Correlation of Lipin gene expression with hepatic fat content in rats with intrauterine growth retardation / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the correlation of the expression of Lipin1 in visceral adipose tissue and Lipin2 in liver tissue with hepatic fat content in rats with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR).@*METHODS@#Pregnant rats were given a low-protein (10% protein) diet during pregnancy to establish a model of IUGR in neonatal rats. The pregnant rats in the control group were given a normal-protein (21% protein) diet during pregnancy. The neonatal rats were weighed and liver tissue was collected on day 1 and at weeks 3, 8, and 12 after birth, and visceral adipose tissue was collected at weeks 3, 8, and 12 after birth. The 3.0T 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to measure hepatic fat content at weeks 3, 8, and 12 after birth. Real-time PCR was used to measure mRNA expression levels of Lipin2 in liver tissue and Lipin1 in visceral adipose tissue. Western blot was used to measure protein levels of Lipin2 in liver tissue and Lipin1 in visceral adipose tissue. A Pearson correlation analysis was performed to investigate the correlation of mRNA and protein expression of Lipin with hepatic fat content.@*RESULTS@#The IUGR group had significantly higher mRNA and protein expression levels of Lipin1 in visceral adipose tissue than the control group at weeks 3, 8, and 12 after birth (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the IUGR group had significantly lower mRNA and protein expression levels of Lipin2 in liver tissue on day 1 after birth and significantly higher mRNA and protein expression levels of Lipin2 at weeks 1, 3, 8, and 12 after birth (P<0.05). At week 3 after birth, there was no significant difference in hepatic fat content between the IUGR and control groups (P>0.05), while at weeks 8 and 12 after birth, the IUGR group had a significantly higher hepatic fat content than the control group (P<0.05). The protein and mRNA expression levels of Lipin1 were positively correlated with hepatic fat content (r=0.628 and 0.521 respectively; P<0.05), and the protein and mRNA expression levels of Lipin2 were also positively correlated with hepatic fat content (r=0.601 and 0.524 respectively; P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Upregulation of the mRNA and protein expression levels of Lipin1 in visceral adipose tissue and Lipin2 in liver tissue can increase hepatic fat content in rats with IUGR and may be associated with obesity in adulthood.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy on hepatocellular carcinoma after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization / 癌症

<p><b>BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE</b>Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of the liver in vivo is in experimental phase. MRS observation on liver cancer after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) has seldom been reported. This study was to investigate the value of MRS in assessing the metabolic changes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after TACE.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-five consecutive patients with pathologically-confirmed HCC received 1H MRS of all hepatic lesions using 1.5T whole body MR scanner before TACE and at 3-10 days after TACE. Choline-to-lipid (Cho/Lip), glucogen/glucose-to-lipid (Glu/Lip), and glytamine/glutamate-to-lipid (Glx/Lip) ratios were measured and analyzed statistically.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The Cho/Lip, Glu/Lip, and Glx/Lip ratios were 0.21 +/- 0.08, 0.11 +/- 0.05, 0.28 +/- 0.10 before TACE, respectively, and were 0.10 +/- 0.08, 0.07 +/- 0.07, 0.18 +/- 0.12 after TACE, respectively, with significant differences (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Using MRS can evaluate the early metabolic responses of HCC to TACE.</p>

Comparison between pathological findings and MR diffusion-weighted imaging in primary hepatocellular carcinoma after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the pathological basis of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) findings in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>DWI was performed in 15 patients with HCC treated by TACE within 24 - 48 hours before II-phase operation. The DWI findings of the liver lesions were analyzed and correlated with pathological findings including macroscopic observation, HE staining and immunohistochemical staining for bFGF.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) The viable tumor area showed mostly hypersignal intensity (12/15), whereas coagulative necrotic lesions showed hyposignal (8/15) or isosignal intensity (6/15). The ADC values of zones of viable tumor and necrosis in tumor were (1.42 +/- 0.16) x 10(-3) mm(2)/s and (1.58 +/- 0.18) x 10(-3) mm(2)/s, respectively. There was a significant difference of ADC values between the two zones (t = 2.618, P < 0.05). (2) There was a significant difference in ADC values of viable tumor between well and poorly differentiated tumors (t = -2.646, P < 0.05). The distinction of ADC values of the whole tumor was significant among tumors with different degree of necrosis (chi(2) = 7.236, P < 0.05). (3) A negative correlation was observed between bFGF protein expression index and ADC values of viable parts of the tumors in the study group (r = -0.552, P = 0.033).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DWI shows certain characteristic features of the HCC after TACE, and can be used to distinguish viable and necrotic tumor tissues in HCC after TACE.</p>