The expression of lncRNA XIST in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and its effect on biological function.

PURPOSE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the common cancers, but its relationship with long non-coding (lnc)RNA XIST and microRNA (miR)-488 is still under investigation. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the correlation between miR-488 and XIST in HCC. METHODS: qRT-PCR was employed to quantify the lncRNA XIST and miR-488 in HCC tissues and cells, and miR-488 mimcs and lncRNA siRNA vectors were constructed for analysis of the roles of miR-488 and lncRNA XIST in HCC cells. Flow cytometry was applied to determine the cell cycle and apoptosis, Western blot assay to detect apoptosis-related proteins, and the MTT assay to detect cell viability. RESULTS: lncRNA XIST was highly expressed in HCC, while miR-488 was lowly expressed. Silencing lncRNA XIST gave rise to an increase in G0/G1 phase cells and a decrease in S-phase cells, promoted apoptosis, weakened cell viability, and induced up-regulation of Caspase-3, Caspase-9, and Bax, and up-regulating miR-488 led to similar results. The dual luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed that lncRNA XIST could bind to miR-488, and its inhibition could give rise to up-regulation of miR-488. It was also confirmed that lncRNA XIST was negatively correlated with miR-488. CONCLUSION: LncRNA XIST accelerates HCC cell growth by inhibiting miR-488, so inhibiting lncRNA XIST or up-regulating miR-488 has objective potential therapeutic value and may be helpful for the development of new HCC treatment strategies.

Expression of annexin A5 in serum and tumor tissue of patients with colon cancer and its clinical significance.

AIM: To investigate the expression of annexin A5 in serum and tumor tissue of patients with colon cancer and to analyze its clinical significance. METHODS: Ninety-three patients with colon cancer treated at our hospital between February 2013 and March 2016 were included in an observation group, and 40 healthy individuals were included in a control group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to determine the serum level of annexin A5, while immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the expression of annexin A5 in cancer tissues. RESULTS: The serum level of annexin A5 was 0.184 ± 0.043 ng/mL in the observation group, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Annexin A5 expression was detected in 79.31% of the patients with lymph node metastasis, which was significantly higher than that in patients without lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Moreover, annexin A5 expression was detected in 86.96% of the patients with stage III to IV disease, which was significantly higher than that in patients with stage I to II disease (P < 0.05). The serum level of annexin A5 was 0.215 ± 0.044 ng/mL in patients whose tumors were positive for annexin A5 expression, which was significantly higher than that in patients whose tumors were negative for annexin A5 expression (P < 0.05). The serum level of annexin A5 was correlated with annexin A5 expression in colon cancer tissues (r = 0.312, P < 0.05). When a cutoff value of > 0.148 ng/mL for serum level of annexin A5 was used in the diagnosis of colon cancer, the sensitivity was 83.90%, and the specificity was 57.50%. CONCLUSION: For patients with colon cancer, annexin A5 expression in cancer tissues is related to lymph node metastasis and tumor grade. Serum level of annexin A5 is related to annexin A5 expression in cancer tissues and is of diagnostic relevance.

Modified Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for type 2 diabetes mellitus in China.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of modified Roux-en-Y gastric bypass for type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODOLOGY: Forty-five type 2 diabetes mellitus patients underwent modified Roux-en-Y gastric bypass at WeiFang People's Hospital. Data on patient demographics, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), body mass index (BMI), medication use, remission and hemoglobin A1c (HbAlc) were prospectively collected and analyzed. RESULTS: At 6 months after surgery, all of these 45 patients obtained remission or a marked improvement. FPG was in the normal range in 39 (86.7%) patients stopping medicine treatment for their diabetes. Six patients (13.3%) had an obvious reduced abnormal FPG and they only required lower drug dosage. No statistically significant differences were found between the obese or non-obese groups (p=0.311). The mean BMI dropped from 28.9±3.0 kg/m2 to 27.4±2.8 kg/m2 (p=0.000) at the third month and 26.3±2.5 kg/m2 (p=0.000) at the sixth month. HbAlc decreased from their preoperative values of 7.4%±2.2% to 6.3%±1.5% (p=0.000) at the third month and 5.1%±0.9% (p=0.000) at the sixth month. CONCLUSIONS: Modified Roux-en-Y gastric bypass was effective in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus, independent of body mass index.