMI.

背景与目标： : 急性心肌梗死 (AMI) 是全球死亡的主要原因，早期诊断仍然很困难。正在研究有希望的新的心脏生物标志物，例如肌钙蛋白和肌酸激酶 (CK) 亚型，并将其整合到临床实践中，以早期诊断AMI。心脏特异性肌钙蛋白I和T (cTnI和cTnT) 作为心肌坏死的指标具有良好的敏感性和特异性，在这方面优于CK及其MB同工酶 (ck-mb)。除了作为潜在的生物学标志物外，心肌肌钙蛋白还提供了重要的预后信息。新型高灵敏度肌钙蛋白测定法的引入使急性冠状动脉综合征的诊断和排除更加敏感和及时。这篇综述总结了肌钙蛋白和其他心脏标志物在AMI早期诊断和预后中的潜力，并为AMI的未来诊断方法提供了展望。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :MicroRNA-203 (miR-203), possessing tumor suppressive or promotive activities, has been found to be downregulated or upregulated in different cancer types. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the increased expression of miR-203 can be used as a noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to detect the expression levels of miR-203 in EOC tissues. The expression levels of miR-203 were significantly higher in EOC tissues compared to adjacent non-cancerous tissues (p < 0.001). High expression of miR-203 was observed in 65.38 % (102/156) of EOC. In addition, high miR-203 expression was found to be closely correlated with advanced FIGO stage (p < 0.001), higher histological grade (p = 0.02), lymph node involvement (p < 0.001), and positive recurrence (p < 0.001). Moreover, high miR-203 expression was correlated with shorter overall survival (p < 0.001) and shorter progression-free survival (p < 0.001) of EOC patients. Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that the status of miR-203 expression was an independent predictor for both overall survival and progression-free survival in EOC. These findings provide the convincing evidence for the first time that the upregulation of miR-203 may serve as a novel molecular marker to predict the aggressive tumor progression and unfavorable prognosis of EOC patients.

背景与目标： : MicroRNA-203 (miR-203) 具有肿瘤抑制或促进活性，已发现在不同类型的癌症中被下调或上调。这项研究的目的是研究miR-203表达的增加是否可以用作上皮性卵巢癌 (EOC) 的非侵入性诊断和预后生物标志物。进行实时定量PCR以检测EOC组织中miR-203的表达水平。与邻近的非癌组织相比，EOC组织中miR-203的表达水平显着更高 (p <0.001)。在65.38% (102/156) 的EOC中观察到miR-203的高表达。此外，发现高miR-203表达与FIGO分期 (p <0.001)，组织学分级 (p = 0.02)，淋巴结受累 (p < 0.001) 和阳性复发 (p < 0.001) 密切相关。此外，高miR-203表达与EOC患者更短的总生存期 (p < 0.001) 和更短的无进展生存期 (p < 0.001) 相关。此外，多变量分析表明，miR-203表达状态是EOC总生存期和无进展生存期的独立预测因子。这些发现首次提供了令人信服的证据，表明miR-203的上调可能是预测EOC患者侵袭性肿瘤进展和不良预后的新型分子标记。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Over the past several years, multivariate approaches have been developed that address the problem of disease diagnosis. Here, we report an integrated approach to the problem of prognosis that uses protein microarrays to measure a focused set of molecular markers and non-parametric methods to reveal non-linear relationships among these markers, clinical variables, and patient outcome. As proof-of-concept, we applied our approach to the prediction of early mortality in patients initiating kidney dialysis. We found that molecular markers are not uniformly prognostic, but instead vary in their value depending on a combination of clinical variables. This may explain why reports in this area aiming to identify prognostic markers, without taking into account clinical variables, are either conflicting or show that markers have marginal prognostic value. Just as treatments are now being tailored to specific subsets of patients, our results show that prognosis can also benefit from a 'personalized' approach.

背景与目标： : 在过去的几年中，已经开发了解决疾病诊断问题的多变量方法。在这里，我们报告了一种针对预后问题的综合方法，该方法使用蛋白质微阵列来测量一组集中的分子标记物，以及非参数方法来揭示这些标记物，临床变量和患者预后之间的非线性关系。作为概念验证，我们将我们的方法应用于开始肾透析的患者的早期死亡率的预测。我们发现，分子标志物的预后并不一致，而是根据临床变量的组合而变化。这可以解释为什么在不考虑临床变量的情况下，旨在识别预后标志物的这一领域的报告存在冲突或表明标志物具有边际预后价值。就像现在针对特定的患者子集进行治疗一样，我们的结果表明，“个性化” 方法也可以使预后受益。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND:Accumulating evidence suggests that hematopoiesis, especially erythropoiesis, is disturbed in heart failure (HF) for many reasons. Low hemoglobin and red blood cell distribution width have emerged as prognostic indicators of HF independent of classic predictors. The prognostic implication of mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in HF, however, is unknown. In this context, we investigated the relationship between MCV and prognosis of acute decompensated HF (ADHF). METHODS AND RESULTS:This retrospective cohort study consisted of 458 consecutive patients with ADHF who had emergency admission to hospital. Patients were divided into 2 groups: MCV ≤100fl (non-macrocytic group, n=400); and MCV >100fl (macrocytic group, n=58). The relationship between MCV and all-cause death was tested using Cox proportional hazard models, adjusting for other predictors. Mean patient age was 72.4 years and mean MCV was 93.0±7.1fl. Hemoglobin was significantly lower in the macrocytic group than the non-macrocytic group. During the mean follow-up of 20.8 months, a total of 173 deaths (37.9%) occurred. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that all-cause death was significantly higher in the macrocytic group (log-rank P<0.0001). Cox proportional hazards analysis indicated that macrocytosis was an independent predictor of all-cause death (hazard ratio, 2.288; 95% confidence interval: 1.390-3.643; P=0.0015) after adjustment in the multivariate model. CONCLUSIONS:It is proposed for the first time that MCV is an independent predictor of all-cause death in patients with ADHF.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Musashi1 (Msi1) is a highly conserved RNA-binding protein that is required during the development of the nervous system. Msi1 has been characterized as a stem cell marker, controlling the balance between self-renewal and differentiation, and has also been implicated in tumorigenesis, being highly expressed in multiple tumor types. We analyzed Msi1 expression in a large cohort of medulloblastoma samples and found that Msi1 is highly expressed in tumor tissue compared with normal cerebellum. Notably, high Msi1 expression levels proved to be a sign of poor prognosis. Msi1 expression was determined to be particularly high in molecular subgroups 3 and 4 of medulloblastoma. We determined that Msi1 is required for tumorigenesis because inhibition of Msi1 expression by small-interfering RNAs reduced the growth of Daoy medulloblastoma cells in xenografts. To characterize the participation of Msi1 in medulloblastoma, we conducted different high-throughput analyses. Ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation followed by microarray analysis (RIP-chip) was used to identify mRNA species preferentially associated with Msi1 protein in Daoy cells. We also used cluster analysis to identify genes with similar or opposite expression patterns to Msi1 in our medulloblastoma cohort. A network study identified RAC1, CTGF, SDCBP, SRC, PRL, and SHC1 as major nodes of an Msi1-associated network. Our results suggest that Msi1 functions as a regulator of multiple processes in medulloblastoma formation and could become an important therapeutic target.

背景与目标： : Musashi1 (Msi1) 是一种高度保守的RNA结合蛋白，在神经系统发育过程中是必需的。Msi1已被表征为干细胞标志物，控制自我更新和分化之间的平衡，并且还与肿瘤发生有关，在多种肿瘤类型中高度表达。我们分析了Msi1在大量髓母细胞瘤样本中的表达，发现与正常小脑相比，Msi1在肿瘤组织中高表达。值得注意的是，高Msi1表达水平被证明是预后不良的迹象。确定Msi1在髓母细胞瘤的分子亚组3和4中表达特别高。我们确定Msi1是肿瘤发生所必需的，因为小干扰rna抑制Msi1表达会降低异种移植物中Daoy髓母细胞瘤细胞的生长。为了表征Msi1参与髓母细胞瘤的情况，我们进行了不同的高通量分析。核糖核蛋白免疫沉淀，然后进行微阵列分析 (RIP-chip)，用于鉴定Daoy细胞中优先与Msi1蛋白相关的mRNA种类。我们还使用聚类分析来鉴定在我们的髓母细胞瘤队列中具有与Msi1相似或相反表达模式的基因。一项网络研究将RAC1，CTGF，SDCBP，SRC，PRL和SHC1确定为Msi1-associated网络的主要节点。我们的结果表明，Msi1在髓母细胞瘤形成中充当多个过程的调节剂，并可能成为重要的治疗靶标。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVE:We investigated the clinical significance of ERp57 in the progression of cervical cancer. METHODS:mRNA and protein expression of ERp57 in cervical neoplasias were examined. RESULTS:ERp57 mRNA expression was significantly decreased in cervical cancers. Immunohistochemistry revealed that ERp57 expression in 123 cervical cancers was down-regulated compared to cervical intraepithelial neoplasias or normal tissues (p < 0.001). Low ERp57 expression was significantly associated with worse overall survival (HR = 12.19, p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS:Low ERp57 expression independently predicts a poor outcome for patients with cervical cancer, supporting the notion that ERp57 may be a promising novel cancer target.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :The translocation t(2;11)(p21;q23) is associated with de novo myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and has an overall frequency of approximately 1%. The outcome of MDS patients with this translocation is not clear until now, because most of the clinical data addressing the t(2;11)(p21;q23) has been collected without investigating the status of the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene. In this report, we present seven new patients with MDS diagnosis and the t(2;11)(p21;q23) in bone marrow cells; all of them without MLL gene rearrangement. They were found in two databases consisting of 1185 patients of two Czech institutions. These patients tended to be younger and showed a strong male predominance. A cytological and histological assessment of bone marrow at diagnosis revealed only mild MDS with marked dysplasia in megakaryopoiesis. Similar to other primary abnormalities in MDS (e.g. deletion of 11q), the t(2;11)(p21;q23) was frequently associated with deletion of 5q. Our results stress the common clinicopathological features of this entity and indicate that the t(2;11)(p21;q23) may be associated with a good prognosis for MDS patients (median survival 72 months).

背景与目标： : 易位t(2;11)(p21;q23) 与新生骨髓增生异常综合征 (MDS) 有关，总频率约为1%。到目前为止，这种易位的MDS患者的结果尚不清楚，因为大多数涉及t(2;11)(p21;q23) 的临床数据都是在未调查混合谱系白血病 (MLL) 的状态的情况下收集的。基因。在本报告中，我们介绍了7例新的MDS诊断患者和骨髓细胞中的t(2;11)(p21;q23)。他们都没有MLL基因重排。在两个由两个捷克机构的1185名患者组成的数据库中发现了它们。这些患者往往更年轻，并且表现出强烈的男性优势。诊断时对骨髓进行的细胞学和组织学评估显示，在巨核细胞生成中只有轻度MDS伴明显的发育不良。与MDS中的其他主要异常 (例如11q的缺失) 相似，t(2;11)(p21;q23) 经常与5q的缺失相关。我们的结果强调了该实体的常见临床病理特征，并表明t(2;11)(p21;q23) 可能与MDS患者的良好预后相关 (中位生存期72个月)。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND:In spite of the multimodal treatment used today, glioblastoma is still the most aggressive and lethal cerebral tumour. To increase survival in these patients, novel therapeutic targets must be discovered. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3), a transcription factor that controls normal cell differentiation and survival is also involved in neoplastic celltransformation. In this study we evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of pY705-Stat3 in patients with primary glioblastoma and determined its prognostic role by correlating it with survival. METHODS:This retrospective study included 94 patients diagnosed with glioblastoma. We determined the localization, number of positive cells, and marker intensity for pY705-Stat3 in these patients with the use of immunohistochemistry. The prognostic role was determined by correlating pY705-Stat3 expression on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumour tissues with the patient's survival in univariate and multivariate COX regressions. RESULTS:We found a statistically significant difference in survival between the patients with more than 20% pY705-Stat3 positive cells and those with less than 20% pY705-Stat3 positive cells (8.9 months median survival versus 13.7 months medial survival, p <  0.001). On multivariate analyses with the COX proportional hazards regression model including pY705-Stat3 expression, age and relapse status, pY705-Stat3 status was an independent prognostic factor in glioblastoma (P <  0.001). CONCLUSION:The results obtained show that the immunohistochemical expression of pY705-Stat3 correlates with survival in glioblastoma. This study identifies Stat3 as a possible target for existing or new developed Stat3 inhibitors.

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BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVE:To detect the expression level of organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1B3 (OATP1B3) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to determine the relationship between OATP1B3 expression, clinicopathological features, and prognosis. METHODS:Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed to detect the expression of OATP1B3 in 131 HCC specimens and in 89 adjacent nontumorous tissues. Moreover, the expression levels of OATP1B3 in 30 pairs of tumor and matched adjacent nontumorous tissues were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and 34 pairs of tumor and matched adjacent nontumorous tissues were detected by Western blotting. The χ2 test was applied to analyze the correlation between OATP1B3 expression and the clinical parameters of HCC patients. The prognostic value of OATP1B3 in HCC patients was estimated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and the Cox stepwise proportional hazards model. RESULTS:Compared with that in adjacent nontumorous tissues (25.8%, 23/89), OATP1B3 expression was significantly downregulated in tumor tissues (59.5%, 78/131) (P < 0.0001). Moreover, OATP1B3 expression was markedly correlated with tumor size, recurrence, tumor differentiation, and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage (P < 0.05 for each). However, age, sex, tumor capsule status, HBsAg, cirrhosis, tumor number, vascular invasion, and serum alpha fetoprotein were not associated with OATP1B3 expression. The overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of HCC patients who had high expression of OATP1B3 were significantly longer than those of patients with low expression (33.0% vs 12.9%, P = 0.001; 18.8% vs 5.3%, P < 0.0001). Cox multivariate analysis showed that OATP1B3, invasion, and TNM stage (P < 0.05 for each) were independent prognostic factors of OS in HCC patients and that OATP1B3 and TNM stage (both P < 0.05) were independent prognostic factors of DFS in HCC patients. CONCLUSIONS:The expression of OATP1B3 in HCC patients was significantly lower than that in adjacent nontumorous tissues. OATP1B3 expression may be a potential prognostic marker in HCC patients.

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BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND:Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are reported to play important roles in tumorigenesis of various malignant tumors. However, the clinical significance of aberrant lncRNA expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still elusive. METHODS:Firstly, a differentially expressed lncRNA CTC-297N7.9 in HCC was detected by analyzing the data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Secondly, the expression level of CTC-297N7.9 was examined in four HCC cell lines and 60 pairs of HCC tissues by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay at our center. Thirdly, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of CTC-297N7.9 for HCC. Correlation and survival analysis of HCC patients from the TCGA and our center were also carried out to assess the predictive value of CTC-297N7.9. Finally, survival prognostic models were established combining lncRNA expression and other clinical parameters. RESULTS:The expression of CTC-297N7.9 was downregulated in HCC cell lines and HCC tissues. ROC curve revealed its significant diagnostic value in HCC. CTC-297N7.9 expression correlated with serum alpha-fetal protein (AFP), tumor stage, and tumor differentiation. Survival analysis indicated that overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) are all positively associated with CTC-297N7.9 expression, especially in patients without viral hepatitis or cirrhosis. Cox regression analysis showed that CTC-297N7.9 expression level is an independent prognostic factor for both OS and DFS in HCC patients. Based on the model, CTC-297N7.9 was observed to be negatively correlated to risk score, indicating its role as a protective factor for HCC. CONCLUSION:Our study demonstrated that the low expression of CTC-297N7.9 is associated with poor prognosis in HCC patients, suggesting its possible role as a potential prognostic marker for HCC.

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